TEDxUOA

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Cameron Burton

  Cameron has been interested in the power of languages and communication throughout his life - whether it be the language of music, creative writing, or constructed languages like Esperanto. Cameron will speak on how, despite Esperanto being a constructed language, the culture and community created around it exemplifies the experience and benefits of learning any language.

• Dasith Goonatilaka

  Daz Goonatilaka’s journey hasn’t been perfect or predictable. But working with and navigating the ups and downs of ADHD has helped him realise how much growth can come from the moments we don’t plan for. In his TEDx talk, he shares how everyday choices and quiet resilience can create unexpected ripples, and how owning your story can change the way you move through life.

• Kyara Wiriadinata

  As a student at the University of Auckland, Kyara has been involved in several leadership positions, which have ignited her interest in understanding what it means to be a leader. In her talk, Kyara will explore leadership from a new perspective. Not as a title worn by a selected few, but as a choice everyone can make in their daily lives.

• Laura Bates

  Laura Bates is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Environment. She has diverse research interests, with her most recent work being broadly grounded in health geography and housing studies. Laura thoroughly enjoys teaching in various courses in Human Geography and beyond. In her spare time, she is a travel enthusiast and an amateur landscape photographer.

• Rita Tai-Hewing

  Rita works as a self-management education lead for Tamaki Health/Local Doctors and has been facilitating health and wellbeing programs for over a decade. She has given health and nutrition presentations organised by the Goodfellow unit and the auckland faculty of the royal new zealand college of general practitioners. Rita will share her insight and experiences as a leader in the professional healthcare sector. She is passionate about supporting others through their journey in health and wellbeing involving Self-Management education. Building confidence and empowering others to understand their long-term health conditions.

• Vicki Tyler

  Former international president and leadership strategist Vicki Tyler knows what disengagement costs — both personally and professionally. After surviving two near-death experiences, she shares what they taught her about “Corporate Sleepwalking,” the silent epidemic affecting 79% of the global workforce. Blending neuroscience and storytelling, Vicki reveals how curiosity rewires fear, reignites focus, and transforms performance. This talk invites leaders and teams alike to stop counting the minutes — and start making them count.