Fiona Bentley is a Registered Nurse and Clinical Solutions Specialist for Smith + Nephew.  

Fiona, a Clinical Solution Specialist at Smith & Nephew, has spent seven years educating healthcare professionals on wound care management, following her experience in an ICU setting. Join her to learn how to enhance your team's ability to distinguish between incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) and pressure injuries, helping to better support your community.

Aged Care Commissioner | Te Toihau Tautiaki KaumātuaHealth and Disability Commissioner | Te Toihau Hauora, Hauātanga

As Aged Care Commissioner for nearly 3 years, Carolyn provides strategic oversight of health and disability services for older people in all care settings. In addition to being a statutory decision maker on complaints about care provided to older people, she advocates for older people’s rights to quality health and disability services to support them to age well. Carolyn’s 40-year career spans public and private sector governance, executive and clinical leaderships roles across New Zealand and Australia. She is passionate about ensuring older people have a great quality of care and quality of life.

Tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Opotiki te whenua tupu.Ko Ōtepoti te Kainga.Kei Anne Daniels tōku ingoa. Tēnā tātou katoa.

From my earliest nursing days Anne has been a union activist, standing up for, and beside her colleagues, families, and communities.

Anne has been actively engaged with Toputanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) since the 1990’s, as a member, delegate, College and Sections committee member, Nurses and Midwifery Advisory Committee member advising the board on policy, and now President/co-leader/Board Co-Chair.

Anne is a a strong advocate for an equitable member led union and a constitution that reflects this ideal, led by our commitment to honour te Tiriti of Waitangi. Anne continues to work in ED to stay cognisant of the issues experienced by NZNO members in the clinical context, namely needing enough nurses/midwives/healthcare assistants so we can provide safe and quality care, where and when it is needed, in a safe work environment. Ratio justice and nurse patient ratio legislation, that supports and protects, every NZNO member, in primary health care, aged care, and the public sectors is a campaign that we must all invest in, as its success will provide the foundation for realising the aspirations of the Pae Ora Act and focus our health care system on the wellbeing of our nation. 

Julie is a Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Professional Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate at The University of Auckland. 

Julie is a previous Chair of the NZNO Gerontology Section and contributed the development of the College of Gerontology Nursing. 

Julie is co-author of the 2023 Edition of the Frailty Care Guides for residential aged care (RAC).  Her research interests include supporting the RAC team to identify and respond to acute deterioration in a timely and standardise manner. 

Dr Makarena Dudley, (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu), is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Deputy Director Māori for the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. 

In 2025, Makarena was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to people with dementia, particularly Māori. She has developed a screening tool for detecting dementia mate wareware in Māori (MANA: Māori Assessment of Neuropsychological Abilities), developed a mate wareware website and app and has led the adaptation of the Cognitive Stimulation Training (CST) programme to be culturally appropriate for Māori. Makarena has developed a theory of dementia mate wareware from a Māori worldview.

Makarena is currently leading a nation-wide mate wareware prevalence study with Māori.

Debbie is an Enrolled Nurse with a Level 5 Diploma and 20 years practice specialising in rehabilitation in the Burwood Spinal unit.

With a passion for enhancing the quality of life for all patients from the age of 14years to 90+ years.

Debbie has a deep commitment to improve healthcare, nursing the over 65year old patients, she feels she has a deep understanding of the unique needs and challenges faced by our older patients.

Debbie is committed to advocating for best practices for our patients and ensure they receive dignity, respect, Comfort and individual care.

Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngai Tai

Kerri is a Registered Nurse and Midwife by background working across primary, community and hospital-based nursing, she is currently the Kaiwhakahaere at Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa – New Zealand Nurses Organisation. Kerri is member of the International Council of Nurses, Audit and Risk Committee, Co-chair of the Iwi Maori Partnership Board for Te Aka Whai Ora. Honorary Member of Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa, New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

Kerri is a well-respected international Indigenous nursing leader who has been representing Aotearoa on a global stage at a range of international for a for decades. She has strong indigenous networks and is a skilled strategist and thinker and strong advocate for human rights, Indigenous rights, women, and Workers’ Rights. 

Kerri has led numerous legal challenges specifically pay parity for the workforce, lead applicant for the Kaupapa Health Services enquiry, Mana Wahine claims and Oranga Tamariki – child uplift, a collaborator in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, shadow report and the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

An advocate and published researcher, her national and international accomplishments have seen her present interventions at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations in New York, protecting freedoms and right of Indigenous peoples.

Kerri is a recipient of the prestigious” International Human Rights and Nursing Award” from the University of Exter UK and recognised in 100 Maori Leaders.

Matthew holds the position of clinical chair in gerontology, a joint appointment between Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) and the University of Waikato. Matthew works across health and specialist services in the midlands as well as commissioning in the South Island. He also works with Spark Health, as the digital clinical lead, specialising in older people and community health.

Matthew has spent the last three decades researching and implementing new health services to improve the lives of older people and people with disabilities.

Chairperson, National Enrolled Nurse Section NZNO

Michelle originally from the UK, now lives in Christchurch. Married with two children and graduated from Ara Te Pukinga in 2015 with the Diploma in Enrolled Nursing. Michelle is the chairperson for both the National Enrolled Nurse Section and the Canterbury Enrolled Nurse Section, Michelle is also a workplace Delegate and a member of the NZNO Canterbury Regional Council. Michelle was also on the design team with NCNZ for the review of the Scope of Practice. Michelle works in the Spinal Unit at Burwood Hospital.

Amanda Wood is an Auckland based Infection Prevention and Control Nurse (IPC) Specialist. Amanda started her career working in Orthopaedics/Neurology and Infectious disease units overseas as a Registered Nurse, which sparked her interest in Infectious disease and Infection prevention and control. She  currently works in IPC at Mercy Ascot hospitals, but over the past 22 years has worked as an IPC nurse specialist in Private surgical, District Health Boards, IPC consultancies, Aged Care and in the IPC team at the Health, Quality and Safety Commission (Te Tahu Haoura). She is a committee member of the Infection Prevention and Control Nurses College. Amanda is passionate about Infection Prevention and Control and is speaking about Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms.