About Men's Muster

Welcome to Men's Muster, an empowering men's well-being event set to take place in the picturesque town of Te Anau from 21st-23rd August 2025. Prepare to embark on a transformative journey as we invite you to join us for three days filled with enriching activities, captivating speakers, and memorable experiences!

This year, our event is anchored by the powerful theme: 'Conquer Today, Thrive Tomorrow.' As we gather together, we aim to explore and overcome the challenges and obstacles that often lurk in the shadows of men's lives. Through engaging workshops, thought-provoking discussions, and uplifting interactions, we'll equip you with the tools and inspiration to thrive in every aspect of your life.

Whether seeking personal growth, connecting with like-minded individuals, or simply looking to have a blast, Men's Muster offers something for everyone. From outdoor adventures to inner reflection, from laughter-filled moments to profound insights, our event promises to leave you energized, inspired, and ready to take on the world.

Join us in Te Anau during August 2025 for an unforgettable experience that will empower you to conquer today, thrive tomorrow and embrace your full potential.

Men on a beach standing in front of two yellow jet boats

Who Should Come?

YOU & 3 MATES

There is a real chance here to get together
with those people you keep meaning to
catch up with or do something different
with those you already do.
It is an opportunity for a fun break away
with some health messages to take home to
better yourself, your mates,
your family, and your community.

JUST YOU

Are you needing some time out? Want to
have a chance to have some fun
and learn more about how to help
you live better? Join our Muster team
to learn, grow and apply how to be
a better bloke.

THE FELLAS AT WORK

You are an employer who
would like to offer your employees
something special to celebrate or
build a great team; Men’s Muster
delivers and can build both. It is a real
chance for workmates to get to know
one another better and promote
wellbeing through your
organisation.

More Information

Laugh your way to a newer you at the Men's Muster Fiordland. The first event burst into life in June 2021 in the picturesque lakeside location of Te Anau, with the majestic and jaw-dropping World Heritage Area of Fiordland as your backdrop. It's not a retreat; it's fun! Three days of great times and good, basic lifestyle tweaks.

In case you haven't worked it out yet - you're not invincible, you don't have all the answers and your health is as much owned by those who love you as yourself. So get back in touch or find your sense of identity. Unleash your inner problem-solver as you set about some light-hearted hunter-gathering tasks - it's friendly competition, with egos left at the door. You'll feel unbelievable energy as you experience an incredible array of speakers.
From sport, to psychology, business, health, leadership, lifestyle, inspirers, and everyday people who like to do things a little bit differently. It could be a stay-at-home dad or an achiever in one field who has experienced an enormous learning curve doing something new. Make it your mate's getaway for the year. Or do something different with mates closer to home. You could even be an employer looking to inspire your crew to build a great team. You talk more when you're busy - so there's a lot to keep you occupied, sharing a sense of achievement and letting the conversations flow. Work out if you are a pleasure-seeker or an achievement-chaser. Or somewhere in between.

There are awesome outdoor challenges for anyone and everyone keen to dip their toes in new water - with rewarding experiences such as yoga, rock-climbing, food-tasting, jet-boating, scavenger hunts and rogaine. Each year new and exciting opportunities are laid on. Did we mention there's great entertainment too? It's a chance to take time out to think about yourself, free from those seemingly all-consuming life commitments. Sit back and relax with a cold drink as you reflect on how your thoughts affect your physiology: good food, good mood, and all that stuff.

If you need the buzzwords - we've got them all: education, engagement, connection, challenge, and fun, always fun. It's about building on your strengths for you, your family and your community. If you like, you can also take the time to explore the stunningly rugged and remote Fiordland region, which offers awe-inspiring landscapes and a wide range of recreational activities. The feedback speaks for itself - "Amazing - best three days of 2021"; "Next level event!"; "Interesting, varied, engaging, bonding, confronting, brilliant and worthwhile. Thank you so many times over."

