TEDxQueenstown Next Adventure For Lonely Planet Founder

TEDxQueenstown Next Adventure For Lonely Planet Founder

Queenstown New Zealand, March 7, 2013: Lonely Planet founder and travel guru Tony Wheeler has today been named one of the speakers at the inaugural TEDxQueenstown, the NEXT adventure, to be held at Hilton Queenstown on April 5.

Born in India, raised in Pakistan, the Bahamas and the USA, Wheeler is a true traveller. His TEDxQueenstown talk will focus on travel in the Bad Lands and Dark Lands - as some Middle Eastern countries have been described.

Wheeler joins a line-up of equally exciting, if not such well known speakers.

Film-maker Mathurin Molgat will present a business case for the regeneration of Kauri forests in his talk Green Economics - between the devil and Aotearoa. Molgat too is a traveller and an adventurer - in 1992 he was voted among the top 20 big mountain skiers on the planet and has appeared in numerous TV commercials in adventure settings. Film-making and economics combine as he follows his next adventure.

Te Reo Maori teacher Jeromy van Riel has Dutch ancestry but has lived as Maori with Maori for 22 of his 34 years. In his talk ‘wearing our skin’ he observes that regardless of which country we look at, the indigenous people represent the poorest, sickest and most socially disadvantaged denomination. When the statement is made; ‘we are one people’, Jeromy asks, ‘which people are we?’

Scientist and PhD candidate Ella Lawton is fascinated in understanding the mechanics of systems. Ella looks at how natural, social and governance systems function and interact so she can figure out the leverage points that can be pushed to trigger positive change. Undergraduate degrees in law and ecology, a Masters in Strategic Leadership from Sweden and now a pending PhD, Ella is inspired by the importance of small-scale change through local governance and community initiatives. She’ll talk about her PhD subject; The New Zealand Footprint Project and reveal some surprising results.

Chuck Berry is well known to Queenstowners for his unassuming attitude to freakishly unusual adventure. He’s a professional skydiver, basejumper, stuntman, cameraman, test pilot, aircraft engineer, juggler, filmmaker & motivational speaker. A motorbike accident in 1997 left him with a broken neck and a renewed vigour for pursuing his dreams. Focusing as he recovered on all he wanted to do, he set about making it happen and went on to become a Red Bull athlete. He’ll talk about breaking down barriers, living life to the full, achieving dreams, and the importance of visualizing a positive outcome.

TEDxQueenstown Curator Cesar Piotto says Queenstown is synonymous with adventure for many, but not many are aware that there are many clear thinkers in the region adventuring beyond the physical as they explore amazing ideas.

“As our speaker line-up comes together, we realise that our speakers are in fact great adventurers. The ideas they want to share are highly adventurous - in some cases, leaps of faith as well as intellect.”

TEDxQueenstown is supported by several inspiring Queenstown businesses. Organisers thank Queenstown Resort College, Artbay Gallery, Hilton Queenstown, for their energy and efforts in helping to stage the inaugural TEDxQueenstown, The NEXT adventure. Also sincere thanks to our in-kind partners that are providing valuable services: Nemo Workroom, 1-night, Shipleys, LightSpeed Technologies, 3 Fold Print, Sign It Signs, Fetch NZ, Orange, Cup & Cake and Fluid.

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About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs; the annual TEDGlobal conference is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, the recently launched TED-Ed platform for students and educators, the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide, and TEDBooks, short e-books by speakers that elaborate on a single idea originally presented on TED's stage. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. Follow TED on Twitter or on Facebook.

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