From systems to self, this year’s Whiria Ngā Kaha conference keynote sessions bookend the full scope of inclusion.

In our opening keynote, Inclusion as Infrastructure, economist Shamubeel Eaqub challenges us to see inclusion not as a social ideal, but as an economic imperative—one that underpins trust, cohesion and long-term prosperity.

We close with Cam Calkoen, who shifts the focus inward, reminding us that lasting change is built through personal resilience and everyday human moments in his session The Power of Perspective.

Shamubeel, the Chief Economist at Simplicity, is on a mission to make economics easy and fun. He is an author, media commentator and a thought-leading public speaker with two decades of experience in Wellington, Melbourne and Auckland in leading international banks and consultancy organisations.

Drawing on his landmark Helen Clark Foundation research to connect cost-of-living pressure, inequality, and political polarisation to measurable declines in trust and belonging, he will turn the lens on workplaces as the sites where cohesion is either rebuilt or lost.

This session will set the challenge for the next two days of the conference: not whether inclusion matters, but what the evidence says we do next.

In the closing keynote, the focus will shift from the global onslaught to the immediate, tangible influence each inclusion practitioner holds. Cam Calkoen guides the audience through a two-step journey of internal strengthening and external impact.

Cam was born with Cerebral Palsy and told his biggest challenges would be the way he walks and talks. But as Cam says, challenge is in the eye of the beholder and people who see opportunity really do build the dream. Cam's dreams saw him represent New Zealand in athletics, before he used his learnings from the world of sport to become a highly effective charitable fundraiser, a social innovator and a sought-after speaker.

His practical framework for personal sustainability helps weary advocates identify the "dots" of their own journey—the unique strengths, lived experiences, and past victories that form their internal resilience. By reconnecting with their personal "why," participants move beyond the fatigue of conflict and rediscover the durable foundation that allows them to keep showing up for others.

Acknowledging that global trends can feel overwhelming and uncontrollable, Cam pivots the conversation to the one thing practitioners can control: the impact of a single interaction.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear these two exceptional speakers, alongside a full two-day programme of thought-provoking, relevant and practical sessions designed to inform and inspire everyone who goes to work every day to build better, more equitable and more inclusive workplaces across Aotearoa.

Register for Whiria Ngā Kaha Workplace Inclusion Aotearoa now.