Exploring the Hidden World of Fungi alongside Merlin Sheldrake
On December 9, 2025, the Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna Beach, Auckland, will host an enlightening event that promises to change your perspective on life on Earth. "The Secret Life of Fungi Live with Merlin Sheldrake" is a captivating live event that will delve into the fascinating world of fungi.
Biologist Merlin Sheldrake, a bestselling author, will lead the presentations, drawing on his research and his book Entangled Life. Sheldrake's work emphasizes the crucial role fungi play in shaping ecosystems and our understanding of life on Earth.
Throughout the event, Sheldrake will share key insights from his research, highlighting how fungi form complex networks, particularly mycelium, which interact deeply with plants, animals, and even humans. Fungi, he argues, are more actively engaged with their environment than previously understood, sometimes behaving akin to animals.
The presentations will feature time-lapse sequences from the IMAX documentary Fungi: The Web of Life, offering a dynamic, immersive experience combining science and storytelling.
Sheldrake will also explore cultural and ecological relationships with fungi, showcasing how different human communities use the same fungi in diverse ways—medicinally, nutritionally, or even in crafts like basket weaving with mycelial strands, as exemplified by the Yanomami people's practices.
In addition to these insights, attendees will have the opportunity to ask Merlin Sheldrake their own questions, making this event a unique opportunity to learn directly from a leading expert in the field.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit fane.com.au/whats-on/the-secret-life-of-fungi-live-with-merlin-sheldrake. A list of all events can be found on the website, and additional fungi-related content is available, including resources on what fungi are, where they can be found, and their uses in Māori knowledge.
Join Merlin Sheldrake for an unforgettable journey into the secret life of fungi, and discover how these mysterious organisms connect life forms and ecosystems, challenging traditional boundaries between plants and animals while enriching cultural practices and perceptions of the natural world. This event encourages exploration of the mycelial web and the unseen, and may even offer insights into how fungi can help us avoid environmental disaster.
