Meet our speakers
Ruakere Hond
Dr Ruakere Hond is a prominent member of the Parihaka community, being kaiakōrero for Te Paepae o Te Raukura, one of the whare in Parihaka and also a Trustee of the Papakāinga. Ruakere's research and work has largely been centred on Māori language revitalisation alongside community wellbeing and development. His doctoral research in public health at Massey was on the nature and role of speaker communities in achieving positive Māori health outcomes. From the late 80's Ruakere became an active participant in community-based reo initiatives such as Te Ataarangi and Te Reo o Taranaki, he worked at Taranaki polytechnic and in Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi based in Whakatāne. His work has included running Te Ihi Tū, a Maori prisoner habilitation centre and is currently managing a Te Ahu o te Reo training programme for education workforce in the region of Manawatu, Whanganui and Taranaki. Currently, Ruakere is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and also with Te Mātāwai in Te Taihauāuru.
Dr Ruakere Hond is a prominent member of the Parihaka community and a trustee of Parihaka Papakāinga. His work has largely been on Māori language revitalisation and community development. From the late 80's he became active in community-based reo initiatives. Currently, Ruakere manages a reo programme for education workforce in Manawatū, Whanganui and Taranaki, and is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal.
Matt Brown
Matt Brown is an internationally acclaimed barber, hair artist and the founder of My Fathers Barbers, the barbershop where men go to heal.
Dr Ashley Bloomfield
Dr Ashley Bloomfield was until recently the Director-General of Health. He trained in medicine and public health at at the University of Auckland and specialised in public health medicine. Dr Bloomfield has held several leadership positions in the NZ health system including Chief Executive at Hutt Valley District Health Board from 2015 to 2018 and during 2011 worked at the World Health Organization in Geneva. His primary are of interest is the prevention and control of of non-communicable diseases, however recently he has had to diversify to help lead New Zealand’s Covid-19 pandemic response.
Bruce D. Perry, MD, Phd
Dr. Perry is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academyand a Professor (Adjunct) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria Australia.
Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Dr. Perry's most recent book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, was released in 2021.
Danny de Lore
Danny is a general paediatrician at Rotorua Hospital in Aotearoa New Zealand. He studied medicine at the University of Otago and trained in Paediatrics in Christchurch, Brisbane and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. He chairs the RACP Indigenous Child Health Working Group, and is a member of the Māori Health Committee of the RACP. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland School of Medicine. His areas of interest include Māori Health, Medical Education and Paediatric Diabetes.
John Doran
John Doran is a General Paediatrician in Taranaki where he has worked for the last 30 years as a consultant. He first came to Taranaki in 1978 as a Trainee Intern on a paediatric elective attachment
John is currently the Clinical Director for Maternal Child and Women’s Health as well as Acting Head of Dept for Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Te Whatu Ora Taranaki
Nevil Pierse
Associate Professor Nevil Pierse is co-leader of He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme. Originally a statistician by training, his current work is done in partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders including government and community organisations, and is focused on the design and implementation of randomised trials and natural experiments to improve the home and community environments.
Nevil's previous studies have shown the benefits of efficient home heating and insulation, which was instrumental in the $1Bn Million EECA, Warm Up New Zealand, Heat Smart programme. He is currently working on the Healthy Housing Initiative with which looks at home interventions to prevent rehospitalisation of children with housing related disease. This programme has accessed and remediated 28,900 homes in New Zealand, and resulted in a decrease in hospital admission and GP visits.
In 2019 it was won the Prime Minister's prize for best public service programme. Nevil current leads the 'Ending Homelessness in New Zealand: Housing First' MBIE funded research programme and a HRC funded programme looking at the health and well-being gains from improving housing quality. Nevil has a keen interest in big data and leads 5 Housing and Health projects on the integrated data infrastructure.
Ally Fulcher
Programme Manager Roots of Empathy New Zealand
Ally was a primary school teacher for over 30 years.
On leaving teaching she became a trainer with an IT company.
In 2009 she became a volunteer Instructor with the Roots of Empathy programme. In 2014 she took on the role of Programme Manager for Aotearoa, as well as Senior Mentor, and more recently that of Trainer. She continues to facilitate her own programme/s each year.
Lydia Snell
Paediatric Home Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
Lydia works as a Paediatric Home Care Nurse based at Whakatane hospital in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Lydia has four adult children and 10 Moko, and actively involved with enjoying family life a part of her extended whanau.
Lydia has had the privilege of working in the community in which I have lived for the past 50 plus years!
