Hear directly from major election candidates as they respond to community and business questions about their vision for our region's and country's future. This event will be co-hosted by Wānaka Business Chamber, moderated by Chamber General Manager Jodie Stuart.

Doors open at 5:30pm for an hour of mingling, drinks and our famous Wao platters — wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase (card only) at the Rippon bar. Photographer Camilla Rutherford will also open her powerful exhibition exploring Vietnam's waste villages, revealing the hidden human cost of our global recycling system.

The main conversation kicks off promptly at 6:30pm.

Cost: $15.00
Te Taiao DayPassholders receive a $5 discount to attend this evening kōrero - purchase as a ticket add-on via Humantix after selecting your day pass to receive the discount.

Political Panel

With a general election approaching, this is an opportunity to hear directly from representatives of the political parties on the issues that matter most.

Hosted in partnership between Wao Aotearoa and the Wānaka Business Chamber, this facilitated, non-partisan discussion will explore the challenges and opportunities facing Wānaka, the Upper Clutha and Aotearoa New Zealand. Questions will be gathered from community members and businesses ahead of the event, ensuring the conversation reflects diverse views and local priorities and concerns.

The evening is designed to encourage thoughtful discussion, provide clarity on party positions, and help voters make informed decisions. Topics are expected to span housing, health, infrastructure, transport, climate, conservation, energy, business, the economy and community wellbeing.

Whether you're still deciding how you'll vote or simply want to better understand the choices facing New Zealand, this is an opportunity to engage with those seeking to represent our community in an open, respectful and constructive democratic conversation.

Climate, biodiversity, resources, technology and the economy are deeply interconnected. Explore why today's challenges cannot be solved in isolation, the importance of an evidence based approach and what resilience really requires.

This Kōrero requires a separate ticket. Doors open at 5:30pm for an hour of mingling, drinks and our famous Wao platters — wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase (card only) at the Rippon bar. Be sure to come early to have an opportunity to view Photographer Camilla Rutherford's powerful exhibition exploring Vietnam's waste villages, revealing the hidden human cost of our global recycling system.

The main conversation kicks off promptly at 6:30pm.

Cost: $15.00
Better Business Day Passholders receive a $5 discount to attend this evening kōrero - purchase as a ticket add-on via Humantix after selecting your day pass to receive the discount.

Climate change. Biodiversity loss. Resource constraints. Plastics pollution. Artificial intelligence. Economic uncertainty. Declining trust. These are often treated as separate challenges, yet they are increasingly interacting in ways that amplify one another and create new forms of complexity.

Join our speakers for a wide-ranging conversation exploring the interconnected forces shaping our future. Drawing on expertise in systems thinking, critical minerals and resource development, environmental toxicology, nature and biodiversity, technology, and science communication, the panel will examine why many of today's challenges cannot be understood, or solved, in isolation and the importance of a science led, evidence based approach to doing so.

This is an invitation to step back, look at the bigger picture, and consider what it will take to build resilient communities, economies and ecosystems in an interconnected world.

YOUR SPEAKERS

We'll finish the morning by bringing speakers back together for an open panel discussion — drawing the threads of the morning into conversation, and opening the floor to questions from the room.

YOUR PANEL

Step beyond Rippon Hall and experience Better Building in practice. Visit a diverse range of inspiring projects showcasing healthy materials, circular design, affordable housing, regenerative landscaping and water sensitive design. Meet the people behind the projects and discover practical ideas shaping healthier homes, resilient communities and a thriving future.

This tour will take place on buses leaving from Rippon Hall. Alternative transport arrangements can be made - email Olivia to discuss.

TOUR STOPS

Step inside a building made from entirely with non-toxic materials — wood, wool, cork, and natural stone — and hear how this build set out to create a new standard for eco-conscious construction, creating a healthier living environment inside and out.

A ventilated stone roof offers superior durability over traditional roofing, with a significantly longer lifespan and zero maintenance required. Combined with the structure's high thermal mass, the building naturally regulates indoor temperature, minimizing heat loss and dramatically improving energy efficiency year-round.

Powered by solar energy, the building further reduces its environmental footprint, while the wooden structural frame actively captures and stores carbon — turning the building itself into a carbon sink rather than a carbon source.

Together, these features deliver a home that's healthier, more durable, and genuinely regenerative for the planet.

YOUR SPEAKERS

Water doesn't stop at a property boundary. What happens on one site inevitably affects the catchments, waterways and communities downstream.

This stop explores how working with natural water systems can create healthier landscapes, cleaner waterways and more resilient neighbourhoods. Beginning at Bremner Bay, WAI Wānaka will share why catchment thinking is essential for protecting freshwater and building resilience in a changing climate.

From there, visit Kirimoko with Reset Urban Design to see how swales, raingardens and infiltration basins are being used to slow, store and filter stormwater while enhancing biodiversity and creating more liveable public spaces. These nature based solutions demonstrate how thoughtful design can reduce flood risk, improve water quality and work with the landscape rather than against it.

This stop challenges us to rethink how we design our built environment, seeing every site as part of a larger living system and discovering practical ways to build with water, nature and resilience in mind.

Affordable housing usually gets measured at a single point — the purchase price. But affordability that doesn't last, in a home that's expensive to run, heat or maintain, isn't really affordability at all.

The Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust holds land for the community in perpetuity through its Community Land Trust model, creating stepping stones for people to get ahead — homes affordable not just to rent or buy, but to run and maintain, designed for both current and future climate. At this stop, hear about the sustainability features built into the Trust's homes, and the "rethink and reduce" thinking behind it: the best waste minimisation strategy is the material designed out before anyone has to calculate the quantity, and the best form of energy is the energy never needed.

YOUR SPEAKER

Built from salvaged windows and doors, reclaimed materials, and macrocarpa timber milled from trees grown on Charlotte's family farm in Southland, Charlotte Muschamp of Alki combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary building science. Charlotte designed the cabin and worked alongside partner Stefan Warnaar throughout its construction, with Stefan leading the build while developing and fabricating the modular StrawSIP building system that forms the cabin's high-performance envelope.

Beyond the building itself, the project embraces regenerative thinking — returning rainwater to the soil, using greywater to nourish productive gardens, repurposing construction offcuts, and choosing natural, untreated materials that celebrate craftsmanship and age gracefully over time. The result is a home that demonstrates how architecture can tread lightly on the planet while enriching everyday life.

Joining Charlotte and Stefan at this stop is Charissa Snijders, architect and advocate for regenerative design creating places that restore the land, contribute positively to climate, and strengthen the communities they serve.

YOUR SPEAKERS