Group of men standing on a beach with two yellow jet boats in the background

Upcoming Speakers 2025

Genetically Modified Optimist

David Downs (CMInstD) - Speaker

David has had a successful career in the private and public sectors and is now CEO of The New Zealand Story. He also acts as a consultant and is a director on several boards, including as Chair of The Icehouse.

David is an ex-comedian, TV and radio actor, semi-finalist for New Zealander of the Year, cancer survivor and a published author of the books No.8 Re-wired, No.8 Recharged, A Mild Touch of the Cancer, and Silver Linings. David founded SOS Business, a hugely successful not-for-profit initiative to help cafes and other small businesses during covid-19.

Comedian

Willy de Wit - Speaker

Born William McGechie, Willy soon found his niche in comedy and found a new career (and new name). Pioneering NZ’s stand-up comedy scene in the 1980s, Willy moved into TV, working with giants like Billy T James and McPhail & Gadsby. He was part of the iconic and hugely successful TV group Funny Business, which led de Wit into a career in radio. Willy spent 11 years as the morning host of Radio Hauraki and was also part of the Kiwi supergroup The Wide Lapels. Tragically, in 2016 Willy suffered a life-threatening stroke which still impacts him today.

Health & Wellness Coach

Sam McBride - Keynote Speaker

Sam is a Men's Health and Wellness Coach and Safety Manager for an aviation business who specialises in delivering group coaching to help fellas get together and get UN-STUCK from the daily grind. Through teaching, peer support and fun, each participant gets to take away unique tools to build their worlds better.

Her vision is to create a future where men across New Zealand take control of their health and well-being - empowering and transforming not only themselves with this growth sending a ripple effect of peer support and widespread positive living throughout all of Aotearoa! She has seen first-hand how when men support each other, they create immense mental and physical growth, and this spills over to create more connected, inspired, and positive families and communities.

She believes connection, personal growth, and mindset resilience are the cornerstones of making this future a reality. She will share some of the knowledge she is researching about how, with the right tools, mindsets can evolve to be far more positive and powerful.

Health Coach

Kent Johns - Keynote Speaker and MC

Kent is a certified Health and Mental Well-Being Coach and Nutritional Counsellor. He established Kent Johns Health to assist businesses in helping their people better look after themselves and thrive in life. He is the host of Take It From Us, a radio program that deals with issues such as poor mental well-being, addiction, and trauma, and is also a regular health contributor on Newstalk ZB.

To us at the Muster, Kent Johns is one of a kind. He has been keeping the momentum of our event going with his impeccable MCing skills, learned through his broadcasting career. Kent’s health presentations are laced with honest perspective and plenty of humour. He spoke at both of the previous Men’s Musters, and we can’t wait to see him again this August!

Rugby Player

Callum Bruce - Keynote Speaker

Callum Bruce represented the Māori All Blacks and formerly played for Super Rugby teams Highlanders and Chiefs, usually at second five-eighth. Continuing his Rugby career in Japan, Callum decided that with a young family, it was time to come home.

He has also been an integral part of establishing the Men's Muster, working tirelessly with us and chairing the board of our newly formed charitable trust.

From achieving on the field, he has really helped us to achieve great things in Te Anau and has now started another adventure in life and will come and share more about that with you.

Adventure Guide

Courtney Quintrell

Throughout my life I have always enjoyed the peaceful zen of focusing my mind while participating in various adventure sports. Motorbikes, paragliding, rafting, and kayaking are forms of meditation for me. Focusing on every movement while Mother Nature is speeding toward you doesn't allow you to think about your work, ex, or sick family member. It's a complete escape for the mind, a workout for the body, and the soul always feels amazing after a good adventure.

Although I recommend getting outside, sometimes we need simple tools to calm our minds that don't require leaving the house. Conscious breathing and meditation are powerful tools everyone can learn, which allow us to experience more joy in life because they intentionally focus our thoughts and emotions towards what we want to experience.

