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.
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.
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.
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.
2023 was a catalyst year for exploring intergenerational fairness in Aotearoa New Zealand. 2024 is a year to accelerate this focus and to work with others locally, nationally and globally who are committed to considering future generations in our decision making.
Are you awash with trends, blogs and articles about the future in 2024? My in box is full! And I hate it, especially when people create a list of forecasts as if they are predicting the future. Some of the lists come up with the obvious extension of here and now. Others express their points as siloed ideas and discrete ‘future’ chunks. Others come up with a funky name for something of little consequence. So I’m not going to do that.
We have been growing futures thinkers in Aotearoa and connecting people within the network. This extends from the Ōtautahi Futures Collective through Aotearoa Futures Network and into the Oceania Futures space. The more we connect and learn together the more we grow our futures muscles! It also provides the opportunity to celebrate successes across the network.