Baskets Of Knowledge

In our latest  Baskets of Knowledge  episode, we dive into an inspiring kōrero with Jai, a multi-talented artist navigating the worlds of music, mixed heritage, and personal growth. Jai shared his creative journey, from the initial struggle between choosing a "safe" career path in architecture to pursuing his true passion in music and art. Here’s what we learned: Embrace Your Unique Path – Jai ope...

In our recent podcast episode, we had the privilege of speaking with Avin, a remarkable young leader whose journey from Iran to New Zealand highlights the importance of empathy, identity, and community-centered support. Here are some powerful insights she shared: Migration and Identity: Moving countries isn't just physical; it's about rebuilding identity. Avin's family left Iran, bringing two youn...

Change is inevitable, but how we embrace it makes all the difference. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Adam McConnochie, co-founder of sustainable toothpaste company, Solid, on our podcast, Baskets of Knowledge. His journey is a testament to the power of transformation, both personally and professionally. One pivotal moment in Adam’s life was a trip to India during his final year of h...

In the latest episode of  Baskets of Knowledge , we had the pleasure of speaking with Lewis Wall, founder of  The Student Hand , an early careers recruitment platform helping students in New Zealand connect with businesses for internships and graduate opportunities. Lewis, a recent graduate from the University of Otago, shared his journey from creating a labour hire service to pivoting into recrui...

In our latest podcast episode, we had an incredible conversation with Crissy Sanders, a 21-year-old public health graduate who has experienced more in the last few years than most do in a lifetime. Crissy shared her adventures working in Kiribati, a remote Pacific Island, and traveling solo through East Africa. She opened up about her philosophy of life—“Jump, don’t step”—embracing opportunities a...

This week we are really privileged to have Lori Thomson, a nursing student, who shares their candid and inspiring journey through personal challenges and academic pursuits. From battling eating disorders and societal expectations to excelling in clinical placements, this story is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of human connection. Lori candidly discusses experiences with a...

In this week's episode of Baskets of Knowledge, we spoke to Sanskruti Banerjee, a law and commerce student at the University of Auckland with a passion for problem-solving, advocacy, and creativity. Sanskruti shared her journey of balancing multiple roles—from community work in mental health and sexual violence advocacy to her love for poetry and dance. Sanskriti discussed her involvement with...

Recently, we had the honor of speaking with Zoe Dzapasi, an 18-year-old student at Victoria University of Wellington, who shared her incredible journey of growth, self-discovery, and advocacy. Despite moving to New Zealand from Zimbabwe at 18 months old, Zoe has maintained a strong connection to her roots while navigating the challenges of belonging in a new country. During our conversation, Zoe o...

We all remember 2020, it was the year when everyone's lives changed. for some people it was terrible, for others they found a silver lining and for a majority it was OH NO!! Our guest this week found lock down a pivotal moment in his life. It was during lock down that Alex Witt decided to start running, this all came from the fact that he looked in the mirror and did not like what he saw. Alex...

A small project while she was at primary school was the catalyst to this week's guests foray into the world of entrepreneurship. Abbie Wood talks to us about how creating and selling bracelets at her grannie's market was her first step into realising that she had a creative brain but also a mindset that would foster the idea of creating value through her own enterprise as she got older. We...

When you think about young people, you think about young people in class studying, playing sports, hanging with friends, having fun....our guest this week does all that AND is also running an entrepreneurial venture that is shaking up the sustainability world. Elisa Harley, our guest this week speaks to us passionately about her business idea, how it came about, where it is now and what the future...

Game on! Meet our next guest, Zeena Khan: Leader, Speaker & Author. Zeena is a dynamic individual of Chinese, Fijian, and Indian descent, from South Auckland she moved to Wellington 5yrs ago, seeking adventure & opportunity to lean in with curiosity. A champion of lifelong learning with a multifaceted background, Zeena also has an artistic side, having published her first poetry book in 20...

This week's guest is well known in Edutech for changing the face of education. A key learning from his mother when he was young has been instrumental in Jamie Beaton lifting the perceived barriers that young people have in New Zealand to be able to study in some of the Top Universities in North America. In this really inspiring conversation we talk about what is the motivation for Jamie to kee...

Growing up, our guest this week thought that working in the health industry was what she was destined for. However, after one year of dabbling in this space, she pivoted from health to tech. This change opened up opportunities galore for our guest Magdeline Huang. With her role as a software engineer now, Magdeline speaks to us about how delving into tech unlocked a whole new world for her. We als...

Growing up in the tiny, yet populous, nation of Singapore our guest this week had no intention of leaving his home country to study. He comes from a family that is very closely connected and a country that seems to have it all (on first glance) However, our guest this week talks to us about how his mindset changed has he went through National Service and engaged in conversations that got him think...

Have you ever wanted to know what you need to do to be successful?  On this week's episode we have Kale Panaho talk about how he fostered a success mindset to help him get to where he is now. In this conversation we touch on Kale's journey on his Māori identity, we speak about how it all started with Kale training to be a personal trainer, studying biochem then how his circle of influence ...

On this week's episode we are treated to Shaniyah Munroe sharing her story with us. As someone that realised that she was academically able, she was worried about the cost of attending University. However, Shaniyah talks to us about how a scholarship from Victoria University of Wellington and First Foundation changed her life trajectory. We speak about the impact that her mentor had on her jou...

As we have just passed the shortest day in the year for the Southern Hemisphere the episode is a short reflection point where we share our learnings since the last episode but also a good time to reflect on the podcast and where each of us are right now. We would LOVE for you to share your reflections as we head into the second half of the year. Enjoy Prajesh and Tane

Following the "normal" life trajectory is the way our guest this week was living her life as she looked to go to university to get a "normal" career. However, having picked up the sport of rowing late in her teenage years our guest received an offer out of the blue that presented her the opportunity to study in the United States on a rowing scholarship. This week Grace Lewis ta...

Growing up in Dunedin, New Zealand our guest this week speaks about the importance that his whanau/family has had in his life. This became more evident as Nick Parata started to explore, learn and embrace his Māori identity. We speak about how this was and has not always been an easy exploration especially as humans use outward appearances to make judgement calls about a person. A trait that we ca...

Growing up in india our guest this week would never in a million years think that he would be sitting in an office in New Zealand talking about the journey that has taken him halfway across the world. This week Rakesh Banerjee talks to us about how growing up in india he had never thought that he would end up in New Zealand. His life story has many ups and downs has Rakesh relates the story about...

The universe works in crazy ways! This week's guest happened to come on at the same time that the skies were being lit up around the world with the Aurora's and at the same time power companies around the world were warning customers about possible network outages. You might think what has this got to do with our guest? Well the inspirational Aleida Powell is someone who works in the power...

As we think about our lives, we all go through certain stages where things happen. These are a mixture of the "good" the "bad" and sometimes the "ugly". Our guest this week summarises this really well as she speaks to us about how different phases of her life led to growth at different parts of her life. Manpreet Dhanjal talks to us this week about how from being someone that was a super homebody...

This week our guest grew up in a small rural community in the South Island of New Zealand. It was in this community that our guest embraced the beauty and the fragility of nature. Being an island nation, New Zealand native flora and fauna is, like other island nations, always under threat from invasive species. This is where our conversation with Anna Clark starts. However, as the title says, Anna...

This week's episode is a hard hitting and very powerful chat with our guest who shares her journey of being a woman,  a woman of colour,  a woman of colour who wears a hijab Our guest Salma Abdalla talks to us about navigating the question "Where are you from?" How that question has so many layers and so many answers that provide a rich tapestry for our conversation. We talk about th...