Theme: Positive Deviance

TEDxWaiheke is an independent TEDx event, operated under license from TED. The event is organised by a team of local residents who believe in the power of our community and the need to spread Waiheke-based and generated ideas.

TEDxWaiheke is a non-profit event and its purpose is to reinforce the sense of community that already exists on Waiheke Island. Our aim is to create a space of sharing - where new and inspiring ideas connect people who belong to different areas of interest and expertise.

Oneroa
Waiheke Island, Auckland, 1081
New Zealand

Bianca Ranson

Bianca is the founder and director of Potiki Adventures, an award-winning adventure tourism company that combines Maori culture and the New Zealand outdoors, and is also globally recognised for its work with Maori youth. As a Maori woman Bianca did not want to compromise her beliefs and values when going to work, so starting Potiki Adventures was a way to incorporate these into her workplace. Potiki Adventures now offers employment to people in an environment that celebrates being Maori and living and working by Maori values, customs and traditions.

David Saul

David obtained a PhD in molecular genetics, specialised in life in extreme environments. He has visited the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica to look at how life survives in the coldest, windiest, driest and most Mars-like place on Earth, and has published papers on microbes in cold, hot and radioactive environments. This work was a natural fit with the emerging field of astrobiology. He is currently the chief scientist of a New Zealand biotechnology company, and is an affiliate member of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology.

Francisco Blaha

Francisco is contracted by international agencies interested in answering the following questions: How do we ensure commercial fishing is done sustainably, allowing countries to gain long term benefits from trade and at the same time allow for the recovery of the affected fish stocks, without damaging others. And how do you ensure that technical issues do not get in the way of the least developed countries achieving all this?

Graeme Revell

One of New Zealand’s most successful musical exports, Graeme can claim more Hollywood film credits than many well known actors. His compositions provide the atmospheric context to a whole generation of movies – ranging from cult comic strips to adventure fantasies and horror films. His ongoing acoustic experimentation first hit the silver screen in Dead Calm – the award-winning Australian film that launched Nicole Kidman’s career. Then came a move to the US where he became one of Hollywood’s most sought after composers writing more than 100 major film soundtracks, TV series and video games, including Strange Days, Blow, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Saint, From Dusk till Dawn, Daredevil or more recently Gotham. Graeme continues to reinvent himself, wearing his new hat as CEO of a start-up eCommerce venture.

Janine Edge

Janine is a mediator and founder of the UK charity TalkingWorks, which brings mediation skills into schools. Originally a partner in a UK law firm, she left her legal career to take a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology, carry out research in neuroscience and become Visiting Fellow in Organisational Psychology at Nottingham TrentUniversity.

Kepa Morgan

Dr Ing Kepa Morgan Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāi Tahu. Awarded PhD 2008 for creation of the Mauri Model Decision Making Framework, Kepa regularly shares his research at conferences. Kepa received high commendation for Australasian Council Engineering Deans 2012 Supreme Award for excellence in education.

Leila Lees

Leila has supported hundreds of people to access their own inner guidance, enabling people to integrate their intuition and experiences of the non-ordinary world into their lives.

Louise Marra

Louise’s leadership experience has spanned all sectors having held senior leadership roles within Government, the private sector, philanthropy and the NGO sector. Her passion is to build conscious leadership and relationships robust enough to enable radical innovation for an evolutionary approach to social and environmental change.

Sarikha Rosli

Rika wants to live in a world where young people feel safe and valued, and is doing her bit as a youth advocate. Her blog, www.theknockedupstripper.com is an in- depth autobiography recounting her childhood and recent experiences. It is also a touching and often humorous insight into the mind of Rika herself and the lessons Life continues to teach her.

Selina Tusitala Marsh

Of Samoan, Tuvaluan, English and French descent, Selina's critical and creative work focuses on giving voice to Pacific communities. She is the designer and facilitator of Best Leadership Academy’s Pasifika Mat programme which examines leadership through creativity. Tusitala was her grandfather's name - it means 'story teller'.