Annah Stretton meets attendees after opening the festival. Photo / Samantha Olley
Annah Stretton meets attendees after opening the festival. Photo / Samantha Olley
"You know what the problem with most New Zealanders is ... It's doubt."
Those were the words of fashion designer, philanthropist and social entrepreneur Annah Stretton, as she opened the Rotorua Innovation Festival Taiopenga Auaha yesterday morning at Rotorua Lakes Council.
The words of business wisdom were told to Strettonby Sir Michael Hill.
"It is hard to move us on from doubt ... but we need to stop applying normals," she explained to the opening session's audience.
Event director Darren McGarvie said Stretton and the rest of the event's speakers were all doing it free.
"It's huge, we had 1100 registrations before this morning's opening for the four days. We are blown away."
Reporoa School principal Richelle McDonald was there and planned to go to other talks focused on social responsibility, regarding mental health and the environment.
"In some ways, a school is a business. We have leadership teams and staff, there are finances to look after."
Stretton's speech focused on the not-for-profit RAW (Reclaim Another Woman) programme founded by her and her sister Rebecca in 2015, to provide education and supported living to recidivist female offenders - some who have been in and out of prison more than eight times.
The RAW programme involves women both inside and out of prison to "unpick" generational problems.
"At the top end, we've got women in leadership roles in work, we've got women who have completed degrees and diplomas ... and we've got women who we've reconnected with their children when they've been removed by Oranga Tamariki and they've got them back."
She wants to see non-negotiable education for prisoners.
"Some of those women have been running multimillion-dollar methamphetamine businesses, they're not going to come out and make your coffee."
Stretton said speaking about RAW's "innovative model" was "a wonderful fit" for the festival.
One of RAW's participants, Trish Thomas, was also part of the opening session.
She spent five years in prison after dealing and using meth for 15 years in Hamilton, but has since spent two-and-a-half years with RAW and completed a beauty therapy diploma at Wintec.
Thomas will start a new role as a manager at a day spa next week, after working at the likes of the Caci Clinic and the Body Cafe.
She now also volunteers and is a house mother at RAW helping other women transition.
Other speakers in yesterday's programme included Liz Wilson, from The Thrive Programme, who discussed mental health, and lawyer Mark Copeland who focused on the best ways to use intellectual property.
For the programme for the next three days go to the Innovation Festival website.
