Festival for the Future 2023 | Inspiring Stories | 7 June 2023 | Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, 50 Cable Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

As Aotearoa’s biggest leadership and innovation summit, this event is one of the most inspirational events you’ll ever attend. Join current and future leaders from New Zealand’s business, government and community sectors as we explore the big issues of our time, showcase what’s possible, and build ideas and skills for a more inclusive and sustainable future.

2023 Speakers

Tory Whanau
Mayor of Wellington

Florence Van Dyke
Head of Sustainability at NZTE

James Laughlin
High-Performance Leadership Coach

Mindy Leow
Director of Growth & Impact at B Lab

Alex Worker
Chair of Future Food Aotearoa

Dr Mahsa McCauley
Director of Women in Tech at AUT

Ben Gleisner
Global CEO of CoGo – helping

Eteroa Lafaele
Software engineer and community

Brianne West
Founder of the global beauty brand Ethique

Hon James Shaw
Minister for Climate Change

Toby Lane
CEO of NewFish

Zac Robinson
Co-founder of Ārepa

Ali Muhammad
Former refugee and community advocate

Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom
International Space University Alumni, Entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceBase

Pera Barrett
Experienced leader

Guy Ryan
Founder of Inspiring Stories

Vivian Chandra
Educator and facilitator

Cheyenne Wilson
Founder & Director of Te Kaharangi Hono

James Palmer
Chief Executive and Secretary for the Environment at Ministry for the Environment.

Elle Archer
Experienced leader in business, governance and technology, Chair of Te Matarau

Dylan Chand
Engineering and computer science student

Darryl-Lee Wendelborn
Award-winning engineer and Managing Director of Beca New Zealand

Quack Pirihi
Making a difference for tangata Takatāpui

Hana Tapiata
Author and podcast host

Devon Murph-Davids
CEO of Inspiring Stories

Dr Johnson Witehira
Artist, researcher, and co-founder of Apōpō and Indigenous Design & Innovation Aotearoa (IDIA).

Tara Shepherd
Champion for inclusion and sustainability.

Erin Matariki Carr
Lawyer, researcher and facilitator with a focus on constitutional transformation.

Shay Wright
Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader

Melissa Wragge
A world-leading system-design strategist and applied innovation expert

Jesse Armstrong
Co-founder and CEO of Vaka

Laura O’Connell Rapira
Experienced leader, campaigner and movement builder

Anthony Ruakere
Partner at Deloitte

Vira Paky
A Congolese New Zealander who thrives at the intersection of arts

Tric Malcolm
Addressing the root causes of food poverty and creating sustainable solutions for a food secure Aotearoa.

Colleen Thorpe
Engineer and Industrial Sustainability Lead at Beca, leading the integration of circular economy principles.

Jade Waetford
Facilitator at M3 Mindfulness, business owner, mother, and facilitator with a passion for wellbeing and Toi Māori.

Afnan Kayed
Designer

Stephanie Meyers
Partner at Deloitte

Jade Waetford
Facilitator at M3 Mindfulness

Tahlia Conrad-Hinga
Designer & storyteller

Mary Moeono-Kolio
Fighting for climate justice

Caitlin Pilcher
Experience designer

Christina Leef
Kaimahi at Ara Taiohi

Cara Adler
Designer and researcher