Online Sunday Seminars
Join us for online (Zoom) seminars covering major issues that many people may want to know more about and / or know what they can do more about.
12 noon Sunday, May 4th, 2025
Topic: New Zealand’s place in the world’s market
Description
As a small trading nation far from our trading partners what are the forces that will shape our trade in the coming years? How might our policies align with the shifts ahead? What might be the challenges and opportunities?
Speaker
Nick Swallow is a Director at KPMG, based in Auckland, where he consults on strategy and sustainability. Before joining KPMG, Nick served as New Zealand’s Trade Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, promoting trade opportunities and strategic relationships in the region. Before this, he held the position of Consul General in São Paulo, Brazil, and was the Regional Director for trade in South America.
Nick's academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Genetics, and a Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Canterbury, where he is recognised as a notable alumni. He recently graduated with a Master's in Sustainability Leadership with distinction from the University of Cambridge, his dissertation was on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in dairy farming in New Zealand. He is interested in the intersection between New Zealand’s trade, long-term economic well-being, and environmental sustainability.
12 noon Sunday, June 1st, 2025
Topic: How Buildings Stand Up (or, Why They Don’t Fall Down)
Description
This talk will break down what you really need to know and worry about if you live somewhere exposed to earthquakes. Come take a crash course in Engineering 101 (no math, promise!), where we will bust some myths about buildings and earthquakes. And most importantly, find out what you can do in your own life about seismic risk. While we will mostly discuss seismic risk in New Zealand, much of the content should be of interest and even relevant to people in any seismic area around the world.
Speaker
Caleb Dunne has built a career where the best-case scenario is that absolutely nothing happens. After studying and practising as a structural engineer in California (USA), he moved to New Zealand to study disaster risk and resilience following the Canterbury Earthquakes in Christchurch. Now based in Wellington (NZ), Caleb is a Principal Advisor in Risk Reduction for the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake, where he brings his experience in engineering and natural hazard risk to reduce the impact of natural hazard events on people and communities.
Accessing the Seminars
The Sunday Online Seminars are open to current Mensa members and invited guests.
For details of how to access the next seminar - link
(link is valid for current Mensa NZ members logged into the website only)
Future Seminars
Seminars will take place from 12-1:30 pm NZ time the first Sunday of every month except January. Topic and speaker details will be provided via Menzed and the Mensa NZ website. New Zealand Mensa members will also be notified by e-mail.
Previous Seminars
April 6th 2025
Topic: How will AI reshape jobs and the job market?
Speaker: Robin Hanson
March 2nd 2025
Topic: Molecular Manufacturing and Microscopic Medical Robots
Speaker: Tad Hogg
February 2nd 2025
Topic: The past, present, and future of AI
Speaker: Hazel Watson-Smith
December 8th 2024
Topic: The intergenerational value of regular population censuses whilst amidst a population storm
Speaker: Len Cook
December 1st, 2024
Topic: Climate change – what’s happening and what do we do about it?
Speaker: James Renwick