Tickets Are Live For TEDxPipitea 2021

It’s here. It’s now.

A new TEDx experience is coming to Central Wellington!

On the 14th of November, we are hosting our debut TEDxPipitea event at Cuba St under the timely theme of ‘Hope’. The independently, wholly-volunteer-organized event, licensed by TED, will be a full day spectacular running from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm and will feature local voices, numerous interactive spaces, and connections that will last a lifetime.

We have been through so much. As a community, as a country, as humans.

2020 was a challenging and at times devastating year for both New Zealand and the world, with its impact is still lingering to this day. We find ourselves continuing to search for ways to thrive, to accept, and to overcome this difficult period we are facing. This is why we are calling our debut TEDxPipitea ‘Hope’ - a resemblance of resilience and togetherness during these times and for the future.

While we have become accustomed to an ever-changing environment, one thing that has remained constant is hope. Hope looks different to everyone - it’s personal and intimate. While at times we might find ourselves feeling hopeless, hope is what keeps us moving, dreaming, planning, functioning, thriving.

Hope is an act of defiance in the face of adversity.

TEDxPipitea 2021 will be a place where you can share your unorthodox ideas, provoke your curiosity, connect with a like-minded community, all in the name of igniting hope.

“As Licensee I’m ecstatic to bring this event to Wellington and continue a positive legacy of TEDx events in our city. For us, it’s all about giving our people, our emerging leaders a voice in the world: on an international stage that people pay attention to. It is my personal mission to identify incredible emerging talent in the Wellington region, nurture and give it relevance in a global setting”, our TEDxPipitea Licensee, Alex Matthews, comments.

So what makes TEDxPipitea 2021 one-of-a-kind?

For the first time, we will have two events running simultaneously.

1. TEDxPipitea Live Speaker Event - Hosted at the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the first event will be an in-person experience where the delegates get to see the speakers live.
2. TEDxPipitea Watch Party – Taking place across the street at two/fiftyseven Willis St. and concurrently with our Live Speaker Event, the second event will be a Watch Party where the delegates will get a livestream experience of the main event with access to many interactive and curious spaces!

What’s more - we will also host a Livestream of the Speaker event on https://tedxpipitea.com/ & on our Facebook Page. Whether you are enjoying the snowy slopes of Queenstown or the sandy beaches in the tropics, you can be part of this amazing experience.

TEDxPipitea 2021 will be home to a variety of exhibits, interactive spaces, activities, and games carefully curated to feed inquiring minds. We are stoked to bring you 12 diverse 'ideas worth spreading' talks from world-class regional talent.

“Our 2021 speaker and performer cohort have been chosen for their diversity of thought, life experience, subject matter, and unique ideas. We’re thrilled to showcase such an entertaining, inspiring and innovative group of individuals from across the Wellington region”, comments our Heads of Speaker & Performer Curation, Erica Brooks, and Dylan Sofa.

The line-up of this year’s amazing speakers are:

1. Genevieve McLachlan

Born with cerebral palsy and impaired vision, Genevieve McLachlan has fought hard to ensure her disabilities do not define her. A disability advocate, her work focuses on the use of specialised solutions to make technology and the digital world accessible for those with disabilities and impairments.

2. Francesca Bonventre

Francesca Bonventre is an innovative food producer based in New Zealand’s Chatham Islands. She and her partner are working with one of the healthiest bee populations on the planet, exploring how sustainable export of this carefully cultivated natural resource could positively impact bee populations around the world.

3. Dr Swee Tan

Founder and Executive Director of Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Dr Swee Tan is leading exciting research into a novel cancer treatment approach that has the potential to fundamentally alter not just how we treat cancer, but also how easily accessible this treatment may be.

4. Abby Damen

Abby Damen and her co-founders are changing the world one dance step at a time. Her business Shut Up And Dance provides an expressive outlet for Wellingtonians across the city, sparking a movement of joy through the teaching and performing of iconic pop choreography in a freedom-filled, fun environment - no mirrors allowed!

5. Zoë George

Senior Sports Journalist Zoe George has been reporting on inequality - specifically related to bathroom access - in sports and social spaces for years. This lack of access has serious consequences for the representation and participation of women, something she aims to change through a groundswell of public support.

6. Dr Negin Imani

Founder of Biomimicry New Zealand, Dr Negin Imani has dedicated her adult life to the exploration of sustainable building design, utilising principles taken from how living organisms react and respond to their environment, to develop a design tool that bridges the gap between architecture and biology.

7. Jerome Kavanagh/ Pūoro Jerome

A Grammy Award-winning musician, Jerome Kavanagh is a skilled cultural practitioner and multi-instrumentalist, bringing the ancient art form of taonga puoro - traditional Māori instruments - to life for audiences around the world.

