10 TED Talks you need to see

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark. Photo / UN

TED began 30 years ago as a conference about Technology, Entertainment and Design.

Conceived by architect and graphic designer Richard Wurman, it featured demonstrations of the Sony compact disc and the Apple Macintosh computer. It took six years for the next conference to be held but by the 1990s it had broadened its areas of expertise.

There are now over 1,600 talks available free online - with over 60 million views - that have inspired, educated and entertained people around the world.

In celebration of TED's 30th birthday, we're sharing 10 TED Talks you don't want to miss.

1. Helen Clark - Women and Leadership

Former New Zealand Prime Minister and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark, discusses the lack of women in leadership around the world. She also goes into the consequences for society when women are not involved in government goals and laws. In this powerful talk, she chats about access to reproductive health care, clean water and food production.

August 2013:

2. Derek Sivers - How to start a movement

While we are all taught to be leaders, this short talk by Derek Sivers shows how a movement begins with one person. However, it is not until the essential first follower that the one person is transformed into a leader.

April 2010:

3. Matt Cutts - Try something new for 30 days

Stuck in a rut? Matt Cutts discusses how repeatedly setting challenges that last 30 days can be life changing.

July 2011:

4. Pamela Meyer - How to spot a liar

Author of Liespotting, Pamela Meyer is an expert in how to understand why people lie and gives tips about how to recognise deception.

October 2011:

5. Sir Ken Robinson - Do schools kill creativity?

Author, speaker and international educational advisor Sir Ken Robinson discusses the unpredictability of the future, the extraordinary capabilities of children and the need for an education system that places as much emphasis on creativity as literacy.

January 2007:

6. Alexander Tsiaras - Conception to birth - visualised

Image-maker, artist and journalist Alexander Tsiaras discusses how new technology has enabled people to see life forming from conception, and says it's hard not to see divinity in the process. It includes some graphic images.

November 2011:

7. Paul Wood - What's your prison?

New Zealand convicted murderer, Dr Paul Wood discusses the choices he made to end up in prison and how most people have a prison made in their own mind. He uses his experiences to teach about how to find freedom and success in life.

December 2012:

8. Lisa Bu - How books can open your mind

Raised in a family who believed that a safe and secure job is the most important in life, regardless of interest, Lisa Bu was unable to follow her childhood dream of becoming an opera singer. Upset, she turned to books and in this talk shares how books expanded and changed her life.

May 2013:

9. May El-Khalil - Making peace is a marathon

After being hit by a bus and consequently spending two years in hospital and having 36 surgeries, long-distance runner May El-Khalil founded a marathon in Lebanon. Now these marathons bring the fractious country together, even if it's only for one day a year.

August 2013:

10. Frank Warren - Half a million secrets

Founder of PostSecret.com Frank Warren encouraged people to send him anonymous post cards of their secrets. In this touching talk, he shares the different forms secrets can take and the impact his initiative has had on both his life and the lives of others.

April 2012:

- nzherald.co.nz