Are you ready to find out about this year's Wao Summit?
Join us on the 22 July at Rhyme X Reason as we launch the Wao Summit 2026 Programme. The future will not be defined by the challenges we face, but by how we respond to them. Explore the opportunities, challenges and solutions shaping the future of business, climate, artificial intelligence, energy, food systems and community wellbeing. Wao Summit 2026 explores how we can navigate change while creating the conditions for people and nature to thrive for centuries ahead.
Wao Summit 2026: Resilience in Action invites us to explore how communities and ecosystems can not only adapt to change, but flourish through it. Across six days of inspiring speakers, practical workshops, thought-provoking films, local food tours and community conversations, we'll explore the ideas, innovations and actions needed to shape a future where communities and ecosystems thrive through change.
If you've been wondering how global change will impact our region, your business, your family or your future, this year's Summit is for you.
We'll also hear from Award-winning local photographer and visual storyteller Camilla Rutherford who will present a screening of her powerful short film Once Were Farmers, followed by a conversation exploring the stories behind the lens. Wao is delighted to help host an exhibition of this powerful work in conjunction with the Wao Summit this year.
At this Green Drinks for the Wao Summit 2026 Programme Launch you will be the first to experience the 2026 programme, hear what's in store, connect with fellow change makers, and secure access to our early bird tickets before they sell out.
Come curious. Leave inspired. Help shape what's next.
A $5 koha is appreciated to help us keep this community event thriving.
The Wao Summit 2025 is a week-long festival of kōrero, walking tours, practical workshops, and community events across Wānaka and Queenstown - designed to ignite climate action, drive system change, and build stronger, more resilient communities.