Wil co-founded EPIC (Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus) a unique building which houses many start-ups and tech companies in central Christchurch. As one of the first buildings to go up following the earthquakes there is an amazing story behind the building which we discover in this interview. Wil also shares his background growing up in the UK and how he ended up in New Zealand. We also discuss what makes a good salesperson, key elements that make up a great team and what it takes to suc...
Apr 08, 2019•52 min•Ep. 91
John Page is a governance expert at BoardWorks. He is also the writer of a major research report "True to Label" looking at how value is measured in the non-profit sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. He has many years of governance experience in a variety of roles and in the arts which we discuss in the interview. Now in his role he works as a consultant supporting governing boards and directors in their leadership roles. https://boardworksinternational.com/about.php True to Label report: https://sp...
Mar 25, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 90
Peter was the Dean of the Christchurch Cathedral at the time of the earthquakes in 2011. I chose to air this interview now because we talk about love and acceptance in this and it feels like the most appropriate interview given the Christchurch attacks which have just happened. In this wide ranging conversation we discuss his background in the UK, his studies at Oxford University and what led him to become a priest, how he ended up in New Zealand and his memories of the quakes. We also take time...
Mar 17, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 89
Matthew founded Youth Arts New Zealand to empower youth to creatively express themselves. We talk about his life and what led him to start this, the value of collaboration across creative arts, the interaction between an audience and a performer, what music means to him, storytelling through live shows and music and why bringing different types of arts together is so important. I really enjoyed talking with Matthew and helping him set up his charitable trust is one of the reasons I most enjoy be...
Mar 04, 2019•52 min•Ep. 88
In this episode I share everything I've learned about how to create a podcast. This was recorded live when I gave it as a session at the Social Enterprise Unconference in Levin in mid February 2019. One of my dreams for seeds was to teach others so they could start their own podcast so if you are interested in learning more then drop me a line and happy to help answer your questions - steven@theseeds.nz . This is the 86th episode - if you enjoy it then check out some of the others, subscribe and...
Feb 25, 2019•48 min•Ep. 87
This short bonus episode profiles Collett's Corner with founder Camia Young sharing about what this crowdfunded community owned property development is about. This presentation was given at a recent "Coffee & Jam" event hosted by Ministry of Awesome. For Camia's full story check out this earlier episode: http://seeds.libsyn.com/camia-young-on-architecture-as-a-way-to-create-community https://ohu.nz/portfolio-item/colletts-corner/ https://www.facebook.com/collettscorner/ Ministry of Awesome: ...
Feb 21, 2019•17 min•Ep. 86
Joanna is the CEO of ChristchurchNZ which promotes the city as both a tourism destination and a dynamic place for business to grow. In this interview we talk about her early life, working as a reporter, the role of journalism in the world today, her role as Editor of The Press just after the earthquakes and what the future holds for Christchurch. I really enjoyed this 85th episode and my discussion with Joanna and am sure you will appreciate it as well. If you do like this check out one of the o...
Feb 18, 2019•52 min•Ep. 85
Lisa founded Social Currency an accounting firm with a difference that we discuss in the interview (hint: it gives back). We also talk about Lisa's early life, a near death experience at 11, growing up and playing different sports, how she came up with the idea for social currency and how it works. I enjoyed my discussion with Lisa as we talked about many other things as well ranging from prison to encouraging the youth of today. Social Currency website: https://www.socialcurrency.co.nz/ Faceboo...
Feb 04, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 84
Kerri coordinates 'Carabiner' in Christchurch which helps provide mentoring opportunities for young people aged 18-25 with disabilities. In this interview we talk about her childhood, love of the outdoors, working life and her views about what the word "disability" means. I really enjoyed talking with Kerri and she is a real inspiration - a few minutes of listening to this interview and you will see what I mean as her positivity and humour are catching! Carabiner: https://carabiner.org.nz Facebo...
Jan 21, 2019•41 min•Ep. 83
E Wen Wong was 13 when she founded P.S. Our Beaches. Now aged 16 we talk about her love of poetry, founding an organisation to clean up our beaches, solving problems and what the future holds. I really enjoyed my conversation with E Wen and will be interesting to watch what she gets involved with in future since she has started getting involved (and starting) many things so young. Website: https://psbeaches.com/about/ https://www.facebook.com/psbeaches/ TedxYouth talk by E Wen: https://www.youtu...
