When the future seems grim it is time to add some hopefulness into our thinking, Hopepunk pushes back against the idea that cynicism is the smarter or more sophisticated position. Staying optimistic in the face of despair is treated as a conscious political act — essentially a weapon against hopelessness itself.
Meanjin Brisbane, venue for the second Oceania Futures and Foresight Symposium – an important gathering of futures practitioners from across the region. This Symposium is part of intentional work to grow futures practices that are uniquely from ‘down under’, reflecting our histories, time flows and world views. We are voyagers of the blue Pacific, connecting earth, sea and sky and coming together to navigate the future together.
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.