A new chapter: Innovation Unit ANZ becomes ThirdStory
After 10 years of partnership, Innovation Unit Australia New Zealand is separating from it’s UK sister organisation and becoming ThirdStory
Our shared history
Innovation Unit has grown the boldest innovations to society's biggest challenges for nearly 25 years. First established in the UK, we have worked with communities, places, foundations, governments, and businesses around the world.
As our successes in Australia and New Zealand took root, so Innovation Unit Australia emerged between 2015 and 2017. This chapter in our history opened with a cross-sectoral school community of practice aimed at better supporting learners to achieve their full potential, and was followed by a partnership with Goodstart to transform learning in the Early Years.
In 2017 Innovation Unit Australia merged with Innovate Change, a social change agency in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Innovate Change’s ventures included Harakeke: a powerful parent-led initiative designed to create stronger social connections between parents of children under five. Stronger together, they became a thriving independent charity: Innovation Unit Australia New Zealand.
The teams from the UK and ANZ have continued to collaborate closely together on projects including the collaborative design of a new school system in Bermuda, the co-design of family and domestic violence refuges for women and children in Western Australia, and using technologies to improve learning on outcomes for young people in sub-saharan Africa. This work, delivered by a joint ANZ and UK team remains a strong chapter in our shared history.
10 years on, we start new chapters
We are excited to announce our new name – ThirdStory. And with this new name and identity comes the final separation from Innovation Unit Ltd so that each of us can flourish in a rapidly changing world. While we look forward to the continued flow of learning, people, methods & tools between our teams; these changes are significant and meaningful.
These changes mean both organisations will be more deeply connected to each place and each community where they work. And both organisations will be better able to grow their work with places and communities in ways that remain true to who they are, where they are and the needs they are trying to meet.
In Aotearoa New Zealand for example, our ongoing relationship with Tūmanako Consultants has provided a vehicle to reset, refresh and reposition our work and become active, productive allies. In Australia, our presence in Perth and Melbourne has offered us the privilege of working in place-based ways with diverse local partners as well as engage in ambitious national systems change programs. And we are exploring a more permanent presence in the Caribbean region as our support of education reform in Bermuda brings new interest in our way of working and impact.
As ThirdStory we commit to prioritising work that decolonises systems and practices and actively supports self-determination and equity in Aotearoa, Australia, Bermuda and the Caribbean and beyond.
We celebrate the chapters we authored with Innovation Unit Ltd in the UK, and we now look forward to creating new and different stories of social and environmental impact, equity and systems change. There is still much work to do.
Keren Caple, Chief Executive, ThirdStory
Matthew Horne, Chief Executive, Innovation Unit Ltd
Interested in learning more about our decision, our history and our next chapter?
We’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch with us here.