Seeds

Ben is the Executive Director of the AI Forum and in this interview we discuss his background and journey to settle in New Zealand. We then talk in depth about artificial intelligence - what is it and what might it mean for the future of New Zealand? We also discuss a lot of the content in the new report "Towards Our Intelligent Future – An AI Roadmap for New Zealand" that has just been released and some of the key points which it makes.

A link to the report that we discuss is below.

Website: https://aiforum.org.nz/

The Report: https://aiforum.org.nz/towards-our-intelligent-future/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AIForumNZ

Also discussed

Canterbury Tech: https://canterburytech.nz

Canterbury Angels: https://canterburyangels.nz

Ministry of Awesome: https://www.ministryofawesome.com

Clive founded Mates Social Media and in this interview we talk about the power of social media and marketing - what works, what doesn't?

We also talk about Clive's background and what it was like to be born in New Zealand yet have very strong links back to India where his parents were from. What is it that forms your identity when you have a background like that and what is it like to grow up here in New Zealand? I really enjoyed talking with Clive and hearing his perspective on the world. He is currently campaigning for local council elections so is keeping busy!

http://www.facebook.com/cliveantonynz

http://www.facebook.com/matesofchristchurch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matesofchristchurch/

Zahra arrived in New Zealand as a 12 year old Afghan refugee who spoke no English. In this interview we hear about what her childhood was like, being a refugee, coping with bullying when you don't speak the language, reshaping identity when you arrive in a new country, what it is like to transition into a place that was so different and the impact of the March shootings. We also discuss her decision to stand as a councillor and community board member in the local elections for The People's Choice Labour Waimairi.

Zahra is involved in many activities in the community including 'Uniting Canterbury Women', Canterbury Resilience Foundation and Who is Hussain.

This is the 126th interview in this series for seeds podcast and each week we talk with someone very different from the week before.

I really enjoyed the conversation with Zahra and hearing her perspective on the importance and value of diversity. If you enjoy it then consider sharing this with someone else - they will likely say thanks!

Photo credit: Krama & Co who sell beautiful scarves - check them out.

For many more interviews and videos and articles visit www.theseeds.nz

We first met via Abdigani Ali of Canterbury Resilience Foundation - thanks Abdi! At an impact event - for more on those see the website www.theseeds.nz

Natasha is a doing her PHD in organisational psychology at Canterbury University on belonging and community. In this wide ranging interview we talk about her childhood and what shaped her, as well as why she has such an interest in deepening relationships. We start off with a poem she wrote and that really sets the tone for what follows.

This is the 125th interview so if you enjoy it, check out some of the others at www.theseed.nz

Video version of interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwj1dlmKO5Q&t=1s

Unchatter website: www.unchatter.com

Unchatter Facebook page: www.facebook.com/unchatter

Personal page: www.natashazimmerman.com

Description from Unchatter website:

"We speak an average of at least 7,000 words every day. How many of them are meaningful ones? Every person you interact with has an untold story, just waiting to be unearthed - and so do you. This is your invitation to step into deeper connection with yourself and the beautiful, mysterious human beings around you. It just might change your life."

Poem that Natasha reads during the episode at the start:

I am from frigid six-month winters and the abiding awe of snowfall, From harvest-time suppers in dusty fields And the clean, clean earth of mud-soaked country roads.

I am from oceans away and here. I am from America, but not this one. I belong everywhere I've ever been.

I am from stacks and stacks of dog-eared books, From abandoned umbrellas and the golden hour. I am from poetry and cello music, From furrowed brows and furrowed fields. I am from kisses by starlight and broken hearts by daylight. I am from knowingness and mystery. I am from the certainness of the sacred. I am from my grandpa's galoshes and gentle shoulder squeezes. I am from the strong hands of my grandmothers, Made of sterner stuff than me. I am from big questions and small ones too, And I am from the loveliest of all human acts: The soft soul-bow of inhabiting this moment with you.

Poem written about this episode:

Planting

Abiding awe, you say. Those words speak to me of patience. Of planting deep into dark soil, grateful for the sun's warmth. Of watching, hoping for rain. Then watching miracles, as the smallest of seeds rise. From hard casings to soft growth. From death into life. Transformed from within. What might these curated conversations reveal as we scratch beneath the hard surface, of repetitive answers to the simple yet profound, "how are you"? Getting past that first hard layer to the rich places where roots can grow. What seeds might be planted if we come together with an attitude soaked in vulnerability, and gratitude. What might such seeds yield as a harvest? Let's plant and see.