Her passion is to help whanau navigate the pathway toward better health for their Tamariki and Pepi. This is no more true than in the area of managing eczema.
Keri Opai
Tēnā koutou katoa
Nō roto a Keri i ngā rohe ā-waka maha. Ko ōna iwi tonu ko Te Atiawa, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Te Ata, Waiohua, Ngāti Porou
Keri is the Pou Tikanga and Co-Deputy Chief Executive of Tui Ora.
His knowledge base comes from being taught by Māori elders from an early age. He is a life-long educator, teaching Māori language and culture in kōhanga reo (Māori language learning environments for children under five), primary and secondary school, polytechnic, wānanga (Māori university) and mainstream university as well as community-based organisations.
He is a licensed interpreter and hold a Master’s degree in Māori knowledge systems. His seminal work in creating Te Reo Hāpai, a Māori language glossary for the mental health, addiction and disability sectors, has been widely recognised for utilising a strengths-based, positive Māori worldview.
Keri is the author of ‘Tikanga, an introduction to te ao Māori’
Anna Carré
Anna is a neuropsychologist working with the Child Development Team in Taranaki. Her career has been focused in the field of intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability.
Anna’s work is in assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disability; and working with families and professionals to support the understanding and management of children and young people with neurodiversity.
Terryann Clark
Terryann is a Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Auckland and the Cure Kids Chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She has worked as a nurse for over 30 years in youth health in various roles and as an academic.
Terryann is co-lead of the Youth’19 Rangatahi Smart Survey and founding member of the Youth2000 survey series and also led a study exploring the influence of whanaungatanga on rangatahi wellbeing.
Brendon Rei
Brendon was born in Waverley and went Patea High School before joining the New Zealand Navy at 17yrs of age. Brendon spent 10 years in the Navy and then another 5 years in the Army. Brendon travelled the world before returning to New Zealand to work for Westpac Rescue Helicopter in Auckland as flight crew.
Business development was next for Brendon spending the next 10yrs in the Media Industry, now a director of a small media company Rei Media (day job).
Brendon's passion is working with our rangatahi tāne Māori - young Māori boys that are our succession to what the men of our future look like on our Marae, Hapū and Iwi.
Brendon moved home to Ngāmotu (New Plymouth) in 2018 and have been involved with rangatahi development since then, working with a group of positive male Māori role models to enable these young men to understand more about who they are as Māori and in doing so create that necessary social change that they deserve to reach their full potential (Mana Motuhake) - self determination.
Mihi Henare
Ko Taranaki te māunga
Ko Waingongaro, Kapuni raua Waiokura te awa
Ko Aotea raua ko Ahaupo nga waka
Ko ngā Ruahine, Ngati Ruahua nui, Taranaki raua ngā Raruru tōku iwi
Ko āraukuku o Rimupiko Ngati Haua, Ngāti Manu Hiakia tōku hapū
Ko Toroānui ki Parihaka raua Kanihi ki Normanby raua ko Tawhitinui ki Manaia tōku Marae
Ko Ngamotu Taranaki to whare kainga ahau
Ko te whanau Henry-Henare, Millian, Inia raua Moutere tōku whanau o nga tipuna
Ko Mihi Henry – Hatcher ahau
I have for many years as part of my Business Mihi’s Place had core values of Ngākau being to “operate from the heart” while ensuring:
Care focuses on the Tangata whaiora and extends beyond the initial ‘referred’ need. It ensures that there is a journey together which allows a collective deepening of Te Ao Māori – Māori World View. Being a holistic, interconnected view of the world, guided by tīkanga (principals) and kawa (practices) to shape business thinking and leadership, for Māori by Māori but not excluding of Non-Māori. Rongoā Māori when done in the correct manner can change a persons life. It is a way of being in the world and sharing the appropriate knowledge to help restore balance within our tangata whaiora / clients and whānau.
I have for many years utilised a uniquely Māori approach to wellbeing and wellness using:
Te Ao Māori, (Māori world view) which considers and acknowledges the interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living & non-living things. Using traditional healing system of Māori. While also focusing on the oral transmission of knowledge, diversity of practice and the spiritual dimension of health. The approach encompasses and incorporates all forms of Rongoā Māori methods of healing, herbal remedies, physical therapies and spiritual healing.
Acknowledging Tikanga (practices), specific to myself and my business Mihi’s Place, noting tribal affiliations and Iwi have differing protocols, which also embraces a holistic approach that contributes to Māori development and improving the health and well-being of whānau whānui, and this is achieved by:
· Creating an environment that encompasses the wairua (spiritual), hinengaro (psychological) and tinana (physical) well-being of clients and their whānau, and
· Upholding Tikanga as the guide for best practice standards of care for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, for Māori by Māori but not excluding of Non-Māori
For the purposes of this bio Tangata Whaiora refers to client, patient, customer and is always inclusive of whānau, hapu iwi.
