Aotearoa – Page 2 – Creative Welly – Courageous conversations with bold humans.

Creative Welly Episode #39 | Kristen Lunman & Tim Pointer

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Kristen Lunman, Serial Entrepneur

As a Canadian-Kiwi, I’m comfortable feeling like a newbie and being the most curious at the table. For as long as I remember, I wanted to challenge the status quo, leading me to circles of like-minded entrepreneurs. Those that seek to deliver a vision of a different world.

My superpowers tend to lean in the area of growth and leadership. Until last year, it was at Hatch and more recently a new venture called Powrsuit. When I look at the stats of women in positions of influence in business, it’s dire. 8% of big companies have women at the helm, and we have less than 30% board representation. Powrsuit exists to amplify the impact of women leaders to shape the future of work. When I do have spare time, it’s spent with my teens or on a surfboard in freezing cold Lyall Bay.

Tim Pointer, Founder at RescueMetrics.com & CEO at Reason

Tim has 15+ years in the digital advertising industry and is the Co-founder of one of NZ’s largest digital advertising agencies Reason with over 50 staff across the region. He’s most recently the Founder of RescueMetrics.com, a technology solution that saves a lot of marketing spend by fixing tracking and conversion issues.

His businesses have been some of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing digital companies, having been recognised in the Deloitte Fast50 and Asia Fast500 Growth.

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Creative Welly Episode #37 | Kimberley Gilmour & Joseph Harawira

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Kimberley Gilmour, Chief People Officer, Groov

Kimberley has spent most of her career leading People & Culture in startups / scaleups, helping build foundational people processes/practices and nurturing strong cultures. She has worked with some of New Zealand’s most iconic and successful high growth companies through periods of global expansion, including Icebreaker (in its Wellington days), Vend, 8i, UneeQ and currently Groov. She is passionate about using her experience to help individuals and organisations thrive.

Outside of People and tech, Kimberley is passionate about supporting wellbeing in all its forms and is partway through her masters in Health Psychology.

Kimberley spent 12 years living in Wellington and always loves returning to see old friends and run familiar trails.

Joe Harawira, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Wai Mānuka

Joe is of Ngāti Awa and Ngāi Te Rangi descent. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at Wai Mānuka – a premium non-alcoholic beverage that builds off the off the success of New Zealand’s mānuka honey industry. Joe has served in the military and prior to starting Wai Mānuka he worked for New Zealand Rugby leading the national injury prevention strategy.

He is passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation, Māori culture, wellness and paying it forward. In 2015, Joe also founded a social enterprise to support youth well-being in school. Joe comes from Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty and holds an Executive MBA and Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science.

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Creative Welly Episode #36 | Laurinda Thomas & Guy Marriage

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Laurinda Thomas, Advocate for libraries, digital equity, and public spaces.

Curious librarian, local government person, optimist. I like kicking the tyres on stuff. I was once called the consummate public servant and I’m still not quite sure how to take that comment.

My career keeps on coming back to libraries. They’re so amazing! Who would dream up a library these days? I love their potential, the people they can help. They are such satisfying places to make things happen.

I like to make things happen. Finding the best opportunities out of a crisis. Getting in the thin end of the wedge. Figuring stuff out. My career has been about turning problems into good stuff: in libraries, IT, archives, information management.

In the weekends I watch the kids swim and the broccoli grow. Sometimes it rains, and we watch Disney movies.

Guy Marriage, Architect

Guy Marriage is an Architect. Teaching construction at Victoria University in Wellington, and practising architecture at First Light Studio, he is an architecturaholic and a bookaholic too. He not only reads lots of books, but writes them as well – Tall, Medium, MAD. And get this: he raves about buildings, and space, and knows a thing or two about libraries as well.

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Creative Welly Episode #35 | Freda Wells & Dan Neely

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Freda Wells, Curator / Communications Advisor / Yoga teacher / mum

My curiousity about people, behaviour and the invisible forces between things, and my tendency to daydream, doodle, and sympathise with the underdog, have carved a winding life path around many countries, conversations and adventures.

In Europe, seeing our ecological trajectory, I added environmental science to my mishmash of uni papers, including psychology, neuropsyc, french, philosophy, graphic design, and music.

My work ‘portfolio’ includes comms & engagement advisor for the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee, teaching yoga, and curating The Kiwi Diary – a diary designed to share art and ideas that are good for people and planet.

