Wednesday 19 August, 7.00- 8.15pm

Panel:

• Rachael Rakena (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu) -  digital filmmaker, curator of Mana Moana, and senior lecturer, Toi Rauwhārangi, College of Creative Arts, Massey University
• Professor James Renwick  - commissioner on the Climate Change Commission, and professor and head of the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University
• Tama Waipara (Ngāti Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou) - chief executive/artistic director, Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival
• Kerry Warkia (Papua New Guinea) - producer and founding partner,  Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions

Good storytelling can change minds. Statistics can feel impersonal and hard to grapple with whereas a dance, film or poem can tell the climate story in ways people feel so they’re moved to act. Join us to hear how arts and culture can provide an entry point for people to understand our natural world, to become more open to information, and feel inspired to act on the climate crisis.

Wednesday 26 August, 7.00pm – 8.15pm

Panel:

• Joseph Michael 
• Dr Tim Naish
• Grace Iwashita-Taylor

Is art just entertainment or does it tell us about humanity? Join us to hear how arts and culture help us to understand the past, comment on the present and innovate a better future by thinking outside the square, connecting us with the natural world, disrupting the status quo and giving people agency to act.

Wednesday 2 September, 7.00 – 8.15pm

Panel:

• Dr Daniel Hikuroa
• Bernard Makoare 
• Louise Potiki-Bryant

Kei runga, ko Papatūānuku kei raro, ko mātou e noho ana kei waenganui ... With the sky above and the earth below, how do we live in the space between?  Māori have developed cultural and artistic traditions that are unique to Aotearoa that provide opportunities for understanding and protecting our natural world and living together. Join us as we learn how artistic expression and stories are inextricably linked to the world in which we live and how these connections can help us to shape a better future.

Wednesday 9 September, 7.00 – 8.15pm

Panel:

• Lynda Chanwai-Earle
• Warren Maxwell 
• Dr Huhana Smith

Why is climate change seen as a cultural issue, in that we need to deeply change our values and behaviour, rather than changing the climate? Join us to share ideas about how our identity, norms and values are expressed through arts and culture, and how they’re a vital part of shaping transformative change in our climate response. 

Wednesday 16 September, 7.00 – 8.15pm

Panel:

• Professor Shaun Hendy
• Noma Sio-Faiumu 
• Jo Randerson  
• Lisa Reihana

On 26 March, New Zealand went into lockdown due to Covid-19. Artists and scientists played a vital role supporting our wellbeing and New Zealanders showed they could pull together in this unprecedented crisis. Join us to discuss lessons learnt from our Covid-19 response, how the creative sector is working hard to re-connect with audiences and what this means to shaping a better future.

Wednesday 23 September, 7:00 – 8.15pm

Panel:

• Professor Bronwyn Hayward
• Tilly King
• Kahu Kutia

How we respond to the Covid crisis will determine the scale of the climate crisis.  Will we use the opportunity to invest in a fair, resilient future or shift the burden to future generations?  Join us as we learn more about ways youth are rising up to protect their futures, amplifying their message through artistic expression, and why their voice is vital to shaping a better future.