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'Walking the Talk' on Sustainability - the EcoWarehouse

Their goal is to reduce waste and limit the harm “conventional” items may have on our planet. I agree with their belief that if each person does their best to work within their ability, together we can reduce our impact on the Earth significantly. We only have one planet. We have to look after it. ...

Franklin Tree Crops Association - shows us how to be part of the food system - not just a consumer at the end of the supply chain

Food forest, classroom, demonstration area, experimental growing lab, community garden club, there's a lot going on at Franklin Tree Crops Association in Pukekohe Auckland. I joined the group because I wanted to meet serious gardeners and it was the only serious gardening club in the Franklin/North Waikato area I knew of....

When I see women like me I know they have power they are not aware of. I try to help empower women, make them aware of their own power. Interview with Chitra Bansal

Chitra Bansal is one of the smartest, hardest working, driven, and generous people I know. She is an entrepreneur. A woman who dreams of making the impossible possible. We are very grateful to her for donating several boxes of beautiful fabric to the festival from her interior furnishings business Gargi Home Furnishings. Chitra has a zero-waste business policy and donates material left over from her business projects for many people and groups to benefit from. You often hear people say 'I w...

The importance of making a safe space for youth - Interview with Faith Crosbie Revive Wellness Business Owner

Faith Crosbie is living proof you can do anything in life no matter how young or inexperienced you are, if you're prepared to put the hard yards in and be persistent. At 18 years old Faith is already a hard working entrepreneur with a healthy work ethic, who attributes much of her success to the communication and leadership skills she learnt at Toastmasters. She started her business at 16 years old. At 18 Faith is a poised, professional, confident, highly creative business woman determined ...

I definitely believe that having confidence unlocks the true potential of that person to fully provide the most value back to the community. Interview with Vincent Chan

1.     Tell us about yourself please. Who are you?Born in NZ and raised in South Auckland by my parents who came here from China in the 1980s. My background is in IT and currently working in the project management space. I'm a father of two boys and my life purpose is to bring ideas to life that help people and organizations get ahead and do great things2.     Toastmasters is primarily about education, acquiring leadership and communication skills. Why did you ...

Tālofa lava ma fa’afetai tele mo lo’u avanoa (Greetings in Samoan, and thank you). Interview with Jane Stephen

1. Tell us about yourself, please. Who are you?Tālofa lava ma fa’afetai tele mo lo’u avanoa (Greetings in Samoan, and thank you for this opportunity). My name is Jane Apoiliu Stephen, and I am the youngest daughter of Tagaloa John Brough and Tausili Itagia Brough. I was born in the village of Salelavalu, Savaii, Samoa, and my family migrated to Aotearoa, New Zealand, on a Polynesian Airlines waka in 1991. Some random facts about me so you know the kind of crazy you’re dealing with: 1...

The Art of Oratory - Interview with Pokeno Toastmasters Mentor Mike Diggins.

The spoken word is powerful. Dynamic. Elegant. Electrical. Oratory was once considered one of the highest arts in Maoridom, in Pasifika, and many other cultures around the world. The Greeks considered Oratory the highest art of all - a virtue, so did the Irish. Throughout history the art of weaving words persuasively to sway others has been so respected it sometimes gave God-like powers to the speaker, who used those powers for good or evil. I love great Oratory. Sadly I believe Orator...

Sustainable Art - Raranga - The Magic of Harakeke - Kaiako Amber Fonua

Contemporary artists practicing indigenous art forms like Raranga, (plaiting or hand weaving without a loom) using harakeke in New Zealand, are part of an indigenous art revival that inherits ancient art processes thousands of years old. Raranga is an authentic sustainable art genre which uses the most natural of all ethically sourced New Zealand materials, harakeke, and the lowest impact art practices to produce beautiful refined art that genuinely resonates with the sustainability ethos. ...

Gardening is an art form - Jane Crosbies garden Atea - the artists garden

Large or small, they can be charming, eccentric, controversial even. But every garden is beautiful in its own way, has it's own unique personality and character, its own story to tell. As our private sanctuaries our gardens are magical spaces which bring us the benefits and delights of relaxation and beauty, and let nature soothe our souls. I believe gardening is indisputably an art form, one of the most difficult, because gardens are living works of art, constantly growing, changing, evolv...