Our Speakers
Our Speakers
The good humans who support our mission and give their time to share their knowledge.
David Norton
David is an Emeritus Professor, with 40+ years in ecology. He now consults through Biodiversity Solutions Ltd., helping farmers integrate biodiversity and advising Pure Advantage on reforestation for climate resilience.
Jodie Jarvis
Jodie Jarvis is a writer, researcher, and PhD candidate at the University of Otago whose work explores everyday and embodied experiences of climate change.
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.
Kristy Jones
Kristy Jones is the National Sustainability Manager for Cook Brothers Construction.
Matthew Cutler-Welsh
Matthew, Senior Manager - Residential at the New Zealand Green Building Council, has 15 years in energy efficiency, leads environmental rating tools, and hosts podcasts on green building.
Dr Carly Green
Carly, with 20+ years in climate change mitigation, founded Environmental Accounting Services and advises on land use, carbon standards, and policy from her home in Wānaka.
Sam Gibson
Sam/Hamiora (AKA Sam the Trapman) is a trapper and conservationist, founded the Eastern Whio Link project, restoring native whio to Waioeka rivers. He lives in Gisborne with his family.
Dr Jim Salinger
Jim, 2024 New Zealander of the Year, is a climate change expert who uncovered New Zealand warming in the 1970s and contributed to the Nobel-winning IPCC.
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.
Paul Spoonley
Paul Spoonley, emeritus professor at Massey University, is a New Zealand sociologist specialising in social change, demography, and policy. He has authored 27 books and is a regular commentator in the news media.
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.
Dr David Beaumont
David, author of Positive Medicine, is a Consultant Occupational Physician specialising in worker health and former President of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Trish Love
Trish, a Mechanical Building Services Engineer turned sustainable design consultant, established Tricia Love Consultants in 2001 and also lectures at UNITEC and facilitates certification programmes.
Dr Susan Wardell
Susan, a Social Anthropology lecturer at the University of Otago and award-winning writer, explores emotion, care, and mental health in relation to climate distress.
Sofia Cinque
Sofia is a sustainability advisor and manager at Chunky, promoting reuse over single-use. She shares zero-waste tips on @earthic.life and connects menstrual cycles with environmental health.
Charlotte Friedrich
Charlotte supports creatives and innovators in aligning with nature's rhythms. A certified Menstruality Mentor with a background in wellbeing psychology, she leads a wellbeing practice and consults for Aro Hā.
Laura Molles
Originally from Southern California, Laura studies animal behaviour and conservation, focusing on acoustic communication. She combines her expertise with technology at Digilab for non-invasive monitoring tools.