Welcome to Arotake-Makariri, ourWinter Review - a chance to pause, reflect, and celebrate the people and partnerships that drive Aspen Institute New Zealand. Your support as active participants and donors makes our work possible.
As the Aspen Institute marks its 75th anniversarythis month, we’re reminded that its founding purpose - to unite diverse voices in pursuit of a freer, fairer society - remains just as relevant today. While global challenges grow more complex, so too does the need for leadership grounded in clarity, courage, and connection.
Over the past 6 months, we’ve refined how we share our work and sharpened our focus across three core areas:Global Affairs, Critical Conversations, and Connected Communities - with a renewed emphasis on relevance, impact, and accessibility.
Coming up: our inaugural (and very timely) Aspen Otago Security Forum exploring NZ-Australia security ties, and a thought-provoking Socrates Seminar - Will we ever trust the news again?
We invite you to stay connected, and explore how you can help strengthen our impact below. Thank you for being part of the journey!
Ngā mihi, Christine and the Aspen NZ team
Ignite Change with Aspen NZ
In response to today's global challenges, New Zealand must invest in the kind of leadership that meets the moment - and shapes the future. The Aspen Institute New Zealand exists to do just that.
As the only Aspen Institute partner in the Southern Hemisphere, we bring global insight and a proven method to Aotearoa - sparking bold thinking, non-partisan dialogue and the collaborative, values-driven leadership our future demands.
Alongside our existing focus areas, we’re also developing Rising Generations - a new initiative to prepare emerging leaders for the decades ahead - and we’re looking for visionary partners to help bring it to life.
Te Kākano, our supporters programme, is an invitation to forward-thinking businesses and major donors to fuel Aspen NZ's high-impact programmes that grow leaders, strengthen civil society and connect New Zealand to global solutions.
When those with influence invest in purpose, our whole of society moves forward.
Get in touch to learn more – or talk with us about a partnership that reflects your purpose and values.
We are delighted to welcome Melanie Seyfort, our new Corporate Partnerships Managerto the Aspen NZ team. Melanie brings a wealth of experience to the role with more than 15 years in leadership positions across both the non-profit and corporate sectors.
Melanie’s expertise in partnerships, fundraising, stakeholder engagement and strategic communications will be instrumental as we strengthen our networks and expand our impact.
In February, Aspen NZ partnered with the High Commission of India in Wellington to host Empowering Economies: A New Era of NZ–India Business Relations. Moderated by Aspen NZ CEO, Christine Maiden Sharp, the forum spotlighted the growing NZ-India trade relationship and explored opportunities to strengthen trade across sectors like technology, dairy, agriculture, education, and tourism.
Connected Communities
Sister Cities Challenges Series: The Infrastructure Dilemma
Our second Sister Cities Challenges forum brought together leaders from Queenstown and Aspen to explore housing and urban planning pressures in high-growth, tourism-driven regions. The discussion surfaced practical insights into affordability, short-term rentals, funding models, and regional planning, highlighting tools and ideas that could inform better urban policy and deepen cross-border collaboration.
In May, the third forum in the series explored how growing communities can build energy and transport systems that are both resilient and equitable. From Aspen’s microgrids and efficient bus networks to Queenstown's transmission upgrades and the airport's digital congestion tools, the session showcased innovative, locally grounded solutions. From microgrids to gondolas, the exchange sparked fresh thinking and reinforced the importance of a community-first approach.
TheSister Cities Challenges series continue to demonstrate the value of international collaboration, turning shared challenges into opportunities for systems change, leadership development, and practical innovation. Replays of each forum are available on our YouTube channel.
“The difficulty of our time is a difficulty of the human spirit.” As global instability echoes the conditions that sparked the Institute’s founding, our CEO, Christine Maiden Sharp shares reflections herefrom Aspen, Colorado, where she and chair, Katie Milne, joined the International Partners to mark the Institute’s 75th anniversary. In a moment shaped by both turbulence and hope, Christine explores why the founding vision remains urgent today, what it means to lead with principle, and how a global network can help us respond to the challenges ahead.
Honouring the Life of a Visionary Leader
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Leonard Lauder, an extraordinary leader and champion of the Aspen Institute and its International Partners. From the outset he showed great interest and support for Aspen NZ.
His belief in the power of values-based dialogue and leadership extended across borders, and his generosity helped shape the Aspen Meadows campus and many of the initiatives that define the Institute’s impact. His legacy lives on in the work we do and the international Aspen community he helped to build.
SparkLab 2025: Strengthening Global Collaboration
Aspen International Partners recently launched SparkLab in Paris, bringing together programme and comms staff from across the global Aspen network. Hosted by Aspen Institute France, Marketing Manager, Pip Souness, was there to represent Aspen NZ.
The workshop was both practical and philosophical, exploring the challenge of communicating impact in an organisation built on dialogue, and reflecting on the deeper purpose of the Aspen network. From shared messaging to digital engagement, it offered the rare chance to collaborate with peers tackling similar questions in vastly different contexts. SparkLab reinforced the strength of our global network, while providing valuable tools to support our work here in NZ.
Get Involved
Aspen Otago Security Forum 2025
Australia and New Zealand National Security:
Shared Threats, Shared Solutions
October 11 | Queenstown
In partnership with the University of Otago, this forum brings together senior leaders to address the region’s most pressing security challenges - from espionage and AI to foreign interference in elections.
Tickets to be released soon - register your interest below for updates.
The Socrates Seminar returns in December this year, with a critical conversation on media trust, misinformation, and democracy - moderated by Aspen Digital’s Vivian Schiller, a former senior executive at NPR, The New York Times, and Twitter.
The Aspen Institute New Zealand is a registered charity that relies on the generosity of your donations to maintain its independence and fund its programming.
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