One of our most popular new podcasts for 2020 makes its highly anticipated return – this time as a live event.

In 2020, the launch of the Conversations that Count – Ngā Kōrero Whai Take podcast saw The Spinoff and Massey University turn a sharply focused eye on some of the most important issues confronting Aotearoa. Across five episodes, the series’ first season found host Stacey Morrison (and, in one case, extremely capable substitute Leonie Hayden) in kōrero with a range of Massey academics, industry leaders and activists about everything from cannabis legalisation and equity in education to future-proofing the country’s mental health systems.

Now, as we prepare for the launch of the podcast’s second season in mid-2021, we’re excited to announce that in March 2021, the series will return with a very special in-real-life event. Taking place at Wellington’s Te Papa on the morning of March 24, Conversations That Count – Ngā Kōrero Whai Take: Emerging from the Bubble will see Morrison engage with a range of voices on the vitally important issue of what now awaits Aotearoa. How long can we expect to wait before we’re back to business as usual? Should we even be striving to refine old goals anyway, or is this an opportunity to carve a new direction on an irrevocably changed planet?

Morrison will again take her familiar role as compere of this kōrero, joined by not only an expert panel, but also an extra handful of special guests. MP for Auckland Central and prominent advocate for youth and rainbow community issues (among many others), Chlöe Swarbrick will deliver a keynote address on how we are and should be addressing not only the challenges of the pandemic, but also the many cultural, social and business opportunities offered by a post-Covid world. 

Economist Cameron Bagrie will then offer a specifically business-focused lens on the conversation. Founder of Bagrie Economics and former ANZ chief economist, he’ll share his perspectives on how New Zealand’s recovery needs to balance the social and economic sides of the ledger, the role that education needs to play, and how we can use this pandemic’s lessons to shore up and reinforce our economy deep into the still-unpredictable future.

With Morrison, Swarbrick and Bagrie to be joined by a group of panelists (to be announced over the coming weeks), Emerging From the Bubble will engage and inform on the existential and correlated issues which will shape all of our collective futures. In keeping with the podcast series that inspired it, the event promises to avoid easy answers and bias confirmation in favour of forward-thinking, forward-moving dialogues that challenge assumed wisdom in search of meaningful new solutions. If you’re interested in how our planet will find its next shape, this is one conversation worth waking up early for.