Through my Brave Soul workshops and multiday adventure retreats, I teach these and other tools that allow my clients to release fear, embrace life and start living from the brave soul inside of them.

My Wealth

Kobus Venter & Shontell Hageraats

Kobus and Shontell empower you to be ambitious in your dreams and confident with your money. They guide you through financial landscape battles, providing the knowledge and resources to make informed decisions and conquer financial success. They run a financial advisory business with over 30 years of experience in investing, consumer banking, and mortgage lending.

They have started to see the importance of mental health on your finances and vice versa. Poor mental health often has a linear relationship to poor financial behaviours, and sound money habits are built one step at a time. They are passionate about helping you on the pathway to financial freedom. They believe that our money story is often psychological, often set from a young age. We are thrilled to have them at this year's Men's Muster to help show you how to eliminate existing stories and change them to reach your full potential.

Past Speakers

Rugby Player

Sir Wayne Shelford - Keynote Speaker

A true sporting rangatira, Wayne 'Buck' Shelford is one of the most legendary All Blacks captains and rugby coaches our country has ever produced. Passionate about encouraging Kiwi men to take better care of their health, Buck himself beat cancer 14 years ago. In recent years, Wayne 'Buck' Shelford has become as passionate about men's health as he was about belting out a pre-match haka. In 2012, he published "Buck Up", a book that positively alters awareness of and approaches to men's health for everyday males and practitioners.

Farm4Life

Tangaroa Walker - Keynote Speaker

Struggle Gives You Meaning

You can see him on his Facebook Page, Farm4Life, a Southland share-milker and social media sensation, leading the good life with his whanau and talking about his passion—dairy farming. Tangaroa Walker (Ranginui/Pukenga) and his trailblazing business won the 2021 Te Kupeka Umaka Maori ki Araiteuru (KUMA) Māori Business Award and the Southland Environmental Innovations award.

Logan Lore

Ben Logan - Keynote Speaker

As an elite athlete and health, performance and survival specialist, Ben's ultimate passion is reconnecting men with their purpose and providing them with the skillsets needed to thrive in this world, allowing them to transfer those benefits to their business, personal and family life.

When he's not in the backcountry mountains of Wanaka training with his Alaskan Malamute, Maska, you can usually find him testing new research on human optimisation, survival training and exploring the beautiful region of Wanaka that he calls home with his family. He has worked and trained with men from all walks of life, from fathers and sons to corporates, some of the world's best athletes and military personnel.

Urologist

Amir Zarrabi - Keynote Speaker

Amir is an Associate Professor of Urology and is the only Urologist in New Zealand with a PhD in Male Fertility & Microsurgery. To offer his patients care of the highest standards, he has received training at world-renowned institutions in the USA and Europe, including Harvard Medical School, the Cleveland Clinic, Cornell University Hospital in New York and the Asklepios Hospital in Germany.

Apart from his position as TD Scott Chair of Urology at the University of Otago, he has been in full-time practice as a consultant Urologist in Dunedin since 2009 and manages the full spectrum of Urological conditions. He is a member of both the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Fertility Society of Australia & New Zealand.

Nutritionist

Conrad Goodhew - Keynote Speaker

Back by popular demand! We welcome Conrad to return and share some more of his wisdom with us. Since the age of 4, he has been playing sports. Participating in everything from rugby and cricket to squash and golf – all at provincial and international representative levels. He also loves the outdoors, where he surfs and dives (among everything else).

He can understand the pressures that sportsmen and women go through, both physiological and psychological. He works with the Crusaders, weekend warriors and the general public that are trying to be the best version of themselves. His drive is to start changing how the health and fitness industry sees clients as more than just a 'quick fix' for marketing and driving sustainable change to inspire generations to follow.

