TEDxTauranga 2015
- When?: Saturday 25 July 2015
- Where?: ASB Arena, Mount Maunganui
- What?: 10 live speakers on stage + 4 entertainment acts + official TED videos + glorious food, for a sold-out audience of 1010 people
WATCH THE TALKS

SIR RAY AVERY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skbo2FgzVMA
Talk Title: Disruption, Innovation, Spin-offs. 3 ways NZers make dreams real
Sir Ray Avery, a leading New Zealand scientist, innovator and inventor.
Avery’s inventions include:
Acuset IV Flow Controller: A device that facilitates the safe administration of potent IV drugs
Lifepod infant incubator: A high-tech low-cost incubator that uses patentable technology to reduce the mortality rates associated with upper respiratory tract infections of premature babies
Proteinforte: An amino acid based functional food used for the treatment and prevention of protein-energy malnutrition

ELLIS "TE ARAHI" BRYERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9uEiA9YTXM
Talk Title: Our cultural identity as New Zealanders. Our Kiwi-Tanga
He toa taku tini taku toa
Ehara te toa taki tahi
Mine is not the strength of one but the strength of many
Ellis Bryers is the director of Mihi Engagement. A business that designs and delivers training in Maori cultural awareness.
Ellis’s vision is of a nation where Maori cultural practices are understood and utilised daily by both Maori and non-Maori in a way that unifies our nation and builds our cultural identity as New Zealanders.
Ellis is of Nga Puhi descent and he lives in Tauranga with his wife Anne and son Te Arai.
ellis@ellisbryers.com

DR. BROWEN CONNOR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWbEmRjVAj4
Talk Title: How to turn skin cells into brain cells
Associate Professor Bronwen Connor is head of the Neural Reprogramming and Repair Lab at the University of Auckland.
Her research is in the identification and development of new treatment strategies to prevent or repair brain cell loss in neurological diseases or following brain injury, with particular focus on the potential use of stem cell therapy and gene delivery techniques.
Recently, Bronwen’s research has focused on developing a technology known as direct cell reprogramming.
This allows her to generate brain stem cells directly from human skin, providing a unique ability to obtain human brain cells from patients with neurological disease for both research and clinical application.
b.connor@auckland.ac.nz

JASON EDGECOMBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFF0-a8iMs4
Talk Title: Do you always read the label? When diagnosis can suppress recovery
An aspiring entrepreneur with a unique perspective, and a touching story.
Jason will share with you the cost he paid to be “normal” and the tool which helped him begin his path to self acceptance.
The true greatness of a story’s hero is not the goals they achieve but the struggles they overcome.
totm89@yahoo.co.nz

DR. HAROLD HILLMAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2qa5gHApYo
Talk Title: Should you fit in or stand out? Finding your authentic voice
Harold Hillman is a leadership coach, radio commentator, author and managing director of Sigmoid Curve Consulting Group, based in Auckland.
Raised and educated in the U.S. and a New Zealand citizen since 2008, Hillman coaches business leaders and executive teams to be more purposeful about leadership.
A clinical psychologist in his early career, Hillman developed a passion for leadership development while teaching at the United States Air Force Academy.
He authored The Impostor Syndrome, which was Whitcoulls’ business book of the year in 2013.
Hillman’s second book, Fitting In, Standing Out, will be published by Penguin Random House in August.
harold@sigmoidcurve.com

CATHERINE IORNS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWKMavfi9i8
Talk Title: Using human rights law to protect New Zealand’s natural environment
Catherine Iorns is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law at Victoria University of Wellington, where she researches, writes and teaches on environmental law, human rights, and statutory interpretation.
Ms Iorns is also a national board member of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, of 350 Aotearoa, and of Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand.
She is a member of the ILA Committee on the Implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, and she holds an LLM from Yale University.
catherine.iorns@vuw.ac.nz

STEPHEN LETHBRIDGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJTI21-mhn4
Talk Title: How to create a workforce that can answer ungoogleable questions
Stephen Lethbridge is Principal of Taupaki School in the north west of Auckland. He is all about learning and growing leaders of the future.
He is currently thinking about robotics, arduino, design thinking, maker spaces in school, BYOD, and e-learning where the e stands for effective.
Stephen has presented at workshops and keynotes across New Zealand and Australia and has just been invited to attend Tim O’Reilly’s FOO camp in the United States.
He is a connected and future focused education leader who is all about fostering curiosity and creativity in our children.
stephenlethbridge@me.com

DR. DAVID PATTEMORE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQXiBnuht4
Talk Title: The pollination puzzle. Unexpected alternatives to honey bees
After an initial career in conservation, David headed to Princeton University on a Fulbright Award in 2005 to begin his PhD. It was during his doctorate that he got hooked on pollination, with a focus on native New Zealand plants.
As a scientist with Plant & Food Research he now studies the pollination of economically important crops, bringing an ecologist’s perspective to production systems.
He leads a government and industry funded programme to develop alternative pollination systems and spends considerable time pondering the complexities of avocado pollination and dreaming up new ways to house bumblebees.

