Select women to share bold ideas from stateside

Jacinta Fitzgerald (left), Ana Vieira, Saraniyaa Sukumaar, Hannah Bougen and Sarah Errico. Phone / Supplied

A session from this week's TEDWomen event in California will be screened at the Tauranga Arts Gallery on Friday, says Saraniyaa Sukumaar, one of the event's organisers.

The screening, which is separate from the main TEDxTauranga event to be held in July, has attracted an invitation-only audience of 50. It will show a webcast of a session from the TEDWomen 2015 Conference, which is being held over four days from tomorrow in Monterey, California.

"The theme of the conference is exploring bold ideas that create momentum in how women think, live, and work," said Ms Sukumaar, who is the intellectual property co-ordinator for Katikati-based hi-tech dental products company Rhondium.

"Tauranga has a number of talented women who play a significant role in their business and/or communities," said Ms Sukumaar, the event's licence holder. The organising team included Ana Vieira, Hannah Bougen, Jacinta Fitzgerald and Sarah Errico.

"We want to provide a thought-provoking environment that facilitates networking. We also want to raise more awareness for the TEDx format in the Bay of Plenty. This event provides us the opportunity to encourage TED and TEDx novices to get a feel for the event."

Ms Sukumaar said organisers were originally reluctant to commit to the event because the opportunity for the viewcast came up at short notice, but decided to go ahead because the women's event is only held once every two years.

There are only two events being organised in New Zealand - in Tauranga and Wellington - to showcase the TEDWomen conference.

Pat Mitchell, president and chief executive of the Paley Centre and host of TEDWomen, recently told the Huffington Post it would focus on ideas and innovations championed by women and girls.

"These cover everything from community development to economic growth to biodynamic farming to robotics to medical treatments to the use of technology for personal safety and peace-making," she said.

"Men and women speakers will take the TEDWomen stage with ideas that are reshaping our future."

The Tauranga event has been sponsored by Grow Coaching and the Tauranga Art Gallery.