I see many global woes as social in nature, that we need to “bring heart back”. We need to better understand how our inner world constructs our outer world, and the importance of psychological safety, I’m excited about co-curating experiences to cultivate these!

Dan Neely, Manager Community Resilience | Wellington CDEM Group Recovery

Dan Neely is the Manager of Community Resilience and Group Recovery Manager at the Wellington Emergency Management Office (WREMO). Dan is a community development practitioner – who happens to work in the Emergency Management.

He started in this field more than 20 years starting as a Peace Corps Volunteer working in the recovery of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and later with the International Organisation for Migration in Sri Lanka after the Boxing Day Tsunami.

He leads a team of passionate and innovative people who make a real difference to peoples’ lives. Their work has been adopted by cities across Aotearoa, Australia, USA and Canada.

Originally from Arizona, he also knows a good taco when he sees one.

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Creative Welly Episode #33 | Cynthia Hunefeld & Mark Westerby

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Cynthia Hunefeld, CEO & Founder Evithé Biotechnology

I have dedicated my life to improving treatment outcomes of chronic inflammation and sepsis with innovations in drug discovery and development, focused on complex botanical drugs.

Plant medicine are my passion and I have over 20 years experience in the field of ethnobotany and integrative medicines and applied these skills both in a clinical setting and by supporting fellow practitioners as a consultant and technical support person for a distributor of integrative medicines.

My mission is to connect tradition and science towards the develop a quality controlled, clinically proven complex botanical drugs that harnesses botanical defence system for a sophisticated
multi-target approach inspired by nature.

Mark Westerby, Producer

Mark Westerby is the Managing Director & Producer of WestMark Productions, a screen production company in Wellington and also a Co-Founder of Taia Studios. Mark has a rich and varied history in the creative sector, working previously as the director of the NZ Fringe Festival, the producer of the PANNZ Arts Market and for several years on international events like London Fashion Week, Australian Fashion Week, Sydney Film Festival and Tropfest. In recent years, he has served as Executive Producer/Associate Producer on films such as PORK PIE, BORN RACER, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT AI, DAWN RAID and the upcoming WHINA. Mark has developed a specialist EPK/BTS and Trailer agency, and has recently directed and produced content for MOTHERS OF THE REVOLUTION, MILLIE LIES LOW, POPPY and was a finalist in the Golden Trailer Awards for his EPK work on THE LUMINARIES. Mark currently has a short film, podcast and three television series in development.

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Creative Welly Episode #32 | Michelle Kitney & Rob Cousins

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Michelle Kitney, Chief Executive at Volunteering New Zealand

Michelle Kitney lead’s Volunteering New Zealand. Originally from Taranaki, she lives in Te whanganui a tara with her three boys and husband.

Volunteering New Zealand is the national umbrella organisation for volunteers and volunteering. It’s purpose is to empower volunteers to enrich Aotearoa New Zealand.

Michelle has a background in communications, marketing, social enterprise and not for profit experience. She has also worked in the public sector in New Zealand and the UK. She says she volunteered her way into her current job. Gaining relevant experience through a variety of volunteering roles.

She cooks and plays Floorball in her spare time.

Rob Cousins, Innovation Manager

Being honest, I’m a jack of all trades and master of none, who often seems to land on my feet, and somehow finds a way to make a difference with the people I meet. After a mediocre degree in Psychology, I worked in insurance and risk management in the UK, whilst pursuing hobbies that were both uninsurable and risky in many other parts of the world. Instead of a career, I’ve followed opportunities as they’ve arisen, and as I’ve pursued various different interests.

All of this has taught me that they key to most challenges is people, their experience, being curious and caring. Right now I am bringing this to how health and safety is understood, and how we might regulate that, from WorkSafeNZ. Shifting away from paperwork, compliance and rules. Moving towards caring about people, creating improvement, and giving people power over the things that affect them.

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Creative Welly Episode #29 | Emilie Fetscher & James Bushell

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Emilie Fetscher, Entrepreneur / Designer / Researcher, GM Design @ Xero

Need zest? Meet Emilie. Deeply curious, passionately collaborative, and inspired by the people and world we live in; Emilie brings a diverse background and relentless optimism to all her endeavors. She’s worked in and out of design as an outdoor guide, a freelancer, in a boutique consultancy, as well as starting tech and non-tech businesses before taking the plunge into the large global team that is Xero. Outside of her day job she contributes to the startup ecosystem, mentoring programs for young women, and as a lurker in environmental communities. She’s also an outdoor enthusiast and lover of great dinner table conversations with old friends and new.

