TEDxWellingtonWomen to spread new ideas and inspire

The upcoming TEDxWellingtonWomen event brings together a diverse community of innovators and change-makers, to spread new ideas and spark meaningful discussions.

This non-profit project is the only event of its kind in New Zealand. Curated locally by an all female team, TEDxWellingtonWomen takes place on 30 May at the City Gallery.

The theme is ‘Rhythm: Finding your groove. Building momentum. Inspiring change’. It includes live speakers and performers as well as a simulcast of the official TEDWomen event in California.

TEDxWellingtonWomen director Natalia Albert says that she wants attendees to come away from the event with a deep sense of community and hope.

“Even though we live in New Zealand where women are more respected and protected than in other parts of the world, we still have a long way to go towards gender equality,” Miss Albert says. The number of women in leadership roles in New Zealand has been declining and the gender pay gap has been worsening*.

“We want to make sure that Wellington roars when it comes to putting women at the forefront of initiatives to get more women on boards, in tech, in leadership roles, shaping our world, being part of the team that makes and calls the shots.”

TEDxWellingtonWomen will explore the innovations and ideas of individuals who are dancing to the beat of their own drum, and inspiring change as a result. Attendees will see first hand the momentum they have created and the impact they are having on our communities.

Speakers will be unveiled soon. Topics that will be discussed include reconnecting science and the arts, giving honour and visibility to feminine courage, cutting the cord of rationality to have more fun, finding happiness in failure and more.

“Hearing what our amazing speakers are up to and simulcasting TEDWomen makes TEDxWellingtonWomen a powerful thing to be a part of. I hope it will inspire people,” Miss Albert says.

Tickets go on sale 1 May.

For more information, contact TEDxWellingtonWomen director Natalia Albert on 021 187 9679 or natalia@tedxwellingtonwomen.com or visit www.tedxwellingtonwomen.com

*Only 14.8% of directors of companies on the NZX 100 are female (source). New Zealand has dropped to 28th place in a league table of 35 countries measuring the proportion of women in leadership roles. This compares with a ranking of 15th in 2014 and 3rd in 2004 (source). The gender pay gap is worsening according to the World Economic Forum, where New Zealand’s ranking fell from seventh place in 2013 to 13th in 2014 (source).

About TED and TEDx events

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. Starting as a conference in California in 1984, TED has grown to support world-changing ideas with many initiatives.

At a TED conference, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The TEDx programme is designed to help communities, organisations and individuals to spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences. At TEDx events, a combination of live presenters and TED Talks videos sparks deep conversation and connections at the local level. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, under a free license granted by TED.

ENDS