2019 SPEAKERS
James Russell
Predator Free New Zealand’s bold plan to restore birdsong to Aotearoa
Meet James Russell: rat trapper and a world leading island conservationist.
James’ work brings together a variety of scientific methods to solve contemporary conservation problems, and he is currently on a quest to eradicate introduced mammal predators from all of New Zealand. More recently, James has been researching the social implications of pest control and the dynamics between humans and conservation.
Dr Russell is an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and Strategic Advisor to the Predator Free NZ Trust.
Kat Clarke
Your Words have the Power to end suffering of LGBTQ youth
Adopted from Russia as a young child and overcoming adversity as a teenager, Katerina (Kat) Clark was motivated to make a difference for other young people in the Bay of Plenty.
Kat established Tauranga Pryde and continues to provide ongoing support as a student advocate at the University of Waikato.
In recognition of Kat’s work on behalf of the LGBTQ community she was presented with two Youth Week awards and is a Local Hero New Zealander of the Year.
Rob Weinkove
CAR T-cell therapy: Reprogramming the immune system to treat Cancer
Dr Robert Weinkove is Clinical Director of the Malaghan Institute, a biomedical research institute in Wellington, NZ.
Rob is a blood specialist researching a cutting edge, personalised, cancer treatment known as Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. CAR T- cell therapy is a treatment, which involves taking a patient’s own immune cells, reprogramming them and returning them back to the patient to fight the cancer.
Rob and his team are developing a clinical trial to evaluate a “third generation” CAR T-cell therapy. He hopes that this will present a paradigm shift for treatment of lymphoma, and possibly for other cancers, in the future.
David Downs
Don't Humour the Tumour
David is a published author on New Zealand Innovation, with two highly successful books – No.8 Re-wired, and No.8 Recharged.
He’s an ex-comedian, TV and Radio actor, and a genetically modified organism who documented his battle with cancer in the book A Mild Touch of the Cancer. David regularly presents and gives talks on his cancer journey and on the power of positive thinking and optimism.
Alex Hotere-Barnes
Beyond Cultural Paralysis: a path towards just relationships
Alex is a Pākehā product of the Kaupapa Māori educational movement. He works closely with teachers, school leaders and community members to help create relationships that are culturally and socially just.
As an educator and researcher with affiliations to Mātaatua, Tainui and Te Tai Tokerau areas, he is fascinated by what supports and gets in the way of mutually advantageous relationships between Tāngata whenua and Non-Māori. Alex is interested in bilingual schooling, philosophy, hip hop, tikanga Māori revitalisation, and having a laugh!
Olly Hills
The Adventures of a 12 year old Cicada hunter
Olly Hills is a 12-year-old entomologist from Hamilton who wrote a field guide to the New Zealand cicadas when he was just 10 years old. He has appeared in a season of “Fanimals” television shows on TV2 in a special segment called “Bugs with Olly” and was an invited speaker at the 2018 Entomological Society of New Zealand conference. Olly has an infectious love of all insects and nature that he loves to share with others.
Stacey Sims
Women are Not Small Men: A paradigm shift in the Science of Nutrition
Stacy Sims is a question-asker and boat rocker (disruptor) when it comes to human performance and physiology. She has asked the questions her academic predecessors said were too difficult to answer and gone after those answers.
Stacy has been widely recognized as a visionary for her thought leadership across the sports performance industry and will leave our audience with new insights into how to better understand themselves and biohack their routines for better performance.
email: ssims@waikato.ac.nz
Danielle Appleton
Is New Zealand Dairy in danger of being milked out of existence?
Danielle Appleton is helping emerging food technology companies carve out a better future for Aotearoa New Zealand. Danielle used a decade of experience improving processes in the dairy industry to co-found dairy and alternative-dairy startups KiaOra Milk and Evolution Meadows.
She currently works out of Level Two Innovation Hub, NZ’s most successful deep-tech incubator, and is incredibly passionate about the Future of Food. She’s pushing NZ to adopt new food technologies, but not for the reasons you might think.
Nick Bowers
Nick Bowers’ is an American entrepreneur, designer, and creator whose drone design helped Emirates Team New Zealand win the 36th America’s Cup. Underneath it all, he is a dreamer.
From building wood boats and airplanes as a child, to his current positions as Lead Designer at Periscope Aerospace and CEO of Kodiak Aerospace & Founder of Kettle Cinema, the secrets behind his revolutionary drone designs might surprise, and will certainly inspire.
email: nicholasbowersmail@gmail.com
Kathryn Berkett
Neuroscience of Device Zombies
Mother to two adolescent children, Kathryn has dedicated 22 years to understanding how extreme trauma impacts the developing brain. Holding a Masters in Educational Psychology and certification as a Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics Practitioner, she now uses her skills to train others and to develop interventions that assist reparation of the physical and psychological aspects of impacted brains.
Armed with the knowledge that trauma can have huge emotional, behavioural and physical outcomes, Kathryn is passionate about sharing information with the wider community through her work.
Leo Murray
Living with less is living with more: Co-creating a new story for Humanity
Changemaker and thought leader, Leo Murray, cares deeply about the survival of our species and our planet. Catalysing a necessary paradigm shift for people to make changes out of love for the natural world rather than fear of what they stand to lose.
Specialising in regenerative sustainability, behaviour change and civil disobedience, Leo’s company Why Waste is reducing negatives impacts through waste minimisation. Local to Tauranga Moana, this conscious activist is seeking to improve the current system by co-creating a new story for humanity.
email: leo@whywaste.co.nz; phone: 022 066 4869
Sam Sheaff
Entertainment / Performance.
Sam performed Flyaway, his piece of slam poetry. This is a type of spoken word performance that is often presented in a competition style. Sam was competing against nothing but our ability to keep up with his flow (*cringe* do the youths even use the word flow?).
His piece was a reflection the apprehensive time between high school and University, which, oof. He concluded “Exams are hard, but it’s harder combatting the fear”. Truer words never flowed.
Austin Taylor
Entertainment / Performance.
Austin’s dance rendition of Crazy Little Thing Called Love made it difficult to tell his legs from his arms, such were his contortions.
I can tell you he wore the nattiest powder-blue two-piece suit (short-sleeved! Chic!) with contrasting sparkly pink tie which made my own outfit of red tartan and leopard print feel glum. I can also tell you at one point he used his extended leg as a guitar which is how I knew for sure we were all having a great time.
SIA'AMELIE TONGAN DANCE GROUP
Entertainment / Performance.
Our final entertainment gift was from the Sia’amelie Tongan Dance Group who embodied the fluid elegance of the Tongan surf in dance form.
I had less Pakeha Paralysis and more Pakeha Wistfulness watching the dancers’ fluid elegance teach us about the Tongan way of life. I feel fortunate to witness the fruits of these dancers’ efforts to nurture the gifts if their Tongan culture. May we consider to honour these gifts.
