2026 Theme: Social Cohesion

Building trust, belonging and collective action in an increasingly diverse Aotearoa.

Brought to you by Leadership Lab and Christchurch City Council, the Leaders for Equity Network is more than a series of events – it’s a growing movement of people committed to creating a more equitable Aotearoa through courageous leadership, meaningful relationships, and collective action.

Leaders for Equity Unconference 2026 invites people from across sectors and communities to explore a timely and important question:

How do we strengthen social cohesion in an increasingly diverse Aotearoa?

We believe that lasting social cohesion isn’t created by asking everyone to be the same. Rather, it emerges when we intentionally create the conditions for people to belong, participate, contribute, and thrive – while honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the richness of our diverse identities, cultures, and lived experiences.

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Join us at this one-day, people-powered gathering to grow courage, deepen connection, and lead equity together.

WHEN: Friday 18 September, 9am-3pm (arrival from 8:30am for a hot beverage & connection)

WHERE: Multicultural Recreation and Community Centre (455 Hagley Avenue, Christchurch Central)

(kai included)

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What to expect:

This isn’t a traditional conference.

In true unconference style, the agenda is largely created by the people in the room.

You’ll have the opportunity to propose discussion topics, vote on the conversations that matter most, and participate in facilitated, participant-led sessions exploring real challenges, emerging opportunities, and practical approaches to strengthening equity and social cohesion.

Together we’ll explore questions such as:

• How do we strengthen trust and relationships across differences?
• What does belonging look like in practice?
• How do we lead for equity in increasingly diverse communities?
• What role do Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Ao Māori play in shaping our shared future?
• How do we move from good intentions to meaningful action?

Expect a day of:

• Meaningful whakawhanaungatanga and relationship building
• Participant-led unconference discussions
• Cross-sector learning and collaboration
• Space for reflection, courageous conversations and collective imagination
• Stories of practice from across Aotearoa
• Plenty of kai, connection, and opportunities to build new relationships

Whether you work in community development, local or central government, education, health, philanthropy, business, iwi, the arts, housing, climate, youth development, or systems change, this is a space to learn with others who care deeply about creating a more equitable and connected Aotearoa.

Topic Submission and Voting Process:

We’re keeping the numbers intimate (around 60-80) to enable deep, relational, and action-focused conversations.

To make the most of our shorter day while still enabling meaningful participation, we’re adjusting the unconference approach slightly. Topics will be gathered in the registration form as part of signing up. If you think of a topic after completing registration, you can email erica@eacuration.space. The deadline for topic submissions is Monday 7 September. Once you submit a topic, a member of our team will be in touch to discuss it further.

After collecting topic ideas, we will open voting to all registered attendees. This way, the unconference remains co-created, and we can maximise the time we have together for meaningful conversations and shared learning.

New for 2026: Introducing Do-Labs

This year’s unconference comes with a twist.

Rather than ending the conversation at 3pm, we’ll finish the day by co-designing a number of Do-Labs: small action-learning groups that participants can choose to join over the following year.

As the name suggests, Do-Labs are about doing, not just discussing.

Together, participants will identify several priority themes that emerge throughout the unconference. Each Do-Lab will bring together people passionate about a shared challenge and committed to exploring practical action together.

What happens after the unconference?

Each Do-Lab will meet three times over the following year (October 2026, February 2027 and June 2027) in informal co-design sessions.

Rather than presentations or workshops, these hui will focus on experimenting, learning, building partnerships and implementing collective action.

Each group will select two facilitators to help convene the process, with Leadership Lab providing support for facilitation, venue, kai and coordination.

Every Do-Lab will determine its own goals and outcomes, but the shared commitment is simple:

Move from conversation to collective action.

We’ll then come back together as a wider network to learn from one another.

• 2027 Leaders for Equity Hui: Do-Labs share progress, insights and challenges.
• 2027 Unconference: celebrating impact, sharing learnings and shaping what comes next.

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This is part of a Social Cohesion series hosted by Leadership Lab and Christchurch City Council.

You’re also invited to:

Saturday 29 August, 9am-2:30pm | Multicultural Ōtautahi: A Collective Imagination Hui

Register: http://forms.office.com/r/SuzitmXDRj

The hui will open with a keynote presentation from economist and commentator Shamubeel Eaqub, who will share insights from the Helen Clark Foundation’s Social Cohesion Report 2026. His contribution will ground the conversation in evidence while opening space for reflection on what these changes mean in our local context.

It is an opportunity to listen, to reflect on lived experience, and to engage with others across differences. It is an invitation to pause and consider not only where we are, but who we want to become as a city – creating space to collectively imagine the future of a multicultural Ōtautahi and the role each of us can play in bringing it to life.

The conversation will not end on the day. Insights, questions and emerging ideas from the hui will help shape the Unconference. The Unconference will then provide a further opportunity to deepen these conversations, explore emerging themes and identify practical pathways for collective action.