Friends at Five Thirty

Join us for a fun, inspiring, and insightful evening at our second Friends at Five Thirty for 2025! This special event is designed to bring our community together and showcase the incredible talents and stories of people from within it. 

Date: Thursday, 29 May

Event Schedule:

• 5:30 - 6:00pm: Drinks and canapés
  Enjoy mingling with fellow guests over delicious drinks and canapés.
• 6:00 - 7:00pm: Speakers
  Each of our speakers will take the stage for around 15 minutes, followed by a panel Q&A. 

Speakers:

• Amanda Dorset - The 'Dorset' in 'Wilson & Dorset' – Rangi Ruru alumna, Amanda, founded Wilson & Dorset in partnership with her partner, Ben Wilson. She originally qualified as a lawyer, before moving into management consulting. Her “slightly weird” obsession with wool developed during her years as a marketer at Icebreaker, in the early days of the now-iconic clothing brand. Amanda is committed to redirecting beautiful sheepskin resources from the waste stream and turning it into products that help people reconnect to nature and to themselves.
  
  
• Aaron Jay – As CEO of Monarch Platform, current Rangi Ruru parent Aaron leads a group that integrates workforce management, technology, and industry expertise, with innovative and ethically minded business support systems. Monarch Platform began with the flagship of its group, Hortus, which now employs over 1,600 specialists across New Zealand, delivering high-quality labour and operational excellence in viticulture and horticulture.
  
  
• Charlotte Glass – As the Managing Director and founder of Agri Magic Ltd, a farms system consultancy business, Rangi Ruru alumna, Charlotte supports farmers in meeting their environmental obligations and future proofing their farm system design. Charlotte believes that New Zealand farming is in a beautiful position to leverage the fundamental principles of agricultural science, along with the broader connection with nature, to set farmers up now for success well into the future.
  

Ticket Information:

• Price: $15 per person (includes drinks and canapés)
  

A huge thank you to our Friends at Five Thirty sponsor, Sotheby's International Realty. 

We look forward to seeing you there!