Ko Tāua Tāua. Ko Tāmaki Makaurau Tātou.           

Together weaving a thriving taiao

1 - 3 May 2026 | Ōrākei Marae

You’re invited to a three-day wānanga for collective climate action in Tāmaki Makaurau

This is a rare whole-system gathering of people from across Tāmaki Makaurau - communities, mana whenua, rangatahi, business, government, researchers, advocates, funders and many others - to explore how we work together for a thriving taiao and future generations.

Over a three-day Future Search, we will weave relationships, deepen understanding, and shape pathways for collective action grounded in place, partnership and shared responsibility.

Why we are gathering

Tāmaki Makaurau is facing growing climate impacts alongside rapid change - widening inequities, shifting political and funding landscapes, and increasing pressure on communities and organisations. These challenges are interconnected, and no single group can meet them alone.

Ko tāua tāua. Ko Tāmaki Makaurau tātou.

Auckland’s climate action ecosystem is rich, committed, and diverse. At the same time, many are also carrying strain, fragmentation and fatigue.

This wānanga is an invitation to come together across sectors, generations, and knowledge traditions to:

  • weave a shared picture of the whole climate action system of Tāmaki Makaurau

  • strengthen relationships and trust

  • recognise and build on leadership already present

  • identify pathways for shared action that can endure beyond any single project, organisation, or political cycle

Building on the kaupapa of the Auckland Climate Festival, this gathering will create space to pause, connect and renew collective energy and direction.

Future Search has been chosen as a convening process that supports people to co-create shared pathways forward together.

Who will be there

This wānanga aims to get the whole system in the room by gathering a cross section of voices with a stake in Auckland’s taiao. In the room will be 90 people who bring the voices of:

  • Mana whenua and mātauranga Māori

  • Future generations

  • Business, industry & infrastructure

  • Community & lived experience

  • Advocacy & activism

  • Arts, creativity & storytelling

  • Climate practitioners & researchers

  • Funding & finance

  • Local and central government

All voices have a role and an important perspective to bring.

A bright, sun lit conference room full of people sat in groups of four, some at tables and some in circles of chairs engaged in discussion with one another.

What to expect

This is not a conference. It is a Future Search - a wānanga focused on weaving pathways and practical steps for the future of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Over three days we will:

  • Build relationships and grounding in place

  • Map the past, present and future of climate action in Tāmaki Makaurau

  • Share perspectives, realities, and knowledge

  • Identify areas of shared purpose and common ground

  • Commit to pathways of shared action going forward

The process also draws on Haumanu, tikanga-led facilitation and systems practice.

A row of people sitting in chairs at an event listening intently to a keynote speaker (who is not pictured). The image focuses on Johnnie Freeland, a smiling Māori man with tā moko tattoo on his face and Michelle Reynolds, a smiling Pākehā woman.

Event details

Dates: 1 - 3 May 2026 (high energy maramataka)

Location: Ōrākei Marae

Format: Three-day Future Search wānanga

Participation: By invitation only to ensure the whole system is in the room with a balance of perspectives. Full participation across all three days is essential.

Official invitations will be shared in February 2026.

Your invitation cannot be transferred to another person.

If you’ve received a Save the Date invitation by email, please complete the form below to tell us if you’d like to receive a full invitation or if we should offer your spot to someone else.

RESPOND
An image of the Auckland skyline, including the Sky Tower in the background with Auckland's famous bright pink cycle path in the foreground and a collection of cyclists on different types of bikes all cycling towards the city.
A zoomed in photo of the Auckland Climate Festival logo on a sign at an event.

Who is hosting

This wānanga is hosted by Co- Aotearoa, in collaboration with a diverse Wānanga Steering Group of mana whenua, cross-sector climate champions and emerging leaders.

Co- Aotearoa was born out of the Auckland Climate Festival. We’re a non-profit dedicated to fostering regenerative climate action through collaboration and systemic change.

By bringing together communities, iwi and hapū, organisations and industries, we aim to support a coordinated, whole-of-society response that builds unity, hope and long-term resilience for people and te taiao. 

Steering Group

  • Photo of Johnnie Freeland. A Māori man with black hair and tā moko tattoo on his face, standing in front of a blurred background of ocean and trees.

    Johnnie Freeland

    NGAATI TE ATA WAIOHUA

  • Photo of Sterling Ruwhiu, a Māori woman with long black hair in a pony tail standing in front of a bright green roller door.

    Sterling Ruwhiu

    BEAUTIFICATION TRUST

  • Photo of Sei Brown, a Pasifika man with a wide smile, black hair and black glasses standing in front of a bright blue background.

    Sei Brown

    WAIUKU ZERO WASTE

  • Photo of Jay Crangle, a Pākehā woman with a wide smile, blonde hair and black glasses, standing in front of a blank white background.

