David Downs

David Downs is a business leader, public servant, consultant, board director, speaker – and genetically modified organism. David is currently the CEO of the New Zealand Story Group – an organisation who helps New Zealand to tell our story to the world, building the brand of Aotearoa on the global stage. At the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown, David co-founded sosbusiness.nz – a not-for-profit initiative to help bars, cafes and other small businesses sell vouchers. It quickly became a huge hit and to date has sold over $1.5 million in vouchers for over 2500 small businesses. All the money goes to the businesses. Based on that experience, he published a book about the innovation that happened during covid-19 in New Zealand, ’Silver Linings’. In January 2017 David was facing a terminal diagnosis and given less than a year to live, but managed to beat cancer in a remarkable series of lucky breaks. After a year of chemotherapy, and staring a terminal diagnosis in the face, David got a literal lifeline, with the chance to get on to a clinical trial in the USA. Now a genetically modified cancer-killing machine, David’s reflecting on the lucky series of events that saw him beat cancer, and on his new approach to life.

To book your place call Gary on 0226548188

Email: gary.bell@alzheimers.org.nz

Brad Olsen is a Principal Economist and Director at Infometrics. He is a leading economic commentator across New Zealand who focuses on getting useful information to businesses, decision-makers, and the public. At present, Brad is focused on the economic effects of COVID-19 and the reimagination of the New Zealand economy, as jobs are lost, business practices change, and a “new” normal emerges. In March 2021, he was named 2020 Young Wellingtonian of the Year. Since joining Infometrics in July 2015 as a part-time data analyst while studying at Victoria University of Wellington, Brad has risen to be one of New Zealand’s more prominent (and youngest) economic commentators, regularly featuring across TV, radio, print, and online. Originally from Whangarei, Brad completed his undergraduate studies at Victoria University of Wellington. In 2016, he was announced as New Zealand’s Queen’s Young Leader and has met with the Queen on three occasions.

Awarded the Florence Nightingale medal this year, she has tended to the wounded and the innocent in places where arrest, torture and murder are commonplace.

She’s had a gun held to her head. She’s been robbed and threatened with death. She has negotiated checkpoints while driving a pregnant woman to a clinic. She has delivered babies in the most difficult circumstances, celebrated their survival and mourned their loss. Through it all, the Geneva Conventions and some luck have seen her through to the other side relatively unscathed.

Starting life in sail making in the 1970’s to race director for the Volvo Ocean Race Jack Lloyd has spent the last 40 + years dedicated and committed to the sailing fraternity.

In the early 90’s, Jack became involved with New Zealand Youth Sailing teams as manager and coach.  This involved a huge number of hours spent in a chase boat, or in a meeting room, motivating and building morale, as well as being a clever strategist and clear communicator.  You can’t perform these types of roles without passion for success; both for yourself and others.

By the mid 90’s Jack had joined the elite ranks of sailing judges and umpires, adjudicating at top international regattas. This culminated in him being chosen as a judge and umpire at multiple Olympic Games; Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

It’s clear that Jack has navigated his way swiftly and diligently to become one of the top sailing adjudicators on the global stage.  Not bad for a guy who started his own sailmaking and marine canvas business in Whangarei back in the 1970’s!

Jack is one of the good guys who dedicated his life to the success of others and along the way managed to live the dream – he made his passion his work! What an honour to hear from him at Club Northland.

Sir Richard is celebrated for his research into brain diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. In 2007, his team at the University of Auckland proved that the brain can repair itself by generating new cells, debunking the theory that, once fully formed, the human brain could only degenerate. In 2009, he established the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research (CBR), to facilitate interactions among different groups and to promote new treatments for brain disease. In 2005 he was awarded the Health Research Council of New Zealand’s Liley Medal and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. In the 2017 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medical research. We are honored to have Sir Richard join us as our guest speaker. As the patron of Alzheimers New Zealand and one of the world’s leaders in his subject we can expect to be humbled by his passion and shear depth of knowledge on his subject.

Our inaugural speaker is All Blacks legend No.8 Wayne “Buck” Shelford. In the “Battle of Nantes” – Shelford went down in folklore history as he continued to play on after having four teeth knocked out and ripping his scrotum. The physio stitched his scrotum up after the game! It was his uncompromising attitude and lack of self-preservation which made him a fan favourite. Shelford assumed the All Black captaincy in 1987 and under his reign – 1987 to 1990 – the All Blacks did not lose a single game. Shelford revolutionised the All Blacks by teaching his team-mates the proper version of the ‘Kamate Kamate’ Haka which the All Blacks still perform to this day. In June 2007 it was announced that Shelford faced the biggest battle of his life after being diagnosed with a form of cancer labelled lymphoma. He made a full recovery from the disease. We are honoured to have Buck Shelford join us and can’t wait for his tough humour and frank stories.