WEAll Aotearoa 2024 in Review

Economy for Public Good 2024

2024 has been an incredible year for the Wellbeing Economy movement in Aotearoa. Although it has been turbulent for Aotearoa New Zealand in many ways, coming together on so many occasions with you, our wonderful community, has helped to build a movement to redesign the economic system.

It is clear that people are hungry for change and we all have a desire to work together to build a better world. Together, we have achieved remarkable things. 

We’ve been busy, including … 🥁drumroll🥁… hosting 17 events, six webinars, and a sold-out conference; speaking at 13 events; publishing three reports; presenting two submissions to Parliament; launching one video collaboration; and launching one campaign for the wellbeing of future generations. 

Phew! It has been a big ol’ year and we are so proud of everything we have achieved. 

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this mahi this year. We couldn’t have done it without you. A huge thanks goes out to our funder, the Peter McKenzie Project and those organisations who sponsored our events this year. 

Dr Katherine Trebeck at our Christchurch event

For the detail-orientated folk, we: 

• Sold-out our ‘Economy for Public Good’ conference.

• Organised a national speaking tour with WEAll co-founder Dr Katherine Trebeck with events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

• Co-published Community Wealth Building white paper with The Urban Advisory, this was launched by LGNZ and is now in their toolkit for local government.

• Launched How to Talk About an Economy for Public Good narratives briefing paper with The Workshop.

• Launched our campaign for a possible Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and formed both a Youth Leadership Group and a Reference Group to help guide this work as it moves forward.

• Published polling from Talbot Mills on how Kiwis think about the economy and future generations.

• Produced a ‘Neoliberalism - leave it in the 1980s’ video social media campaign which had over 100,000 views in the first ten days.

• Received multiple media mentions and spoke at numerous conferences including the Climate Change and Business Conference.

• Welcomed new trustees Donna Purdue, Brett Anderson and Joanne Waitoa. 

• Met with Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum.

• Hosted a breakfast for elected representatives on the side of the Local Government NZ Superlocal conference to discuss Community Wealth Building.

• Submitted in person at Parliament against the Fast-Track and against Māori Wards Amendment Bills.

• Hosted webinars, including:

• Global Doughnut Day with Doughnut practitioners across Aotearoa. Including the launch of te takarangi - a model of the indigenous Māori double spiral based on the acclaimed 'doughnut' economic model produced by Project Moonshot.

• Transformational Participation with Maria Ngawati, IndigiShare (Aotearoa New Zealand), Alanna Irving, Gift Collective, Fundsorter, and Wellbeing Protocol (Aotearoa New Zealand) and Ted Rau, Sociocracy for All (US).

• Post growth business with Jennifer Wilkins (Heliocene, Aotearoa New Zealand), Erinch Sahan (Doughnut Economics Action Lab, UK), and Melanie Rieback (Radically Open Security, Netherlands).

• International approaches to a wellbeing economy with Jennifer Wilkins, Makerita Makapelu, Adrienne Gallie and Sigrid Berge.

• Future fit business with visiting UK sustainability & impact investment specialist expert Martin Rich.

• Started a book club, which this year discussed Mission Economy, Material World, The Economic Possibilities of Decolonisation, and History for Tomorrow.

• Hosted a seminar with the Government Economic Network addressing the question: ‘How do we respond to the environmental challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and water quality while looking after the economic, social and cultural life of our regions?’

• Hosted a screening of the film Purpose with Dr Katherine Trebeck

• Hosted our first People, Planet, Pints event with Trust Democracy and visiting participatory approaches expert John Gastil.

• Organised screenings of the film ‘Outgrow the System’ in Pōneke, Ōtautahi, Tāmaki Makaurau, and Titirangi with Q&A with local panellists and the producers in Sweden.

Thanks for being part of this journey with us. WEAll’s vision is a world where economies prioritise the wellbeing of all people and the planet. A world where prosperity is measured not by GDP but by the health of our communities, the sustainability of our environment, and the inclusiveness of our societies. 

To achieve this vision, we need transformational change—change that challenges the status quo and addresses the root causes of inequality and environmental degradation.

To deliver this type of change, we must also confront the barriers that stand in our way. These include entrenched interests, systemic inequities, and the inertia of existing institutions. Overcoming these obstacles will require innovative thinking, unwavering commitment, and collaborative action across all sectors of society.

To help us continue building this movement please consider making a donation to WEAll Aotearoa.

We look forward to continuing this mahi with you in 2025.

The WEAll Aotearoa team (Georgie Craw, Gareth Hughes, Sally Hett, Paul Dalziel, Sophie Handford)