Post Capitalist Aotearoa Conference

Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he taught from 1973 to 2008, and is a Visiting Professor in International Affairs at the New School in New York City. Educated at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, he co-founded Democracy at Work in 2012 to promote alternatives to capitalism, including his show Economic Update. He has authored numerous books, including Understanding Socialism, The Sickness is the System and Understanding Capitalism (2024), and is a sought-after lecturer and media contributor.. Wolff lives in New York City with his wife, Dr. Harriet Fraad.
Professor Wolff will be contributing to the conference online.

Grace Blakeley is a staff writer at Tribune Magazine and the author of several books, including The Corona Crash, Stolen and Vulture Capitalism (2024). A former economics commentator for the New Statesman and Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research, she regularly appears in UK and international media on platforms like BBC Question Time, Good Morning Britain, and Piers Morgan Uncensored.

Grace will be contributing to the conference online.

Dr Michael Towsey has a BSc Hons from Auckland University and a PhD from University of Queensland. Over much of his career he has used machine learning methods to explore questions in biology. For several decades, he has also been a student of the Progressive Utilisation Theory (PROUT) due to the Indian philosopher, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. In his talk, Michael will dwell on the impossibility of a mixed welfare-capitalist economy improving the well-being of humanity and planet Earth. He will offer a new approach drawing on proposals of PROUT and heterodox economics.

Richard Wagstaff was elected NZCTU President in 2015. He was previously NZCTU Vice President and National Secretary of the Public Service Association.

Richard began working as a full-time paid union official in 1988 as a researcher. Later he became an organiser, Operations manager and National Secretary of the PSA working in Auckland in the health and disability sectors. Richard has maintained an active role in the health and care and support sector throughout his union career maintaining an active role in national forums and working groups. Richard was also a member of the Fair Pay Agreement Working Group, the Pay Equity working group, co-chaired the NZ tripartite Future of Work Forum and has served as a member of the ILO Governing Body.

Sue Coutts has a long-term interest in community enterprise and zero waste. She was the GM of Wastebusters in Wanaka 2003 - 2020 and supported the development of the Zero Waste Network Aotearoa: Operations, Network Development, Influencing Policy.

Nowadays Sue works on Zero Waste advocacy. This involves building the evidence base, practical tools and relationships that will help Aotearoa NZ make a just transition to a zero waste, zero carbon circular economy. Sue is also on the Waste Advisory Board.

Dada Ravi (Te Arawa) has a background in yoga, meditation, eastern mysticism and social activism.He believes humanity is moving through an historic shift of consciousness that is manifesting as polarisation between progressive and regressive forces. Both the capitalist and communist systems,he claims, are no longer viable and need to be replaced without delay. The formula to do this, is penetrating awareness of the problems (at all levels), integrated, practical solutions and mass mobilisation.Dada will present the social cycle methodology of PROUT (Progressive Utilisation Theory), to better understand the current status of advanced capitalism. He concludes with an exploration of Economic Democracy as being the natural successor to the capitalist and communist systems.

Dr. Makere Stewart-Harawira is a Full Professor in Indigenous, Environmental, and Global Studies in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Canada. An enrolled member of the Waitaha ki Waipounamu iwi and also of Celtic heritage, Makere has been living in Treaty Six territory in Alberta, Canada since 2004. Her work focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems, ethics and values in relation to integrative approaches to ecosystem and human-more-than-human wellbeing, multispecies justice, planetary stewardship and global governance. She contributes as an Expert Member to the IUCN Commission for Ecosystem Management, Social-Ecological Resilience & Transformation.

Prior to moving to Canada, Makere taught post-graduate studies at Te Whare Wananga o Awanauiarangi, Aotearoa, for several years. Her most well-known work is The New Imperial Order, Indigenous Responses to Globalization, republished in 2008. She was a contributing author to Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change​"​, has authored articles and chapters on topics ranging from fresh water governance, biodiversity and multispecies justice, and is the co-author of Maori in the Post-Apocalypse, forthcoming in Civilisational Collapse and Post-Apocalyptic Survival (Ed. M. A. Peters), published by Peter Lang.

Gareth is the Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa, working to redesign the economic system to deliver wellbeing for people and planet. The Alliance comprises a global collaboration of organisations, alliances, movements and individuals working to transform the economic system.

He is an author, frequent political commentator on Radio NZ’s Nine to Noon and chairperson of SAFE. He served for a decade as a Member of Parliament until 2020 and was previously a climate campaigner at Greenpeace.

Gareth acknowledges that in mātauranga Māori, we have an alternative value system focused on collective wellbeing, long-term thinking, and a strong connection to nature

Gerry has over 30 years of experience in organic material recovery and soil reuse, working in government, NGOs, and as a consultant across Australia, New Zealand, and several other countries. He pioneered the City to Soil collection program and refined a composting method focused on community engagement, inspired by M E Bruce and Sir Albert Howard’s agricultural work. His book "The Waste Between Our Ears" advocates for treating waste as valuable resources, emphasizing local community benefits. Gerry is a recognized leader in the International Zero Waste movement.

www.gerrygillespie.net

John has worked at Tui Balms in Golden Bay, since 2007 in many roles including packing & shipping, labelling, invoicing, customer service, production, accounts, retail sales trips, conferences and expos, and general manager. He is currently on the production team and manages stock and labelling overview. John is passionate about the Tui Balms business model and considers himself fortunate to be part of a wonderful co-op in Golden Bay, New Zealand.