On Purpose

On Purpose is a social impact speaker night that celebrates the many shapes and forms that social impact and leadership come in: badass, disruptive, unexpected, creative, big, small and everything in between. You don’t have to wear a suit, have a formal position, or start an NGO to make social impact ripples (and maybe waves).

We invite some known, unknown, expected and unexpected social impact legends to share their stories and challenge the student audience on what social impact and leadership looks like across an evening of informal interviews.

On Purpose 2023

We couldn’t let a year go by without bringing you some epic speakers. For ON PURPOSE 2023 we hosted 3 legends and asked nosy/meaningful questions to get at the core of why they’re passionate about community and leadership, and how they crush it in their own unconventional way.

Generously supported by our mates at Cannon.

📷 Jay Lee @jayteylee

Speakers

Amita Kala // Aunty’s House

The joyful Amita Kala is the visionary founder of Aunty's House, a community collective uplifting and celebrating the South Asian diaspora in Aotearoa.

Amita identifies as a 3rd generation Gujarati Indian born in South Africa, proud plus-size model, and fat feminist. With expertise in marketing and social media strategy, advocating for decolonising spaces and healing the inner child, Amita's passion lies in fostering authentic representation.

Through Aunty's House, she creates a space for empowerment, cultural sharing, and community healing, uniting the South Asian diaspora for a more connected future. The collective showcases talents and stories through engaging events, transformative workshops and highlighting community members all driven by Amita's leadership and commitment to unity.

Pam Lowe // Nisa

Introducing Nisa, an ethical underwear brand with a 3-pronged social impact fork: 1) creating jobs for women from refugee and migrant backgrounds, 2) sustainability, and 3) sizing inclusivity. Pam has been Nisa’s Production Manager since 2018. Pam’s heart beats for ethical fashion and sustainability, and she is committed to regrowing NZ's once thriving garment industry. She has a history in fashion design, and being a computer patternmaker, sample machinist and production manager in factories and for designers around NZ.

In July 2023, Nisa all but closed up shop but then rising from the ashes in the 11th hour, Pam teamed up with four others from Nisa to take over the company. In this new chapter of Nisa, Pam has pulled on her CEO undies. Come and learn more about Nisa’s undie-loving kaupapa and the community-spirited leadership that keeps this organisation running.

Kii Small // SaySo Project // Unpack // Coalesce

Kii Small is a current Obama Leader in the Asia-Pacific and the co-founder of the SaySo Project, a digital journaling platform for young people in Aotearoa who lack access to mental health and wellbeing services due to their location or other factors beyond their control. The project provides users with a safe space to start, curate, and create their own journal safely, securely,and without barriers.

Previously, Kii worked in the philanthropic sector for five years, funding youth & mental health initiatives across the country on behalf of public and private entities. He believes that every story is more than just a data point. Kii views each story as being its own universe that deserves to be treated as such. With this understanding, Kii is passionate about building and maintaining platforms that allow people to share their stories for the better of their wellbeing, without geographical or financial barriers. Kii is also the co-founder of a storytelling podcast network, Coalesce, based in Wellington and one half of the team from the Unpack podcast.