Steve Dunstan
Role: Speaker
Themes: Business, Lifestyle & Wellbeing, Motivation
Steve Dunstan is the Founder and Brand Director of Huffer, one of New Zealand’s most recognisable and enduring fashion brands.
He co-founded Huffer in 1997 at just 21 years old, alongside skateboarder Dan Buckley, building what began as a grassroots snowboard label into a multi-faceted retail business with stores across New Zealand and Australia. What started with passion and community quickly grew into a brand worn by some of the world’s biggest names — including Orlando Bloom, who famously wore an “I 🖤 NZ” Huffer t-shirt at the Lord of the Rings premiere in Wellington.
But the Huffer story hasn’t been without challenge. After a failed attempt to expand into the United States, the business hit rock bottom — nearly losing everything. What followed was a decade-long rebuild: a disciplined, determined effort to salvage the brand and restore it to strength.
On stage, Steve is thoughtful, humble and candid about both the highs and the hard lessons. He shares the realities of entrepreneurship — risk, ego, resilience and reinvention — with honesty and perspective. His story is entertaining, but it’s also deeply practical, offering insight into brand-building, leadership and what it takes to recover when things don’t go to plan.
Audiences leave with a clearer understanding of the resilience required to build something meaningful — and the courage it takes to start again when it falters.
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