Come and join us for ‘Spirited Conversation’ once a month. On the second Wednesday of each month from February to November, a diverse group gather in the Wānanga Room to hear from a speaker about a topical issue. Over the last couple of years, the wide range of subjects for discussion has included:

• Social Cohesion in Aotearoa
• Transport Policy and Sustainability
• Gangs, Crime and Incarceration
• Economics as if People and the Planet Mattered
• Understanding Cults
• The proposed Regulatory Standards Bill

Our speakers may join us in person or online. They are knowledgeable and often influential in their field; recent speakers have included:

• Shamubeel Eaqub (economist and social commentator)
• Dr Ganesh Nana (former chair, Productivity Commission)
• Dr Tracey McIntosh (Ngāi Tuhoe, University of Auckland & Chief Science Advisor, Ministry of Social Development)
• Paul Spoonley (Emeritus Professor, Massey University) 
• Dr Simon Kingham (Professor, University of Canterbury, and former Chief Science Advisor, Ministry of Transport )
• Melanie Nelson (bi-lingual & cross-cultural consultant).

For more information about upcoming meetings please email welcome@aldersgate.org.nz.