Curious Conversations is an online Zoom event that anyone, anywhere can join.
Each Curious Conversation lasts around 45 minutes, including some time for questions. Join us each month to hear from some fascinating speakers on a wide range of topics.
Our 2024 season is underway! We’ve had amazing guests like Brad Cohen – General Director of NZ Opera and Laura Collett – Olympic gold medalist. You can watch all previous conversations below – just click on the video images.
If you want to join, click on the blue button below to register – then we’ll send you the link a few days before each event.
2024 CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS SERIES
Curious Conversation 23
Dame Kerry Prendergast – Walking Te Araroa Trail
Dame Kerry Prendergast has a long history of service in the community including being elected Mayor of Wellington from 2001 to 2010, chairing many organisations and community groups and holding the position of Vice-President of Local Government New Zealand. Kerry has an MBA from Victoria University and became a Dame Companion for services to governance and the community in 2019.
In 2020, Kerry decided to join her friends Tim and Sue Pankhurst in walking all 3,012 km of Te Araroa Trail – the full length of New Zealand. In this Curious Conversation, Kerry shares the struggles, scarry moments and highlights of this, her most physically demanding, achievement.
Their story is told in Tim Pankhurst’s book Every Effing Inch. You can get hold of the book at the Underground Bookstore.
Curious Conversation 22
Brad Cohen – General Director NZ Opera
Brad Cohen is a musician, working internationally as a conductor, technological innovator, and publisher. He was most recently seen on our shores conducting Verdi’s Macbeth for New Zealand Opera. Since 1998, Brad has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the NZ Opera and took up the General Director role in April 2023.
In this Curious Conversation, Brad shares about the challenges of producing opera on a shoestring budget in New Zealand and how to connect today’s audiences with the art of storytelling through theatre and song.
Click on the video to the right to watch the conversation.
Curious Conversation 21
Avoiding Scams – Matt Hull
Matt Hull has worked as an ASB Community Banker for more than two years. He spends his time educating anyone and everyone on the wide range of scams that are affecting our society, and shares tips on how to spot and avoid them.
Matt has been with ASB for 11 years. He is from Upper Hutt but his work takes him across the lower North Island.
Join us as Matt shares more about the types of scams out there and steps you can take to help you spot when someone is trying to scam you.
Click on the video to the right to watch the conversation.
Conversation 20
Olympic Equestrian Laura Collett
Laura Collett’s life has been filled with ponies and horses. She’s been riding since the age of two, and started winning international pony competitions in 2005. In 2021, Laura represented Great Britain on the three-person Eventing team. The team won the Gold medal. She has now won three five star Equestrian events including Badminton in 2022.
Laura has strong connections to New Zealand, with her mum living here for a long period. Watch the Curious Conversation with Laura as she shares more about her life and what it’s like competing at the Olympics. Click on the video image to the right.
Curious Conversation 19
Age Concern goes to the Zoo!
For our first Curious Conversation of 2024, we went to the Zoo to meet Nic Dunn – Animal Care Manager at Wellington Zoo. Nic looks after 37 of the ‘most difficult animals in the Zoo – the Zookeepers!’
Nic grew up around animals in his homeland of the UK, and has been working with them since he was nine years old. Nic showed us around the Zoo and talked to us about his favourite animals, along with the onsite Veterinary hospital – Te Kōhanga (The Nest).
Click on the video image to the right to watch the conversation.
Register to receive the link
Watch the 2023 Curious Conversations season...
Curious Conversation 13
MARK BROWN – CEO, West Houston Assistance Ministries and Deputy Investigator (Texas)
Mark lives in Texas, where he is the CEO of West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM). WHAM offers assistance in meeting the essentials of daily living, including financial assistance and food. Mark is also a Deputy Investigator (Detective) with Harris County Sheriff’s Office where he works on cold cases and complex missing person cases. Watch the conversation by clicking on the video to the right.
Curious Conversation 14
MURRAY EDRIDGE – Wellington City Missioner
Murray Edridge has been the Wellington City Missioner since May 2018. He is the 12th City Missioner in the 119-year history of the organisation. Murray has had governance and leadership roles in a range of community, church and sporting organisations for many years; and maintains a keen interest in fitness, all sporting endeavours and many DIY activities. Watch the conversation by clicking on the video to the right.
Curious Conversation 15
DR GEORGIA CARSON – Cancer researcher and the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Dr Georgia Carson (Ngāti Whakaue) received her PhD from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. The main aim of her PhD was developing and validating molecular methods to identify mitochondrial transfer amongst leukaemic and non-leukaemic cells in a murine bone marrow model. Dr Carson is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Berridge Lab. Watch the conversation by clicking on the video to the right.
Curious Conversation 16
DIANE TURNER – Director – Office for Seniors
Diane has been the Director Office of Seniors (Te Tari Kaumātua) since October 2016. The role of the Office for Seniors is to support the Minister for Seniors to advocate for the issues and interests of older people. Diane’s career has included thirty years working in local government, and five years based in Christchurch in senior roles at the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu. Watch the conversation by clicking on the video to the right…
Curious Conversation 17
SAM ORCHARD – Assistant Curator – Cartoon and Comics Archive
Sam Orchard is the Assistant Curator for the Cartoon and Comics Archive at the Alexander Turnbull Library. He is a comic artist and illustrator, with multiple publications, infographics and other works to his credit. Join us as Sam shares some of the more curious cartoons and comics in the collection – cartoonists and comic artists who have been expanding the medium and those with interesting stories. Watch the conversation by clicking on the video.
