To my beloved TEDx community,

In August 2019, exactly two years ago, we ran the tenth edition of TEDxChristchurch — and we went big.

We took over the Town Hall. Partnered with Ngāi Tūāhuriri for our theme, Tūrangawaewae. Partnered with TEDxYouth@Christchurch to make a weekend of it. Gave a platform to 16 extraordinary speakers, as well as an organist, an Irish dance troupe, and a psychedelic rock and groove band.

The feedback from that event was up there with our highest ever. The videos have been viewed more than 8 million times. Two of our speakers, Marilyn Waring and Lucy Hone, had their talks featured on the TED.com home page.

It was an incredible high note, the climax of the ten years I've been running TEDxChristchurch...

...and the right moment for me to hang up my TEDx hat.

After a decade of serving as the curator and licensee for TEDxChristchurch, it's time for me to say goodbye.

Does this mean TEDxChristchurch is over? No, not at all. You see, the event was never mine in the first place.

The good folks at TED entrusted me with the license. I stewarded it with the sole ambition of amplifying important voices to make a positive difference.

Whether someone else — maybe you? — steps in to pick up the baton is not for me to say.

What is for me to say is thank you.

Thank you to the hundreds of speakers and performers who have graced our stage since that first event in 2010.

Thank you to the thousands of volunteers who freely gave their time every year to pull it off. Thank you to every member of the team who put up with me as I fumbled my way into leadership.

Thank you to every sponsor who believed in us and gave time and treasure to make the events happen.

Thank you to Lara Stein and Kelly Stoetzel and Will Davis and Jay Herratti and the whole team at TED, who did an extraordinarily brave thing in letting strangers from around the world use your brand.

But most of all, thank you to you, for being part of our TEDxChristchurch whānau. You fed this event, nurtured it, grew it into something special.

I was gifted the privilege of a front-row seat to this extraordinary community for ten years. I will never be able to fully articulate the length and depth of my gratitude.

Arohanui,
Kaila Colbin
Former licensee and curator, TEDxChristchurch
August 2021

P.S. If you'd like to stay in touch, you can find me on Medium, LinkedIn or Twitter.