Each month I host an informal gathering of people who want to grow their futures muscles! It is a way of meeting others interested in exploring ideas, and being curious. I like it to the idea of ‘future flossing’, where people intentionally dig into the dark corners of the brain to seek out plaque that might be building up or cementing ideas in place. ‘What if Wednesdays’ challenge us to remain open, to explore weak signals and to connect dots.
How do we make the value of foresight visible without flattening it into yet another KPI? Our first online gathering of the Oceania Futures Network considered this critical question at its first meet up. Guest presenter Sabrina Sullivan sharing her vast experience and research findings. Sabrina is a Canadian foresight, researcher, and founder of by+by foresight, based in Calgary, Canada. She is one of the co-authors of the Foresight Spectrum, a global research project exploring the roles and “enablers” that shape foresight practice.
Futures and foresight recommended reading for 2026. Enjoy this incomplete compilation of our favorites and share your own with us. This comprehensive list is for those who want to learn more about futures thinking, extend understanding or challenge assumptions and worldviews.
In the first half of the year I collated a resource called Intergenerational Ambition: A Wayfinding Tool for the Future. This led me to a deep dive into intergenerational fairness and future generations. You can read more about this later in the post. Once the resource was completed it was time to take action so my next step is asking civil society of Aotearoa New Zealand to ask some specific questions of our politicians.
The Aotearoa Futures Barometer summarises research about what New Zealanders think of the future, in order to consider next steps to develop a thriving country. It is our hope that this Barometer seeds further conversations and adds to the conversation about the Aotearoa New Zealand that we want. What is our ambition?
Over the last six months I have been collating Intergenerational Ambition: A Wayfinding Tool for the Future. This resource explores the Aotearoa context for intergenerational fairness and future generations. We are the people who must create the way forward. This resource shares some of the why and how.
The Possibility Wheel helps groups explore issues more deeply by examining underlying assumptions, which I think is one of the most important parts of futuring. The tool encourages users to identify the key question, surrounding assumptions, and theories of action, thus encouraging a more comprehensive analysis of an issue. It’s value lies in its ability to help people move beyond initial assumptions and consider unintended consequences, ultimately leading to more thoughtful decision-making. I tested this approach with school leaders, using the topical issue of school lunches in New Zealand as an example.
It is that time of year when many of us are taking a break and catching up on some reading. Here are three fiction and three non-fiction books I have really enjoyed in my futures space this year. I have some good podcasts, websites and videos too but I will share them at a later time. If you have recommendations please share so I can add recommendations to my 2025 list.
At the recent Dubai Future Forum there was one thing people wanted to ask me. What on earth is happening in New Zealand? We thought NZ was a leader in race relations and that your Treaty of Waitangi was what underpinned this. Hell yes…oh no…wait…
This post isn’t a reiteration of what you can find online about the Treaty of Waitangi conversation. I have a unique view which is a blend of futurist, great grandmother and Pākēha New Zealander. For my many futures colleagues across the globe – this is not a history lesson just my world view!
At this week’s #ŌtautahiFuturesCollective #ŌFC gathering Alicia Poroa shared how she facilitated a personal futures wānanga with a group of Māreikura, female Māori leaders from the North Island. She used a number of futures methodologies with deep, personal insights that are so important for us all to consider.