8. Mike Kay

Michael Kay is one of a growing number of agricultural innovators in Aotearoa seeking a more symbiotic, sustainable relationship with the land. He’s passionate about sharing his practices, and proving their profitability as a radical alternative to mainstream practices.

9. Jayden Luapo

Having overcome significant odds to do so, Jayden Luapo is a young community leader, business owner, teacher and performer. His Tautua Dance school teaches siva samoa - traditional Samoan dance - providing a safe, encouraging, creative space for young Pasifika to explore their heritage and identity.

10. Crystal Mischief

International award-winning burlesque performer and creatrix of Sparkleforce Academy of Burlesque, Crystal Mischief approaches her teaching with a biological and psychological lens, harnessing neuroscientific discoveries to create a powerful journey of self-discovery and wellness for her dance students.

11. Antoinette Ratcliffe

As a veterinary nurse Antoinette Ratcliffe’s professional practice was given to the prolonging and preserving of life. Now as a taxidermist, her work involves preserving the dead (birds and animals!). She provides a window into her world of creative curios and explains ethical specimen collection from a New Zealand perspective.

12. Tupe Solomon-Tanoa'i

Currently serving as Chief Philanthropic Officer of the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation, Tupe Solomon Tanoa’i is a writer, creator, chat show host, and diversity and inclusion advocate. In 2020, she was recognised as one of the University of Auckland's 40 under 40 and won the diversity category at the Women of Influence Awards.

More information on speakers can be found via https://tedxpipitea.com/event

“We’re excited to be putting together the first TEDxPipitea event in Central Wellington and we are proud to be celebrating the timely theme of ‘Hope’. We have received so much support from individuals, communities, and businesses to get the word out there and the response has been amazing”, remarks Ciaran Jack, our Director of Marketing & Communications.

It takes a village to put up an event of this kind. We could not have made it this far if it wasn’t for our dedicated team of volunteers, supporters, sponsors, and partners who have gone above and beyond to make TEDxPipitea 2021 fun, curious and creative.

“We are HOPEful that TEDxPiptea will be one to remember. It is a result of months of planning and collaboration from a diverse team of volunteers, communities and organizations, who have reminded us that anything is possible if we work together. We’re excited to bring you TEDxPipitea this year with so much love and support”, remarks our Head of Event Logistics & Partnerships, Tania Marie Smith.

Our special thanks go out to the Greater Wellington Regional Council and two/fiftyseven for being our venue partners. We are immensely grateful for the support you have extended to host us this year. Also, heartfelt gratitude to our Principal sponsor, Dinosaur Polo Club and our National sponsor, Tourism New Zealand. These partnerships exemplify the collaborative capital TEDxPipitea creates within the region and beyond. The TEDxPipitea team is grateful for the support and empowerment imparted by its sponsors to make TEDxPipitea 2021 a success.

"The Tourism New Zealand Business Events team is proud to support TEDx Pipitea, promoting creative ideas and future thinking. Wellington is an exceptional place to connect. Our capital’s businesses and experts lead the way globally in areas ranging from earth sciences and digital technology to health sciences and food and wine, meaning there’s no shortage of world-leading knowledge to tap into. TEDx shows the power of conferences to showcase innovation, to engage and to inspire. We’re keen to work with more Kiwi thought leaders to attract more international conferences – and

the many benefits they bring – to New Zealand for the future", remarks Jean Hendry from Tourism New Zealand.

“At Dinosaur Polo Club, we strive to create engaging and accessible games for people from all over the world, so being a part of the community that TEDxPipitea is fostering lines up wonderfully with our own core missions for our industry and our games. The space that TEDxPipitea has created celebrates artistry, community, and innovation, all of which are essential for a strong society”, comments Chantelle Cole from Dinosaur Polo Club.

A warm appreciation is also extended to Jumpshift, Cognoscente Wine Workshop, Invisible Wine Agency, Dragonfly Data Science, Xequals Code & Creative, Obvious Marketing & Brand Partners, The Lab, Six Barrel Soda, Almighty Juices, Streamliner, PwC, and Shout Media. The ongoing support and energy devoted by these partners are immense.

TEDxPipitea 2021 will be an opportunity to connect with innovators, creators, wanderers, who are challenging the status quo and exploring new paradigms of thinking and doing.

Be part of this wonderment. Grab your tickets at https://tedxpipitea.com/tickets

Tickets at $140.

For more information on the whole TEDxPipitea 2021 experience, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

TEDxPipitea understands the challenges and risks posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While we strive to host our debut event in an epic way, our participants’ safety is our utmost priority. Know more about our COVID-19 strategy here.

#TEDxPipitea

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