Kia ora there,

Welcome to Arotake-Raumati, the Summer Review, where we reflect on our activities over the past six months. Many of you have taken part in our seminars, courses, and stayed connected via The Lookout. 

A few highlights are: 

• Welcoming two new Directors to our board - Jo Coughlan and Sam Johnson
• Delivering our second Evidence and Values Based Decision Making course to Members of Parliament

• Sending Aspen Alumni and staff scholarship recipients to Washington D.C. and Warsaw

• Live conversations with Aspen Ananta in India on Sustainable Food Futures, the University of Otago on AI,  and our inaugural Sister Cities forum on Winter Sports and Climate Change

We are looking forward to a busy 2025. We welcome everyone to take part in our events, and if you haven't already experienced an Aspen programme we invite you to join us next year. Our moderated forums and seminars ignite lively discussions among expert panellists, providing diverse perspectives in a civil, yet relaxed, setting. Aligned with the Aspen Institute's core principles, this approach delivers reliable content rooted in knowledge, facts, and broad viewpoints, to develop a deeper understanding of topics.

A great way to get a taste of the unique Aspen style of convening is to join one of our free online forums - next year we have several lined up in the first quarter. See below for more information...we hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Christine and the Aspen NZ team

We’re pleased to welcome  Sam Johnson and Jo Coughlan to our Board of Directors.

Sam, founder of the Student Volunteer Army and CEO of 'Paererewā - the 1000 Year Bench Project,' brings expertise in uniting people to address difficult challenges. Reflecting on his new role, Sam shared, “Bringing people together for dialogue and striving to solve complex problems together is life’s most important challenge. I look forward to supporting the Aspen team, building on the foundations, and making great things happen for our country!”

Jo, founder and Managing Director of Silvereye Communications, advising on government relations, strategy, and communications, emphasised the importance of global collaboration: “New Zealand cannot exist in isolation. We need to be open minded to change and work constructively, with a global mindset, with our neighbours and partners to ensure New Zealand is a place where future generations can prosper. Aspen Institute NZ encourages the kinds of conversations that we need to have.”

We also congratulate Trustee Dame Patsy Reddy on her appointment as Chair of the Climate Change Commission and thank departing Chair, Sir Maarten Wevers and Director Jane Taylor for their invaluable contributions to Aspen NZ since the start.

The Evidence and Values Based Decision Making course in November bought together Members of Parliament from New Zealand and the Pacific, providing an opportunity to convene across party lines to improve decision making. Participants shared their feedback, including "the best bit of professional development I have done in years.  It's had an immediate effect on my decision making" and "best format I have ever participated in."

Joseph Mooney shared his appreciation for the Socratic method and found significant value in the course material. Another MP noted "This is making me rethink my approach. Very strong reminder to look at the evidence and process to make sure its valid."

The course continues to support leaders in improving their decision-making through an evidence and values based framework, and we look forward to running further courses next year.

Aspen alumna and scholarship recipient, Shreya Singaraju, recently joined young leaders from around the world at the Global Changemakers workshop in Warsaw, Poland, to discuss critical minerals, environmental sustainability, and global collaboration.

For Shreya, the experience was transformative and she shares her 3 key takeaways at the link below. Her reflections highlight the importance of collaboration in addressing global challenges and the value of Aspen’s international network in equipping young leaders to inspire positive change in their communities.

She summed up one of her biggest takeaways with the Māori proverb:

He aha te mea nui? he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata -  

What is the most important thing in the world?

It is people, it is people, it is people.

In November, Aspen NZ Marketing Manager and scholarship recipient Pip Souness attended the 2024 Aspen International Partners Programme Collaboration in Washington D.C. There, she connected with colleagues from the Stevens Initiative to learn about virtual youth exchange programmes. Reflecting on the week, Pip shared:

"These programmes hold immense potential to not only bridge distance and cultures but also to equip the next generation with the skills needed to lead in a world that demands collaboration across divides."

The experience reinforced the value of these programmes in cultivating global connections and preparing youth to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.

Conversations with the experts

The third forum in our International Dialogue Series with India : Sustainable Food Futures, highlighted several opportunities for collaboration in AgriTech to address global food security and hunger. This series has been highly valuable in strengthening understanding and relationships between India and NZ, and has provided opportunities to collaborate in trade, digital technology and AgriTech. We look forward to continuing this dialogue with High Commissioners' H.E. Neeta Bhushan and Patrick Rata next year in our Diplomatic Dialogue Series.

In October, Aspen NZ CEO, Christine Maiden Sharp moderated a forum on AI: Opportunity, Hype, or Both?, featuring experts from the University of Otago and Te Whai Ao Dodd-Walls Centre. The panel explored the impact of AI across sectors, and the importance of balancing the opportunities it presents with the need for careful regulation, that doesn't hinder innovation. The event, organised by the University of Otago, also marked the their announcement of plans to establish a permanent presence in Queenstown, aimed at advancing tech and business education.

The first forum in our Sister Cities Challenges Series on Winter Sports and Climate Change drew a strong audience, interested in the impact of a warming climate on mountain resort communities. The panellists included climate scientists and business leaders from Aspen and Queenstown, who discussed the challenges and shared strategies for addressing them, highlighting several impressive initiatives and the importance of collaboration in developing solutions.

This was the first forum in a 3-part series, with the next taking place early next year to address infrastructure challenges -transport, housing and energy. 

We have an exciting lineup of events planned for Q1 2025, starting with

Sister Cities Challenges: The Infrastructure Dilemma on transport, housing, and energy challenges, followed by our Diplomatic Dialogue Series between New Zealand and India’s High Commissioners, HE Neeta Bhushan and Patrick Rata, to discuss the deepening ties between the two nations.  

Looking further ahead for Queenstown, a Socrates Seminar in May and a new international relations forum on National Security in September.  Stay tuned for further details!

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