Aspiring Conversations festival of ideas begins with full houses and open minds
WANAKA, New Zealand (23 April, 2016) – Audiences at Aspiring Conversations 2016 enjoyed a series of thought-provoking sessions as Wanaka’s annual festival of ideas presented by Milford Asset Management opened to full houses.
The first three sessions explored global and national issues around climate change, creativity and innovation and New Zealand politics.

After a mihi from festival trustee Tania Brett of Ngāi Tahu and a waiata that anchored the festival in the landscape and community of Wanaka – literally ‘place of discussion’ – Tim Flannery delivered the opening keynote last night for ‘Cool it! Dealing with climate change’.

Drawing on themes from his latest book ‘Atmosphere of Hope’, the head of the Australian Climate Council emphasised the positive measures either currently underway or in development that will help reduce the impact of rising global temperatures.

Hope, he said, was “based on a clear understanding of where we are now and a clear plan forward”. He listed not only the huge investment in wind and solar power but also ‘third way technologies’ such as oceanic kelp farming that he says will become the mainstay of industry by 2050.

Tim Flannery was joined in the debate by climate researcher Suzi Kerr of the Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, and science journalist Veronika Meduna. Both also emphasised hope that climate change could be controlled just a few hours before 150 countries around the world signed the Paris Agreement, an event timed to coincide with Earth Day.

In this morning’s first session, 2010 New Zealander of the Year Sir Ray Avery discussed how ‘Creativity and innovation drive prosperity’ with Kate Smaje and Daniel Pacthod, both Directors at McKinsey and Company, the festival’s knowledge partner.

Sir Ray said “New Zealanders change the world every day” and referred to several pioneering inventions in which Kiwi ingenuity played a major part. He also suggested that the country needed to market itself more effectively: “Innovation happens at the edge of society and New Zealand is at the edge of the world. We need to associate the New Zealand brand with technical innovation.”

Kate Smaje suggested three drivers for innovation in business: giving oxygen to new ideas, turning a defensive approach around by reforming constraints on business, and taking a long-term leadership view in setting sometimes outrageous aspirations.

Daniel Pacthod considered the next wave of start-ups, the fast pace of change and the importance of data.

“You start with a customer idea centred on data and then you scale it. If it doesn’t work you stop and move onto something else. We work at a time when change and disruption have never been greater. If you don’t disrupt yourself, someone is going to disrupt you!” he said.

‘The New Zealand Project’ saw young political academic and thinker, Max Harris challenge Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Bill English and the editor of Kiwiblog, David Farrar on progressive politics and social democracy in this country.

Max outlined what he called the “cornerstone values of New Zealand” – care, community and creativity – before outlining his views on foreign policy, the criminal justice system and young people’s disengagement from politics.

Bill English welcomed a debate that is “taking a new approach to old problems” and argued that politicians did not always have to take a pragmatic approach but admitted that government often stood in the way of the values outlined by Max: “government and creativity is an oxymoron”.

“When we talk about values we need to have values that challenge the status quo. Ideas can outlive a political term,” he said citing the nuclear free movement as one example.

David Farrar, who had previously identified Max as a possible Attorney General in a blog about a future Labour government, said one reason why debate has narrowed is that we have learned from history and he pointed to the need to act on hard data.

“If you want to open the debate you need to look forward. Strengthening civil society is important and data is a precondition for this. Values are important but they’re not enough – you need to have policy behind it.”

This afternoon’s sessions saw Professor Mike Berridge of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research dissect the link between brain function and gut bacteria in ‘Moods, microbes and the gut’ followed by two New Zealand writers from different generations, Patricia Grace and Tina Makereti, explore our very different roots in ‘Who are we?’.

The festival continues this evening with Dust to Dusky, a tribute to the iconic Dusty Springfield. Tickets are still available for all four sessions tomorrow (Sunday) covering New Zealand’s relationship with Australia, issues around suicide, ‘Childhood is a different country’ with writers Albert Wendt and Victor Rodger, and the festival’s final session exploring the power of poetry.

Aspiring Conversations is supported by gold sponsor Milford Asset Management and knowledge partner McKinsey & Company alongside cornerstone funders Creative New Zealand, Central Lakes Trust, Otago Community Trust, Longview Environmental Trust and Queenstown Lakes District Council.

Tickets are still available for all Sunday’s sessions. Anyone wanting further information or to book tickets should visit www.aspiringconversations.co.nz or follow the festival on social media.

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