The Government was also looking to the conference to use the power of the "collective mind" to propose ways to greater economic and social health.
Laying out the context for discussions, historian James Belich and Judge Mick Brown then took the stage for the first plenary session of the conference, "Who Are We As a Nation?"
The conference began with a welcome from Sir Hugh Kawharu, Paramount Chief, Ngati Whatua, and University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor Dr John Hood.
The conference is hosted by the Government and the university.
Discussion continues until Friday afternoon, when workshop groups will present strategies based on the five conference themes: Innovation and Creativity, People and Capability, Sustainable Economic Strategies, Entrepreneurship, and Social Cohesion and Bridging the Knowledge Divide.
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