Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei

For us and our children after us (Ngāi Tahu)

Join us for the annual social service symposium showcasing indigenous knowledge, practice and research. A one day LIVE-STREAMED event for those committed to culturally responsive practice (some in-person WHANGANUI-A-TARA tickets also available).

NOTE: in-person ticket purchase closes end of Wednesday 6th March (to allow for catering planning)

13 March: 9am - 4.30pm (NZDT)

Presentations

HELMUT KAREWA MODLIK (Ngāti Toa)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS - Mauri Ora – A vision for enhanced wellbeing, prosperity and mana

DONNA MATAHAERE-ATARIKI (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Atiawa, Ngā Rauru, Ngā Ruahine and Tuwharetoa)

Intergenerational healing: Organisations matter

FOLASAITU PROFESSOR JULIA IOANE (Pasifika, Samoan)

“You’ve just got to think about your family and what kind of person you want to be” - Listening to young Pasifika people in the justice system and their families

ELIZABETH EMERE HARTE (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou)

Empowering whānau with their mātauranga

JACK SCANLAN (Samoan)

"Thanks for not asking" – Samoan social work practitioners’ experiences of racism and exclusion in decision-making.

MELISSA KING HOWELL (Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Te Wehi, Maniapoto and Tuuhourangi), and

CORIN MERRICK (Ngaati Whare, Waikato, Ngaati Maniapoto, and Ngaati Raukawa)

Waikato-Tainui Mokopuna Ora - Na te Maaori mo te katoa

This symposium is a partnership between:

Barnardos Aotearoa

Social Workers Registration Board | Kāhui Whakamana Tauwhiro

Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers | Te Rōpū Tauwhiro i Aotearoa

Please note:
We are unable to invoice organisations as a payment option.
The link on the ticket can only be used on one device.
Recordings of the presentations will be available for viewing April/May and all ticket holders will be notified.

Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKER - HELMUT KAREWA MODLIK (Ngāti Toa)

Helmut is an experienced director, executive, and consultant with specialist skills in implementation and change management, business, and economic development, strategic analysis and planning, public policy, and finance. Helmut has extensive consulting experience in a wide range of private and public sectors (particularly health).
Helmut’s work over the last 16 years has focused on executive leadership of mergers, turnarounds, and business improvement initiatives, including inaugural CEO of the education sector’s largest systems integrator (TTS Limited), a post-merger industry training organisation (Connexis), the CEO of health sector IT companies (Patients First & Conporto Health), and now Tumu Whakarae - CEO of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira.

DONNA MATAHAERE-ATARIKI (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Atiawa, Ngā Rauru, Ngā Ruahine and Tuwharetoa)

Donna Matahaere-Atariki has a background in education, health and social services, and governance experience with the Gambling Commission and the University of Otago. She was previously Chair of Te Kāhui, the Māori Advisory Group to Aroturuki Tamariki, the Independent Children’s Monitor.
Ms Matahaere-Atariki has strong knowledge of child protection and hapū and hapori, and extensive relationships and networks with iwi, hapū, and community development organisations.

FOLASAITU PROFESSOR JULIA IOANE (Pasifika, Samoan)
Folasaitu Julia is from the villages of Fasito’outa, Leauva’a, Pu’apu’a and Lotofaga. She was born and raised in south Auckland, bilingual in Samoan and English and is married to a Samoan from Matatufu and Leauva’a. She is the child of a plantation owner and teacher who, like many Pasifika families, migrated to Aotearoa NZ in the late 1960s/early 1970s for better opportunities for their families back home and their future families in Aotearoa NZ. Her father became a factory worker and mother a cleaner, with strong values instilled with their three daughters. Julia’s relevant employment began as a youth worker and mental health worker in South Auckland, manager with Special Education and then as a call-taker in NZ Police whilst training to be registered as a clinical psychologist. Her clinical practice involves working across the various Court jurisdictions and providing assessment and therapy to children, young people and their families in care and protection and youth justice. She also sits on a number of governance and advisory groups across government and NGO settings. She has worked in Samoa as a consultant psychologist to the judiciary, providing support and training to professionals in their justice system. She is also registered as a psychologist in Australia, recently serving their Childrens Court. She is currently teaching in the clinical psychology programme at Massey University and continues to conduct and supervise research in the area of justice and mental health.

