Impact Snapshot
April 2025
In this Impact Snapshot, read about EHF Fellows in action creating economic, environmental and social impact, plus recent recognitions and awards they’ve received.
Fellows in action 🎬
Marc Mitchell has become the majority owner of the New Zealand Breakers, Aotearoa NZ’s professional men's basketball team. Partnering with Kiwi investors, Marc’s vision for the club prioritises community engagement, fan experience, and long-term sustainability. His leadership aims to ensure the Breakers remain a force in New Zealand basketball while deepening their role as a pillar of the local sports community.
Marc’s investment, paired with local investors, highlights the positive impact of foreign investment from Fellows into NZ. By bringing in external capital, Marc is helping to boost the club's financial stability and growth, contributing to the wider economic landscape
In a statement, Marc said: “The Breakers are a special part of the fabric of sport in New Zealand and I am honoured to be in a position to help the team thrive on the court, and be a true leader in the community.”
Justin Milano continues to support founder and investor wellbeing in Aotearoa NZ through Abroad, a transformational leadership programme designed to support sustainable success.
Now entering its fifth year, Abroad helps leaders recalibrate, prevent burnout, and reconnect with their purpose, combining neuroscience, Māori wisdom, and community support. With over 250 participants to date, the programme looks to strengthen New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem by empowering leaders to lead with clarity, resilience, and authenticity.
The 3-month programme for 2025 runs from 8 May to 31 July, and is subsidised 75% by Callaghan Innovation, NZGCP and NZTE, with support from AANZ to raise awareness and facilitate the programme across the investor and startup community.
Hillary Laureate Aimée Christensen is convening the 10th Annual Sun Valley Forum, themed ‘All In For Nature: Building a Resilient World’, bringing together global leaders, innovators, and changemakers to catalyse transformative solutions for nature and planetary resilience.
Taking place in June 2025 at Sun Valley, Idaho, the Forum is a high-impact gathering focused on driving systemic change at the intersection of climate, community, and innovation. It will explore themes such as valuing nature and catalytic capital, transforming food and energy systems, and shifting culture - grounded in indigenous knowledge, intergenerational leadership, and inclusive participation.
By creating this space for cross-sector collaboration, Aimée is demonstrating visionary leadership to build a more sustainable and regenerative future, while nurturing connection and community.
Fellows, Laureates, and friends of the EHF community are invited to attend and can use the code SVF25 for a special discount.
Amy Armstrong and Jade Taylor-Tang helped to facilitate Storytelling for Systems Change: A Breakfast with Thea Snow & Co., a two-part event focused on the power of storytelling to drive systems change.
Amy partnered with ThinkPlace New Zealand to bring Thea Snow (Regional Director for Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand at the Centre for Public Impact) to Wellington and Auckland, where she shared insights from her research, ‘Storytelling for Systems Change’, on how storytelling can shape policies, mobilise communities, and address complex challenges.
Jade co-hosted the Auckland event, engaging with local changemakers to explore how narrative can influence decision-making, amplify community voices, and create lasting impact.
Through their collaboration on these events, Amy and Jade are helping to foster a deeper understanding of how storytelling can be a catalyst for social innovation and systems change in Aotearoa NZ.
Florence Van Dyke, as part of the NZTE sustainability team, helped to bring together 30 businesses for the ‘Leadership for Good’ event, focused on leadership in exports and sustainability in 2025.
Fellow EHF Fellow Latesha Hearth was also a speaker, sharing her expertise on sustainability and business innovation, including the challenges and setbacks she has faced. Her openness about the realities of business help to create a space for meaningful connection and honest insights.
By facilitating these types of conversations, Florence and Latesha are helping NZ businesses confront sustainability challenges head-on, aiding a culture of openness and learning that supports the future of New Zealand’s export and sustainability landscape.
Kia Kotahi Ako, an alliance of EHF Fellows - currently being led by Bex De Prospo Carr - visited Tolaga Bay in collaboration with Fellows Lily Stender and Thabiso Mashaba, to deliver the ‘Introduction to Solar Technologies Skills Builder Course’, the first of four community workshops taking place in Tairāwhiti during April and May.
Participants gain hands-on experience in building and testing stand-alone solar systems, creating prototypes to tackle real-world energy challenges, and developing sustainable solutions for their communities. The initiative is supporting local communities to address energy needs while contributing to broader sustainability goals in Tairāwhiti.
