Dr. Niki Harré
Niki is a professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. Her recent research
projects have focused on sustainable communities and schools, core human values, positive youth
development, and political activism. In 2007 Niki edited, with Quentin Atkinson, the book ‘Carbon
Neutral by 2020: How New Zealanders Can Tackle Climate Change’. Her two latest books are ‘The Infinite
Game: How to Live Well Together’ and ‘Psychology for a Better World: Working with People to Save the
Planet.’ This year she is investigating whether it is possible to apply some insights and practices from
religion in a secular context. Niki is especially interested in promoting deep dialogue, constructive
decision-making, and collective action for human and ecological flourishing.
Alongside this, Niki is also a passionate teacher and the coordinator of a three-course sustainability
module available to Arts and Science students at the University of Auckland.
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Jackie Chan
Jackie is a social entrepreneur who's passionate about empowering young students across the STEM field.
She is the founder of BrainBox Education, an organisation that aims to provide accessible supplementary
education to students across Aotearoa. Previously, Jackie has held roles as a national Digital Skills
Lead and Technical Training Coach. She has also led the Microsoft Student Accelerator Program (MSA) as a
Program Manager across Oceania that helps students bridge the digital workforce skills gap.
Having dipped her feet in many different industries, Jackie will be sharing her past experiences leading
teams across the health, education, and technology space. By telling her story of self-reflection,
hardship, and resilience, she hopes to save you from the embarrassing mistakes and laughs she made.
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Sam Kamani
Sam is a serial entrepreneur, co-Founder and CEO of http://Ensydr.com , the company on a mission to make
trading and investment accessible to 2.6 billion gamers around the world. Since graduating in Computer
Science, Sam has worked in three continents and continues to work with startups in New Zealand and
Silicon Valley. Besides advising startups, Sam has also published 2 books, "The 30 Day Startup" which
became an instant Amazon Bestseller and "Business in the time of Corona". Where he shares how to pivot
in times of disruption. Sam also hosts a podcast "Web3 with Sam Kamani", a podcast about opportunities
in the world of Blockchain, DeFi, Metaverse, NFTs, Crypto, AI and more.
During his TEDx talk, Sam will be highlighting the new business paradigm in a post-Covid world, and how
you can use Gamification to improve your financial knowledge and create wealth. Outside of work, Sam
lives with his wife Amanda and 3 sons in Auckland and enjoys camping, oil painting, online gaming and
playing tennis.
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Grant Wyatt
In a complex, disrupted and ever-changing world, unlocking your potential, utilizing your strengths and
having the resilience to withstand challenges will set you apart.
With a diverse background across industries, Grant has built his experience across several senior Human
Resources roles, including HR Director appointments for Mars New Zealand, Mars Australia and Head of HR
for Ensign Laboratories – with responsibility for the delivery of the Human Resources strategy. Over 11
years’ experience in the global industry has allowed Grant to develop strong expertise in culture
evolution, change management and talent development. When he isn’t in the office, he is reading books,
pursuing his love of martial arts….and rapping along to gangster music.
Through sharing personal and professional learnings, Grant will provoke reflections that will help you
to expand your potential and accelerate your impact, no matter the disruption and complexity you face.
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Sarah Premkumar
Sarah Premkumar is a 21 year old from Chennai, South India and studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences
and a Bachelor of Commerce (Mgmt & Innovent). Sarah is passionate about the nonprofit world, and has
worked with many NGO's including Samaritan's Purse, Mukti Mission, STEPS homes, National Foundation for
Deaf and Hard of Hearing and various social work that her family carries out in Chennai, India. She is
also a blogger and small business owner on the side. At TEDx this year, she’ll be talking about how
reflecting on her experiences and heritage has not only influenced the current work that she does, but
created a passion to help others as well. Sarah will be shedding light on the life and tragedy of girls
and young women around the world, especially in India, and what that can mean for the audience.
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Cameron Leakey
Cameron is a postgraduate student in Public Health in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. He has
a passion for combating health equity and bettering health outcomes for our rainbow communities. He
works as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Population Health and Politics & International Relations and
holds interest in both subject areas and the intersection of the two. Cameron will be speaking on the
need for bettering health care for our rainbow communities.
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Linden Vazey
After more than a decade in tech consulting for some of New Zealand’s largest firms, Linden hit a point
that you’re likely familiar with. She felt stuck in a story that no longer fit. Some part of her knew
there was more to life than constant striving, people-pleasing, and productivity.
She didn’t understand it at the time, but she was starting a journey of growth and change. She realised
that much of her personality and ways of living were a defence on that journey. While it had kept her
safe in the past, it was keeping her from growing into the wife, mother, and leader she knew she could
be. She decided that she wanted to know herself and provide her children an example of a life led by
courage, love, and hope.
Along the way, one of her biggest challenges was answering the question: “how can I be successful at
work and be true to my purpose?” This led to a new career in leadership coaching. In 2020 she started
‘Living on Purpose’, where she helps professionals challenge their beliefs to create their own
definition of success.
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