| The Brown Buttabean

David is the founder of BBM Motivation which he established in 2014 across the Auckland region to achieve health, fitness and motivational goals. BBM runs programmes to help people lose weight in a healthy sustainable way.

David has an inspiring life story that takes him from the struggles he experienced in his early life to how he turned his life around. He embarked on a journey that led to him owning businesses, playing rugby league all over the world, becoming a professional boxer, losing almost 100 kg in body weight, and starting over.

Now, years later, he is back home in South Auckland, and has become a leader in his community. The former professional boxer is a media fixture – including recently in the New York Times – and, most crucially, an inspiration to thousands. Dave Letele; a fighter. Bold and unapologetic, he now uses his platform to advocate for families in need. David warns it’s not just about giving people hope, “it’s about showing them how to do it too”.

| KNZM, MBE, Coach, All Black & World Cup Winner.

Humbled and honoured – they’re two words Sir John Kirwan (known to most as “JK”) often uses to describe how he feels about his contribution to a campaign to raise awareness about depression, but they’re also the same words he uses to describe his knighthood.

The former All Black and 1987 Rugby World Cup winner became a “Sir” in 2012, joining a list that includes other well-known former All Blacks. Kirwan was recognised as much, if not more, for his contribution outside of rugby; for services to Mental Health, having been for several years at the forefront of the campaign to heighten public awareness of depression, an illness he has suffered from himself.

“I’m certainly proud of the rugby stuff I’ve achieved but the work that I’m continuing to do with mental health is a very strong part of my life. I never imagined this, but it’s a great thing for the people who are suffering from mental illness in New Zealand and I think it gives them hope. That’s the big positive for me. If receiving a knighthood helps some other people then I can get over the embarrassment.”

| CNZM, Founder of Tech Futures Lab.

Frances Valintine (CNZM) is a thought-leader in emerging and disruptive technologies with 20 years’ experience across business, technology and education. 

Frances founded The Mind Lab to bring contemporary knowledge and practical skills to students and teachers around New Zealand. In 2016, she launched Tech Futures Lab to navigate the new world of technology enabled businesses, as exponential technologies impact on every role, every sector and every economy.  

Frances has worked with and advised 250+ organisations from every sector in New Zealand, from agriculture to finance, retail to law, and has gained a reputation as an expert in leading change initiatives.

In the 2018 New Year Honours, Frances was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) recognising her lifetime of contribution in education and technology. In 2017 Frances received the NZ Flying Kiwi Award, inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame and also named one of the top 3 NZ Innovators of the Year at the NZer of the Year awards.  In 2016 Frances was named one of the top 50 EdTech Educators in the World by EdTech International, and was also awarded a Sir Peter Blake Leader Award. In 2015 Frances was awarded the Westpac New Zealand Woman of Influence (Innovation) and the Next New Zealand Woman of the Year (Education). 

Frances sits on the boards of Callaghan Innovation and Dilworth School Trust and is a selection advisor for the Edmund Hillary Foundation, committed to supporting a community of impact entrepreneurs, investors and change-makers to build meaningful solutions to global problems. 

She holds a Master of Education Management from the University of Melbourne. 

| The Stretton Foundation, RAW and Kia Puāwai.

Right from the beginning, Annah has been an active supporter and contributor to many of New Zealand’s well-loved charities. Back in 2013, however, Annah took her philanthropy to a whole new level with the establishment of the Stretton Foundation as a vehicle to drive social change. It was time to take advantage of all that the fashion industry had taught her to generate real outcomes for some of New Zealand’s largest challenges.

Her first social venture was RAW (Reclaim Another Woman) which is focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by helping female offenders transition from a life of crime to a life of promise through education, employment and intensive peer support. Her second, Kia Puāwai, is focused on redefining the road to better health and wellbeing in the workplace, and in the community, by introducing simple, seamless and sustainable edits to your lifestyle. Her third, The Good Collective, aims to supercharge the effectiveness, community impact and long-term sustainability of the Waikato charitable sector through the creation of our one-stop-collaboration hub.

| CEO, Founder of Mint Innovation.

Will is a seasoned executive experienced in commercialising new technologies through securing IP, fund-raising, governance and building high performance teams.

Will was the VP External Affairs at LanzaTech, providing leadership while the company grew from a dozen to ~150 employees.

During his tenure at LanzaTech he was responsible for all corporate, IP and employment legal matters, including securities, corporate governance, board processes, employment law matters, marketing issues, anti-bribery/anti-corruption compliance programs, employee benefits and equity plan administration matters, and financing transactions.

Now, he is bringing to Mint significant experience in managing cross functional teams across several continents.

Mint's vision is to provide a low cost, sustainable solution to recover precious metals from the urban mine, by having a biorefinery in every major city around the world.