Introducing The Play Lab

Keen on learning more about the innovative research happening at academyEX? Connect with us at Converge!

Designed as a dynamic hub to cultivate the research culture at academyEX, Converge is a safe and supportive environment where students, alumni, staff and industry professionals come together to collaboratively discuss and critique research ideas. It’s a great opportunity to learn and unlearn!

Classrooms as Braver Spaces – A Free Webinar for Educators

How can we create braver spaces where students and educators engage in deeper, more meaningful conversations? Join Milla and Kerri for an interactive session where we explore practical strategies for fostering open, courageous dialogue in our classrooms.

• Learn key lessons from research on braver spaces

• Reflect on how to support critical discussions while maintaining respect

• Discuss how to apply these ideas to your own teaching

• Learn how Kerri has applied the idea of braver spaces in her research on dialogic learning, and Milla on gender inclusion

• Discover how the Master of Contemporary Education programme can help you lead change in education

Milla teaches on the DCL and MCE programmes, and Kerri is an alumni, so at the end of the session you can also ask about the scholarships and opportunities available to study with us.

What if road safety wasn’t just a regulation, but a responsibility we all shared?

Fiona McArthur brings this mindset to life. Her Master’s research tackled one of Aotearoa’s most overlooked risks — safety in roadside worksites — and turned it into a blueprint for change. Her work is bold, deeply human, and designed to make sure more workers get home safely each day.

The End of the Non-Player Character Era: Leadership for a World That Won't Wait

We’re living through a climate crisis, cultural division, algorithmic manipulation and business-as-usual politics. In the middle of this pressure cooker, where are the real leaders?

Too many are still stuck on autopilot — playing safe, recycling slogans, clinging to outdated corporate playbooks while the world spins off script.

2025 could be remembered as the year of passive highlights and clickbait leadership — or the year we stopped waiting for someone else to act.

Join Frances Valintine and a panel of disruptive thinkers as they ask the hard questions:

• Why silence in leadership is a luxury we can’t afford.

• Why do boardrooms keep recycling broken strategies?

• And what does real leadership look like in a world that’s tired of pretending?

This is more than a conversation. It’s a call to action.