🎈 What is On Purpose?

On Purpose is our flagship social impact speaker night, a celebration of the many ways people lead and create change.

Forget the buzzwords. Forget the suits. On Purpose is a night for rule-breakers, change-makers, and anyone who’s sick of being told what leadership “should” look like. You don’t need a suit, a title, or your own NGO to spark impact. Ripples (and sometimes waves) happen when people act with courage, imagination, and purpose.

Each year we bring together a line-up of both familiar and surprising changemakers, people doing things differently and proving that leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. Through real stories and raw conversations, they’ll challenge the way you think about leadership, community, and impact.

It’s informal, inspiring, and one of the absolute highlights of the Social Impact Studio calendar!

🌞 What do we talk about?

This year our questions will span a few topics that are top of mind for our team:

• unpacking mainstream ideas of social impact and leadership

• creative change

• life after uni and work with purpose

• and anything else that crops up on the night!

🙌 Who’s joining us in 2025?

Boy, do we have some great chats coming your way from some epic people. Scroll on down to find out more!!!

🎟 How do I get a ticket?

Entry to On Purpose is and always has been FREEEEEEEE. As we have limited capacity, please let us know ASAP if you can’t make it so we can share your seat to someone on our waitlist. We can highly recommend roping in your mates to come along to On Purpose and getting a hit of wisdom, positivity and food for thought together.

Thursday 18 Sep 2025 | 6-9pm | Auahi Ora | Free Entry

Speakers

Eman Ghandour // Khawat Network

My name is Eman, and I grew up in Ōtepoti. I’m passionate about blending community work with creativity and aesthetics, and I’m driven by diversity, inclusion, equity, and challenging the narratives that hold us back. I’m particularly interested in pay equity, colonisation, and cultural identity — topics that energise and inspire me.

As an Arab Muslim, I feel a strong connection to te ao Māori, which has grounded me throughout my life. Volunteering, donating, and giving back are deeply embedded in who I am. That’s why I strive to merge community work, social enterprise, and volunteering, using the skills we have to create positive change.

While I speak from my own experience, I’m also representing a global network of wāhine from diverse backgrounds. We carry generations of knowledge, and I believe it’s vital to remember and honour that knowledge when we migrate.

Fun fact: I love anything that gives me an adrenaline rush so on the very last day of last year, I went skydiving on the last day of the year. 

Miria Flavell // Founder, CEO of HINE

Miria Flavell (Taranaki, Ngāti Rangiwēwēhi) is a wahine Māori, māmā of two, and the visionary founder behind HINE Collection, a movement born from lived experience and driven by purpose. Raised in Rotorua and now based in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), Miria’s journey began with a desire to create space for women who felt unseen in the fitness world. Starting her health and wellbeing journey, she was met with a frustrating lack of activewear options, and decided to change that.

Launched in 2018, HINE Collection is a Māori-owned, Indigenous female-led brand that celebrates wāhine in all their strength and diversity. Grounded in Te Reo Māori and Miria’s identity, HINE is more than a clothing brand, it’s a movement to inspire change, challenge norms, and uplift communities. Since then, Miria has expanded her kaupapa to include The Movement NZ, a community gym and LVL UP Supplements, supporting whānau to prioritise their health, fitness, and nutrition.

Seven years on, HINE is undergoing a bold transformation: a full rebrand to become a unisex brand that blends premium athleisure, cultural identity, and versatility, welcoming all people, regardless of gender or size.

Miria’s story is one of courage, creativity, and unapologetic Indigenous leadership, challenging norms and building spaces where everyone belongs.

Alice Taylor // Budget friendly kai meets politics

Alice Taylor is the chef and writer behind @alicetayloreats, where her cheap and realistic cooking has struck a chord, earning over 325,000 followers and 10 million monthly views.

An Otago University (woo!) graduate with a Master’s in Politics and a third-place finish on MasterChef NZ, Alice has worked in some of Aotearoa’s top kitchens, including Amisfield. She’s also a published food writer and cookbook author (even Nigella is a fan!), with work featured in Critic, Cuisine, Metro, Listener, ODT and more.

Come and listen to how Alice uses food as a platform, not just to nourish, but to challenge the cost of living and connect communities.

The Heavy Breathers // Running for Resilience

The Heavy Breathers are a Dunedin-based crew of 50+ university students from Castle Street and beyond, rallying together for the Emerson’s Dunedin Marathon to raise funds for mens mental health. Through Heavy Breathers, the group aim to raise awareness for mental health support, services and advocacy for young men.

Founded in 2023, the group raised over $110,000 in their first year. Now, a new generation is stepping up with a bold goal: $20,000 for free counselling and a community wellbeing event.

Their story is one of courage, connection, and collective action, proving that when young people move together, they move mountains.