Lifestyle Medicine and Root cause analysis coach

Kim Knight - Keynote Speaker

Kim is a multi-award winning coach, including finalist for NEXT New Zealand Woman of the Year (2011) for ‘innovation and contribution in health’. After bringing herself back to health from 20 years of debilitating symptoms, including being housebound with chronic fatigue (CFS), fibromyalgia, clinical depression and anxiety, Kim now helps others create miracles in their health. Trained in a number of cutting-edge healthcare approaches, including her own signature ‘root cause analysis’, 9 pillars of health mastery and TKM lifestyle medicine, her passion is empowering people with the tools to take back control of their health and life.

Comedian

Shane Mulvey - MC

Here to host the Friday night entertainment, Shane came onto the queenstown comedy scene late last year and has been a favourite of crowds down there since. From Mexican jail cells to life as a new father Shane has a unique and often outrageous perspective on life that's not to be missed.

Winner of the 2020 Queenstown Raw Comedy Quest

Schedule 2025

2025 Theme : Conquer Today, Thrive Tomorrow

It is fair to say that we are all aware of the obvious things that can create obstacles in our lives: big life events, injuries, illness, grief - the list goes on. But what about the things that sneak up on us that we are unaware of until they have taken hold and really start interfering with our ability to tackle life head-on? This year at the Muster, we will make you aware of the things that might defeat us and throw in some tools to help eliminate those little f***ers before they take hold. Regular check-ins to our mental and physical health are a great way to start the ball rolling. We can often see that there may be dangers lurking on the horizon (and rather than burying our heads), choosing some better lifestyle choices, understanding and accepting how we are feeling are all simple tools that can help to send them packing - before we are completely set in their sights! This year, the Muster is designed to help you understand some of these predators, help your body and mind build a fort for protection, and the skills to help you defeat things that get too close. Delivered with the usual fun style of education, camaraderie, challenge and achievement, we encourage you again to Learn, Grow and Apply new things from Men's Muster Fiordland to help you and your mates Build Better Blokes to triumph over anything that this world throws at you.

Bloke Building Muster Registration
Location: Te Anau Hall

1:00pm - Opening Speaker - TBC

Workshop 1 - Sam McBride
Master your mindset

Keynote, Courtney Quintrell- Breath Building Tools
Brave Soul

3:00pm-3:30pm Coffee Break

Workshop 2, Kobus Venter and Shontell Hagraats - My Wealth
Winning the War on Finance

Telling Tales led by Callum Bruce
Conquering your saboteurs

Dinner at your leisure

8:00am-8:30am - Coffee/Tea
Location: Fiordland Events Centre

8:30am-9:00am Challenge Overview & Warmup

9:00am-5:00pm Muster Challenge
Location: Venues around Fiordland, lunch provided. A day of fun, laughter, personal and mental challenges, teams of 4 to compete in our stunning Fiordland scenery, and vying for the big prizes on offer for the day.

Dinner at your leisure

8:00pm-10:30pm Entertainment Evening
MC - Kent Johns with Keynote Veteran and Leader Tony Groves - Winning My Battle. Also Keynote Comedian - Willie De Wit - Winning a different battle
Location: Fiordland Events Centre

Closing approx. 10:30pm

*Morning Muster optional activities @ 7:00am
Location: Various Venues

8:30am-9:00am Welcome Coffee
Location: Te Anau Hall

9:00am workshop schedule starts

9:00am-9:30am Keynote Speaker -David Downs - Sharing his NZ Story
His journey

9:30am-10:00am Keynote Speaker Kent Johns - Bludgeoning Burnout!
Sharing his NZ story

10:00am-10:30am Keynote Speaker - Other Keynotes TBC
Other Keynotes TBC

12:30pm-6:30pm Lunch/Optional afternoon activities
Location: Various venues (selection of free & paid)

6:30pm - Fiordland Feast & Prizegiving
Four course Fiordland Feast dinner with drink pairings and guest speakers. (Speakers TBC). Prizes to be awarded for the Challenge Day.
Location: Te Anau Hall

Closing approx. 11:00pm

Past Events

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

To all the people & businesses who helped ...

