Join us for a fun, inspiring, and insightful evening at our first Friends at Five Thirty event for 2026! This special event is designed to bring our community together and showcase the incredible talents and stories of people from within it.

We ask our speakers to share a story about a topic of their choosing; their why, what inspires them, what makes them tick. You’ll need to be in the room to hear it, secure your seat today.

Event Schedule:

• 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Drinks and Canapés
  Enjoy mingling with fellow guests over delicious drinks and canapés.
• 6pm – 7pm: Speakers
  Each of our speakers will take the stage for around 15 minutes, followed by a panel Q&A. 

Speakers

• Joanna Norris – As the managing director for Stuff Masthead Publishing and a member of the Stuff Group Executive Leadership Team, Joanna is leading a company that’s aggressively transitioning from traditional media platforms, to a digital and experience focused business model. Joanna has worked in media for more than two decades in New Zealand, the UK and the Middle East. She has worked as a reporter, editor and media executive. She was appointed managing director in 2023, having previously held the role of chief content officer for the Stuff Group. She loves creativity, a good story, great New Zealand food and getting into New Zealand’s high country to tramp and ski with her family.
  
  
• Ben Fahy – Ben has over two decades of experience as a journalist, editor and publisher and has a particular interest in business and technology. He is currently the head of partnerships at New Zealand Geographic, a freelance writer for Air New Zealand’s Kia Ora magazine, and head of communications for energy think/do tank Rewiring Aotearoa. He was previously editorial director of the current affairs portfolio at Bauer Media, which included the New Zealand Listener, North & South, Metro, Home, and OurAuckland, publisher/editorial director of the Tangible Media Business Network, which focused on the start-up, marketing/media/advertising and retail sectors, and a feature writer at the Otago Daily Times.
  
  
• Caroline Harvie-Teare – Caroline joined Venues Ōtautahi as Chief Executive in May 2020. Venues Ōtautahi is the largest venue, event, and culinary services management company in New Zealand delivering over 500 events and welcoming around 1 million guests across 6 venues each year. Venues Ōtautahi own the Christchurch Town Hall and Wolfbrook Arena, and manage Apollo Projects Stadium, Hagley International Cricket Oval, the Airforce Museum of NZ and One Zealand Stadium, Christchurch’s new roofed 40,000 stadium due to open in early 2026.
  
  

Ticket Information:

• Price: $15 per person (includes drinks and canapés)

A huge thank you to our Friends at Five Thirty sponsor, Sotheby’s International Realty.

We look forward to seeing you there!