“Dorenda’s depth of experience and insights regarding innovation processes, alongside her evolutions of design-based thinking into a values-based design framework is invaluable to our early-stage student founders. Dorenda speaks with passion, wisdom, and conviction, providing students with the principles of diversity and inclusion, as a base of exploring complex problems, helping to refine solutions that align with purpose and create value”

Dorenda spoke at our Cashmere Rotary Club in May 2023 about her work, life and passion – fighting for better design outcomes for New Zealand. 

Dorenda’s presentation was far-reaching, fascinating, and based on her personal experiences, including various employment in Australia, Papa New Guinea and working with Vitra, a major design organisation in Europe. She supported her late brother John’s successful international racing bids, and they had plans to work together on entirely new projects. 

Dorenda presented in her trademark passionate manner which highlighted to all her genuine commitment to her design principle framework that underscores all she teaches and consults to, around New Zealand. 

Dorenda cares deeply about people not fulfilling their potential, not feeling valued for who they are and what they can achieve. She is brilliant at helping people seek out better ways to do what they aspire to achieve.

Feels like a life-long commitment rather than a set of boxes to be ticked.

“The food-agricultural industry is facing potential disruption on an unprecedented scale.  This requires us to rethink why people buy our products and to understand what attributes they truly value.  

The Design Thinking course is a brilliant introduction to the design process; practical, interesting and powerfully delivered by an experienced practitioner. I believe that it is crucial that our agribusiness sector is exposed to this thinking to help prepare us for the challenges that lie ahead”

“I am an environmental scientist and I spend my time grappling with complex and conflict-laden issues such as how to manage land and water to achieve social, cultural economic and environmental outcomes. This type of research demands an integrated research approach, within which both science thinking, multiple knowledge bases and systems thinking are important.

What Dorenda’s design thinking workshop brought to my work (and has the potential to bring to a wider research audience) is to help build on the ‘what was’ and ‘what is’ of systems thinking, to include the ‘what could be’ – an essential element of tackling our most entrenched environmental issues.”

“Dorenda facilitated a strategy day for our Board to help us come to grips with our strategic direction and purpose. She challenged our thinking and sometimes got us out of our comfort zones – all of which enabled us to ultimately agree on a NZYF purpose we could all connect and relate too. An incredibly worthwhile exercise!”

“Dorenda opened an Association’s conference with a keynote address titled “Re-Thinking Innovation in Education”.  Her address raised many relevant issues and was thought-provoking as well as entertaining.  All of the delegates appreciated her message and her openness for the remainder of the conference.”

“Dorenda walked our members through the element of change that we constantly face as people, technology, and process continually evolve. We looked at the skill-sets and approaches that should be the focus for Project Managers in today’s world, to be able to deliver in tomorrow’s. Dorenda encouraged us to open our minds to new ways of working, and new approaches to share and grow ideas. She challenged us to hold on to the purpose we have as Project Managers and deliver the right outcomes through making the most of the changes we continue to face. An engaging presentation, a great presenter – an evening our members appreciated.”

“Dorenda opened the Association’s 2010 conference with a keynote address titled “Re-Thinking Innovation in Education”.  Her address raised many relevant issues and was thought-provoking as well as entertaining.  All of the delegates appreciated her message and her openness for the remainder of the conference.”