This collaboration showcases the power and potential of the Fellowship, bringing together Fellow expertise to equip communities with essential skills in renewable energy.
Petr Lom and Corinne van Egeraat continue to explore boundary-pushing approaches to storytelling with the recent world premiere of their latest documentary, The Coriolis Effect.
Set in Cape Verde, the film invites audiences to experience a non-human-centred perspective, where sea turtles, storms and centipedes take narrative focus - challenging dominant paradigms and shifting how we perceive our relationship with the planet.
The film received a Special Mention at the Oscar-qualifying Movies that Matter Festival in Germany. It extends Petr and Corinne’s signature approach to storytelling, where nature takes centre stage and the interconnectedness of all life forms the core narrative.
Their previous film, I Am The River, The River Is Me - a powerful journey down New Zealand’s Whanganui River, the first river in the world to be granted legal personhood under Māori guardianship - continues to resonate globally. It will screen on Air New Zealand’s inflight entertainment starting this June, and is currently touring German cinemas with Petr and Corinne hosting special Q&As.
Both films are helping to shift how audiences engage with climate justice and environmental interconnectedness - demonstrating Petr and Corinne’s transformative storytelling to challenge perspectives and inspire change.
Shannon Service, Alex Lee and Dan Shanan have launched Impact Lab Story Spark - a new initiative designed to identify and develop powerful non-fiction stories from within the EHF community. Through a structured and supportive process, Fellows are guided in refining their narratives in collaboration with experienced storytellers.
A key focus of this initiative is preparing selected Fellows to present their ideas at Doc Edge 2025 in Auckland this July, with an audience of producers, journalists, and creatives actively seeking new projects.
By cultivating impactful storytelling and enabling cross-sector collaboration, Story Spark is helping bring transformative ideas to life while deepening connections across the Fellowship and with the storytelling ecosystem.
Mark Bregman called for urgent action to attract top international science talent to Aotearoa NZ in an opinion piece for BusinessDesk.
Mark outlined how political shifts in the US are driving a new wave of scientific brain drain, particularly in fields like climate science, renewable energy, and public health. He argued that Aotearoa is uniquely positioned to become a global sanctuary for displaced researchers, given its strong quality of life, stable political environment, and existing research strengths.
Mark proposed a three-part strategy: a fast-tracked Science Research Visa, funding for new professorships and research roles, and a dedicated lab setup fund. Mark points out that if these measures were implemented, NZ could supercharge its innovation ecosystem, attract foreign investment, build IP-rich industries, and strengthen its international reputation as a hub for science and technology.
Through his insights and expertise, Mark is highlighting how world events present an opportunity for NZ, which could enable Aotearoa to be a leader in science-led economic progress.
Read article (paywalled)
Sasha Lockley, founder of Money Sweetspot, is part of the 2025 Fintech Lab Founder Series, a programme designed to accelerate the growth of fintech startups in Aotearoa NZ.
The Fintech Lab brings together 14 teams who, over the course of three months, compresses a year's worth of growth by collaborating with experienced mentors, to tackle industry challenges and prepare a pitch for a $200k investment from the NZ Fintech Fund and Booster Innovation Fund.
Through her participation, Sasha is helping to disrupt the finance sector, drive innovation, and create opportunities for economic growth in New Zealand. By addressing key challenges in the industry, she’s contributing to the development of solutions that could enhance financial inclusion and equity.
Leonard Hope and Dan Khan are both helping to strengthen Aotearoa NZ’s startup and innovation ecosystem.
Leonard has been announced as a judge for the 2025 Velocity Ideas Challenge, the University of Auckland’s entrepreneurship competition. By supporting early-stage ventures from students, staff, and researchers, he’s helping bring to life ideas that tackle real-world social, environmental, and economic challenges. Find out more here
Dan has joined Ministry of Awesome as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, bringing his decades of experience as a founder, investor, mentor, and ecosystem builder to support the growth of high-potential startups, and share his expertise with the next wave of Kiwi entrepreneurs.
Through supporting and mentoring emerging talent, Leonard and Dan are helping to shape a more impact-focused startup ecosystem in Aotearoa.
*Images have been provided by Fellows or sourced from the Internet. EHF does not claim to own the images.