Mark Kopua
Mark has trained several current Moko artists and Carvers and isstill involved in the arts. He has been active in the Moko Ihoreirepatriation work both Internationally and Domestically andemployed to provenance traditional Māori Carvings.
Mark has over 32 years regional ( Tamararo ) Kapa Haka judging,and has judged National Kapa Haka ( Te Matatini for 15 years.
He first began his journey in mental health services in 2012 and isa confident facilitator in Therapeutic Wānanga and is celebratedas a skilled Storyteller and Keeper of ancient Māori knowledge and whakapapa.
Together with his wife Dr Diana Kopua, Mark has createdTe Kurahuna ’ a whare wānanga (training institute) wherepractitioners learn indigenous knowledge in a unique andauthentic way.
Diana Kopua
After 11 years of Mental Health Nursing Diana embarked on a long 13 yearjourney to become a Consultant Psychiatrist specialising in Indigenoushealth.
In the mid 90's Diana created an approach that she called Mahi a Atua.Which has now become recognised as an innovative andsuccessful Mātauranga Māori kaupapa that prioritises oranga whakapapaand creativity, with its trademark of pūrākau, reflection and feedback.
In 2010 Diana was awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC ManakuraAward. It is awarded to those who display characteristics of the 28 thMāori Battalion; strength of character, ambition, courage and originalthought. Diana carried these characteristics to the Tairāwhiti in 2014 where she became the first Ngāti Porou psychiatrist.
In 2020, Diana was awarded the prestigious Dr Maarire Goodall award forher on going contribution to Māori Health. In the words of Professor DavidTipene Leach, Chair of Te ORA.“Dr Di Kopua is a great example of the ‘doctor scientist and social justicechampion’ that Maarire Goodall embodied,”
Kate Treves
Kate is a clinical psychologist working in paediatrics and child health at Te Whatu Ora Taranaki. She trained in the UK, and worked overseas for several years before coming to Taranaki 15 years ago. Her main interest and experience has been in health psychology and she works now mostly with children with persistent health problems. After receiving an increase in referrals for tamariki and rangatahi with tics and tic disorders like Tourettes Syndrome in 2020, Kate trained in behavioural therapy for tics with the Behavioural Therapy for Tics Institute. She enjoys teaching whānau about tics and how best to manage them.
Paul Scouller
General Manager WISE Charitable Trust.
Paul is a Certified Home Performance Advisor (HPA)
Paul and his Team created a HPA & WHIPIT Initiative around Taranaki to improve whanau/family Living Conditions, Health and Wellbeing of sick Tamariki and Pepi around the Taranaki region.
WISE Charitable Trust has been around for 20 years in the Healthy Homes area delivering positive outcomes to whanau/families Taranaki wide to improve the health, wellbeing and energy and healthy homes education.
Paul was a Board of Trustee Member of WISE Charitable before taking on the General Managers role, Paul is also a Board of Trustee Member of the Taranaki Air Ambulance Trust.
Rachel Smith
Rachel is of Pākehā descent and is a Lecturer in the Violence and Trauma Studies Programme, AUT. Rachel has worked in the family violence sector for over 18 years in the UK and Aotearoa. Her work experience has spanned strategic positions within government and frontline management roles in non-government organisations.
Maria Cashmore
Maria Cashmore, Te Whatu Ora Taranaki’s Sustainability Lead, is an overseas trained doctor and medical technologist. She pursued further studies in NZ and completed postgraduate degree in environmental, resource management and planning through Massey University.
Maria previously worked for the local government and iwi authority, and currently for the health sector and dairy industry with an overall total of 17 years of experience in environmental, resource and sustainability management systems.
Maria was involved in the development of NZ’s first National Planning Standards and represented the iwi authority as a technical expert in NZ’s first seabed mining case and Taranaki’s first wind farm.
Maria developed and implemented Te Whatu Ora Taranaki’s first-generation sustainability strategies, policy, action plan, SOPs, emissions inventory and reduction plan with focus on energy efficiency, green buildings, waste management, sustainable procurement, transportation, water conservation and low carbon healthy food.
Mary Gordon
Mary Gordon is an award-winning social entrepreneur, educator, best-selling author, parenting expert, and child advocate who has created an international children’s charity, Roots of Empathy (ROE).