Jan 14, 2019•43 min•Ep. 82
Steve is the Executive Director at Pathway which is a charity and social enterprise helping prisoners reintegrate back into society after they leave prison. It does that through a charitable trust owning two businesses which employ those ex prisoners. In this longest episode so far we talk about his childhood, different careers including as a radio host, President of the Canterbury Students Association and Owner of the Hollywood cinema in Sumner. We also touch on national identity, teachers who ...
Jan 08, 2019•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 81
Robert speaks about suicide from a place of sincerity and personal experience which is profound. In this episode we talk with him about his childhood, early life, guardian angels who have saved him from suicide, the epidemic that we are seeing now, mental health, vulnerability and how to have more open conversations. This is a wide ranging conversation touching on many topics with an eloquent voice for his generation who co-founded a Facebook page "Killing the Stigma" on this which now has 370,0...
Dec 31, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 80
Some interviews are like little jewels that I’ve somehow uncovered while walking along the beach. Today is one of those as I speak with the poet Kathleen Gallagher. Kathleen has written plays, poems, novels as well as done 7 feature films. In this interview we talk about her childhood, the creative writing process, how she writes, being attentive and in the moment and her recent novel Inangahua Gold. Merry Christmas 2018 to all! http://www.wickcandle.co.nz Her most recent novel 'Inangahua Gold' ...
Dec 25, 2018•51 min•Ep. 79
Sister Mary was born in 1929 and knew she wanted to be a nurse early in her life. In January 1949 she joined Little Company of Mary which is coming up to 70 years of service. In this interview we talk about her early life and memories of the first radio her family purchased, the Great Depression, the start of World War II and at age 16 her first experience of being with someone who died while she was working as a nurse caring for them. We then talk about what she has learned through a life of se...
Dec 17, 2018•56 min•Ep. 78
Julie co-founded charity KidsCan 13 years ago and is the CEO now. In this interview we talk about her childhood, her first jobs, the influence of her parents on her life and what led her to start KidsCan. We also talk about child poverty in New Zealand and what they are seeing on the front line among the almost 800 schools that they are in and how they are supporting children in need. We then discuss Te Ao Māori and its growing influence on what they are doing at KidsCan. This is one of those he...
Dec 10, 2018•50 min•Ep. 77
Thanks everyone for helping reach this significant milestone! The 75th episode was just released and with that we passed 20,000 total listens across all the interviews. Thanks to all who are out there listening to one, or many, of the episodes of the show and telling others about it - this milestone would not have been possible without you! In honour of reaching this have edited the seminar last week that was given in Auckland called "Social Enterprise in Aotearoa: Where to?". This was held on 4...
Dec 09, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 76
Earlier this week (actually, last night!) I presented to around 50 people on Social Enterprise in Auckland and this is just a few short minutes extract of that more than hour long session. I was reflecting on what we are actually talking about when we think about social enterprise and the paradigm shift that is occurring as we move away from the binary conception of charity on the one side (mainly acting from heart) and business on the other (mainly acting from mind) and how the term social ente...
Dec 05, 2018•4 min•Ep. 75
Mike was appointed earlier this year to be 'Wikipedian at Large' and has been travelling the country in that role. In this interview we talk about his childhood, his PHD in giant flightless birds and their egg sizes, his work in museums over the years and his role now promoting Wikipedia and running seminars across the country on that. http://www.giantflightlessbirds.com/about/ @adzebill "New Zealand Wikipedian-at-Large Dr Mike Dickison did his PhD research at Duke University on the evolution of...
Dec 03, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 74
Rowan is a lecturer in the History Department at Canterbury University who has done years of research into ANZAC history. In this interview (released in the month that is the centenary of World War I ending) we talk about his early childhood in Auckland, what led him to study history, and why it is that we celebrate a defeat in WW1 rather than the end of the war or a victory. This is one of those wide ranging interviews that touches on many areas so I am sure you will enjoy it. Rowan's book on t...
Nov 26, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 73
Louise Aitken is the CEO of Ākina Foundation which is growing social enterprise in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this interview (the longest so far!) we talk about her childhood, what it was like growing up with her twin sister Natalie, moving to Brazil age 17 and how that shaped her identity, taking care of her father who passed away from cancer in her 20s, her career working in London, how she made the decision to return to New Zealand and her work in CSR and other areas since returning. We then go...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 72
On this episode we discuss dyslexia as a form of Superpower. Why might that be? After our full interview Geoff Bone contacted me to say he wanted to talk about Dyslexia. While it is hinted at in the full interview he asked if he could come back and share more about his experience. We thought it would be a 2 minute insert into the interview but then it became more - this episode. I readily agreed to chat because I think everyone knows someone who has been affected by Dyslexia so here is a short e...