Do you remember being 11? In this episode we talk with Shanna about what her views of the world are. It's good to get these reminders from time to time and also to hear about what children are learning about and what they think of the world and what the future might look like for her generation. Shanna was one of the original people interviewed back in episode 5 for seeds podcast. We also talk about the difference between Happiness and Joy, as well as some ethical questions, genetic modification, coding, what is valuable in a friendship as well as what it was like to present at a TEDxYouth event ... we cover a lot!

TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWjYxfUZhBY

Earlier interview when Shanna was 9 and turning 10: http://seeds.libsyn.com/shanna-on-being-10

Video of this interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRM2BHdDT6o&t=1307s

Star Friends: http://www.lindachapmanauthor.co.uk/star-friends.htm

For more interviews check out www.theseeds.nz

[email protected]

David is an edu-agitator who has explored what education is for many years through his work on Liberatory Design. In this interview we hear a lot about David's childhood and his own education and how that has shaped the person he has become today and what he does. We also talk about the school he co-founded - the East Bay School for Boys (https://eastbayschoolforboys.tumblr.com). This is one of those interviews where we talk about a wide range of topics - from the word curiosity, to white male privilege, working as an artist, the power of creativity and the future of "school". I think you'll enjoy it - it would be in my own top 10.

Liberatory Design: https://nationalequityproject.org/services/liberatory-design

TEDxChristchurch description: http://www.tedxchristchurch.com/david-clifford

Article on DSX: https://dschool.stanford.edu/news-events/how-might-we-reimagine-high-school

Big praise to TEDxChristchurch team, it was great to support what you did the past weekend. And thanks Rebecca Robertson for the intro to David on the Friday night - and for finding out that you are a fan of seeds!

For more interviews visit www.theseeds.nz or search seeds in podcast apps.

A reflection inspired by the conversation:

Edu-agitator

That teacher who believed

in you. It was decades ago

but the memory is fresh.

Who saw potential

where others saw none.

I can see the tears rising as I ask

"What shaped him that way?"

You're not sure. He just was.

But perhaps someone played that role

in his life too.

A catalyst for finding meaning

for so many ships setting out.

What does his legacy mean

for us, for me. How do I go about

not trying to inscribe my name

on stone buildings that will crumble

but inputting into lives,

weaving into hearts

that beat and grow.

I give myself permission

to laugh, to cry, to ask questions

I give myself permission

To embrace others

I give myself permission

To stay curious

I give myself permission

To be truly present

Reflecting on the intersection between our creative lives and the power of vulnerability. The full text of this is here: http://theseeds.nz/creativity-vulnerability-give-it-all-give-it-now/

www.theseeds.nz

[email protected]

Inspiration from a variety of sources including Theodore Roosevelt, Vincent Van Gogh, Brene Brown and Annie Dillard.

Darren has worked for many years in the NGO sector and now assists organisations to maximize social impact through Direct Impact Group. In this interview we talk about his childhood and early years and career before he joined an NGO. We focus in particular on governance and impact and how you go about maximising social impact. We also discuss what he has observed over the years of working as the head of an NGO and now consulting to assist them.

https://www.direct-impact-group.com

[email protected]

For more interviews visit www.theseeds.nz

Bill Murphy is the founder of Enterprise Angels and of the Purpose Capital Impact Fund. In this episode we talk a lot about entrepreneurs, start-ups and impact investing. However, we also talk about Bill's life and what has led him to what he does today.

If you enjoy this check out earlier episodes as there are more than 100 in the back catalogue.

Video of the session after this with about 20+ people about the Purpose Capital Impact Fund: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_qkLezg_o8

Video of this podcast interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1npw9FvKvAc&t=2s

If you enjoy this have a listen to Chris Simcock on Impact Investing here (another purpose driven fund supported by Akina and others - more here): http://seeds.libsyn.com/chris-simcock-on-impact-investing-in-nz

This was recorded on 5 August 2019.

Purpose Capital Impact Fund: https://www.purposecapital.co.nz

Enterprise Angels: http://www.enterpriseangels.co.nz

More about the fund:

"Around the world, investors are looking for ways to not only make money from their investments, but also to make a difference. Whether it is concern about poverty, housing, or the environment, more and more of us are feeling the urgency to change the way we invest and do business. We want to back innovative solutions to major environmental and social problems.

Globally, impact investing is on an upward trajectory. The Global Impact Investors Network (GIIN) estimates that there is now US$228 billion in impact investing assets, which represents a doubling of the year prior.

The Purpose Capital Impact Fund is the first fund of its kind in New Zealand. Building on the experience of some of New Zealand's biggest commercial trusts and New Zealand's largest investor network, it harnesses the power of the philanthropic and commercial sectors in one vehicle. As such, it combines expertise in philanthropy and social change with a track record of investing in innovation."