DR. MICHAEL QUINTERN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOvG4ZXQxUU
Talk Title: The 600 million year old technology beneath our feet
Michael received his Diploma in Agricultural Engineering (Dipl. Ing agr) in 1993 from Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany, and his Doctorate in Agriculture in 1997 from University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany.
He was working as assistant professor in the field of land utilisation of organic waste-to-land, on organic (and conventional) managed farms until 2006.
He carried on his international career as senior scientist at SCION, Rotorua, New Zealand and was the Technical Manager of the New Zealand Land Treatment Collective until 2009. Michael developed industrial vermicomposting technologies for primary industries and municipal organic wastes in New Zealand.
In 2015 the 4 vermicomposting operations diverted 150,000 tonnes of organic wastes from landfills.
Michael is responsible for research and developing of future technologies for utilisation of organic wastes. Michael’s passion are soils and he believes in sustainable soil management.
michael@mynoke.co.nz

RACHAEL VAN DER GUTGEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyTkKqvj2T8
Talk Title: Fart free: Why good digestion is essential
Rachael has a diploma in Nutritional Medicine from the University of West London.
Through discovering nutritional interventions, she overcame health issues and infertility to have 4 amazing children.
She worked as a Nutritional Therapist in Switzerland for several years and returned to New Zealand with her husband and children in 2013.
She has a passion for empowering people to understand what is going on in their bodies and loves piecing together the many parts of the puzzle in a memorable and easy to understand way.
She believes digestion is the key to optimal health and being fart free for life!
r.vdgugten@puresante.com

MARCUS WINTER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_ceI8RF2sM
Talk Title: The Battle of Gate Pa Told With Sand
Marcus Winter has been likened to a sorcerer conjuring mystical apparitions out of thin air. His work is extraordinary. It blurs the lines between conventional painting, street art and theatrical performance.
He creates live artworks by placing sand on a lightbox, and manipulates sand to create images that morph into amazing stories.
His work is visually mesmerising, creatively fresh and evokes emotion.

JOHN BOONE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR_ejkpFhxM
Entertainer.
Leaving New Zealand in 1996 to go on his big OE, John returned to New Zealand with an exciting idea – to set up an interactive percussion business for the corporate events industry. In 2003 Rhythm Interactive was born, and it has grown to become one of the most innovative, interactive, and entertaining team building shows for the conference and events market in New Zealand.
Since then, John has travelled throughout Australasia and Asia performing for thousands of people of all ages. In 2009, the show won the category of Best Nationwide Corporate Entertainment at the Corporate Events Guide People’s Choice Awards.

PHIL & TILLEY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1C9M0A-9uM
Entertainer.
Phil and Tilley started writing music together in the autumn of 2012 surrounded by the New Forest, an ancient woodland situated on the southern coast of England, an inspiration for these lifelong friends.
Phil and Tilley play a blend of alternative acoustic/folk music, with influences from artists such as Xavier Rudd, Ben Harper and John Martyn. They incorporate their own ideas, using a slide guitar, the more traditional acoustic guitar and an unusual, fold-up-for-travel, upright bass, to create a sound that is uniquely their own.
Based in Waihi Beach with regular gigs in numerous pubs and bars quickly becoming local favourites. A yearning for travel and playing music has seen them play in France, Belgium and South East Asia, but their story continues to take them wherever the music allows them to go.

