Our Speakers
Our Speakers
The good humans who support our mission and give their time to share their knowledge.
Professor Sara Walton
Professor Sara Walton teaches and researches in the area of sustainability, climate change and business at the Otago Business School, Ōtakou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. Sara developed the Master of Sustainable Business and helped establish He Kaupapa Hononga Otago’s Climate Change Research Network.
Craig Smith
Craig “Smithy” Smith has spent more than three decades in the global wool industry, but the most important lesson he has learned has very little to do with wool: people before product.
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is one of the country's most experienced technology reporters, founding director of the Science Media Centre, and author of The Launch of Rocket Lab.
Hayley Anderson
Hayley is a seasoned health and disability leader. Making connections across communities, ensuring we have more services closer to home while supporting the wellbeing and effectiveness of health professionals are her superpowers. Since arriving back in Central Otago she has been instrumental in the establishment of the Dunstan Hospital Foundation Charitable Trust and the Wānaka Overnight Acute health service.
Clinton Chambers
Meet Clinton Chambers - leader, visionary and strategic thinker with a strong set of values that drives everything he does. Owner of Taste Nature organic supermarket, cafe and apothecary, the business is built on Clinton's vision to create a sustainable, ethical, and local economic system that supports the wellbeing of individuals, engages our community, cares for our planet, furthers our education, and is in harmony with nature.
Arna Craig
Arna established her digital marketing agency Fever Pitch in Wanaka in 2011. Working with business across the spectrum in size and industry has given Arna a unique lens into digital communication strategy and business development.
Dr. Denise Quinlan
Denise is the Founder of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience (NZIWR), Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), and a published academic researcher.
Monique Kelly
Monique is co-founder and General Manager of Wao Aotearoa, a charitable trust based in the Queenstown Lakes District.
Alison Corthell
Alison Corthell is a yoga teacher, wellness advocate, and sustainability leader whose work is rooted in creating healthier people and a healthier planet.
Dr. Kate Meyer
Kate Meyer is a sustainability scientist, engineer, and creator of Planetary Accounting, an internationally recognised, peer-reviewed framework that translates global limits for nature into actionable metrics. She is also the Founder and CEO of the Planetary Accounting Network – a charitable trust whose purpose is to inspire and enable people to operate within the planet’s environmental limits.
Camilla Rutherford
Camilla is an award-winning photographer and visual storyteller based in Tarras. Over the past 15 years, she has built a distinctive body of work across both still and moving image, combining a cinematic eye with a deeply narrative approach.
Nathan Surendran
Nathan Surendran (Schema Consulting Ltd & Wise Response) is the Principal Consultant at Schema Consulting Ltd, specialising in biophysical economics, HVAC, and energy systems engineering.
Lee Duncan
Lee Duncan is a Holistic Physiotherapist who blends Eastern and Western medicine together to create a body-based approach to healing that integrates science, somatics and spirituality for deep and lasting transformation.
Cristina Barraclough
Cristina is a sustainability professional with over 4 years’ experience, supporting SMEs, councils, and large manufacturers on their carbon and climate journeys.
Helen Hughes
Having spent most of her career in working for large scale corporates in New Zealand, England and Australia, Helen transitioned into the not-for-profit space in 2023 taking on the role of Tai Urungi - Chief Executive at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, the worlds largest predator fenced eco-sanctuary located in the heart of the mighty Waikato.
Dr Rebecca Bloore
Dr Rebecca Bloore has extensive experience conducting psychology research and offers consulting sessions locally in Wanaka.
Dr Sean Weaver
Ekos founder Sean Weaver started his career as a forest ecologist and then moved into forest conservation financing. This began in Fiji working with tribal landowners to protect the magnificent rainforests of Wabu Creek (pronounced 'Waambu') in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Sean is an international expert in market-based mechanisms for environmental and climate financing specialising in restorative & environmental forestry.
Tawna Woods
Tawna Woods is the founder of Wānaka Body, a personal training and coaching business established in 2015.
What began as a way to support other mothers through the transformative power of exercise has since evolved into a holistic practice that integrates physical fitness with trauma-informed care.
Nicola King
Nicola King is an advocate for people and the planet. With a background in design and a Masters in Sustainable Business, she makes big ideas feel real and relatable. Through her platform In Good Nic, she explores how simplifying sustainability could shape our future.
Syndey Straver
Sydney Straver, Managing Director of &BLOOM, helps investors and organisations in the Pacific shift ESG from a compliance exercise to a driver of strategic value. With experience supporting European firms, she brings global best practices to the region, guiding clients through every stage of ESG strategy. Her approach uniquely focuses on where sustainability and value creation intersect.