Theme: Morphosis

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).

144 Knighton Road
Hamilton, Waikato
New Zealand

MrsDLite

MrsDLite combines a unique blend of hip hop and soul, known as neo soul – mixing elements of jazz, funk, fusion, and African rhythms – with her powerful lyrics, in order to tell stories. Daph hopes the audience will connect to her lyrics through her music and sound. ‘It’s always about the message for me, and getting that message out through music is key.’ MrsDLite grew up listening to artists such as the great Stevie Wonder, Fugees and proven songstress in her own right Lauryn Hill, and D’Angelo. Born and raised in Chiefs country, and a descendant of Northland; Daph is of Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Korokoro and Kuki Airani decent, Manihiki te Motu. Daph is inspired creatively by her family, friends, culture, history, and worldview. At its core this drive comes from a hope and desire to see a better, brighter future. MrsDLite will be performing with: Aaron Lyndon- Keyboards Willie-Yangste Tagaloa – Drums, guitar, backing vocals

Ben Bell

Seventeen-year-old Benjamin Bell is not your typical teenager… well not entirely typical. Like most teens, Ben loves social media, he can see the power of social media, and wants others to learn how they can harness it as a tool. Ben is also an ideas person, a creator, an inventor. Ben is an entrepreneur, who has been invited to pitch his product Wellbands at Standford University’s MedX conference in the U.S. This high tech hospital wristband creation has seen him featured in Idealog, and attracted interest from all over the world. Ben is due to finish high school shortly, before deciding his next steps. Do people judge him because of his young age? Absolutely. But Ben remains pragmatic and upbeat about it “People pre-judge you on many different attributes, age being one of them. I would say that some people expect me to be underprepared. To those people, I say ‘be prepared to be blown away.”

Curtis Bristowe

Curtis Bristowe is a man of many strands. Among these he is a PhD student of media communications at the University of Waikato, and a teacher of Indigenous Research at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. An advocate for the survival and prosperity of Māori language and culture, Curtis’ research has focused on the development and implementation of a kaupapa Māori-inspired strategic communication framework. It is his hope that this framework can help business and community groups’ focus, and guide their collective purpose and vision. There is the need to communicate our Indigenous knowledge so people may gain an understanding of its value and worth, and secondly, the opportunity to share a piece of our national history and the forces that helped shape it. As Curtis says “There are many threads of history that make up the fabric of our great nation, and stories such as Te Kooti’s deserved to be acknowledged and remembered, lest the faults of the past are again repeated in the present.”

Damien Puddle

Damien Puddle is CEO of NZ Parkour – Tauhōkai Aotearoa – a non-profit which he co-founded in 2010. With a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (with honours) from the Waikato Institute of Technology under his belt, Damien takes his passion for parkour seriously. His undergraduate research ‘Ground Reaction Forces and Loading Rates Associated with Parkour and Traditional Drop Landing Techniques’ was featured in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. He’s recently started his Ph.D. in Sport and Leisure studies at the University of Waikato with the working title: “Making the Jump: Examining the Development of Parkour in New Zealand.”

Harley Neville

A filmmaker and broadcaster by trade, Harley was almost as surprised as his friends the first time he stood up to recite a poem he wrote. But it’s hard to deny the cathartic effect poetry has for Harley, just as it’s hard to deny his obvious presence on the stage as a poet. Most widely known for his leading role in I Survived a Zombie Holocaust, a film he made with his long time collaborator. Harley has come to a point in his life where he is looking at the bigger picture, and has become more of a philosopher. Through poetry Harley hopes to draw attention to a few of humanity’s demons, in order that we can address them. Take globalisation for example, neither good nor bad, it’s simply a progression of our global civilisation. It can be “a tool for good or evil”, says Harley. “On the one hand it has given us sweatshops, but on the other hand it has given us as individuals in the first world the power to affect real, positive change with small day-to-day decisions and purchases.”

Holly Thorpe

Dr. Holly Thorpe is Associate Professor at the University of Waikato’s Te Oranga, School of Human Development and Movement Studies. Holly works in the field of the sociology of sport, exercise, and health, with her particular research interests including: youth, gender, women’s health, action sports, mobility, and social theory. A published author, Holly has written three books, co-edited six more, and contributed more than 60 articles and chapters on these topics. Holly’s passion for Action Sports has been with her most of her life and as a teenager she was a competitive snowboarder and instructor, living back-to-back winters between New Zealand and the United States in the pursuit of fresh powder.