Ms. Gordon has presented to the UN, the WHO, UNICEF, OECD, The Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation, and to governments, including New Zealand. She is a regular keynote speaker at conferences and has several TEDx talks. She has been honoured with the Governor General of Canada Award for innovation, is a recipient of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, and Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is also the recipient of honorary doctorates in Canada and Europe.
Ms. Gordon is considered a serial social entrepreneur. In 1996, based on her belief that the absence of empathy underscored violence of all kinds, she set out to break this cycle by developing empathy in children. As a result, she created the ROE programme and shortly after her organization of the same name. In 2005, she created The Seeds of Empathy programme for children in child care settings.
Roots of Empathy has been offered in New Zealand since 2007. Former Prime Minister Helen Clark saw the parallels between the Indigenous children that Roots of Empathy serves in Canada and the Māori children in New Zealand. See wishes from Māori children in our ROE program: https://rootsofempathy.org/childrens_gallery/wishes-2022/
The ROE programme has been evaluated in both comparative and randomized controlled studies in independent research that has been conducted in numerous countries across three continents. Both Mary Gordon and the programme have been featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, the Guardian, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, and in features on NBC’s Today Show, PBS, CNN, The BBC, NHK Japan, and the Huffington Post. Her work is cited in thousands of academic publications.
Her book, Roots of Empathy: Changing the World Child by Child, is available in multiple languages.
Ihaka Whanarere Tauri
Since the day Ihaka came into this world he has been immersed in Music, Kapa Haka and Te Reo Māori. Hailing from lineage that prides itself in upholding the mana of Te Reo Māori through Kapa Haka and Waiata, while also having the singing talents and musical ears of many of his whānau who have come before him.
At only 11 years of age Ihaka has had the opportunity to carve his own pathway by performing with Senior Kapa Haka roopu Te Reanga Mōrehu ō Rātana and Te Matapihi, at Aotea Kapa Haka Whakangahau in 2021.
Pairing this success has been Ihaka's most recent venture into the world of Social Media as 'Tama Poi’, amassing over 6000 followers in under a month by sharing his talents online, using mahi poi as a medium to keep himself busy during the first lockdown of 2021, with some of Aotearoa's most prolific poi exponents taking notice of his skill and prowess.
2022 and 2023 look to be a big years for Ihaka as he looks to release some of his own music and continue the success in Social Media.
Poi Workshop - Learn how to use poi, master the art and use in traditional dance.
Karen Clark
Karen's first weaving experience was in TikiTiki. Karen's mother, aunty together with Karen went to Nanny Nuku Nuku's, and made piupiu - harakeke skirts for the school’s kapahaka group.
Karen has always enjoyed making gifts for friends and family, but materials for knitting and sewing were expensive, so she went to a harakeke workshop in New Plymouth and learnt how to weave a konae – a 2-cornered basket, and a year later my teacher, Debbie, taught a workshop on weaving kete - bags and kete pikau - back packs, my favourite thing to weave.
Warning! Weaving is addictive! Karen wanted to learn more so went to Te Wānanga O Aotearoa to study Maori Weaving and learnt how to weave kakahu - cloaks, whariki - mats, piupiu, potae - hats and kete whakairo - patterned kete, with Kim Kahu as my tutor.
Fepulea’i Margie Apa
Margie Apa is Chief Executive of Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand, the government’s new centralised national health organisation. She has more than two decades of health-sector leadership experience, previously serving as CEO of Counties Manukau District Health Board.
Piki Mathieson
Tim Petterson
Tim Petterson is an Emergency Consultant at Te Whatu Ora Taranaki with an interest in Health Equity. He has worked in Taranaki since 2016. He is a member of Te Rōpū Manaaki Mana Taranaki working alongside Piki Mathieson (CNS) and Bridget Mooney (FACEM). This rōpū formed in 2020 to implement ACEM’s Manaaki Mana Strategy at Taranaki Base and Hawera ED with the aim of improving health equity for Māori in the region.
Owen Sinclair
Ko Owen Sinclair Taku ingoa
Ko terarawa te Iwi
Ko Rata Haoura Tamariki, Te whatu ora Waitemata ahu,
I am a Māori general paediaitricn and paediatric emergency specialist based at Waitakere hospital. he is one of only 6 Māori general paediatricians in Aotearoa.
he is the acute lead for paediatric at Te Whatu ora Waitemata. He lectures on ethnic inequalities i health at the university of auckland and has completed a masters in ethninc inequalities in immunisation.
I am on a vast number of committees and since covid including the Covid vaccine independent monitoring board and the covid vaccine technical advisory group.
