Ōtautahi In Practice

Heather shares how embracing the senses through being inquisitive with the people and places around us creates long lasting learning. Where this process of opening up to the stories around us creates long lasting emotive memories that increase our depth of knowledge and understanding.

Ben Alder shares his journey of ego detachment, practicing how he shows up in spaces and with people he hasn't met before, and how curiosity is practiced through this process. Ben talks about his personal experience being a modern man in today's society and what this looks like, and shares his vision of a near future. Join us as we hear a story of Ōtautahi in Practice.

Natasha brings her knowledge and experience about slowness, how this is needed for us as individuals and for society, and the many ways we can practice this in our day-to-day. We hear how she balances traditional learning with being guided by intuition, and the tension between the two. We also hear about Unchatter, and how collective responsibility while recognizing the individual is held in spaces that Unchatter holds.

Atarau takes us through his experience of navigating leadership roles, governance, and a startup company in Ai. He shares what this means for him, and how he's found himself in these roles and what they mean for the future of Ōtautahi and beyond.

Lottie talks about her experience with Kung Fu, her upbringing, and the collaborations that she's involved in that have ripple effects across the city. Lottie is in a unique position of working with the CWEA which provides opportunities for lifelong learning to be practiced, through this, Lottie has a finger on the pulse of the ways in which curiosity is encouraged in the everyday.

Jenna describes her learning experience and the intentional steps she's made to expand her perspectives; whether this is through studying at University of Canterbury, or volunteering at Richmond Community Garden. She has a variety of spaces, places and experiences she has come to know by learning how to step outside her comfort zone. Shout out to Richmond Community Garden, Riverlution Café, and University of Canterbury that are mentioned during the conversation.

Kai shares a learning journey that delves into belonging, connectedness, and the power of people and place. We learn how a nomadic lifestyle shifts to intentionally deepening ties to Ōtautahi and the challenges and opportunities this has presented. You can contact Kai and find out more about what he's involved in at https://www.subtledream.com/

Tarryn's journey in Ōtautahi shows how asking for help and guidance from others has positive and cultural impacts that extend far beyond the initial question and act. We hear how through seeking out knowledge and experience from others changes perspectives, creates and strengthens cultural movements, and uplifts the people place around us. Tarryn mentions Humans Of Christchurch Ōtautahi, Unchatter, and a fornightly waiata event which can be found on kko.nz. If you missed Episode 12 with Kai Jonathan Lee, please head to PlainsMedia to hear his episode as this will not be airing on Spotify.

Nina talks with us about her experience founding Tagata Moana and the learning that took place prior to this in order for a STEAM organization that works with Pacifica to provide learning for others. We hear how Nina views herself and the spaces she's passionate about, the future of our city as led by the knowledge and experience that she holds. As we come into the new year, we finish with a challenge for listeners.

Join Erica & Sam every 10 episodes to take some time to reflect upon the learning experience of beginning a podcast show, the themes guests have raised, the Ako Ōtautahi perspective, and how we are encouraging curiosity to flourish.

Alice Dimond brings a wealth of knowledge regarding systemic change and futures thinking. We discuss how learning takes place for her, the intricacies of Aotearoa cultural landscape and how we are able to facilitate curiosity in ourselves and each other. Diving deep, and going big picture in the course of this conversation, we celebrate Ōtautahi and the breadth of experience we hold and catch glimpses of the future of our city together with Alice.

We share a conversation and reflective moment with Stephanie Defregger, who is on a mission to transform profile images of strong wahine, one by one. She is working on an exhibition "women of impact". Learning, that authenticity is essential and not a luxury in a world that tells us to be like everyone else. Through this experience, Stephanie shares how she makes space for learning and how this stems from her childhood experiences.

Zoë has a unique combination of lived personal and family experience of the hearing difference community, as well as clinical and academic perspectives on hearing. She loves being part of the Ōtautahi social enterprise ecosystem and working collaboratively to make positive changes.

Hana is a somewhat recent addition to Ōtautahi Christchurch and she shares her perspective of the cultural differences and approaches that are taken to learning, both in her personal life and in the position she holds at NZ Study Careers. We discuss how learning takes place in her studies at Ara and through her endeavor to understand what it means to have grown up in Japan and now live in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Caroline brings a wealth of knowledge regarding sustainability and through her business acumen (Sustainability 360) has been learning how to navigate what it means to run her own business. Charing anecdotes of learning through being a mother, businesswomen, and early education, the picture that Caroline provides is varied and dynamic. BCorp is mentioned and we encourage listeners to search that up to provide context for some discussion items.Let us know what you think! :)

Idoia shares her learning experience working with the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) and how this has opened up pathways of working with her sons school to facilitate creativity in a business context. Idoia's empathy and passion for encouraging curiosity is highlighted through her story of learning in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Thomas discusses the impacts of growing up in a recovering city and his experiences post earthquakes that have informed his interests in community development and advocacy. Join us as we get a glimpse of our city through a young persons lens who is interested in policy and how that's implemented through design.

Pia Titus from PlainsMedia discusses how her past learning experiences with facilitating activity based learning has shaped her approach and ethos when in a people centred environment. We are lucky to have Pia on board the show before she leaves PlainsMedia, to travel for a couple of months and begin the next chapter of her life.

Amy Knudsen (she/her) brings us on her own learning journey, how this has shaped her and her views and approaches to life. Amy's story shows how the people in her life through different stages, events and experiences have been crucial to the work and way of being she holds now. And that the love that Amy holds for people extends to future generations through the work she does with Tokona te Raki.

In this very first episode of Ōtautahi in Practice, cohosts Sam Woolf and Erica Austin introduce the kaupapa behind the podcast and share their own learning stories.Together, they unpack why learning matters, how curiosity shapes their work, and why they’re choosing to amplify the voices of everyday Learning Champions and Ambassadors across our city.This episode sets the tone for what’s to come: real, reflective, and hopeful stories that celebrate learning in all its messy, powerful forms. Featuring themes of:Learning in communityCuriosity as practiceSystems change and storytellingBuilding a learning city---What’s your learning story? We’d love to hear it. Contact us at [email protected] and checkout Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Christchurch.Thanks to Plains Media (for making this a reality), The Response (intro and outtro soundtrack) and Peanut Productions (for our photo).

Welcome to our show Ōtautahi In Practice!Curious about Ōtautahi Christchurch as a Learning City?Tune in with Sam Woolf and Erica Austin on Ōtautahi in Practice, where we sit down with Learning Champions and Ambassadors to discuss how we can shape Ōtautahi Christchurch as a city where learning is equitable, accessible and innovative for all.Ōtautahi in Practice, a show proudly brought to you by Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Christchurch. We’re working to make learning more equitable, accessible and innovative for everyone in Ōtautahi Christchurch NZ.This podcast is proudly brought to you by Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Christchurch and PlainsMedia. We’re powered by a diverse network of educators, businesses, community groups, iwi, local government, and individuals—all working together to make learning accessible, innovative, and meaningful for everyone in Ōtautahi.We act as a connector, aligning efforts, sharing resources, and amplifying impact. By bringing people and ideas together, we strengthen the bonds that shape our city and ensure every initiative contributes to a bigger, shared vision.If this sparked a memory of your own learning journey or reminded you of someone who is a learning champion and ambassador, we’d love to hear it! Please contact us through [email protected].