James Bushell, Director / Investor / Strategist, MOTIF

James Bushell is the founding director of MOTIF, a specialist business advisory for organisations that want to create a more equitable and sustainable world. He is a leading strategist in incorporating ethics and sustainability into commercial models and has had governance and executive experience in developing, emerging and developed economies. James is also an author and recently released a book called HUMANGOOD – a field guide to ethical leadership.

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Creative Welly Episode #27 | Negin Imani & Derek Bradley

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Dr Negin Imani

Negin is a lecturer in Architectural and Building Science, founder of Biomimicry NZ, representing New Zealand in the Biomimicry Institute global network, and a Visiting Scholar at the School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand since 2020.

Negin’s research is focused on sustainable architecture and biomimetic energy efficient building design. She is the first post-doctoral researcher at the VUW school of architecture. Her research investigates possibilities to develop living building modules. She has co-authored the book “Heating with Wolves, Cooling with Cacti”.

As a recipient of the National Science Challenge, Science for Technological Innovation, Seed Project grant, Negin is working as the Principle Investigator of the project, Biomimetic Buildings for Climate Change Adaptation: Future Generation of Facades.

Derek Bradley, CEO, A44 Games

Derek Bradley is the CEO of A44 Games an independent games studio based in Wellington, New Zealand. He was the Game Director on ASHEN, the company’s first title, which was released world-wide at the Annual Game Awards in 2018.

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Creative Welly Episode #26 | Glenis Hiria Philip-Barbara & Sam Trubridge

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Glenis Hiria Philip-Barbara, Assistant Māori Commissioner for Children, Ngāti Porou/Ngāti Uepōhatu

Glenis has committed a lifetime to the restoration and recovery of matauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems) as a direct response to the impact of colonisation on her whānau, hapū, iwi and the wider community.

Her thirty year career serving the public sector, iwi and community has been primarily focused on bringing Te Tiriti o Waitangi to life in practical ways in order to address chronic disparities between Pakeha New Zealanders and Māori peoples across all measures of well-being.

Glenis has been on a mission of late to figure out how to help end racism in Aotearoa and help create the conditions for peaceful co-existence for our collective mokopuna.

Sam Trubridge, Director, Designer, and Performance Artist

Sam Trubridge is founding director of The Performance Arcade: a festival of performance art on Wellington Waterfront that is attended by 60-90,000 people each year since 2011.

His exciting career has involved making performance art underwater in The Bahamas and Croatia; running a festival of NZ theatre in New York; collaborating with sleep scientists; staging productions in swimming pools, carparks and paddocks; and presenting work in London, Prague, Rome, Florence, Kyoto, Rio, Melbourne, and Sydney.

He is currently senior design tutor at Toi Whakaari O Aotearoa: NZ Drama School.

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Creative Welly Episode #24 | Jo Cribb & James Partridge

Courageous conversations with bold humans (from the most creative little capital in the world).

Jo Cribb, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant

Jo is an experienced consultant who is regularly asked to facilitate strategy sessions with leadership teams, coach emerging leaders and lead substantial policy, strategy and gender projects. Recent assignments include facilitating sessions at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, working with the New Zealand Defence Force to develop strategies to increase the gender diversity of the forces, and completing a gender analysis of immigration policy.

Jo was the previous Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women and Deputy Children’s Commissioner. She invests her time and energy in advancing the cause of the vulnerable in society, spearheading some of the most difficult issues of our time, including child abuse, poverty, homelessness, family violence and vulnerable women.

James Partridge, Film Producer / Film Festival Director / Marketing Strategist

James Partridge is creator, innovator and problem solver, working across the creative disciplines of film and marketing. As a film producer, two of the films James has been involved with have screened at the A-List Shanghai International Film Festival – with both being nominated for the Golden Roosters (the Chinese Oscars). As the Founder and Festival Director of the Terror-Fi Film Festival, James oversees New Zealand’s largest genre and cult film festival; that brings together thousands of film fans each year, while also serving as an interface between local talent and the global marketplace. James’ most proud achievement is having developed marketing and fundraising strategies that have helped to raise over $150m for New Zealand not-for-profit organisations.