LIPIKA SEN & PRABHJYOT MAJITHIA
Entertainer.
Lipika and Prabhjyot are contemporary international artists and conceptualists, whose landmark steel and acrylic kinetic sculpture, the 6 meter tall “The Firkee Wala – In My Heart Of Eternal Childhood” can be seen spinning and twirling with the winds at the Puke Ariki Museum sea-front, New Plymouth.
Creating multi-dimensional works that include sculpture, acrylic on canvas, digital drawings, words, sound, music and film, they have also won several awards for their virals/ animation films. Their works have been showcased amongst the country’s best at national art shows, including the NZ Sculpture on Shore 10th Biennale, Auckland 2014, the National Fieldays No. 8 Wire Art Awards 2014, Waikato Museum and the “Making Sense” exhibition 2015, Whakatane Museum.
At TEDxTauranga, the artists intrigue us with a peep into their immensely popular signature series of curious multi-media, experiential works – “The Tricky Box”.

SHELDON NESDALE
Emcee.
Your emcee for the evening was Sheldon Nesdale, the licence holder for TEDxTauranga.
EVENT GALLERY
In dui magna, posuere eget, vestibulum et, tempor auctor, justo In dui magna, posuere eget, vestibulum et, tempor auctor, justo In dui magna, posuere eget, vestibulum et, tempor auctor, justo In dui magna, posuere eget, vestibulum et, tempor auctor, justo.
SPONSORS OF TEDxTauranga 2015
We’re very pleased to be partnered with the following organisations for TEDxTauranga 2015.
PLATINUM SPONSOR

POWERCO
http://www.powerco.co.nz
Powerco strives to deliver reliable energy to your door. We keep the lights on and gas flowing to more than 442,000 homes, businesses and organisations across the North Island.
Our energy brings warmth, comfort and security. We do this safely and efficiently and when supply is interrupted we respond quickly so you can get on with your lives.
We are proud of our small town origins and local history. You will see us getting behind community groups and events – it’s important to us to support worthy causes and organisations.
At Powerco, we are preparing for the future to provide a trusted service that evolves with changing technology.
Powerco says:
“Powerco supports TEDx Tauranga because of the wide appeal of the guest speakers. Past presenters have captivated audiences with their TED talks. No one goes home disappointed because of the intriguing topics that are covered over the day. The conference concept ties in well with Powerco’s vision of delivering New Zealand’s energy future.”
GOLD SPONSORS

IGNITION CO-WORKING SPACE
http://www.ignition.co.nz
Ignition co-working space breaks the barriers of the traditional work space and is home to Tauranga’s growing community of entrepreneurs, self-employed, startups, contractors, professionals, business visitors and more.
Ignition says:
“We’re supporters of TEDxTauranga because the event will stimulate innovation, which is the key that will transform Tauranga into a high productivity economy that is globally competitive within its market niches”

TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL
http://www.tauranga.govt.nz
Tauranga City Council is managing our city’s growth into the future, by providing and maintaining infrastructure for our growing city; delivering efficient services to our communities; and investing in Tauranga’s future, while managing rates and debt.
Tauranga is New Zealand’s fifth-largest and fastest-growing city, and home to around 124,600 people. Our city has New Zealand’s fastest-growing economy, skilled job opportunities and a strong labour market. Our region’s booming horticultural, manufacturing and marine industries are supported by New Zealand’s largest export port, a comprehensive infrastructure network and Tauranga’s innovative business culture.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO
http://www.waikato.ac.nz
The University of Waikato has long had a presence in the Bay of Plenty and maintains a strong partnership with Toi Ohomoi Institute of Technology. Construction of a new CBD campus in Tauranga began this year and is due to open in 2019. We also have our are increasing the qualifications on offer in Tauranga and are committed to supporting future growth and innovation in the Bay of Plenty.
Our Coastal Marine Field Station at Sulphur Point and the Adams Centre for High Performance in Mount Maunganui are staffed by experts who can drive innovation and growth and attract high-quality researchers, international sports teams and individual athletes to the Bay of Plenty.
MEDIA PARTNERS

BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1503343

THE HITS
http://www.thehits.co.nz

EVENTFINDA
http://www.eventfinda.co.nz
SILVER SPONSORS

COMVITA
http://comvita.com
Silver sponsor Comvita was founded in 1974 by two Bay of Plenty beekeepers who set out to connect people to nature for the benefits of good health. Today, Comvita is a world leader in Manuka honey and fresh-picked Olive Leaf Extract, which are core to the company’s health products range and found on shelves of retail locations in 18 different countries.
Comvita Chief Innovation Officer, Sharon Hollenstein, says:
“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Comvita. We are proud to support an event that provides a platform for sharing innovative, inspiring and worthwhile ideas locally. It’s fantastic that the Tauranga community has access to its own independent Tedx conference, as part of a highly-reputable global initiative.”

