Ōtautahi In Practice

Anita Yarwood shares about her ongoing learning journey supporting learners in learning centered designs in an urban environment. She fully embraces the ethos of everyone is a learner and everyone is a teacher. Where five year old's and parents each have an opportunity to facilitate learning spaces for others. Anita teases a few of the many threads that her large and hugely interconnected lear...

Shannon Ball discusses how her current opportunities creating space for connection and resource sharing with the sustainability community have developed and continue to lead her into unexpected places of learning. Through our time together we are reminded of the power of collectives coming together, that we operate better when we have the time to connect with others as people, and are equipped to...

James Bishop takes an opportunity to join us amongst a busy schedule filled with family, friends, and work while visiting Aotearoa. He discusses his international connections and what continues to ground him, and how these practices connect opportunities with his work and the people around him. As citizen of Aotearoa and having lived in Hong Kong for 25 years, he provides a vignette of the culture...

Honest stories of learning, curiosity, and growth from Christchurch’s Learning Champions and Ambassadors. We reflect upon the stories we've heard and the experiences that have shaped out worldviews. We ask you to be mindful and ask, what do I notice? How is the culture of leaning currently taking place? Where do I fit in my local context? Got a question or keen to share your connection to a Le...

Heather shares how embracing the senses through being inquisitive with the people and places around us creates long lasting learning. Where this process of opening up to the stories around us creates long lasting emotive memories that increase our depth of knowledge and understanding.

Ben Alder shares his journey of ego detachment, practicing how he shows up in spaces and with people he hasn't met before, and how curiosity is practiced through this process. Ben talks about his personal experience being a modern man in today's society and what this looks like, and shares his vision of a near future. Join us as we hear a story of Ōtautahi in Practice.

Natasha brings her knowledge and experience about slowness, how this is needed for us as individuals and for society, and the many ways we can practice this in our day-to-day. We hear how she balances traditional learning with being guided by intuition, and the tension between the two. We also hear about Unchatter, and how collective responsibility while recognizing the individual is held in space...

Atarau takes us through his experience of navigating leadership roles, governance, and a startup company in Ai. He shares what this means for him, and how he's found himself in these roles and what they mean for the future of Ōtautahi and beyond.

Lottie talks about her experience with Kung Fu, her upbringing, and the collaborations that she's involved in that have ripple effects across the city. Lottie is in a unique position of working with the CWEA which provides opportunities for lifelong learning to be practiced, through this, Lottie has a finger on the pulse of the ways in which curiosity is encouraged in the everyday.

Jenna describes her learning experience and the intentional steps she's made to expand her perspectives; whether this is through studying at University of Canterbury, or volunteering at Richmond Community Garden. She has a variety of spaces, places and experiences she has come to know by learning how to step outside her comfort zone. Shout out to Richmond Community Garden , Riverlution Café ,...

Kai shares a learning journey that delves into belonging, connectedness, and the power of people and place. We learn how a nomadic lifestyle shifts to intentionally deepening ties to Ōtautahi and the challenges and opportunities this has presented. You can contact Kai and find out more about what he's involved in at https://www.subtledream.com/

Tarryn's journey in Ōtautahi shows how asking for help and guidance from others has positive and cultural impacts that extend far beyond the initial question and act. We hear how through seeking out knowledge and experience from others changes perspectives, creates and strengthens cultural movements, and uplifts the people place around us. Tarryn mentions Humans Of Christchurch Ōtautahi, Uncha...

Nina talks with us about her experience founding Tagata Moana and the learning that took place prior to this in order for a STEAM organization that works with Pacifica to provide learning for others. We hear how Nina views herself and the spaces she's passionate about, the future of our city as led by the knowledge and experience that she holds. As we come into the new year, we finish with a c...

Join Erica & Sam every 10 episodes to take some time to reflect upon the learning experience of beginning a podcast show, the themes guests have raised, the Ako Ōtautahi perspective, and how we are encouraging curiosity to flourish.

Alice Dimond brings a wealth of knowledge regarding systemic change and futures thinking. We discuss how learning takes place for her, the intricacies of Aotearoa cultural landscape and how we are able to facilitate curiosity in ourselves and each other. Diving deep, and going big picture in the course of this conversation, we celebrate Ōtautahi and the breadth of experience we hold and catch glim...

We share a conversation and reflective moment with Stephanie Defregger, who is on a mission to transform profile images of strong wahine, one by one. She is working on an exhibition "women of impact". Learning, that authenticity is essential and not a luxury in a world that tells us to be like everyone else. Through this experience, Stephanie shares how she makes space for learning and h...

Zoë has a unique combination of lived personal and family experience of the hearing difference community, as well as clinical and academic perspectives on hearing. She loves being part of the Ōtautahi social enterprise ecosystem and working collaboratively to make positive changes.

Hana is a somewhat recent addition to Ōtautahi Christchurch and she shares her perspective of the cultural differences and approaches that are taken to learning, both in her personal life and in the position she holds at NZ Study Careers. We discuss how learning takes place in her studies at Ara and through her endeavor to understand what it means to have grown up in Japan and now live in Aotearoa...

Caroline brings a wealth of knowledge regarding sustainability and through her business acumen (Sustainability 360) has been learning how to navigate what it means to run her own business. Charing anecdotes of learning through being a mother, businesswomen, and early education, the picture that Caroline provides is varied and dynamic. BCorp is mentioned and we encourage listeners to search that up...

Idoia shares her learning experience working with the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) and how this has opened up pathways of working with her sons school to facilitate creativity in a business context. Idoia's empathy and passion for encouraging curiosity is highlighted through her story of learning in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Thomas discusses the impacts of growing up in a recovering city and his experiences post earthquakes that have informed his interests in community development and advocacy. Join us as we get a glimpse of our city through a young persons lens who is interested in policy and how that's implemented through design.

Pia Titus from PlainsMedia discusses how her past learning experiences with facilitating activity based learning has shaped her approach and ethos when in a people centred environment. We are lucky to have Pia on board the show before she leaves PlainsMedia, to travel for a couple of months and begin the next chapter of her life.

Amy Knudsen (she/her) brings us on her own learning journey, how this has shaped her and her views and approaches to life. Amy's story shows how the people in her life through different stages, events and experiences have been crucial to the work and way of being she holds now. And that the love that Amy holds for people extends to future generations through the work she does with Tokona te Raki.

In this very first episode of Ōtautahi in Practice , cohosts Sam Woolf and Erica Austin introduce the kaupapa behind the podcast and share their own learning stories. Together, they unpack why learning matters, how curiosity shapes their work, and why they’re choosing to amplify the voices of everyday Learning Champions and Ambassadors across our city. This episode sets the tone for what’s to come...