I have recently taken on leadership roles in trying to address the low rates on immunisation in Aotearoa. This includes being the co-chair of the national immunisation taskforce and the chair IRGNN in the previous NRA.
Stephen Kearney
LTCOL Steve Kearney currently serves as NZDF Chief Mental Health Officer (CMHO)
LTCOL Kearney joined the NZDF in 2000, and has served in a diverse range of roles including direct support to units and service members, training, support to operations and command positions. He has deployed operationally throughout his career, including to Timor Leste, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. He has participated in a number of international research working groups, including the Five Eyes Technical Co-Operation Programme, and was part of award winning projects on individual resilience and training for high risk occupations. LTCOL Kearney is a Registered Clinical Psychologist, a chartered Organisational Psychologist, and a graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. After leaving the regular force in 2015, he worked in both the public and private sector. During this time he continued to serve as a reservist, helping to develop mental health doctrine and training. In 2020 he re-enlisted into the regular force and was posted to the Chief Mental Health Officer role. LTCOL Kearney is eager to make a contribution to the Mental Health of kiwi service members, and is particularly passionate about;
· Early identification and support for mental health
· The relationship between work and mental health
· How mental health might be different in a military context
· How peers, whānau and mates might be better equipped to support one another’s mental health
Rebecca Dunn
Rebecca has lived with eczema and allergy related illness her entire life and has been asked to speak on her experience.
Rebecca is looking forward to sharing the impact of eczema and allergies from a patient perspective.
Rebecca is a second year nursing student and also sit on a national committee for nursing students.
Rebecca enjoys public speaking and advocating for issues she feels strongly about, eczema being one of them.
Denise Wilson
Advocating for the improvement of health and social outcomes for whānau Māori has been a feature of Professor Denise Wilson’s career. Denise is the Professor in Māori Health, an Associate Dean Māori Advancement and Co-Director of AUT Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre. In her role as Professor of Māori Health, Denise undertakes research in areas focusing on Māori/indigenous family violence, health and health service engagement, cultural responsiveness, and workforce development. Denise recently led a Marsden funded research project, E Tū Wāhine, E Tū Whānau – Māori women keeping safe in unsafe relationships, which contributed new perspectives to working with Māori women affected by violence. Initially qualified as a registered nurse, Denise has a background in intensive and coronary care, acute medicine and community nursing. She is a Fellow of the College of Nurses Aotearoa (New Zealand), and in 2019 was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nurses for her contributions to research and policy related to Indigenous peoples and family violence affecting Indigenous families, and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Nathan Tuuta and Marlene Proctor
Nathan Tuuta finished his training here in Taranaki 24yrs ago. Marlene Proctor graduated 30 years ago in Auckland where the two met working as registered nurses in Neurosurgery.
They have been raising their four tamariki here in Taranaki since 2008. They started their own Waka ama club in 2014 when they realised the incredible impacts Waka ama had upon intergeneration relationships, respect for each other, re-establishing cultrual identity and all of the other positives toward building resilient young people. They now provide Waka ama based programs to many schools and the community. In particular they focus their energy on youth groups including YMCA, Youth Justice, Blue light, Tu Tama Wāhine and children with special needs. Though they have a fee structure within the club, they are largely Koha based and are often paid in Kai and waiata.
Janine Bycroft
Janine is the founder and CEO for the Health Navigator Charitable Trust. She is also a GP, and clinical lead at ProCare Health for Hēre Toitu, a project with the Ministry of Social Development. Her areas of interest include collaborative care, care planning, self-management support, quality improvement, chronic care, digital health, health literacy and integrated care. She is involved with a number of projects to improve long-term condition management at a local, regional and national level and often presents at various forums. This includes being a member of the national PHO Clinical Leads group, the National Telehealth Forum Leadership Group, and the Whakarongorau/National Telehealth Service Clinical Governance Committee.
Cameron Grant
Cameron Grant is a general paediatrician at Starship Children’s Hospital, Head-Department of Paediatrics: Child & Youth Health and Professor at the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
His research focuses on prevalent child health problems, which cause disparities between population subgroups in New Zealand, and for which the potential exists to eliminate these disparities through immunisation or nutritional interventions.
Cameron’s teaching skills have been recognised with faculty and university teaching awards including a University of Auckland Teaching Excellence Award for sustained excellence in teaching.
Melanie Robinson | Project Coordinator
melanie@fp2.co.nz
paula@fp2.co.nz
Melanie | +64 21 113 0289
Paula | +64 27 649 2081