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About Hono
Aotearoa-founded, globally spread. We connect the tools that power your kaupapa.
Who is Hono
We are a small, sharp team that helps organisations and businesses get great results online. We sit with you, listen to your whāinga (goals), then co-design what matters: tidy websites, connected comms and CRM, and automations that do the boring bits so your kaimahi (team) don’t have to.
People first, kaupapa-driven. Hononga (Connection), Whakatipuranga (Growth), Mātauranga (Knowledge), Āwhina (Support) set the tone for how we work together.
Our Mission & Vision
He hononga matihiko mō te tangata | connection, made digital.
For you: tools that get used, stories that land, better reach, time back.
For us: support that keeps your kaupapa moving. No fluff, just outcomes.
Our Journey
After seven years as Ryze, we needed a name and look that matched who we’d become: kaupapa-led, collective, and proudly us. On 4 October 2025, we launched Hono. Same crew, clearer direction, better tools for our whānau. We connect people, systems, and tools so your digital whare reflects the people you serve. We sit alongside your team, tidy the tech , and keep the kōrero flowing. Less noise, more hononga. And that cousin-built form that keeps losing enquiries? We fix those too.
Hono is our ingoa (name) and our mahi: keeping things connected, easy to use, and ready for real growth.
Our Tohu (Logo)
A tohu with mana that carries our kaupapa at a glance. A taonga we wear with pride, keeping us true to our whānau and our values.
Niho Taniwha
The niho taniwha (saw-edged pattern) notches in the lettering
symbolise identity, knowledge, and connection.
Curved Letters
The curves of the
letters are inspired by the fronds of the harakeke (NZ flax), a symbol of growth
and the nurturing of genuine relationships.
Tohu | Logo
The minimalist tohu (logo) draws inspiration from the whakarare pattern, which represents hononga (connection), and the journey of building relationships.
Ingoa | Name
Hono and hononga speak to relationships - people with people, people with whenua (land), and kōrero (stories) with whakapapa (history). An ingoa that reflects who we are and what we do.
Our Values
Hononga: The Heart of Our Values
We connect in ways that matter - whakawhanaungatanga, taking the time to understand your kaupapa, goals, and your people.
Whakatipuranga: Growth Through Collaboration
We help our whānau grow - with smarter tools and systems, better ways of working, and support that keeps momentum strong.
Mātauranga: Knowledgeas Our Foundation
We learn, we improve, we share - passing on what works to help our whānau strengthen their online presence.
Āwhina: Supporting our whānau everyday...always
We back our whānau when it matters - with mahi, kōrero, or whatever is needed to keep them moving.
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Our Crew
Small crew. Big mahi. Designers, devs, and kaiāwhina (assistants), turning whakaaro (ideas) into working tools.
James turns messy problems into tidy plans, sorting client strategy, steering projects, and making it easy for businesses to get more leads and enquiries. Off-screen he’s under the moana with a dive tank, cheering the NRL Warriors (up the Wahs), or hanging with the mokopuna.
Nicky turns blank websites into words of art, shaping kōrero that sounds like you, works on humans, and actually converts. When the laptop closes, she’s outside with her whānau or lacing up for a run.
If a macron goes walkabout, Edith finds it, lines up the kōrero, keeps the internal marketing calendar behaving, and holds the voice of Hono steady. After hours she’s chasing kaupapa and wānanga across the motu, and enjoying quality time with whānau and friends.
Darshan makes designs behave on the web, pixels land on-point, animations run smooth, and ensure's performance gets a polish so webpages can fly. He keeps the mahi on time and on budget from dev handover to go-live; off-screen he’s with his wife or planning the next trip.
From servers and SSLs to domains and email, Thomas keeps the stack calm and the outages short. Quick to diagnose, quicker to fix. After hours it’s marathons, motorbike missions, and time with his whānau.
Amy is the guardian of the pūtea at Hono, keeping us profitable, nudging late payers, sorting statements, paying the team, and generally keeping the lights on. When the books balance, she’s with her whānau or catching up with friends.
Jaye turns brand website requirements into clean, clickable design, crafting graphics in Figma and Canva, then laying out websites that look like the client and work for their users. When the laptop closes, he’s roaming museums and happily geeking out on history and art.
Aarju turns designs into things you can click - fast, accessible, and stitched together with tidy code so everything just works. When her laptop shuts, she’s with her whānau, enjoying time away from the computer (real life > screen glow).
If a logo wobbles, Rosa gives it backbone, aligning kōrero, type, and tohu until the brand stands tall. She shaped the Hono brand; off-screen it’s whānau, wayfinding, and the occasional airport snack.
Client Testimonials
Kōrero from clients who’ve seen the mahi turn into outcomes for their whānau.