Curious Conversation 18
MELISSA KENWORTHY – Senior Nutrition Advisor – Heart Foundation
Melissa is a Registered Dietitian working for the Heart Foundation. She understands the importance of eating a well-balanced diet with lots of fruit and veges, wholegrains and good quality protein. Melissa showed us how to cook a couple of nutritious and very delicious recipes – all live in her sister’s kitchen! Watch the conversation by clicking on the video.
Recipes
Melissa talked about some Niki Bezzant recipes from 5+ A Day. You can download these using the links below. Thanks to 5+ A Day for allowing us to share these.
Watch the 2022 Curious Conversations season…
Curious Conversation One
Anna Fifield – Editor, The Dominion Post
Anna is the Editor of The Dominion Post based in Wellington. Previously, she was the Beijing bureau chief for The Washington Post and she focused her attention on news and issues of Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. She has been to North Korea a dozen times.
You can watch the conversation by clicking on the video.
Curious Conversation Two
Phil Lester – Entomologist, Victoria University
Bees are so much smarter than you think! Phil is an Entomologist working with ants, bees and wasps. He and his group work primarily on the population dynamics and pathogens of these insects.
Phil tells us why bees and wasps are so important. Plus find out about the Murder Hornet and even watch bees playing soccer! Watch the conversation with Phil by clicking on the video.
Curious Conversation Three
Caleb Gordon – Public Programmes Manager, Toi / Art for Experience Wellington
Looking at recent exhibitions at City Gallery Wellington, Public Programme Manager Caleb Gordon explores how contemporary art exhibitions can help us tell better stories about ourselves, history, and the art we see.
You can watch the conversation by clicking on the video.
Curious Conversation Four
Justin Hodgkiss – Co-director of the MacDiarmid Institute and Professor in Physical Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington
Justin’s research group has pioneered ways of manipulating laser pulses to understand, for example, how solar photovoltaic cells convert light into electricity, or how the skin pigment melanin protects us from UV light – processes which occur on picosecond timescales or faster. Learn more about how we can materialise for a sustainable future by watching the video.
Curious Conversation Five
Caitlin Cherry – Head of Content, Consumer New Zealand
Caitlin Cherry is the Head of Content at Consumer New Zealand. Learn more about Consumer’s role of helping grow confident and knowledgeable consumers in New Zealand. Find out about their latest supermarket campaign, how they’re investigating sunscreens and how you can get support for consumer related issues.
Curious Conversation Six
Prof Peter Lineham – MNZM
Emeritus Professor of History, Massey University
What is the future of religion? Peter Lineham explains global religious trends and compares them to the religious landscape in New Zealand. Find out why more and more people are declaring themselves to be non-religious and the impact this may be having on societies like ours.
Curious Conversation Seven
Sir Anand Satyanand – Governor General of New Zealand, 2006-2011
Sir Anand Satyanand shares about his life as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman, and as Governor General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011. As Governor General, Sir Anand met the Queen five times, hosted Price William and Princess Kate at Government House and performed more than 400 official engagements every year. Join us for the seventh Curious Conversations event.
Curious Conversation Eight
Keith Westwater – Writer and Poet
Keith Westwater is a writer and poet. In this Curious Conversation, Keith shares his story as a boy soldier in the New Zealand Army: 1964 – 1966. Keith was a Regular Force Cadet and has written a book of poems on his time as a teenager in Waiouru. Watch as he tells his story in a unique way through writings and poems from his book.
Curious Conversation Nine
Brian Lynch OMNZ – New Zealand Diplomat
Brian Lynch has more than forty years of governance and policy experience. His diplomatic career included postings in New York, Singapore and London. Brian has also held leadership roles in a variety of organisations such as the APEC Business Council and the Meat Board. He became Director of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs in 2003. Join us to hear more about Brian’s life as a New Zealand diplomat.
Curious Conversation Ten
Gabrielle Bullock – Educator
Gabrielle is an Educator at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. In 2018 she visited Antarctica on an expedition that left from Ushuaia, Argentina. She spent several days on the ice, coming close to incredible Adele and Emperor penguins. Watch this Curious Conversation to learn more about Antarctica and the important role the Treaty plays in maintaining the environment and ensuring Antarctica is a place of peace. Plus hear all about Gabrielle’s polar plunge into freezing water!
Curious Conversation Eleven
Tilly Boleyn – Head of Curatorial at Science Gallery Melbourne.
Basically, Tilly’s a massive nerd, curious about the world and everything in it. Her background is in museums, galleries, education, festivals, broadcasting and research. She is a collaborative creature who has curated exhibitions on health, medicine, experimentation, the voice, engineering, sustainability and different perspectives around mental health. Join us for a conversation with Tilly as she looks at how the Science Gallery is attempting to draw in young people through a collision of art and culture with science, and how Melbourne’s young people are responding.
Curious Conversation Twelve
Jane Wrightson – Mana Ahungarua / Retirement Commissioner
Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson shares about the importance of preparing financially for retirement, and the role the Retirement Commission plays in encouraging people to think about what kind of life they want when they retire. She also explains their role in monitoring the effects of the retirement villages legal framework and advising the Government on policies that enhance the retirement outcomes for New Zealanders. Join us for another insightful and curious conversation…