31st July 2013
Great minds don’t think alike at TEDxTauranga
“Great minds don’t think alike” was the message at the first ever TEDxTauranga, which took place Tuesday 30th July at
ASB Arena, Baypark. The sold out event included 4 of the Bay’s leading thinkers who gave 15 minute talks about ‘ideas
worth spreading’ as well as 2 of the best pre-recorded talks from the extensive ted.com archive.
Event organiser Sheldon Nesdale said the event was the start of something incredibly exciting and he hopes to hold more
in the future. More than 200 people applied for tickets with only 100 available, reflecting the excitement around the
event from the local community.
"I've been watching TED Talks videos for years (I've seen over 700) and when I heard that you can run a TEDx event in
your own city that you love, I couldn't wait to get started! I had been to other TEDx events in New Zealand and it was
definitely Tauranga's turn. For me, this event is much more than entertainment and learning new things, it's about
hearing extraordinary stories from ordinary, every-day people so that you realise that you can do great things too, and
that it's your turn to stand up and make a dent in the universe."
The speakers and videos at the event included:
#1: Dean Parchomchuk & Charlotte Yates "Tokelau: Bringing Solar Power to a Nation"
Dean Parchomchuk & Charlotte Yates told their amazing story of how they changed the lives of the people on a small tropical island of
Tokelau by replacing their crippling dependency on diesel generated electricity with solar power.
#2: Hans Rosling "The Magic Washing Machine"
Hans bought to life the global division in wealth using his famous infographical style, and how the washing machine can
be transformed into an intellectual day of reading.
#3: Peter Blakeway "Should we eat our pets?"
Peter Blakeway talked about his unique perspective on the choices we make when we put food in our mouths and how we need
to take more ownership over where our food is sourced from.
#4: Nik Gregg "Compassionate business"
Nik Gregg who highlighted the importance of living in a compassionate business for the common good of humanity for the
benefit of future generations
#5: Joseph Kim "The family I lost in North Korea. And the family I gained"
A refugee now living in the US, Joseph spoke about his life in North Korea during the famine and how he found new
opportunities within this tragedy.
#6: Tommy Wilson "Edu-tainment is the silver lining of the long white cloud"
Tommy Wilson told his amazing story of his life and, in particular, his startling, bold, global vision for preventing
crime through story telling.
For those that were not lucky enough to get a ticket, the talks were recorded and will be posted on the TEDx YouTube
channel.
Based on the success, the team behind TEDxTauranga are considering a bigger scale event in the middle of next year (up
to 1000 people). Those that are interested in buying tickets for the next event can subscribe to the website at www.TEDxTauranga.com
TEDxTauranga was proudly sponsored by ASB BayPark, McKensie Elvin, Grow Coaching, and Comvita.
About TEDx, where x = independently organized event
In the spirit of "ideas worth spreading," TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that
bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDx[place name], where x = independently
organized TED event. At TEDx[place name], TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and
connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx
events, including ours, are self-organized.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California 26 years ago,
TED has grown to support those 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. Three
major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Vancouver, Canada, simultaneous with
TEDActive, in Whistler, BC; and the TEDGlobal Conference takes place each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted
every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide into more than 90
languages. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.
The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities
with TED Talks and live speakers. More than 5,000 TEDx events have been held, and selected talks from these events are
also turned into TED Talks videos. The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to
change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the
TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short
video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.
ENDS