Rt. Hon. Sir Don McKinnon, Chair of Aspen Initiative New Zealand, held a small and informal gathering for local residents on the formation of the Aspen Institute in New Zealand. The location and timing were auspicious. It was held at Hakitekura, formerly known as the Woolshed, which is located on the southern shore of Lake Whakatipu and had been gifted to the University of Otago by the Jardine family. This was the first event after its renaming ceremony three days earlier with Ngāi Tahu on Tuesday 5th February.
Great strides were made during 2018 to become the first partner of the Aspen Institute in the Southern Hemisphere. The highlights noted were:
In February, received approval to operate as the Aspen Initiative;
In June, established a charitable trust with trustees comprising Rt. Hon. Sir Don McKinnon, Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, an Aspen Institute representative and Christine Maiden Sharp;
In October, appointed a highly experienced board; and
In November, received unanimous approval from the International Committee of Partners to proceed to partner status.
Sir Don concluded that this was a unique opportunity for New Zealanders to participate on the world stage and to bring the best of the Institute to our country. Queenstown was the ideal location and the timing was right.