Iain White

Dr Iain White is Professor of Environmental Planning at the School of Social Sciences in the University of Waikato. Originally from the UK where he completed his PhD at the University of Manchester, Iain was the Director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology at the University of Manchester, UK. He is currently on the Scientific Leadership Board of ‘National Science Challange 11: Building, Better Homes, Towns and Cities’, a researcher in ‘National Science Challenge 6: Resilience to Natures Hazards’, and part of the new Centre of Research Excellence, ‘QuakeCORE’ His main areas of interest include researching town planning, environmental change and its’ impacts, particularly on policy and politics. A widely published author, Iain has published and co-published several books, and appeared in numerous journals.

Jae'l Warbrick

Jae’l Warbrick is a keen song writer with a liking for writing warm, light-hearted and uplifting lyrics, she is always looking to encourage people through her performances. Inspired from a young age through singing at her church Jae’l has been singing semi-professionally since 17. She’s since taken part in a number of youth events, weddings, fundraisers and concerts. The biggest highlight was opening for Stan Walker for the New Plymouth leg of his tour in 2011. Jae’l is looking to take her budding musical career to the next level, and is currently studying a BA in Music at Vision College, with a major in Vocals. Jae’l is accompanied by guitarist Matt Kennedy.

Joanna Bishop

Dr Joanna Bishop is a researcher currently based at the University of Auckland’s School of Pharmacy, Joanna has a particular interest in the use of medicinal plants and different perceptions of medicine and medical practices. With a background in medical herbalism, Joanna went on to complete a Bachelor of Science, a Masters in Anthropology, before finally completing her PhD which examined the history of medicinal plants in New Zealand’s settler medical culture. She has a keen interest in medical history and ethnobotany – the study of people and plants – and hopes one day to work as a medical anthropologist or ethnobotanist; spending her time in a remote and unfamiliar countries learning how people use plants in their everyday lives.

Kelly Ann Cunningham

Kelly Ann Cunningham is the Service Designer and Coach for Social Good at Innovate Change Ltd. A passionate advocate of co-creation, participatory design, and the shared delivery of services and initiatives for social good, Kelly Ann’s roots can be found in design innovation and cultural anthropology. She has worked across a diverse range of business and social challenges, including youth development, bullying prevention and child protection, to positive parenting, pacific health, and organisational design. Her work has spanned across diverse sectors: social services, agriculture, and the financial, telecommunications, and retail industries.

Mahonri Owen

Mahonri Owen is in his final stages of a Masters in Engineering at the University of Waikato, and is the recipient of a Health Research Council Māori PhD Scholarship. “Life is never the same when you lose a hand or any body part for that matter – through injury, or warfare, genetic dysfunction or illness,” The hand works by using intuitive actions related to natural, everyday human movements. Known as a neural interface, patients are more likely to accept the prosthetic device. “The trauma and pain that accompanies the loss of a limb is hard to overcome, physically and mentally and if my research can make recovery easier, then I’ll be very happy.” Amputees often have difficulty performing simple day to day tasks, meaning Mahonri’s work in developing robotic prosthetics has exciting potential for improving patient quality of life.

Pamela Storey

Pamela Storey is Board Chair at the Waikato Environment Centre which encompasses Kaivolution. Originally from the United States, Pamela has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University and went on to work in the energy sector in energy, with emphasis on renewable generation, energy efficiency and environmental organisations. Pamela also holds an MBA from Henley Business School at the University of Reading (UK). A proud dairy farmer, she has also continued to advance through leadership and governance roles, including in the Energy Management Association of New Zealand, the Waikato Environment Centre, the Council for Women in Energy and Environmental Leadership, Access Home Health Ltd., and most recently, the Dairy Woman’s Network. She has previously developed and led a national award-winning non-profit delivering energy efficiency measures to low-income homes.

Sripriya Somasekhar

Sripriya Somasekhar, who is now completing her Phd, has made it her life’s mission to break down the barriers that prevent women from reporting incidents of domestic violence. Born and raised in India, Sripriya immigrated to New Zealand four years ago to finish her Phd, and for a better future for her family. India. Home to more than one billion people. Where a woman is raped every 29 minutes, and where an act of domestic violence is reported every five. And these are only the cases that are reported. Unfortunately Sripriya’s research in New Zealand show that we have many of the same problems here as well.