James Duncan James grew up in Auckland during the 1960s and 1970s when Auckland was served by a large and extensive electric trolley bus system. At age 15, he joined the Tramway Division at MOTAT and has now been an active volunteer member of the tramway for 48 years. Most of his working life was…

Barrie Brown retired as a Partner in PwC in 2001. In 2003 he was appointed Chair of the Hutton Wilson Charitable Trust, a Philanthropic Trust set up by Neal and Annette Plowman and at the same time Chair of the Rotoroa Island Trust. In 2014 he was appointed Chair of the NEXT Foundation with a…

The Reef Whisper: understanding the Hauraki Gulf through sound Craig Radford – Professor Marine Science, Institute of Marine Science University of Auckland Jacques Cousteau titled his famous underwater documentary the “Silent World,” he got this very wrong.  If you take the time to listen underwater it is very noisy environment with a myriad of animals…

The importance of estate planning is the subject of Wendy Hampton’s presentation. She has had more than 30 years experience as a lawyer and had her own legal firm on the North Shore. Having sold her practice she is now presenting talks on ways to make the administration of an estate more efficient and cost…

Tessa Duder CNZM OBE will be answering the question ‘Who is Sarah Mathew and why is she important in Auckland’s history?’ Tessa is a acclaimed New Zealand author of novels for young people, short stories, plays and non-fiction. Perhaps she is less well for her success at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games where she won…

Ester Haver, a qualified Restorative Justice Facilitator, will be talking about her experiences in the field of Restorative Justice. Restorative justice is a voluntary process that focusses on repairing the harm caused by crime or conflict, rather than solely on punishment. It aims to help victims and offenders understand the impact of the wrongdoing and…

Emeritus Professor Laurence Melton, University of Auckland. Ways to feed the world with its growing population and the challenge of climate change

Peter Lester was the New Zealand Yachtsman of the year in 1977 and again in 1987. He competed in the Americas Cup three times; as tactician on board the New Zealand boat KZ1 in 1988, as the coach of the Spanish team in 1992, and as tactician for Chris Dicksons Tag Heuer Challenge in 1995….

Nigel Pounds, Advisor Philanthropy for the NZ Red Cross. Nigel has built a diverse professional career since moving to New Zealand in 1999. His experience spans global multinationals, privately funded tech start-ups, and not-for-profit membership organisations. After years of volunteer work across various capacities, Nigel recognised his passion for the “for-purpose” charitable sector and proudly…

Jacky McLaren, Borneo Bags Foundation Originally from the UK, Jacky was invited to New Zealand to research mechanically harvested tomatoes for Watties in the ‘70s for a Masters Degree. She broke a few barriers as a female with Dalgety Stock and Station, then, as a solo mother, she began a teaching career in Hawkes Bay….