Wao Aotearoa has officially launched its 2025 Wao Summit - and tickets are available now.

The summit will feature six days of kōrero, films, walking tours, practical workshops, and community events across Wānaka and Queenstown, from October 28-November 2. 

Each summit is dedicated to climate action, system change, and stronger communities, but each year has a new theme.

The 2025 theme is ‘2125 - our journey to the future’, Wao Aotearoa general manager Monique Kelly announced at Thursday’s (August 14) launch event.

“It's us that are leading and making that journey into 2125,” she said.

“We need to be able to know what the steps are that we need to take in order to create that thriving ecosystem in which all life can thrive.”

Monique said this question would underpin all the sessions at this year’s summit.

“Our audience are future generations,” she said. “They're the ones who are going to be judging us and scoring us.

“So we really want to make sure that everything we do is for them.”

The launch event took place at Rhyme X Reason Brewery, and included a presentation by professor Sara Walton, who teaches and researches in the area of sustainability, climate change and business.

Sara will be one of the speakers at the Wao Summit.

Professor Sara Walton of Otago University was a guest speaker at the launch.

Others include Dr Maureen Murphy, who researches food system resilience; Melanie Joan Lloyd, a snowboarder, climate policy advisor and artist; and Dr Carly Green, who has more than 20 years experience in climate change mitigation.

Learn about these speakers, and many more, at the Wao website, where the full programme is now available.

PHOTO: Wānaka App