Theme: Take the Leap

There’s a shift in the air.

A ripple of possibility echoing through the capital.

Can you sense it?

Maybe it’s that long-ignored idea yearning to be born again, or a flicker of ambition just waiting for that spark.

In the heart of Aotearoa, Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington, there’s always something greater awaiting those who break from the routine, step into uncertainty, and dare to make a change.

That’s the spirit behind TEDxWellington 2024.

Our theme is an invitation and a challenge all at once:

“Take the Leap”

Leaps Come in All Forms

Leaps aren’t always about grand gestures. Sometimes they’re quiet acts of courage – like defying fear, silencing your inner critic, or embracing the unknown. As much as it’s about the inventor turning a sketch into a prototype and the entrepreneur finally turning a side hustle into a thriving business – it’s about the mindset to get into action and keep going no matter the scale of the outcome. It’s the choice to reject complacency, to say “I won’t wait any longer.”

Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington hums with this energy. From artists making bold statement pieces to tech experts solving grand challenges – it is the center of innovation, creativity, and government. It’s in the spirit of this place – the very heart of our nation – that refuses to stay small.

A Space to Inspire and Be Inspired

TEDxWellington isn’t merely an event, it’s an experience designed to unleash potential. This April 13th at the dynamic Victoria University campus, prepare to be moved, inspired, and left energised by Speakers who have taken their own audacious leaps. Their stories are living examples of why you won’t truly know what you’re capable of until you dare to try.

We know that leaps demand support. Our space won’t just be filled with captivating talks, but also with opportunities to connect, ignite collaboration, and be inspired by interactive elements that will provoke your curiosity and spark your creativity.

Your Next Leap

What would you experience, create, change, or conquer if only you dared? Embracing that feeling is the first step – and we promise to nudge you closer to realising the rest.

This event is about the power of shared experiences of ideas worth spreading. We stand humbled by the leap our talented Speakers took by applying. That spirit of curiosity and drive? It’s infectious. And, alongside inspiring our stage, it’s woven into the fabric of TEDxWellington itself. From our dedicated volunteer team to our valued partners, this has been a labor of love for a city with boundless vision.

There’s so much more to reveal. Mark your calendar, embrace your curiosity, and prepare for a day that changes perspectives.

Join us for TEDxWellington 2024.

Victoria University Rutherford House
33 Bunny Street
Pipitea
Wellington, Wellington, 6011
New Zealand

Āpera Woodfine

Auckland based kaiwaiata Āpera has been soothing souls with his music since his first major release in 2015 'The Operator EP'. His warm voice, tasteful guitar work and skilful use of a loop pedal make his live shows both entertaining and relaxing for the listener.

Ash Holwell

Ash [they/them] is a pioneering design activist dedicated to radically changing our relationship to space and place. Through a meandering and rigorous series of experiments, including squatting, professional dumpster diving, going to clown school, commandeering a church, running for mayor, and managing a commercial property portfolio, they have developed a practice of creating transformational community spaces.Their mission is to cultivate environments that nurture cultures of sharing, empowering individuals to safely develop the bold practices needed to create a just and sustainable world. Ash’s work embodies a commitment to creating places of community that resonate with both our ancestral wisdom and the aspirations of future generations.

Bex Howells

Bex is a community activist and advocate for paid training in healthcare, education, and social work. Originally from the UK, she moved to Aotearoa 10 years ago to study and stayed. Bex has worked in the public sector and her local community, Te Awakairangi (Hutt Valley). A failed attempt to train as a social worker became the catalyst to advocate for labour rights and equity in education and training. Bex is now writing her Master’s thesis on unpaid clinical placements in healthcare professions. She founded Paid Placements Aotearoa alongside this to unite students to campaign for paid training in essential services. Her passion is sustainable workforce development for student wellbeing, diversity of staff, and accessible services for thriving communities.

Dr. Nicole Miller

Dr. Nicole Miller is a well-known citizen science leader with a special interest in marine ecosystems. She works with community groups across New Zealand to document, restore and protect the marine environment. As the founder of Explore Your Coast Nicole is passionate about bringing New Zealand’s underwater world above the surface, inspiring people to engage with their local marine environment. Nicole is Chair of the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve Charitable Trust and a member of the Green Gravel Action Group, an international network of seaweed restoration experts.