MACKENZIE ELVIN
http://www.mackenzie-elvin.com
Mackenzie Elvin is a legal firm specialising in out-of-the-box solutions and innovative commercial thinking. We’re all about people and what they need. Mackenzie Elvin has a great team of specialists across a variety of areas who work together to provide solutions for you as an individual.
Mackenzie Elvin says:
“Mackenzie Elvin has always been a big supporter of TEDx. The sharing of ideas and new concepts is exciting and switches people on to new possibilities. We love being part of that process.”

MYNOKE
http://www.mynoke.co.nz
Like you, MyNOKE is trying to make a difference. We have a little help; close to TWO TRILLION earthworms are working at the largest worm farm in the world to achieve this goal. We partner with companies, city councils and institutions in New Zealand, upcycling 150,000 tonnes of organic waste per year and producing valuable, high quality vermicompost for use in the farming and horticulture sectors. And of course, MyNOKE earthworms will consume all organic leftovers from this year’s TEDx Tauranga as well. One more step towards 100% pure New Zealand and a greener Bay of Plenty’

BAY OF CONNECTIONS
http://www.bayofconnections.com
Bay of Connections is a regional growth strategy for the wider Bay of Plenty, with a vision of creating a prosperous region supported by sustainable sectors. It is simple and aspirational, with the aim of establishing and implement sector-based strategies that generate job growth.
At the heart of the Strategy are the philosophies of collaboration and connectedness. Through working together at a regional, national and international level to connect the right people, places, businesses, organisations and industries, the benefits from within and into the region are boundless.

GROW COACHING
http://www.growcoaching.com
Grow Coaching works alongside businesses that aspire to grow revenue, grow profitability and grow cashflow sustainably.
What makes us different is our commercial and chartered accountancy experience and our ability to help businesses grow organically and through acquisitions, all under one roof.
Grow Coaching says:
“Sustainability and growth comes in all shapes and sizes, TEDx provides the platform for showcasing these ideas.”
BRONZE SPONSORS

BLUELAB
http://www.bluelab.co.nz
Bluelab Corporation specialises in the design and manufacture of electronic water-testing devices for measuring key parameters such as pH, conductivity and temperature. With the support of a global team they have achieved high recognition within their market segments for simplicity of product design, quality of their innovative products, and their high standard of customer service.
Bluelab says:
“Most great things are sparked by a single idea but it is through the convergence of many ideas that innovation occurs. TEDx provides a channel for sharing those ideas which stimulate innovation, enabling economic growth and sustainability, which is why Bluelab is proud to support the TEDx Tauranga event.”
OTHER PARTNERS

TAURANGA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
http://www.tauranga.org.nz
The Tauranga Chamber of Commerce has a reputation for getting behind awesome events in our city and our event is yet another example. Thanks to Stan and his team for helping us spread the word this year!


MODERN OFFICE
http://www.modernoffice.co.nz
Cohesive workspace solutions. Thanks to the team for comfy chairs on stage this year!

BERNINA SEWING CENTRE, TGA
http://www.berninatauranga.co.nz/catalog
PARTNER WITH US
Sponsors of TEDxTauranga are innovative, leading organisations which are seen as forward-thinking organisations. If your organisation is dynamic with a community focus, we’d love to hear from you.
THANK YOU
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Stephen Lethbridge + John Boone + Phil & Tilley: Last 3 Videos From TEDxTauranga 2015 Now Online
Good news! I just updated our video page with the last 3 videos from TEDxTauranga 2015! Stephen Lethbridge: "How to create a workforce that can answer ungoogleable questions" Watch on our video page Watch straight from YouTube John Boone: "Can 1000 people who just...
read moreJason Edgecombe + Michael Quintern: 2 More Videos From TEDxTauranga 2015 Now Online
Good news! I just updated our video page with another 2 videos from TEDxTauranga 2015! Jason Edgecombe: "Do you always read the label? When diagnosis can suppress recovery" Watch on our video page Watch straight from YouTube Michael Quintern: "The 600 million year old...
read moreWho Would Make A Great Speaker for TEDxTauranga 2016?
Nominations/Applications are now open for speakers for TEDxTauranga 2016! We are looking for speakers who are either based in the Bay of Plenty or have close ties to our region. Who should we talk to next? Nominate a speaker for TEDxTauranga 2015 or, Apply to Speak...
read more