#whatthefuture
In the first half of the year I collated a resource called Intergenerational Ambition: A Wayfinding Tool for…
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Aotearoa Futures Barometer
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?
Intergenerational 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.
Possibility Wheel in Action
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.
Futures Recommended Reading 2025
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.
Treaty Futures: What next?
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!
Personal Futures: A Te Ao Māori Approach
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.
Intergenerational Fairness: Hopeful Futures
On September 27, 2024, thirty students from the University of Canterbury’s bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability and Political Science gathered for the Intergenerational Fairness Hopeful Futures workshop. The event, run by Think Beyond, aimed to explore intergenerational fairness in Ōtautahi Christchurch and envision a hopeful future for the city.
Mining and a futures worldview
In my last post I shared my emerging model for unbounded futures and how past, present and future are interwoven. There is so much we learn from the past and this in turn shapes our world view, which in turn shapes our actions. The conversations are particularly polarising at the moment and I find myself digging deep into my futures toolkit to keep me grounded and curious. It reinforces that developing a futures mindset is a critical counterbalance for coping in an uncertain world.
Unbounded Futures
I have been trying to articulate my world view of futures and how that impacts what I say and do in my futures work. I don’t see the future as being something that comes next, but rather a whole way of being, a constant movement and a futures fluent approach to taking action. I have called my emerging explanation Unbounded Futures, a model which weaves pasts, presents and futures.