We are writing to thank you for supporting the first-ever Men's Muster. We are pleased to share insights into our launch of this incredible inaugural event. We believe the program and content worked exceptionally well, was impactful and applicable. Most importantly, attendees were fully engaged 150%. Participants were given numerous opportunities to

Learn Something New - Try Something New - Apply Something New.

Most attendees didn't know one another prior to the event, though some were connected in their communities. However, upon conclusion of the event, it's safe to say every person spoke to & engaged with every other attendee in some way, shape, or form and throughout built bonds, camaraderie, and a shared sense of community.

We are also pleased to share that 80% of the business produced through the event was specifically directed to local businesses of Fiordland and Te Anau. Businesses who are struggling through the 'off season' and the post-pandemic economic downturn were afforded unexpected revenues and customers.

Whilst the dust has settled, and attendees have returned to their homes, routines, and normal schedules, we know from texts, posts, and sharing that attendees are incorporating bits & splices of the learnings into their daily life and existence, better grounding themselves in their health & longevity.

We would not have been able to afford these men the benefits, nor the town the boost, if it were not for the contribution provided by you all.

Please know how much we greatly appreciate you all.

From the Muster Te Anau Committee - Sam, Dawn and Callum

Partners - Muster Makers

Muster Movers

Muster Mates

Mens Health Week

"We men can behave very strangely at times. Too often we seem to defy or disguise reality, which is particularly true when it comes to our health and well-being.
Men’s Health Week is recognised worldwide each June, serving as an annual reminder that we’re not invincible, we don’t have all the answers and, really, our health is as much owned by those we love as by ourselves. That’s why we are fortunate to have guides and mentors like Sam McBride on our side.
The Men’s Muster, which Sam and her team have developed in Te Anau for 2021, brings together many positive drivers of men’s behaviour – competition, camaraderie, adventure, and so much more – to give guys both the chance and the tools to become even better blokes.
The biggest changes start with small steps, and that’s what Men’s Health Week and the Men’s Muster encourage by holding a mirror for men, asking them to be honest about how they manage their health. Helping guys with information, direction and commitment can lock in these small adjustments, building better blokes, better relationships, and better communities along the way.
Men’s Health Week is delighted to endorse the Men’s Muster planned for spectacular Te Anau, and we wish Sam and her team great and enduring success with the concept."

Mark Sainsbury & Tim Greene
Directors, Men’s Health Week (NZ)

Men's Muster 2025

21st - 23rd August 2025

About Men's Muster

Who Should Come?

YOU & 3 MATES

JUST YOU

THE FELLAS AT WORK

More Information

Upcoming Speakers 2025

Genetically Modified Optimist

David Downs (CMInstD) - Speaker

Comedian

Willy de Wit - Speaker

Health & Wellness Coach

Sam McBride - Keynote Speaker

Health Coach

Kent Johns - Keynote Speaker and MC

Rugby Player

Callum Bruce - Keynote Speaker

Adventure Guide

Courtney Quintrell

My Wealth

Kobus Venter & Shontell Hageraats

Past Speakers

Rugby Player

Sir Wayne Shelford - Keynote Speaker

Farm4Life

Tangaroa Walker - Keynote Speaker

Logan Lore

Ben Logan - Keynote Speaker

Urologist

Amir Zarrabi - Keynote Speaker

Nutritionist

Conrad Goodhew - Keynote Speaker

Lifestyle Medicine and Root cause analysis coach

Kim Knight - Keynote Speaker

Comedian

Shane Mulvey - MC

Men's Muster Offers:

Education - Exploration - Engagement - Challenge - Fun - Connection

Schedule 2025

2025 Theme : Conquer Today, Thrive Tomorrow

Men's Muster Offers:

Education - Exploration - Engagement - Challenge - Fun - Connection

Past Events

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

To all the people & businesses who helped ...

Partners - Muster Makers

Muster Movers

Muster Mates

Being a bloke is hard these days

The Men's Muster gives blokes the chance to learn, try and apply new things to help them live life - better.

Mens Health Week