Creative Spaces Network"Telling Your Stories", one of the themes of this years conference highlights the power of storytelling in fostering connection, driving change and building communities. This section will equip you with the skills to capture and convey your stories effectively.
Through talks, workshops and panel discussions, we'll explore the tools that can help convey your messaging, enhancing investment in the arts, community engagement and organisational growth.
Keynote Speaker – Libby Hakaraia
Indigenous films activate audiences
Libby Hakaraia is the Managing Director and Festival Director at Māoriland Charitable Trust, with a background in journalism and documentary making. She has produced globally recognised films, including "Cousins" and "Kōkā," and led the NATIVE Slam film challenge. Libby founded the Māoriland Film Festival and the Māoriland Center of Excellence in Film and Creative Arts. She has received several awards, including the Women in Film and Television Entrepreneur award and the Mita Merata Fellowship from the Sundance Institute.
Libby's talk will unpack the value of storytelling in connecting with people and motivating change, discussing tools to effectively convey your message. She shares her experiences at Māoriland, where she has seen audiences moved to tears, sitting in silence long after the credits, standing in solidarity, and elderly Pākehā apologising for past injustices they were unaware of. "The activation of audiences is the fuel for all storytellers, including myself," she says.
Keynote Speaker - Alice Nash
Investment in the Arts
As the Executive Director of Arts Investment at Creative Australia, Alice Nash oversees all direct investments including strategic multi-year and project funding. Before joining Creative Australia, Alice spent 18 years as the Executive Producer and Co-CEO of Back to Back Theatre in Geelong, a renowned company known for its ensemble of actors with intellectual disabilities. She was also a founding member and Deputy Chair of Theatre Network Australia, serving for nine years. Additionally, Alice has contributed to various policy processes supporting arts and disability practices across Australia.
Keynote Speaker – Emily Writes
How our stories build communities
Enjoy laughter and tears with bestselling author Emily Writes as she celebrates community, love, and the power of our stories.
Emily Writes is a mum of two, a columnist and writer, an activist, and a volunteer. She is the best-selling author of Rants in the Dark: From One Tired Mama to Another which was turned into a stage play that toured Aotearoa. She's the editor of the parenting anthology Is It Bedtime Yet? and her latest book Needs Adult Supervision: Lessons in Growing Up is the long-awaited follow up to Rants in the Dark. Her newsletter Emily Writes Weekly is one of Substack’s most popular parenting newsletters world-wide. She is the director of Awhi Ngā Mātua a not-for-profit community for parents of disabled and medically fragile tamariki. She has an audience on Facebook of 43,000 parents with more than 20,000 in her Instagram community. Recently, she hosted a series: The Courage Club, a podcast for brave chats about our kids, disability, and sexual safety.
Panel Discussion – Facilitator Vic Crockford
Unpacking ‘Telling your stories’
Our panel Libby Hakaraia, Paul Ward and Sophie Handford share how they have captured and communicated their stories and how their messaging has helped influence change.
Victoria Crockford brings over 15 years of experience across Parliament, start-ups, publicly-listed companies, and community organisations. As a Director at a nationwide communications and public relations consultancy and a convenor of an organisation dedicated to ending women's homelessness, she works with clients to create self-determined futures in energy and housing. As a person with low vision navigating a changing disability, she cares deeply about ensuring better outcomes for disabled people and whanau.
Sophie Handford is an activist and politician dedicated to creating positive change and ensuring a brighter, more abundant future for her community and the planet. Serving on the Kāpiti Coast District Council with a focus on Climate & Youth, she acts on her commitment to papatūānuku. Sophie also founded and coordinated a movement of 170,000 New Zealanders demanding climate justice, driven by her vision of flourishing nature, native wildlife, and connected communities.
Workshop - Fraser Carson
Strengthen your organisation through building your online communities
Fraser Carson is the creator of the Connected Communities concept and founding partner of the Flightdec online platform. His work focuses on community and capacity building, leveraging new media technologies to foster stronger, more cooperative communities through the Collective Impact model. With a passion for innovation, openness, and connectivity, Fraser’s career began as a graphic designer and creative art director. Fraser is a Council member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and Flightdec is strategic partner to Arts Access Aotearoa.
In Frasers workshop you'll learn some of the most powerful, yet simple, things an organisation can do to inform and build positive relationships with the people who can support you. The key is in putting your website at the centre of your thinking and activity, and using it to tell people about your stories and happenings. Your creative space can be more sustainable and resilient through connecting with your community of support.
Workshop - Danny Aumua
Telling your story on screen
Danny Aumua, a New Zealand-born Samoan, is a seasoned TV producer, director, writer, and content creator. With over 15 years of experience in the media industry across New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore. Danny currently serves as a videographer and content creator for Arts Access Aotearoa, championing the incredible community that is Creative Spaces Network.
Danny's workshop focuses on capturing your stories via video. He will guide participants through the essential elements of storytelling, from concept development to final production. Attendees will learn practical techniques for filming, editing, and producing compelling video content that effectively communicates their message and engages their audience. Through real-world examples, Danny aims to equip participants with the skills and confidence to tell their stories in a powerful and visually captivating way.
Workshop - Bobbie Gray
Social Media 101
Bobbie Gray is a digital marketer with over five years of experience specialising in creative, multi-platform campaigns. Now with Arts Access Aotearoa, Bobbie develops strategic initiatives to boost the profile of Creative Spaces Network. Also a practicing artist and Director of Comet Project Space, a collaborative group of artists focusing on light-based installations and community activations, her artistic practice reflects a deep commitment to sustainability and environmental consciousness and a dedication to community engagement. She has exhibited internationally and aims to make a meaningful impact on the development of art and artists in New Zealand.
Join her for a Social Media 101 talk to learn how to craft effective digital marketing strategies and understand the intricacies of social media. This beginner’s guide will provide you with the steps necessary to build your digital marketing strategy by learning about the algorithms for each of these social media sites. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the likes, comments, and posts, this guide will answer those questions. By the end, you’ll have the insight needed to build smarter social media marketing campaigns to grow your business or brand.
Virtual attendance at Creative Spaces Conference 2024
In-person registrations to Arts Access Aotearoa’s Ngā Wāhi Auaha Creative Spaces Conference 2024, in Wellington on 22 and 23 August, have closed. However, you can still register to attend the conference virtually. The conference theme is “Hāpaitia i ngā wāhi toi Advocate and amplify”. It will provide participants with insights, tools and ways to profile and advocate for the work creative spaces are doing.
For more info and to register your virtual attendance.
