THEWARROOM

This year’s Auckland Arts Festival asks a bunch of messy, knotty questions – about the stories we tell, the impact they have, and whether there are voices too dangerous to be heard. We’ve invited The Pantograph Punch – an online arts and culture journal featuring intimate artist profiles, unexpected histories, and provocative essays – to respond to the Festival programme with a series of curated talks.

THE WAR ROOM
This International Women’s Day, we’re gathering some of the most exciting, inspiring, and provocative voices in our city to set the agenda – and we’d like you to be part of the conversation.

Hosted by Johanna Cosgrove, you’re invited to an intimate breakfast where you’ll be seated with one of 20 guests to discuss a question they’re grappling with: in their fields, their lives, and their city.

Our powerhouse speakers include Miriama Kamo, Tracey McIntosh, Amber Curreen, Jackie Clark, Aych McArdle, Chelsie Preston Crayford, Sarah Longbottom, Dr Teah Anna Lee Carlson, Grace Stratton, Ilana James, Leah Pao, Alison Mau, Alice Canton, Karamia Muller, Juliet Gerrard, Kolokesa U. Māhina-Tuai, JessB, Sacha Judd and Ranjna Patel. 

Please note: each table has a maximum capacity of nine guests and seats will be allocated at the event.
Breakfast included

"It’s incredibly exciting to be working with AAF on this series, and to be presenting so many voices we admire: smart voices, angry voices, playful voices, and all of them captivating. We hope to see you there." The Pantograph Punch

Tables are arranged by questions and places at each table are limited. To help you plan your experience, select from the following questions. We recommend you choose back-up options in case your first choice table is full:
The tyranny of low expectation: How do we encourage excellence in an 'unexcellent' society?
What type of society would we need to make prison abolition possible?
As wāhine, how do we stop doing the shit work and get to the good stuff?
What about that white man violence? Pākehā males are the biggest perpetrators of domestic abuse in Aotearoa — so why aren't we talking about it?
What does inclusive feminism truly look like?
Why is parenting still so gendered?
How do we find the courage to be vulnerable, and what does it take to hold space for others to do the same?
When someone or something betrays us, how do we heal?
We know about tech's diversity problem - but how do we see all the invisible ways it's shaping our world?
How do we stop our country from producing (and perpetuating) homelessness?
How are we going to keep our queer babies safe?
After the storm - what next for #metoo?
What do we do about our aging population?
Are safe online spaces a pipe dream?
How do we change our relationship to plastic?
How do we genuinely make Tāmaki Makaurau the diverse city it claims to be?
How do we navigate cancel culture (cultural boycotts) as creatives?
Is 40 too late to change everything? What happens when you realise the career you’ve built isn’t the one you want?
How do we help our children become resilient to prejudice and bullying?