WĀNAKA WRAPS A WEEKEND OF ASPIRING CONVERSATIONS

Photo Credit : Deanna Gerlach

Wānaka has just celebrated a powerful weekend of ideas, connection and cultural exchange, as the Aspiring Conversations festival of ideas and kōrero comes to a close, leaving audiences inspired, challenged and energised. 

Running across three days, the festival brought together an eclectic mix of speakers, artists and thinkers, with strong audience turnout and lively engagement throughout. With conversations spanning healthcare, climate change, and electoral politics, the programme explored some of the most pressing issues shaping Aotearoa and the world today.

A defining feature of the festival was the diversity of voices on stage, from Gen Z changemakers to musicians, policymakers, writers, comedians and athletes, each bringing their own perspective to a rich and varied line-up. This year’s festival included the likes of Adam McGrath, Chlöe Swarbrick, Toby Manhire, Rob Campbell, Shaneel Lal, and so many more.

Opening the weekend was a theatrical reading of The Burning House, offering a compelling introduction to the programme and a glimpse of a full production to come. Watch this space. 

Across the weekend, sessions drew full rooms and sparked thoughtful discussion, with conversation continuing well beyond the stage. The Armstrong Room was alive with energy, while the Federal Diner pop-up café and Paper Plus bookstall became central meeting points, with conversation ringing through the space between sessions.

The festival extend their thanks to audiences, speakers and supporters for sharing such a memorable weekend. Acting Executive Director of the Southern Lakes Arts Festival Trust, Laura Williamson, says the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “What a weekend! We were thrilled with the response to this year’s Aspiring Conversations. Audience-members told us they were moved, inspired and learned so much, while our speakers raved about the warm response they received from our community.”

Aspiring Conversations continues to grow as a space for open dialogue, bringing people together to explore big ideas in an accessible and engaging way.

The team now looks ahead to the future, and can’t wait to welcome audiences back next year for the twelfth Wānaka Festival of Colour Te Kaupeka Rau, 3 – 11 April 2027.

www.aspiringconversations.co.nz