Tickle your brain as we tackle the big issues in a series of informal conversations, stitched together by some of New Zealand’s leading thinkers.
MindJam returns this Labour Weekend, presented by Catalyst Trust and the University of Otago Division of Humanities | Te Kete Aronui. Five sessions run across Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026 at Lakes District Museum & Gallery, 49 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown.
Free event. Attendance is free, with koha going to Lakes District Museum’s education programme. Seats are limited, so please register on Humanitix for each session you’d like to attend.
Programme
How do we build a better world?
Friday 23 October, 5:30–7pm
Over centuries our smartest philosophers, writers and social scientists have forged critical tools to tackle our world’s most wicked problems; from climate change to social disruption and beyond. Join our panel of University of Otago experts to explore the insights and essential tools that the humanities offer in this era of massive global challenges.
Session details | Register on Humanitix
‘Teachnology’: Technology and teaching
Saturday 24 October, 11am–noon
Much discussion around tech and teaching assumes people have equal access to, and capability with, technology. But that’s often not the case. What are the possibilities and pitfalls of ‘teachnology’? Dr Fairleigh Gilmour shares lessons learned from teaching ‘low-tech’ in prisons, about what is fundamental to lifelong learning for everyone.
Session details | Register on Humanitix
Tradwives and girlbosses: what can feminism be now?
Saturday 24 October, 1–2pm
The 2020s have given us the manosphere, looksmaxxing, and tradwives. Feminism has a long and necessary history, but in this time of distinct anti-feminism – and ruptures in the movement itself – Dr Peyton Bond asks how can feminism respond to our world today?
Session details | Register on Humanitix
Artificial relationships: in literature as in life?
Sunday 25 October, 11am–noon
What insights can fiction writers – from the classic myths of Ovid to the contemporary novels of Ian McEwan – give us to understand ourselves and how our relationships with AI personas might evolve? Join Professor David Ciccoricco for a discussion of literary takes on AI intimacies, featuring Pygmalion, Narcissus, and ChatGPT.
Session details | Register on Humanitix
New Zealand’s General Election: the global context
Sunday 25 October, 1–2pm
Is New Zealand unique? Are we shielded from dangerous political trends across the globe? Dr Neil Vallelly considers the current political climate in New Zealand within the context of contemporary global politics, showing how we risk becoming plagued by the same divisive and derisive politics affecting other liberal democracies today.
Session details | Register on Humanitix
MindJam sessions are guided by our guest experts, but it is your questions and kōrero that make MindJam magic.