This is a short presentation in Melbourne at the Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (CLAANZ) annual conference. The topic was looking at private enterprise and business in the context of how they relate to charities so I shared some reflections on what is going on right now in the world and the fact that there may be a paradigm shift occurring.

A lot of this thinking comes from doing this podcast and also from playing a small part in helping write this report: https://www.akina.org.nz/news/legal-structures-holding-back-impact

Thanks to the CLAANZ team and Directors for asking me to share and to the other panellists who spoke as well - it was great to have all your input!

I wrote this out in advance and the text of is below...I said it differently when speaking but the essence is the same.

Video of this session here http://theseeds.nz/paradigm-shifts/

www.theseeds.nz

Paradigm Shifts in Business and Charity

Kia ora koutou, ko Steven toku ingoa, no Ōtautahi au.

Good morning everyone, my name is Steven Moe and I am really pleased to be able to join you today and offer a New Zealand perspective on this topic. I work as a Partner in a law firm called Parry Field in Christchurch where we have 50 staff and I assist many charities and not for profits but also worked at an international law firm for 11 years – including 4 years in Sydney – so have in the past, and still do, a lot of work for corporates and profit making companies. I am also on the board of a charitable company called Christian Savings which in New Zealand has more than $100 million in loans out to Churches and similar charities to fund their projects.

When I was younger there was a particular book which fascinated me and I've brought a copy along. Do any of you remember having one of these? The book is called "Magic Eye: A new way of looking at the world". For a brief period in the 1990s they were the true definition of a "fad". They sold tens of millions of copies across the world and appeared in countless waiting rooms.

The way it works is that you see just colours or shapes but if you can adjust your eyes then an image will emerge out of that and appear in three dimensions. You see something new even in a place where you have looked before.

The reason I mention that is to frame what I am about to say. When we talk about public benefit and private benefit and charity and business I think that there is, in a very similar way, a new way of looking at the world which is emerging right now. Our own moment in history and the way we have looked at things in the past is not an accurate mirror to represent how it is destined to always be. But we need eyes which are adjusted well to be able to see that.

What I am talking about here is a paradigm shift of thinking that is very similar to this Magic Eye. The old paradigm – which we each naturally fall into – particularly if we are active and working in this sector – meets someone at a dinner like the one we will have tonight.

The person to our right says, "I want to help people who are coming out of prison reintegrate back into society". We congratulate them and immediately launch into a talk about the charity they are founding and what the source of donations will be, or grant funding. It is clear that they are being driven by motivations of the heart. This will clearly be for the public benefit and heart motivations lead to charity. A key word here might be "purpose"

We talk to the person on our left who says, "I've got this idea for a new tech solution to reducing the cost of credit cards". We congratulate them and immediately launch into a different conversation about being an entrepreneur, about accelerator programs, startup venture capitalists and funding by issuing shares in a for profit company. It is clear that there are motivations of the head here and so we discuss business. A key word here might be "profit". As a side note, it is important to note that these people have big hearts and often are on boards of charities, donate money and time but see it as something for their spare time, not something that could intersect with their working world.

The new one seeks to combine the private and public benefit and integrate the heart and the head. It does not think in terms of a binary of either being "for profit" or being "not for profit/for purpose". Instead it asks whether the organisation cannot be both. And if it could be both then imagine the possibilities – see the world in a new way. This new conception of business and charity sees them more overtly integrated.

So turning to our two friends, rather than relying on uncertain funding streams of donations and grants, what if she set up a structure that actually employed the very people that need the support and therefore empowered them? As for the credit card venture, what if customers could choose to divert a portion of the fees paid to organisations that they want to support? Both of these entities of course exist – Pathway in NZ does just that with Prisoners and Choice does it with Credit. This will be lead by the next generation who already ask deep questions and want their lives to have an impact – not just get paid.

So the true question is not how do we talk about and frame private and public benefit in the future, the true question is what this paradigm shift means when we talk about charity and business xszand the systems that we have constructed to regulate and govern them – which are based on the old paradigm and don't match the reality of the new one. We need to move from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy. Because like the Magic Eye this also is a new way of seeing the world.

If you are interested in learning more about this I was involved in writing a report with 5 others on this and similar topics which is now sitting with the New Zealand Government and I will share more about that later today in the update on New Zealand developments.

The last thing to say is that if you've listened closely I've deliberately not used the words social enterprise, because I don't want it to become an "us and them" term, as I dream of a day when all businesses have embraced the combination of purpose and profit so I don't want it to be seen as something that "they" do as the paradigm shift applies to all organisations.

www.theseeds.nz