The Price of Purpose Podcast

This special episode was recorded on the ground at the Rooted & Rising Retreat at Vaughan Park, Auckland - where rangatahi and young professionals from across Aotearoa gathered for three days of grounding, connection, and big thinking.Hear back-to-back reflections from participants as they share what the retreat sparked for them: moments of slowing down, building authentic relationships, and exploring what purposeful leadership can look like in the philanthropy and funding space.You’ll also hear from Oli - the “victim” of the philanthropy-themed Murder Mystery as he spills his side of the story and what it was like to watch chaos unfold around his “death”.Tune in for Rooted and Rising: where purpose meets people, and where the next generation of changemakers are finding their place, their voice, and each other.

Host Lotima Vaioleti is joined by Aiolupotea Lili Tuioti, Director of the Peter McKenzie Project - a bold spend-down fund dedicated to tackling the root causes of child and whānau poverty in Aotearoa. Together they explore what it means to “build the waka as we sail” - sharing power, trusting communities, and navigating systems change through collective leadership.Lili reflects on Pasifika approaches to philanthropy, the value of trust-based funding, and how rangatahi can reimagine generosity and purpose for the future.

Host Lotima Vaioleti is joined by Benjamin Alder, designer, innovation strategist, and co-founder of The Wellbeing Protocol - a nonprofit reimagining how communities access funding. Together they unpack the rise of participatory grantmaking, how design thinking can reshape the flow of money for good, and what it means to shift power back to communities. Benjamin shares insights from trials across Aotearoa, using blockchain and localism to build high-trust funding models that empower collective making from the ground up.

Host Lotima Vaioleti sits down with Gareth Hughes - former Green MP, activist, and Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa - to explore why the economy is too important to be left to economists. From grassroots activism to Parliament, Gareth shares how we can redesign our economic system to centre people, the planet, and future generations. A hopeful, values-driven conversation about leadership, youth, and building an economy that works for all.

Host Lotima Vaioleti is joined by Bill Kermode, founding CEO of NEXT Foundation and Co-Chief Executive of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy. Together they explore the bold experiment of spend-down philanthropy - giving $100 million away in just 10 years.Bill shares lessons from investing in transformational projects, why deadlines sharpen impact, and how rangatahi can give with purpose beyond money.