Connecting community through critical thinking and curiosity-fed conversations
CATALYST TRUST is a small and passionate charity dedicated to inspiring curiosity, critical thinking and community engagement in the Whakatipu Basin.
Catalyst offers opportunities to learn about and explore ideas affecting our world, now and in the future, and to encourage knowledge sharing and democratic participation in our community. We promote and facilitate informed dialogue on important public issues.
Since 2014, we have been running discussions, debates, and workshops about issues from nanotechnology to North Korea, disinformation to climate change, te tiriti/treaty principles to housing (un)affordability, how our brains work to formation of the International Criminal Court, with experts from around New Zealand and the world.
We share these opportunities directly with local high school students, holding workshops and discussions at schools when we can. We also give them the opportunity to build civic participation skills by helping coordinate Catalyst events – even taking part in workshops with a professional journalist so they can be part of our Catalyst Mayoral Candidate Forum panels.
Accessibility is a primary Catalyst Trust value, so there is neither membership nor entry fee. We welcome koha, which we donate to local community groups or charities related to the event’s topic or speaker. We multiply this impact through the generosity of our speakers, our trustees and volunteers, and local venues, supporters and media. We have a strong following on both Facebook and our website database.
Catalyst Trust:
• Leads and supports events featuring prominent New Zealand and international thinkers and works with conference organisers to access keynote speakers’ expertise and knowledge for our community.
• Collaborates with others in holding discussions and workshops on important public issues, and alerts our community to similar events being held by other groups.
• Bolsters opportunities for informed community input to the democratic process and supports open, community-led discussions on the future we want to create together.
• Supports and encourages the participation of local youth in learning about important public issues and participating in our community and democracy.
• Works alongside New Zealand universities and national and international institutions to encourage outreach in Queenstown.
• Initiated the Whakatipu Lilliput Library network in 2016, with each of these community book swapping hubs then being cared for by its own kaitiaki/guardian.
• Fosters a community that encourages the exchange of ideas and knowledge.
• Supports Treaty Principles through meaningful engagement and inclusion of mātauranga Māori.
We thank our community for its support, as well as the organisations and individuals who contribute their time, resources, expertise and enthusiasm to Catalyst events, sharing our commitment to informing and challenging minds and provoking discussion about local issues and beyond.