LINCOLN EFFORD LECTURE 2025

What if the way we’ve been trying to change the world is part of the problem?

In a world where many feel powerless to create change we need to move beyond tweaking the status quo, we need to start from somewhere else entirely. To create a radically different future, we need to rethink who gets to define our problems and shape our solutions. By equipping our next generation to use Te Tiriti-centric approaches, grounded in worldviews that reflect the richness of Aotearoa, we can unlock new perspectives and actions that shift power dynamics and challenge conventional thinking.

Alice Dimond (Kāi Tahu) is a social innovation and futures practitioner with a passion for using these approaches to create more collective and equitable futures. As Project Manager at Tokona te Raki, she leads Mō Āpōpō Future-Makers, a project that equips young people to imagine and create better futures. This work includes designing a toolkit grounded in Māori perspectives and stories, empowering rangatahi to use these perspectives to navigate complexity and drive transformative change.

Alice is also a Fellow with Next Generation Foresight Practitioners, and the National New Zealand Lead for the Futures Methods from Around the World project, where she explores how Māori worldviews, ways of thinking, organising, and acting can unlock new pathways to better futures.

Alice has presented at global forums such as the Dubai Future Forum, World Futures Day, and the Building Hopeful Futures Festival. She is passionate about using mātauranga and Māori Indigenous worldviews to challenge dominant thinking, create new solutions, and drive systemic change.