TEDxWellington 2019: take a chance and watch the talks, now

From body positivity and mindfulness for children, to building sustainable houses and rethinking the justice system.

12 speakers, 10 talks, 1 stage. This year’s TEDxWellington brought together 200+ attendees for a day of ideas worth spreading and chance interactions. The 10 talks from the sold-out TEDxWellington 2019 event, held on 11 August at Te Auaha, are now available online at tedxwellington.com.

Dr Monica Saini (Breast radiologist & CMO Volpara Solutions) | A Personal biomarker of cancer.
Anne-marie Brook, co-founder (Human Rights Measurement Initiative) | Let’s measure what we treasure: human rights.
Kim Murray & Rebecca Morahan, co-founders (WELLfed) | Nourishing communities through food and connections.
Olie Body, Founder (Wā Collective) | The interconnectedness of periods, people and the planet.
Jase Te Patu, Creator (M3 Mindfulness For Children) | Mindfulness for children.
(Big TED are still reviewing this video, we’re hoping to make it live in the next week or so).
Ged Finch, PhD Candidate (Victoria University of Wellington) | Building for the future.
Hīria Te Rangi, Kaiwhakahaere (Whare Hauora) | The power of a grandmother.
Mandi Lynn (Every Body is a Treasure) | Every Body is a Treasure
Tania Sawicki Mead, Director (JustSpeak) | A world without prisons.
Dr Serena Cox & Rob Wilson (Ghost Fishing NZ) | Conservation, education and exploration.

“TEDxWellington has become a staple of Wellington's calendar. It’s events like this one that make Wellington such a great place to live in. TEDxWellington is the perfect platform to showcase some of our local entrepreneurs and game-changers that are striving to make Aotearoa even better, while also helping to launch these ideas globally.” - said Wellington Mayor Justin Lester

The talks explored some very important and highly pressing topics both in Aotearoa and globally. Multiple talks focused on the importance of rethinking our behaviours, to build a more sustainable future - from building homes for the future (Ged Finch), to rethinking the way we approach periods (Olie Body), and working towards the conservation of our oceans (Dr Serena Cox & Rob Wilson).

Wellbeing also heavily featured in this year’s talks: Jase Te patu shone light on the alarming rate of male suicide in New Zealand; Mandi Lynn reminded us of the importance of body positivity for women and for our children, Hīria Te Rangi shared how Whare Hauora is aiming to create healthier homes for all kiwis, and Dr. Monica Saini educated us on the importance of breast density tests in cancer detection.

We also explored the importance of communities both at home and overseas: Kim Murray and Rebecca Morahan showed us how something as simple as food can bring our community together; Anne-marie Brook talked about the importance of measuring human rights, and Tania Sawicki Mead challenged our minds with a bold vision of a future without prisons.

This year’s event was built around the theme of chance: the chance of re-imagining the event in a smaller venue (due to St. James’ earthquake strengthening), the chance of trying a lottery ticketing system and the chance that the speakers took, by presenting their ideas on stage in front of another sold-out auditorium. The theme of chance also permeated throughout the whole experience on the day, with interactions that encouraged the public to try something new and connect with the fellow attendees - from a treasure hunt, to paper fortune tellers and a “chance music” silent disco experience.

“TEDxWellington is a much needed reminder of the innate goodness of humans. To feel that warmness of hope and genuine awe seems rare these days in the global gloom which blasts through the news and our other media channels. So devoting some time to remind ourselves that just in our Wellington region alone, there are fantastic stories which will now inspire others in the world, plus truly reflect our cities contribution to making the world a better place!” - said DK, TEDxWellington licensee and producer.

TEDxWellington 2019 is a voluntary-run initiative, supported by some amazing partners: Creative Leadership NZ, Xequals, Fairground, Wellington City Council, Streamliner Production, Obvious, Empire Films, Te Aro Wine, The Lab, Tuatara Brewery, Mojo, Creative HQ, Coliberate, The Amazing Travelling Photobooth, Fix & Fogg, The Wellington Chocolate Factory, Zealandia, Six Barrel Soda & co.

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