Nov 15, 2018•23 min•Ep. 71
Geoff is the event director for the New Zealand Agricultural Show (formerly the Canterbury A&P Show). In this interview we talk about Geoff's childhood and years overseas in Australia and London, what it is that makes a great event, cultural differences between New Zealand and overseas, how to succeed while dealing with rejection, the history and what goes on at the New Zealand Agricultural Show which gets 100,000 visitors over a few days in November as well as the nature of it and being a s...
Nov 12, 2018•56 min•Ep. 69
Holly is one of the four co-founders of Collaborate which connects people with volunteering opportunities. In this interview we discuss her early childhood in the UK, the implications of moving to New Zealand at a young age, her interest and love of theatre and what that has meant for other initiatives, how she started on the journey of co-founding Collaborate, how it works, the ups and downs of being a social enterprise and what the future holds. To access more and download the app visit https:...
Nov 05, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 68
Anthony is a co-founder (with his Father) of Mars Bioimaging Limited which produces 3D colour x-rays (spectral molecular imaging). This involves the intersection of high energy physics with clinical medicine. In this interview we talk his childhood and background and what led him to work in this area. We also talk about the technology itself and how it works and then dive down a rabbit hole to discuss what the future of health care and scanning might look like in 30, 50, or 100 years as technolo...
Oct 29, 2018•38 min•Ep. 67
"What does Social Enterprise mean to us as Tangata Whenua?" This question was explored during this participative session 2 at the Aotearoa Social Enterprise Forum held on 19 October 2018. We heard from Kaye Maree Dunn (Chair) along with Cain Kerehoma, and Chanelle Armstrong. Their bios are below. The point when each speaker spoke during the session: 3:02 - Kay Maree Dunn introduction and overview of key points 18:25 - Chanelle Armstrong on Stay Native https://www.staynative.co.nz and https://www...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 67
Samantha Jones gave the last word at the Aotearoa Social Enterprise Forum held on 19 October 2018 in Wellington. The full transcript is typed below. She brought some truths to the table that deserve to be heard such as " Leave ego behind. If you really want to influence people let your actions speak for themselves." This is a challenge for change and action over complacency and not focussing on the image without the substance to back it up. She also talks about how hard the journey actually is w...
Oct 19, 2018•10 min•Ep. 66
Dr Pleayo Tovaranonte explains the social enterprise Beyond the Stethoscope that he co-founded sending Doctors to other parts of the world. We also discuss his many other entrepreneurial adventures, such as his work with REV3 Tech on new technology to sell apartments with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for construction projects. We also talk about his childhood in Thailand and what it was like moving to New Zealand at a young age and the cultural differences he noticed. Oh, and the tiny h...
Oct 15, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 65
Two former podcast guests have become great friends in the last year and as I respect each of them so highly I invited them to come back and chat about whatever they wanted - I knew the quality would be superb and so on this episode they offer their unique perspectives on the West, the future, holding hands, cultures, colonisation, people, dog walking, spirituality, purpose, driving culture, social enterprise ... it's wide ranging which has always been the purpose of this podcast - to tell good ...
Oct 08, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 64
This is a short talk given to about 50 people who were all involved as board members and so was sharing a list of top 10 tips for good governance. Thought some of you would be interested in these as well. My voice barely made it through! Here is the actual more detailed content and list that is discussed (with thanks to Grant Adams for his input also): 1. Govern don’t manage: Avoid getting into too much of the detail of how the trust operates. You shouldn’t be talking about minor issues at the B...
Oct 04, 2018•19 min•Ep. 63
Cheryl is a leadership futurist and expert in education and in this interview we combine the two into a far reaching discussion about what is to come in relation to the future of learning. We also talked about her background as a school principal, the impact of a child dying of abuse on an entire school community, the recent Future of Learning conference she co-organised with Hamish Duff (from Recalibrate) as well as her work at Think Beyond. c.doig@thinkbeyond.co.nz https://www.thinkbeyond.co.n...
Oct 01, 2018•53 min•Ep. 62
