In this Q&A we catch up with Monique Kelly and Arna Craig, the co-founders of Wao. Both are strong advocates for change at a local level and are the types of people who put theory into practice and words into action.
MK: Born and raised in Invercargill, I’ve worked for a number of years with the International Labour Organisation in Geneva before coming to New Zealand in 2014 to be closer to my parents and give my kids a taste of the kiwi way of life.
MK: It’s almost been a decade since Wao Aotearoa was founded, and next year will be the tenth year of running the Summit. Looking back, my first thought goes to the ebbs and flows of systems change. There have been periods where we as a community have built real momentum and seen glimpses of what collective action can achieve.
You can see that reflected in our local policy documents, from the Climate Action and Biodiversity Plan and Vision Beyond 2050 to the Destination Management Plan. Wānaka has also recently been recognised as one of the country’s leading solar communities, with some of the highest uptake of rooftop solar. There is now a much greater awareness of the challenges ahead, and of the need to act, supported by the many organisations and individuals in this community who have kept these issues visible.
Right now, we are in more of an ebb period nationally and internationally, and that has flowed through to the pace of change locally. While that can be frustrating, these periods also give us time to reflect, consolidate and prepare. Systems change is rarely linear. The important thing is to keep building the relationships, ideas and capability so that when the next window for change opens, we are ready to move. There is still a lot to do.
AC: The theme Resilience in Action really grew out of what we’ve been seeing unfold around us in 2026.
This year has been a powerful reminder of how interconnected and at times fragile our systems are. We’ve seen global shocks across geopolitics, trade, climate, energy and the economy flow quickly through to communities here in Aotearoa. Cost-of-living pressure, uncertainty for businesses, changing weather patterns and increasing pressure on our social and natural systems can feel like very big global issues, but ultimately they land locally in our homes, businesses and communities.
For Wao, that opened up an important question: what does resilience actually look like in practice?
Earlier this year we launched the Wao Resilience Response, bringing local organisations, experts and community groups together to respond to some of the pressures people were experiencing right here in our region. We’ve looked at practical action around transport, food security, energy, mental wellbeing, cost of living and stronger community connections. It showed us that resilience isn’t simply about preparing for something that might happen in the future. It’s about building the systems, relationships, knowledge and capability that help us navigate change now.
That became the inspiration for this year’s Summit.
Resilience in Action is about moving beyond talking about resilience and showing what it looks like when we actually do it. Across business, food, buildings, climate, nature and community, we’re bringing together people who are already testing ideas, creating solutions and approaching some of our biggest challenges differently.
We want people to leave the Summit not feeling overwhelmed by the scale of change, but better equipped to respond to it with greater understanding, practical ideas, stronger connections and, importantly, a real sense of possibility.
Because resilience isn’t about resisting change.It’s about building our capacity to navigate it and shape what comes next.
AC: I think one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is that sustainability and resilience are becoming inseparable.
For a long time, sustainability was often framed around reducing our impact using fewer resources, lowering emissions or protecting the environment. Those things remain incredibly important, but the conversation has broadened. We’re now also asking: how do we build businesses, communities and systems that can adapt and continue to thrive as the world around us changes?
That’s where Resilience in Action comes in.
Many of the challenges we’re facing are deeply interconnected. Climate affects food and infrastructure. Energy affects household costs and business. Housing affects health and community wellbeing. Technology is transforming how we work. Global events can very quickly have local consequences.
But within that interconnectedness is also enormous opportunity. When we create warmer, more efficient homes, we improve health and reduce energy demand. When we strengthen local food systems, we support growers, reduce vulnerability and build community connection. When businesses become more adaptable and resource-efficient, they can be both more sustainable and more resilient.
So this year’s Summit is really about joining those dots.
Resilience in Action asks us to move from understanding the problems to exploring what we can actually do about them. It’s about sharing solutions that are already working, learning from people doing things differently, and giving individuals, businesses and communities practical ways to participate.
For us, that’s where hope comes from. Not from pretending the challenges aren’t significant, but from recognising how much agency we have when people come together, share knowledge and start putting ideas into action.
AC: Choosing the topics was a simple process as each theme is connected to one of the Wao workstreams. We work in these sectors because changing systems thinking within them will lead to the greatest positive climate impact.
AC:
What I’m most excited about this year is the breadth of perspectives we’re bringing together. The Summit isn’t built around one definition of resilience; we’re looking at it through business, science, energy, food, the built environment, nature and community.
Our Te Taiao day really sets the scene by stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, the interconnected systems and planetary boundaries shaping our future. Then across the week we move progressively towards what we can actually do about it.
There are some fantastic people involved. On Food Resilience Day, for example, Dr Melissa Robson-Williams will explore what actually enables transformational change across our food and fibre system; regenerative farmer Amanda Currie will connect soil biology with animal and human health; and Dr Tim Crownshaw from EECA will look at the relationship between food and energy, including opportunities such as on-farm solar and agrivoltaics.
Better Building Day brings together architects, engineers, designers, developers and industry leaders to explore everything from circularity and regenerative design to Māori and Pacific values, nature-positive development and healthier places. Importantly, it doesn’t stay theoretical,the afternoon takes people out to see local projects putting those ideas into practice.
And that’s really the thread running through the whole programme. We’re bringing together academics and researchers alongside business leaders, growers, designers, community organisations and people implementing solutions on the ground.
For me, some of the most interesting conversations happen when those worlds collide. Resilience isn’t going to come from one sector or one big idea. It’s going to come from connecting knowledge, people and practical action and that’s what we’ve tried to create through this year’s programme.
MK: Those of us living now are going through a unique moment in history, where the relative stability of past decades can no longer be taken for granted. If we look at just one strand of the challenges we face, the transition away from fossil fuels, it will fundamentally change the way we work, govern, move, produce food and live.
We have seen this year, with the war in the Persian Gulf, just how dependent our modern industrial system remains on fossil fuels, particularly diesel, as well as the many industrial materials and products derived from them. The communities of 2126, our grandchildren and great grandchildren, will live in a fundamentally different world. The transition between here and there is unlikely to be linear. It will be shaped by changing availability, cost, technology, geopolitics and the choices we make along the way.
That is really at the heart of Journey to 2126. The decisions we make today will shape the options available to people in the future. The project asks us to project ourselves 100 years forward and begin forming a relationship with that future community. What might their world look like? What will they need from us? What might they wish we had done differently?
Once you make that leap in time, it changes the way you think about the actions we take today. The word “journey” is critical to this. We are not pretending we can predict what 2126 will look like, or map a straight path to get there. Instead, it is about questioning the assumptions our current systems are built on, exploring different scenarios, and testing initiatives today that might create greater resilience and adaptability. Ultimately, it is about leaving future generations with more options, rather than fewer.
MK: The future is shaped locally. We can look at challenges like climate change, energy, food security, biodiversity loss and economic uncertainty and feel they are too big for communities to influence. But the local level is where we have the greatest agency.
Local action is important for two reasons. First, this is where systems change begins. When communities start doing things differently, testing new ideas and demonstrating what is possible, that creates momentum that can influence change at a much larger scale.
Second, this is where many of the impacts will be felt. A road closes, food cannot get through, power goes out, or a flood, fire or drought puts pressure on the systems we rely on. How well we respond depends on the relationships, skills, resources and resilience we have built beforehand.
We cannot know what the next 100 years will bring, but we can influence the options available to those who come after us. Acting locally is about focusing on where we have agency and using it.