    Jay Crangle

    SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS COUNCIL

  • Photo of Alec Tang, a man of East Asian appearance wearing a blue suit and white shirt, with black glasses standing on front of a grey background.

    Alec Tang

    KPMG

  • Photo of Agustín Soto, a Colombian young man with wide smile, brunette hair and a short beard standing in front of some blurred olive trees.

    Agustín Soto

    YOUTH CLIMATE COLLECTIVE / BECA

  • Photo of Christina Leef, a Māori and Pasifika woman with a closed mouth smile and long Māori design earrings standing in front of a background of wooden panels.

    Christina Leef

    AUCKLAND COUNCIL

  • Photo of L'Rey Renata, a Māori woman with an open mouth smile, dark hair and long black earrings standing in front of some indoor plants.

    L'Rey Renata

    MĀTĀTAHI TAIAO

  • Photo of Rāwinia Wikaira, a young Māori woman with a closed mouth smile, black wavy hair out around her shoulders and standing in front of some blurred trees.

    Rāwinia Wikaira

    MĀTĀTAHI TAIAO

Facilitators

The wānanga will be guided by trained Future Search facilitators, each bringing an important lens:

Miranda Cassidy-O’Connell (tangata tiriti facilitator)
Future Search Aotearoa, Centre for Social Impact

Frederick Wilson (tangata whenua facilitator)
Pare Hauraki, Pare Waikato, Tāmaki Makaurau & Muriwhenua

Arohanui West (rangatahi facilitator)
Te Arawa whānui, Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Centre for Social Impact

Photo of Miranda Cassidy O'Connell, a Pākehā woman with red hair, a big smile and red lipstick. She is wearing a large twist shape pounamu necklace and standing in front of a plain white background.
Photo of Arohanui West, a young Māori woman with dark brown hair, wearing a bright red blazer jacket and with a hei tiki shaped pounamu pendant around her neck, standing against a grey background.
Photo of Fred Wilson, a Māori man with black hair pulled back into a pony tail and a moustach and goatee, wearing a black jacket standing in front of a blurred background of trees.

The ways we show up together now will shape the future our mokopuna inherit.

FAQs

  • To ensure a balanced mix of voices, perspectives, and knowledge traditions. The Future Search process requires diversity across age, identity, role, sector, lived experience and connection to place.

  • You’ve been invited to the wānanga as you, the person, at the intersection of all your identities, communities and organisational affiliations. Your invitation cannot be transferred to someone else. If you’d like to suggest someone else to add to the invitation list, please email lydia@co-aotearoa.org.

  • Yes. The Future Search process is designed for all participants to be present for the entire three days. We’ve planned the event over Fri-Sun to have less impact on your mahi. If you can’t make the entirety of 1-3 May, unfortunately we ‘ll need to make your spot available to someone who can.

  • No, there is no fee to attend the wānanga thanks to the support of our funders. If you would incur additional costs to attend the wānanga (e.g. travel, childcare, accessibility) which may prohibit your attendance, please contact lydia@co-aotearoa.org to discuss possibilities for support.

  • We’ve been guided by mana whenua and the maramataka in choosing wānanga dates. 1-3 May will be Rāmere Ōturu, Rāhoroi Rākaunui, Rātapu Rākaumatohi - all high energy times great for wānanga and a good time for reflection and planning for the new year ahead of Matariki.

  • This is a participatory event. You’re invited to bring your perspectives, your knowledges and your community and whakapapa connections into the room. There will be no guest speakers, no slide shows, no ‘audience’. This will be three days of wānanga, sharing, reflecting, dreaming and co-creating in smaller and larger groups with plenty of time to connect (or have some alone time) in the breaks.

  • Through the Future Search process a series of co-created action plans will emerge from the wānanga to be jointly owned and taken forward by attendees. Co- Aotearoa may support the implementation of action plans (if needed) but these will be created by the Auckland climate action ecosystem, for the Auckland climate action ecosystem. We also aim for the ecosystem to emerge from the wānanga more connected, more hopeful and more energised.

  • If you’re seeing this webpage but haven’t directly received an invitation from Co- Aotearoa and feel your voice or organisation should be in the room, please get in touch. The Steering Group will review expressions of interest as spaces allow.

  • Future Search is a participatory method that brings a “whole system into the room” to build common ground and commit to action. It emphasises collaboration, common ground, and working with difference.

    Find out more here.

  • The Future Search process deliberately centres relational safety, tikanga, and mana-enhancing practices so participants can listen and work across difference with care. It’s important to us that you’re able to participate as fully and easefully as possible. Please share any specific accessibility and inclusion needs with our Project Lead, Lydia, at lydia@co-aotearoa.org.