A Life in Full: Curiosity, Contribution and the Courage to Keep Expanding
What makes a life feel full, not simply busy, but interesting, connected, creative and useful?
Join Love Heart for an intimate Learning Lunch with Annah Stretton: entrepreneur, designer, social-impact leader, podcaster, photographer, lifelong learner and founder of RAW and Sisterhood Social.
This is not a conventional career retrospective. Annah will share how she has continued adding new layers to her life, and how fashion, enterprise, education, photography, friendship, advocacy and social impact now continually inform and amplify one another.
The conversation will explore why, our worlds can quietly become smaller as we age, and what it takes to resist that. Annah will talk candidly about remaining curious, creating new platforms, bringing different people into our lives and using everything we have learned and accumulated to shape what comes next.
Guests will also be invited to consider where their own energy lies: what they want to learn, create, contribute to or make room for now.
Expect an honest, lively and thought-provoking conversation about building a life that remains vibrant, purposeful and entirely your own followed by a shared lunch and the opportunity to connect with an interesting room of men and women.
Tickets are limited.
Date:
This Learning Lunch is on Thursday 29th October, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm and includes lunch.
Venue:
We're delighted to be hosting this Learning Lunch at Annah Stretton Flagship Store & Café Frock, 2 Marshall Street, Morrinsville.
Catering:
We cater to most dietary requirements with prior notice. Please advise us at hello@heart.co.nz of any allergies or specific dietary requirements.
WIN:
Purchase a ticket to the Annah Stretton Learning Lunch - A Life in Full: Curiosity, Contribution and the Courage to Keep Expanding between 12:01 pm on 9 September 2026 to 11:59 pm NZST on 15 September 2026 inclusive and go into the draw to win a $200 Annah Stretton Voucher.
Click here for the terms and conditions
About the expert
Annah Stretton
Annah Stretton is one of New Zealand's most recognised entrepreneurs, fashion designers, and social innovators. Over the past 35 years, she has built a career defined by creativity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to challenging conventional thinking.
After founding the Stretton Clothing Company in Morrinsville in 1991, Annah grew the business into one of New Zealand's most recognisable fashion brands. Today, the company continues to evolve through fashion, accessories, homeware, hospitality, and digital retail, demonstrating the importance of continual reinvention in an ever-changing business landscape.
Alongside her business career, Annah has become a leading voice in social impact through the work of RAW, the organisation she co-founded to support women in prison and those transitioning back into their communities. Her work has helped reshape conversations around rehabilitation, education, and long-term reintegration, while advocating for practical solutions that create lasting social change.
A lifelong learner, Annah returned to university in her late fifties and has since completed three Master's degrees in Social Policy, Photography, and Māori and Indigenous Studies. She is currently continuing postgraduate study in Māori Visual Arts, combining academic research with creative practice and social advocacy.
Her contribution to business and the community has been recognised through numerous honours, including being appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM), receiving the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year Award, the EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and being named a New Zealander of the Year finalist on multiple occasions.
Annah is also the founder of Sisterhood Social, a platform designed to foster genuine connection between women, and co-hosts the Stretton Unfiltered podcast, where she explores business, leadership, creativity, social issues, and the stories of remarkable New Zealanders.
Known for her willingness to challenge accepted thinking, Annah brings a unique perspective that blends commercial success, creative expression, academic inquiry, and a deep commitment to community. Her experience across fashion, entrepreneurship, the arts, and social enterprise makes her a valued contributor to initiatives that celebrate innovation, excellence, and the power of creativity.
Other learning activities you may be interested in
Greg Rust: Life in the Fast Lane: Stories from Behind the Microphone Learning Lunch
Scott Towers of Fat Freddy’s Drop - From the Stage to the Bay Learning Lunch
Guy Lowry - Learning Lunch: The Mechanics of Equine Speed: Training the Ultimate Athlete
Adele Rose, CEO of 3R - Leading the Circular Economy
POPULARLifesaving care in the air: Inside the New Zealand Air Ambulance Service
POPULARProfessor Duncan Reid: Beyond the Podium: Stories from the Frontline of Elite Sport Learning Lunch
Dr Louise Speedy: From Medical Student to Military Major Learning Lunch
Shea McAleese OLY: The Evolution of a Four-Time Olympian Learning Lunch
POPULARFrancky Godinho: From Soil to Plate: A Vegetable Garden Tour and Seasonal Learning Lunch
Dr. Inge Haselsteiner: Humanity in Medicine - Empowering the Lost Women Learning Lunch
POPULAREverybody Eats: A Seat at the Table: Food, Community & Connection
