Wao Aotearoa is reminding the public that the fifth annual Wao Summit is less than a week away. 

It will feature six days of talks, workshops and activities (October 25-29) to inspire action towards a carbon zero future, with events taking place in both Wānaka and Queenstown.

The Wao Summit will kick off with a free opening ceremony at the Wānaka lakefront opposite the Dinosaur Park on Tuesday at 9am. 

Wao Summit programme manager Olivia Bonifant said the summit would provide something for everyone.

“What we are trying to do here is not only educate, but inspire others,” she said. “If everyone simply considers a small shift in the way they consume, eat and move then we will be well on our way to collective, sustainable change.”

She said a core component of the Wao Summit is digging deeper into key themes around sustainability. 

“That means hearing from leaders in their fields, asking the unasked questions and getting down to the nitty gritty. Our workshops are a particularly ripe opportunity for a deep dive, offering a chance to sit down with experts and really get to the heart of making meaningful change.”

Workshop topics will range from construction waste and cultivating connection to learning more about “living within our planetary boundaries”.

“This year for the first time we will have a Planetary Accounting Workshop, which gives businesses a really great holistic look at their actual sustainability,” Olivia said. 

Harnessing the power of storytelling is also a big focus this year, and for the first time the summit has its own film festival, spread across five sessions. 

“We’ll have both NZ short films and internationally renowned films like Motherload, 2040 and Regenerating Australia,” she said.

Find full details of the Wao Summit lineup and book tickets here.