Tour News - Merlin Sheldrake announces NZ show - December 2025

Presented by: Fane x How To Academy

FANE x HOW TO ACADEMY Present: MERLIN SHELDRAKE: THE SECRET LIFE OF FUNGI LIVE

A Mind-Expanding Journey into the Hidden World Beneath Our Feet

What can we learn from fungi? How might we work with them to adapt to the radical change of our times?

What secrets lie beneath our feet?

This December, audiences in Auckland and Australia will have the rare opportunity to experience Merlin Sheldrake, celebrated biologist and bestselling author of Entangled Life, in a groundbreaking live show that will bring to life the very secret and immensely fascinating world of fungi - one of the oldest, most delicate, yet resilient species on the planet. 

“Thinking about fungi makes the world look different. These remarkable organisms have shaped life on Earth for over a billion years and continue to do so. There are so many ways that fungi can help us as we move forwards on this changing planet." - Merlin Sheldrake

Merlin Sheldrake invites audiences into the extraordinary world of fungi - a very diverse group of organisms that not only sustain life on Earth but also redefine our understanding of intelligence, identity, and ecology. Blending live discussion and audience-led exploration, this unique event features never-before-seen footage and groundbreaking new research, revealing the latest discoveries in the world of fungi. Drawing from his groundbreaking research and his acclaimed book Entangled Life, he will share profound insights into how fungi connect organisms; without fungi, the living world as we know it would not exist.

The live show will feature sequences from Fungi: The Web of Life, the award-winning IMAX documentary narrated by the iconic Björk.  Audiences will also be invited to ask Merlin their own questions about this mysterious, living kingdom. 

Sheldrake’s mind-bending journey into this hidden world ranges from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that sprawl for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that make all plant life possible, to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision.

Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms – and our relationships with them – are changing our understanding of how life works.

“Fungi offer us profound lessons in resilience, cooperation, and transformation,” says Sheldrake. “They show us that life is more networked, more surprising, and more entangled than we often imagine.”

Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and author with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, and ecology. His debut book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures, became an international bestseller and has been translated into over twenty languages. Known for his engaging style and interdisciplinary approach, Sheldrake’s work bridges science, philosophy, and art, inspiring a deeper connection with the natural world.

Part science and part story - this is a one-of-a-kind journey into the living underground.

Tour Dates:

Sunday November 30 - Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

Tuesday December 2 - Regal Theatre, Perth

Friday December 5 - Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne

Saturday December 6 - Town Hall, Adelaide

Tuesday December 9 - City Recital Hall, Sydney

Wednesday December 10 – Bruce Mason, Auckland

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