What's Up Welly!
Description
Free weekly speaker series with three of Welly's most interesting together for a chat on what they do and what's next.
No stage lights, no keynote pressure - just good conversation and energy.
This week: Eddie Rakanui - hitchhiked 700+ cars around NZ and built a Spotify podcast that hit the Top 10% most shared worldwide.
📍 Level 6, Equinox House, 222 Lambton Quay 🗓 Thurs 13 August 🕔 Doors 5pm, speakers 5.30–6.30pm
Seats strictly limited to 30 — grab a free ticket early, or join the waitlist if we sell out.
We built this because Wellington deserves a reason to get out, hear something good, and leave feeling a more optimistic about what's possible.
Lineup
Eddie Rakanui
Eddie hitchhiked in over 700 cars around NZ - which is either really ballsy or stunningly stupid. Somehow he also created a Spotify podcast that ranked in the Top 10% most shared worldwide. His days look like a kaleidoscope: everything, everywhere, moving all the time. These days he channels that energy into three words — Love Life More. He's an experience gatherer who absolutely loves his life.
Marei Brightwell
Mārei Brightwell comes from a long line of creatives and cultural innovators. He believes in the gravitas of old world indigineity and the importance of cultural integrity. He owns Taihūnuku Limited a kaupapa advisory company and Big Fat Ugly Pearls (BFUP). Both dedicated to questioning status quo norms and accepted beauty standards. He's a specialist in portraiture photography, oratory and the composition of traditional chants. "I'm interested in the human need to create ceremony and ritual to transition from one state to another. I’m also fascinated by the legacies of transmutation and alchemy as manifestations of energy, culture and space across time immemorial."
Mumtaz Parker
Mumtaz Parker is Head of Corporate Services at Water New Zealand, where she leads corporate services, digital transformation, membership, marketing and event initiatives across the water sector. She recently completed her MBA at Massey University and is passionate about leadership, inclusion, and developing future-ready leaders who can navigate complexity, embrace change, and create opportunities for others. Mumtaz is also the author of Betting on a Hijabi, exploring identity, resilience, and leadership as a Muslim woman navigating professional spaces. Through her work and writing, she advocates for inclusive leadership and creating opportunities for underrepresented voices to thrive.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
