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Heart Politics Comes to Wellington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Growing Resilience:
Heart Politics Comes to Wellington

After more than 20 years of meeting in Taupo, the Heart Politics community is holding its 2011 Winter Gathering in Wellington, at the Tapa te Rangi Marae in Island Bay on 28 – 31 July. Heart Politics is a diverse collection of social entrepreneurs, business people, community change agents, artists, parents, children, thinkers, and doers. It exists to network and support anyone working for community change, to evolve ideas and promote ways to speak across difference, and to celebrate the many alternatives that are always available when creative, committed and open-hearted people meet together for long enough to get beyond their personal agendas. The 3½ day event offers a fully catered residential programme for under $200, and a community day on Saturday 30th – [contact http://heartpolitics.org.nz.]

Gathering spokesperson Helen McNeil said: “We've made “Growing Resilience” our theme because its an opportunity to explore pressing challenges and celebrate some of our responses. At a time that may well be a significant tipping point for our nation, our guests encompass inspired, practical, community-led intitatives, insight into marginalisation within our bicultural society, and also bringing local context and responsibility to the defining issues of our time.”

Keynote guests include Margaret Jefferies, one of the driving forces behind Project Lyttelton. This community project, now in its 17th year, has co-ordinated a series of festivals, markets, alternative energy initiatives, and launched an alternative currency. The community goodwill and cohesion the project has generated has enabled the town to rise to the post-earthquake challenges with humour and humanity. Margaret is joined by social researcher and writer Tracey Macintosh, whose work with women in prison reveals another type of resilience, and exposes the trials and lost potential of those whom our society pushes to the margins. Simon Tegg brings a uniquely New Zealand insight into the challenge and opportunities of climate change and peak oil.

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The Gathering uses a range of meeting techniques to enable participants to explore topics in ways that are relevant to their own work and life situations, as well as more familiar lecture type environments.

Gatherings have attracted many keynote speakers - and keynote listeners – over the years, including Fran Peavey - whose book “Heart Politics” gave the gatherings their name - futurist Sohail Inayatullah, historian Michael King, environmentalist Jeanette Fitzsimmons, theologian Lloyd Geering, psychologist Marijke Battenberg, film-maker David Jacobs, Bishop Sir Paul Reeves, law professor David Williams, community activist Sue Bradford, Green Party co-leader Rod Donald, Parihaka community leader Marjorie Rau-Kupa, investigative journalist Nicky Hager, and newspaper editor Judy McGregor.

Helen McNeill said that “the Heart Politics project seeks to generate community conversations about things that matter, to direct focus on our collective potential, and to give some muscle and tools to make things happen that benefit our own and future communities.” The Heart Politics inspiration can be seen in – and draws from - projects as diverse as the Changemakers, The Outlook for Someday film challenge, Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, the Social Entrepreneurs Network, the Tauhara Dialogues, ReGeneration, and much more.

ENDS

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