Theme: tūmanako

tūmanako: To hope for a better future.

TEDxAuckland tūmanako is about ideas of hope, sources of inspiration and actionable ideas to make the world a better place.

ASB Waterfront Theatre
138 Halsey Street
Auckland Central
Auckland, Auckland, 1010
New Zealand

Andrea Reid

Biodiversity Campaigner / Landscape Architect

Andrea Reid started a movement in New Zealand that aims to connect the city's parks, reserves and urban agricultural centres together to form Pollinator Paths. These paths will help bring crucial pollinators into our urban areas to enable our growing urban food network to thrive.

Angela Lim

Entrepreneur / Doctor

Angela is a Medical Doctor and Founder of Clearhead, an innovative digital mental health platform utilising AI to improve access to care. She was a finalist for the Young New Zealander of the Year, completed research at Harvard's School of Public Health, and has been involved in Health IT and governance for more than 10 years.

Annamarie Jamieson

People & Culture Director

Annamarie firmly believes that everyone has the right to contribute to society, to follow a passion, and to be connected to our communities in some shape or form. In her position as the People & Culture Director for Stuff.co.nz, she launched and implemented the award-winning Creative Spirit programme, which gives young adults with intellectual disabilities a chance to contribute to society in a meaningful way. This was followed by The Coffee CO-OP, Stuff’s Auckland office cafe, which is staffed by deaf baristas. These programs and the many benefits that have arisen not only to the employees, employers but to the community have been immeasurable.

Dmitry Selitskiy

Founder / Brain-Computer Interfacing / Universal Access for All

Building on the success of a brain-controlled light switch for his younger cousin, who is paralysed, Thought-Wired has launched its first product, nous Blink - a wearable device that translates brain signals into commands, enabling people with physical limitations to control a computer with intentional eye blinks.

Getrude Matshe

Author / Philanthropy Consultant

It’s people hewn from the granite resolve that she possesses, born of the same experiences, villages and towns that are best placed to forge a path forward to better their lives and to tackle the problems they face. Getrude is a celebrated author, philanthropy consultant, and global curator and founder at HerStoryCircle - a women’s global empowerment organisation. She is passionate about helping people achieve their full potential.

Kris Gledhill

Law Professor

Until 2006 Kris worked as a barrister in London specialising in representing detainees, and wherever possible making use of human rights arguments. Now he teaches various aspects of criminal and human rights law as a Professor at AUT Law School, as well as at various Universities outside New Zealand.

Max Rashbrooke

Journalist / Author / Academic

Max Rashbrooke is the J. D. Stout Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington, and has written extensively on issues of economic inequality and democratic renewal. The author of multiple books, including Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action, he is a regular commentator in domestic and international media. You can find him at maxrashbrooke.org.nz and @MaxRashbrooke on Twitter.

Rose Northey

Artist / Author / Poet

Originally a Mechanical Engineer, Rose now works full time as a Performance Poet and Illustrator. In 2019 she became the champion of the ‘Going West Writers Festival Poetry Slam’. Rose’s poetry has been featured in a variety of locations across NZ including Auckland’s Comedy Club, Auckland’s Stand Up Poetry and Poetry in Motion Wellington.

Simon Che de Boer

Entrepreneur / Humanist

His work has received international recognition and is often cited as the gold standard for photo-realistic digital-twin experiences. Forbes, NVIDIA, Autodesk and Epic Games have all featured the work of realityvirtual.co to demonstrate the potential of this new immersive medium. Most recently Simon has worked on streamlining deep learning techniques to set the stage for a visual effects automation revolution. These tools will aid in the digitisation of vast sites across the globe - a means to back up our planet.

Sonya Renee Taylor

Artist / Author / Activist

Sonya serves on the Board of Directors for Split This Rock and SisterSong, and continues to champion a range of social issues.

Thomas Owen

Teacher / Author

Thomas Owen is a teacher, author, filmmaker and advocate for peace, social justice, and an end to arbitrary inequality. His research examines ‘privilege loss’; or what happens to people when they lose their relative privileges of age, gender, race, sexual identity or otherwise. Thomas teaches Intercultural Communication and Global Crises and the Media at Auckland University of Technology, and wrote the book ‘Patents, Pills and the Press’ about global HIV/AIDS. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand, and The Yukon, Canada.

Tony Fernando

Psychiatrist / Sleep Specialist / Teacher

Tony has taught mindfulness meditation to medical students, to doctors, nuns, priests, homeless and inmates at Mt Eden Correctional Facility. He recently submitted his PhD thesis on compassion in medicine.