Archives for June 2015

Winter Festival 2015 is Catalyst’s first anniversary of beginning our quest to bring some sparkle to Queenstown’s collective grey matter. We are celebrating with a calendar of events raising vital public issues – affordable housing and New Zealand’s approach to refugees – ethical drama, illuminating art, high school debate and a Nepal fundraiser.

Make sure you keep up with these and other opportunities through liking our Facebook page and enrolling on our Early Warning System database (go to our “get involved” page). And please get in touch if you, a friend, a colleague or visitor could give our community an opportunity for a brain boost – we would love to give you an audience!

There’s more information on each event on the upcoming events page;

IDEATION BY AARON LOEB – 24th to 29th June. Queenstown’s own ‘guerrilla-style’ Storming Theatre present the first performance outside the US of Aaron Loeb’s intelligent, thought-provoking and darkly comic 2014 thriller about a group of consultants engaged on an ethically dubious project.

LUMA – 24th to 27th June.  Showcasing a group of New Zealand light sculptors in a number of downtown locations, this is Queenstown’s celebration of the International Year of Light.

WAKATIPU HIGH SCHOOL DEBATING WORKSHOP – Saturday, 27 June. Otago University Debating Society holds a Catalyst interactive workshop for our local high school students.

NEPAL TALK AND FUNDRAISER – Wednesday, July 1.  Hear from Wanaka climber Guy Cotter, who was at Camp Two when the earthquake hit, and Queenstown helicopter pilot Jason Laing, who was one of the first on the scene at Everest and rescued more than 100 people off the mountain. Followed by charity auction.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING – THE IM/POSSIBLE DREAM? – Wednesday, July 22.  Catalyst forum presenting four expert speakers on this vital community issue from economic and policy through urban planning, sustainability, alternative model and developer’s perspectives before the floor opens to discussion.  Both community and expert input input to be forwarded to QLDC, the government and local Housing Trust.

STEPPING UP: NZ’S RESPONSE TO THE REFUGEE CRISIS – Saturday, August 1.
NZ takes in 750 refugees a year and this figure hasn’t changed in 25 years. How many refugees should NZ take in? And how does NZ’s resettlement programme stand up to scrutiny? Abridged showing of locally produced documentary plus talks from a refugee and a refugee advocate.

FAITH AND WISDOM IN SCIENCE – Saturday, September 19. Durham University physics professor   Dr Tom McLeish delivers a picture of science as a questioning discipline nested within a much older, wider set of questions about the world.