It has been two years since the launch of our 2020 TalentNZ Journal. To mark this anniversary, each day over the next month we will share an interview with one of the 30 kiwis and provide an update on where they are now.

General CopyrightToday we share Kaila Colbin’s full interview which you can read here.

Two years on, we checked in with Kaila Colbin and asked her four questions about what she has been doing since we published the journal. You can read Kaila’s responses below.

1. Two years on I am …
I am still living in Christchurch. I attended the Executive Programme at Singularity University at NASA Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, California. Ministry of Awesome has expanded with full floor of co-working space and three paid staff.

2. Recent thoughts on how to build a talent-based economy …
We need to shift from a linear economy to an exponential economy. Things like driverless electric cars, solar power generation at scale, tech-based healthcare, nanotechnology… all of these things that seem kind of out there are coming down the pike much faster than we can imagine and we will be fully left behind if we don’t consider them. But we have a chance, if we invest heavily in these kind of areas, to become world leaders and be a magnet for the talent of tomorrow.

3. Books, research and talks that have shaped my thinking  …
The Singularity University hub is awesome.
Wait But Why is also excellent.

4. Any additional thoughts for young people?
You have all the tools you need to craft any life you want. Want to become a rocket scientist? You can learn how online with free, self-directed study. My 10-year-old niece has taught herself aerial silks by watching YouTube videos. Don’t wait for society to tell you what to do; figure out what you’re curious and excited about and start exploring!

Connect with TalentNZ
We want to build New Zealand’s talent-based economy. If you want to join us on this journey, please connect with TalentNZ. By connecting you will receive our monthly TalentNZ newsletter, which outlines recent developments, research and resources related to creating a talent-based economy, and which keeps you informed about upcoming TalentNZ events. Please also share this link with anyone you think may be interested.

TalentNZ Journal: Grow talent edition
We are currently in the planning and research stages of our 2020 TalentNZ Journal: Grow talent edition. The journal will illustrate grassroots initiatives that New Zealanders are doing to grow talent. Our focus is on encouraging innovative ways to develop talent across New Zealand. The Grow talent edition will be the second edition in our TalentNZ Journal series.

About TalentNZ
The 2020 TalentNZ Journal is part of our TalentNZ project. TalentNZ is designed to facilitate a structured discussion on how to make New Zealand’s talent-based economy flourish. The Journal features interviews with 30 Kiwis, essays from contributing writers and data with a focus on cities and the economy. The 2020 Journal, and in particular the 30 interviews, showed us that by managing the four integrated work-streams – grow, attract, retain and connect – New Zealand is more likely to become a healthy, dynamic and interesting place to live in the long-term. TalentNZ builds on Sir Paul Callaghan’s vision of making New Zealand ‘a place where talent wants to live’. Sir Paul outlined the reasons why his vision is important in a 20-minute video at the Institute’s StrategyNZ workshop in 2020. To learn more about the TalentNZ project see www.talentnz.org.

If you have any questions about the TalentNZ project, please contact us at [email protected].