Josie Hunter-Annand is the associate programme director for Womad Aotearoa and has spent months hunting out the most fascinating scientists for the festival’s OMV Steam Lab stage.
Josie Hunter-Annand is the associate programme director for Womad Aotearoa and has spent months hunting out the most fascinating scientists for the festival’s OMV Steam Lab stage.
What do an award-winning chocolatier, a magnificent mushroom maestro and a brilliant bug scientist have in common? They’re all coming to Womad Aotearoa in 2025.
Nestled in a picturesque pocket of Brooklands Park, the OMV Steam Lab is Womad’s home of curiosity and innovation, and a thriving hub of science,technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Womad’s associate programme director Josie Hunter-Annand has spent months hunting out some of the greatest minds in Aotearoa and curating a line-up filled with exciting advances in science, fascinating innovations and even a collaboration to create a deliciously decadent Womad chocolate bar.
The line-up for 2025’s OMV Steam Lab was unveiled on November 27 and includes sessions on chocolate making, the extraordinary diversity of orchids, the science of sleep, the art of creating music, the magic of marine mammal conservation, the opulence of interior and garden design, the beauty of bugs and the fun of foraging fungi.
Sure to be a popular session, multi-award-winning chocolatiers Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF) will take to the stage to reveal the sweet science behind their limited edition Womad chocolate bar.
Matt Williams is part of the powerhouse team driving Wellington Chocolate Factory, New Zealand’s original bean-to-bar chocolate maker.
Hunter-Annand said the Womad chocolate bar will be released nationwide in February, and in a move Willy Wonka would be proud of, each one comes with the chance to win some golden tickets to the 2025 festival, and a second draw for 2026 tickets.
“How sweet is that, pun intended.”
Finding the fun in science and making it accessible to a wide range of people is something Hunter-Annand is passionate about.
“One awesome way to do this is to hero the science behind the ordinary, familiar things, which hold so much magic and skill scientifically to come into existence, but that we take for granted in our everyday life.
“I’m always looking at and thinking about a multitude of exciting angles and possibilities when it comes to programming and with the OMV Steam Lab, once you start digging around, it really is endless the paths you could take.
“It is fabulous in itself, just how richly talented, smart and explorative we are in Aotearoa.”
Maddi Brown runs the Wellington Chocolate Factory alongside Matt Williams.
For Kevin Goulet, general manager of OMV NZ, the OMV Steam Lab is a hub of curiosity and innovation and the perfect thing for the energy provider to get behind.
“We encourage our teams to be creative and think outside the square. Curiosity drives innovation and the unique line-up on the OMV Steam Lab stage at Womad plays a pivotal role in promoting these topics to a large and diverse audience, as well as inspiring our future generations.
“The marrying of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics mirrors OMV’s vision to be at the forefront of energy solutions that not only meet current needs but pave the way for a sustainable and circular future.”
Every year Goulet looks forward to seeing the variety of topics on the OMV Steam Lab stage and hearing from innovators, inventors and enthusiasts as they share their diverse, weird and wonderful ideas.
“The location of the OMV Steam Lab itself is also unique. Tucked away in the pine trees it offers a space for festival-goers to gather, sit back, relax and take in the wonderful world of all that Steam has to offer.”
The full OMV Steam Lab line-up for Womad Aotearoa 2025
Biological scientist and orchid specialist Dr Anne Gaskett
Naturalist, zoologist and behavioural ecologist Dr Greg Holwell
Electronica artist Frau Knotz with recording engineer Sam Johnson
Fungi aficionado, writer and curious observer Liv Sisson
Wellington Chocolate Factory’s powerhouse team Matt Williams and Maddi Brown
Celebrated landscape, interior, and house designer Michael Mansvelt
Professor Emeritus at Massey University and internationally renowned scholar of sleep and circadian rhythms Philippa Gander, ONZM
