Wao Summit 2025 Speakers
Wao Summit 2025 Speakers
The good humans who will be gracing the stage at this year’s Wao Summit 2025.
Ewan Mackie
Ewan Mackie is the head of operations at Cardrona and Treble Cone Alpine Resorts. He leads all the sustainability initiatives at the resorts and has been helping guide them towards a new, regenerative, future. A passionate outdoor enthusiast and an engaged collaborator, Ewan feels a strong sense of kaitiakitanga for both people & place.
Rochelle Francis
Rochelle Francis advocates for local food systems, ensuring access to affordable, nourishing, and sustainable food. She leads climate initiatives in Southland, promoting biodiversity and community well-being.
Jane Llyod
Jane, a food system expert with 20+ years’ experience, founded Springhouse Consulting in Wānaka. She addresses food system resilience and sustainability through global and local perspectives.
Zeb Horrell
Zebulon, raised on a Southland sheep farm, champions rural regeneration and vitality through events like Burning Horse Festival and Future Whenua Summit, promoting ecological concepts.
Jesse Herbert
Jesse Herbert is the founder and owner of Freshlink Grocer in Wānaka. He equates wholefood with “kai,” reflecting his family's sustainable lifestyle.
Janice Lee
Janice Lee is a disability advocate focused on empowering people through independent living skills, food resilience, and sustainable gardening, including projects with Kainga Ora and Koha Kai.
Emberly Wetherall
Emberly Wetherall, with degrees in Nutrition and Public Health, champions local regenerative food systems and community resilience through Grow Wānaka Community Garden and various collaborative projects.
Dr. Melissa Robson-Williams
Dr. Melissa Robson-Williams, a senior researcher at Manaaki Whenua, holds a PhD in Organic Agriculture and specializes in managing socio-environmental impacts on land and water.
Aimee Blake
Aimee, a systems thinker and storyteller, co-founded Girls who Grow and chairs Future Farmers. She’s a senior consultant at EY, a 6th-generation farmer, and yoga teacher.
Florence Micoud
Florence is a nature advocate and regeneration practitioner with a Master of Economics and diploma in Sustainable Practice. She promotes sustainable gardening, land regeneration, and community wellbeing in Wānaka.
John McCrae
John, a third-generation farmer at Glendhu Station, Wānaka, is known for innovative, sustainable farming on 1,300 hectares, focusing on organic practices, soil health, and community engagement.
Mark Anderson
Fifth-generation farmer Mark, with his wife Madeline and their children, leads a 560ha dairy farm in Waiwera South, championing holistic and nature-aligned farming practices.
Julia Blackford
Julia, a food scientist with 20 years’ experience, specialises in plant-based products, sustainability, food resilience, and food systems amid the climate and energy crisis.