AI for Good, together: introducing our Lunch & Learn community of practice!

Written By simpact team

A monthly, online gathering for changemakers across the charity, community and sustainability sectors in Aotearoa NZ who want to explore AI thoughtfully - and in good company.

When we ran our AI for Good in Aotearoa NZ workshop during Tech Week, one thing came through clearly: people in the community sector don't want to be lectured about AI. They want to learn alongside others who share their values, ask real questions in a safe space, and hear honest stories from people a few steps further down the path.

So we're not stopping at a one-off!
We're building something that keeps the conversation going.

Introducing the AI for Good Lunch & Learn — a monthly, online community of practice for charities, community organisations, funders and the people who support them across Aotearoa New Zealand. Bring your lunch, bring your curiosity, and join a growing network learning to use AI responsibly and well.

Save these dates…
And register via Humanitix

Vision: More than a talk series

It would be easy to make this a string of AI presentations.
We're not doing that.

Think of it less as a lecture and more as a community of practice. Closer to TED meets your local community than a webinar. Each month we spotlight a fresh perspective, a practical use case, or an emerging idea, then open the floor for discussion. Short talks, real stories, live demos, and time to actually meet each other. People come back because they meet interesting people, not because they sat through another slide deck.

The measure of a good session is simple. We want everyone to leave saying:

"I understand AI a little better than I did an hour ago."


Grounded in lived experience

The strongest conversations about AI aren't held only between AI experts.

So we won't only invite "AI speakers" — we'll invite interesting people who use AI: a charity CEO finding ten hours back in their week, a funder experimenting carefully, an evaluator rethinking impact reporting, a rangatahi leader exploring AI literacy.

We'll hold space each month for the voices too often missing: Māori and Pacific perspectives, disabled communities, youth, migrant and rural communities. These are the perspectives that keep the discussion honest and grounded in real life, not hype.

And rather than "AI" as an abstract topic, we'll organise around the problems our sector actually faces: AI for fundraising, for social and environmental outcomes, for governance and boards, for collaboration, for volunteers, for impact reporting, for accessibility and inclusion… and the ethics and privacy questions that run through all of it.


The first session: we build this together

Our opening lunch on Wednesday 23 September isn't a speaker talking at you. It's a co-creation session, a chance to shape the community from the start.

We'll open with karakia, introduce the co-hosts, and then hand the floor to you: What do you want to learn? What could you teach or share? Who should we invite in the months ahead? We'll capture it all together on a shared board so the series that follows genuinely reflects the people in the room.

The Lunch & Learn series is co-hosted by simpact AI and Mission: Mārama, with Jade Tang-Taylor and Juhi Shareef leading the first session, and more partners joining as the series grows. It's the entry point to something bigger: a trusted space where the community and sustainability sectors can learn from each other, experiment safely, and build confidence with AI over time.

These conversations are better together

We started simpact AI believing AI is a tool to support humans, not replace them. A community of practice is that belief in action: no one has to figure this out alone, and the best ideas will come from the sector teaching itself. Every month, attendees will leave with a practical thing they can use, and a deeper connection to community.

An invitation to join us

If you're curious, cautious, or already experimenting, there's a seat for you at the table.
Come for the first session, help shape what this becomes, and stay for the community.

Register for the first session of the “AI for Good Aotearoa NZ Lunch & Learn” series on Humanitix:
https://events.humanitix.com/ai-for-good-lunch-and-learn-series

Free to attend.
Online.
BYO lunch.
We'd love to see you there!

Jade from simpact AI & Juhi from Mission: Mārama

simpact team
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AI for Social Good Starts With People, Not Technology (ML4SG)