Dr. Shelley Brunskill-Matson

Researcher

Dr Shelley Brunskill-Matson is a grief and suicide postvention researcher, educator and practitioner with over 20 years experience supporting those affected by suicide. She is well regarded as a specialist in the areas of suicide postvention and children’s grief, and is sought after for her training and consultancy with parents, and within schools and workplaces. Shelley cares deeply that those affected by suicide receive the care and support that’s right for them, evidenced by the range of psychoeducational group programmes she has developed for children and adults affected by suicide.

Greig Brebner

Greig Brebner, a constantly curious character, grew up with his dad’s workshop as his playground, the perfect stage to invent, build and tinker. He dreamed of one day creating a ground-breaking product, the very best of its kind that people around the world would love. Greig firmly believes that makers and creators of products have a deep responsibility for the products they bring into the world that extends far beyond the purchase transaction. With the right design, the right materials and the right after sales care, people can have much healthier, deeper and longer lasting relationships with the products they own. Today, Greig is best known as founder and inventor of BLUNT, a beloved brand stretching to all corners of the globe. When he isn’t ideating new product designs he is playing on the water or working the land at his northern Auckland property.

Jake Dylan Nash

Jake Nash is an Architectural Technologist, and the Group Digital Support Lead at Warren and Mahoney Architects, boasting 13 years of dedicated service to the firm. He spearheads digital innovation, integrating novel concepts, workflows, and technology across seven studios in New Zealand and Australia, benefiting a team of 350 amazing creatives. With a fervor for education and empowering individuals to harness their architectural zeal, Jake’s current focus involves delving into data, analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and pioneering digital strategies to shape the future of the AEC sector.

Jesse Armstrong

Jesse is the co-founder and CEO of VAKA, an education company on a mission to ignite the next wave of STEAM entrepreneurs by teaching people how to make money from 3D printing. He is of Māori and New Zealand European descent with whakapapa to Ngāti Hine and Waikato. He frequently draws inspiration from learning about powerful examples of ancient innovation through the lens of his ancestors and hopes to instill this spirit of innovation in the hearts of many young Māori & Pasifika youth. He is passionate when it comes to working with people of all ages and backgrounds in the pursuit of guiding them into the wonderful world of entrepreneurship, through the use of 3D printing.

Kii Small

Kii Small is a creative entrepreneur behind the works of SaySo Project, a digital journaling platform for young people in Aotearoa who lack access to mental health and wellbeing services due to their location or other factors beyond their control. Kii was selected as 1 of 3 Obama Leaders to represent Aotearoa in the 2023 Obama Foundation Leaders Alumni. Kii’s work on SaySo revolutionised the way wellbeing and tech collided in New Zealand by offering youth a safe space to start, curate, and create their own journal safely and securely during Covid-19. He is also the co-founder of Coalesce based in Wellington.

Rachel Thomas

Rachel Thomas is originally from Katikati and has been a Wellingtonian since 2016, where she works as a senior health journalist at The Post. When she isn’t doing that she is riding motorbikes, spending time in or around the sea or wandering the aisles of Bunnings Warehouse. At the age of 16 she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, then at the age of 28 underwent major surgery which left her with a ‘barbie butt’. Rachel will be delving into her semi-colon story, the intricacies of serious inflammatory bowel disease and invisible illness and explain why a bag on her stomach opened up a world of confidence she never thought was possible.

Telesia Tanoa’i

Telesia Tanoa’i is a Samoan New Zealander with an international view of the world. As the daughter of a diplomat, she has spent her childhood in Taiwan, Fiji, and New Zealand. She is a year 12 student at Wellington’s Samuel Marsden Collegiate, where she is the Māori/Pasifika representative on the Head Girls’ Committee. For Telesia, the issue she cares about the most, and the one she considers to be critical for her generation is climate justice. Telesia’s film “Telesia 2 the World” has so far been selected for four Film Festivals in the US, UK and New Zealand, including Māoriland Film Festival. For the last three years, Telesia has been a facilitator for the “Pasifika Youth Short Film Competition,” run by social enterprise Poporazzi Productions, where she helps Pasifika youth to tell their stories through film.