From streaming services to AI processing, our digital lives are powering a growing environmental impact, generating significant carbon emissions. Join Kyoko Locussol for a forward-thinking session that dives into the often-overlooked ecological cost of the internet. This presentation will highlight how everyday digital activities contribute to this footprint and, crucially, empower you with practical strategies to reduce web related emissions. Learn key design principles and development practices that can dramatically reduce your digital impact, helping us build a more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible online world.

Unfortunately due to a family emergency and international travel this session is no longer able to go ahead. Please feel free to head down to the ground floor for the Design Assembly networking or some food and drink when the prior session finishes.

Join Rachel Sloane (Naveya & Sloane) and Stephanie Post (OCAA) for a conversation moderated by Jen Jones (Founder, NZ Design Week) exploring creativity as vital cultural infrastructure. Together, Rachel and Stephanie discuss their partnership for the Venice Biennale, looking beyond the surface to a collaborative model built on care, trust, and experimentation. The panel examines local organisations’ responsibility to meaningfully support artists and designers on the global stage, reflecting a shared commitment to fostering the creative industry year-round. Discover how these leaders navigate the intersection of process and legacy, advocating for a long-term practice that prioritises deep cultural impact over short-term output.

Join us for The Design Social, a vibrant networking evening facilitated in partnership with Design Assembly. Running from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Shed 10, this event offers the perfect environment to connect with peers over food and beverages from our on-site vendors and pop-up bar. To break the ice, we’ll provide customised name tags designed to spark immediate, meaningful dialogue, alongside cafe tables featuring curated conversation prompts. Whether you prefer informal mingling or participating in our structured speed-networking activities, this session is designed to foster genuine connection and collaboration across the diverse spectrum of the Aotearoa design community. Speaker sessions will be run upstairs in parallel as part of our Design Day Pro programme.

Join global design icon Tom Dixon for a deep dive into the evolution of the industrial aesthetic and the future of creative independence. In this headline keynote, Dixon moves beyond the surface to discuss his career-long experiments in challenging existing models of manufacture and distribution. From self-production to rethinking global supply chains, explore how a restless curiosity for materiality and process can disrupt industry standards. This is a rare insight into the mind of a designer who continuously reinvents how objects are made, sold, and experienced, offering a blueprint for innovation in an ever-changing commercial landscape.

Join Shiv Narandas, Design Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, for an exploration of design as an act of cultivation rather than control. Moving beyond static solutions, Shiv introduces a ‘gardening’ mindset – planting ideas with empathy and allowing collaboration to take root. Drawing on impactful projects, he discusses how cross-pollinating diverse perspectives leads to bold, unignorable work. Discover how embracing unpredictability and ‘composting’ old habits can transform design into a living ecosystem, creating deeply human connections that grow far beyond the initial brief.

Join Olivia Moon (Nodi) and husband Jeremy Moon (Icebreaker, Animals Like Us) for an honest conversation about disrupting tired categories through brand, design, and commercial strategy. Drawing on their recent work launching Nodi into carpet and Jeremy’s experience building Icebreaker Clothing and Animals Like Us pet food into global category-leaders, they’ll unpack how purpose organises everything, from product and brand to business model and market positioning. Discover what it actually takes to challenge established markets, why great product is only the prerequisite, and how design thinking shapes commercial strategy. This is an essential session for anyone building something distinctive in a competitive category.

This session moves beyond static aesthetics to explore design longevity and resilience, addressing how architecture can genuinely support busy, imperfect lives over time. We will examine the critical shift from designing for single moments or fleeting trends to designing for “The Long Middle” – the decades where homes and spaces truly evolve. The discussion will focus on practical strategies for creating flexible, durable, and resourceful environments that absorb the chaos of real life, adapt to changing needs (family growth, aging), and quietly support the physical and emotional wellbeing of their inhabitants. Learn how to design spaces that are not just beautiful, but deeply and resiliently human.

Join us for an exclusive evening soirée to unwind and celebrate with fellow attendees. Enjoy cocktails, conversation, and connections as we celebrate all things design with the support of Lexus. This is your chance to mingle, reflect on the day’s discussions, and toast to the future of design in a relaxed, elegant atmosphere. Access is included in your Design Conference ticket.

Join Bec Snelling (Snelling Studio) and Emma Fox (Studio Emma Fox + Massey University) for a vital dialogue on place-based making in Aotearoa. Bec shares her journey of transitioning a global brand to entirely local, regenerative production, prioritising material integrity and generational longevity. Emma brings her perspective as a researcher and educator, exploring how interdisciplinary collaboration can radically shift existing production frameworks toward sustainability. Together, they examine how combining traditional craft with modern innovation fuels authenticity and elevates our national identity. Discover how a commitment to “The New Local” creates enduring commercial, cultural, and ecological value.

Join journalist and Creative Director of NZ Fashion Week Dan Ahwa and Porter James Founder Joshua Heares (ex-advertising) for a cross-disciplinary fireside chat. They explore the transition from media strategy to tangible product, asking: How does the “editorial eye” for composition and cultural narrative translate to building an enduring brand? This conversation delves into how a love for art, fashion, and the local landscape informs the creation of intentional objects and spaces. Discover how curating the modular wardrobe or the garden demands the same clarity of purpose and commitment to a truly well-designed life.