ELIZABETH EMERE HARTE (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou)
Inspired by her mother’s and grandmother’s work, Elizabeth is CEO of Pēpi Penapena and co-founder of Tūpuna Parenting, sharing the gentle and respectful ways of tūpuna Māori with whānau across the motu.
Whakapapa is important for our organisation, as it is for our kaupapa. Elizabeth learnt about tūpuna parenting from her Mum, Helen Mountain Harte (1942-2019), who had been a leading researcher in this space, particularly in the era after Nia Glassie died and the anti-smacking law reform referendum took place (both 2007). Helen had been inspired by her mother, Emere Makere Waiwaha Kaa (1901-1996), who had been a midwife and nurse in the 1930s. Helen and Elizabeth founded Pēpi Penapena together in 2018, using Elizabeth’s technical background as a software engineer and Helen’s knowledge about tūpuna parenting to share the kaupapa through digital channels.
Helen sadly passed away in 2019, so Elizabeth spent the next couple of years building her confidence with the mātauranga she had gained with the support of her cousin, historian and Anglican church leader Dr Hirini Kaa, and others. They founded the Tūpuna Parenting kaupapa together in 2021 and nurtured its growth in many ways. Elizabeth’s other mahi is as māmā to three young tamariki, who are energetic, inquisitive, cheeky and mischievous, just like Maui was, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

JACK SCANLAN (Samoan)
Jack Scanlan is a social work lecturer from Massey University and is currently completing a Doctor of Social Work. His doctoral research is on Samoan youth offending and the transformation
of social practitioners who were former youth-at-risk. Jack is a New Zealand-born Samoan, and his late parents were from the villages of Faleula and Vaiusu/Vaigaga. Jack was a contributing author to the first Pacific social work textbook that was published in 2019. Jack’s passion and expertise are in the youth justice field, with over 20 years of experience in both statutory and non-government organisations, as a youth worker, social worker, senior practitioner, and manager, mainly in South Auckland. Most of his work experience has been with the New Zealand Police (close to 17 years), mostly as a Police Youth Development Project Manager running a social service in East Auckland. Jack has taught social work to several tertiary institutions throughout Tamaki Makaurau and is a registered social worker. Jack is married, and his wife is Ngati Tūwharetoa, and together they have three children.

MELISSA KING HOWELL (Ngaati Maahanga, Ngaati Te Wehi, Maniapoto and Tuuhourangi)
Melissa brings decades of expertise in service design and delivery, fostering successful outcomes through collaborative efforts.
With a servant leadership career across local and central crown agencies, iwi, hapuu and the not-for-profit sector, her work has focused on scrutinising work practices, performance, project delivery, outcomes/impact, audit and risk, operational procedures, policy and strategy.
Melissa's current position is with her iwi at Waikato-Tainui, a post-treaty settlement entity. Here she has the role of Mokopuna Ora Programme Director, focused on a vision aimed at the systemic transformation of New Zealand’s care and protection system.

CORIN MERRICK (Ngaati Whare, Waikato, Ngaati Maniapoto, and Ngaati Raukawa)

Corin is a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (Institute of Excellence in the Maaori Language). She is a Barrister at Matariki Chambers, South Auckland. She is a legal advisor to the Mokopuna Ora team. She is part of Te Korimako Legal Education. She works in the Family Court as counsel for child and counsel to assist the court. She has a particular interest on the intersection of the law and tikanga Maaori (customs and values). She also acts for young people in the Youth Court.