Neufeld Aotearoa Conference 2026. Why our Kids are Struggling - and what they need from us.
Description
Across every setting — home, school, and community — children and teens are signalling distress. Rising anxiety, reactivity, disengagement, and emotional overload are becoming increasingly common. These are not signs of broken kids but signs of developmental needs going unmet in a rapidly changing world.
This conference brings parents, educators, and professionals together to make sense of these struggles through the Neufeld attachment‑based developmental approach. We’ll explore what today’s conditions are activating in kids, why so many are losing their footing, and how adults can become the safe harbour they need in order to grow and thrive.
This year, we are honoured to welcome Dr. Gordon Neufeld live and in person — a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the world’s leading developmental theorists. His presence adds depth, clarity, and a uniquely personal dimension to the conversations we most need to be having.
At a time when the challenges feel big, this gathering offers clarity, direction and hope. Come and meet with each other, gain insight from Dr Neufeld and hear some "stories from the field" presented by the Neufeld Aotearoa team.
Enquire at neufeldaotearoa@gmail.com for discount code for Christchurch two day package deal - including Neufeld Aotearoa Conference and Hidden Keys to Student Engagement (Monday 7 September )
Programme
Keynote - Why our kids are Struggling - And What they need from Us
How is it that so many children are becoming more anxious, more restless, more bored, more troubled, and less engaged in their learning — at a time when, on the surface, it appears they have more advantages and opportunities than ever before? Parenting has never been more intentional, and today’s children have unprecedented access to education, resources, and expertise. And yet, something essential is being lost. As society shifts at breakneck speed, the pressures on children — and on the adults responsible for them — are intensifying. But which changes matter most? And why do some children appear deeply affected while others seem to cope? These are questions faced not only by parents, but by educators, mental‑health professionals, and all who work with young people. Drawing on relational and developmental sciences, Dr. Gordon Neufeld will help us get to the root of this perplexing problem. Grounded in decades of clinical experience and developmental theory, he will illuminate the conditions children require in order to flourish — and identify the missing elements that are quietly undermining healthy development, resilience, and well‑being. By making sense of what is happening beneath the surface, Dr. Neufeld offers a coherent framework that equips both parents and professionals to respond with clarity, confidence, and compassion. We cannot meaningfully address a problem we do not understand — and understanding is where this journey begins. About Dr Neufeld Before he retired, Dr. Gordon Neufeld had accumulated more than 50 years of experience as a clinical psychologist with children and youth and those responsible for them. A foremost authority on child development, Dr. Neufeld continues to be an international speaker, a best-selling author (Hold On to Your Kids), and a leading interpreter of the developmental paradigm. Dr. Neufeld has a widespread reputation for making sense of complex problems and for opening doors for change. While formerly involved in university teaching and private practice, he has devoted the best part of the last two decades to creating courses for parents, teachers, and helping professionals. These courses are offered primarily through the Neufeld Institute — an online educational institute and world-wide charitable organisation devoted to applying developmental science to the task of raising children. Dr. Neufeld’s life’s work has been to help adults provide the conditions for children to flourish. He is a father of five and a grandfather to eight.
Breakout Sessions - Stories from the Field . Option 1
How Attachment Transforms Challenging Behaviour in the Preschool Years. (Kaye McKean) Through stories from the field, Kaye will explore how attachment can transform our understanding of challenging behaviour in the preschool years. Focusing on alarm, aggression, and the intense emotional reactions that can leave children stuck, she will unpack what is happening beneath the behaviour and how adults can support children back to safety and connection, where their development can begin to move again. Practical, story-rich, and grounded in attachment and developmental science, this session will be relevant to anyone facing challenging behaviour with preschoolers - or with those who sometimes act like them. About Kaye McKean Kaye McKean is the owner and Managing Director of Kakapo Creek Children’s Garden in Auckland, New Zealand, an attachment-rich early childhood centre grounded in neuroscience, developmental theory, and holistic care. She is also a Director of Cavalli College, an early childhood teacher education provider, and has worked with families through Parents Partner as a family therapist and parent consultant. A former secondary school teacher of 25 years, Kaye was the first to bring the Neufeld Institute to New Zealand and has spent many years advancing this developmental, attachment-based paradigm with parents and teachers across Aotearoa. Her work brings together education, family therapy, attachment theory, and neuroscience to help teachers understand challenging behaviour through the lens of relationship, regulation, and connection.
Break out Sessions - Stories from the Field - Option 2
A Caring Lead with Struggling Teens (Adrienne Wood) Adolescence can often feel like a tug-of-war. Whether a teen is anxious and withdrawn or "bolshy" and resistant, the challenge for parents and professionals remains the same: how do you lead someone who refuses to follow? When teens trade adult guidance for peer influence, navigating the emotional upheaval of these years becomes a precarious balancing act. In this session, Adrienne Wood shares "Stories from the Field," drawing from her extensive experience with at-risk youth—from those paralyzed by severe school refusal and anxiety to those grappling with addiction and social isolation. Participants will explore the concept of the "caring lead"—a leadership style that is firm enough to provide safety but gentle enough to maintain connection. This is an invitation to move past the frustration, ask the tough questions, and gain practical insights into the complex world of teens in a peer-saturated world. Come along with your thoughts, your questions and your notebooks because there is plenty to engage with in this session. About Adrienne Wood Adrienne is a speaker, writer and Neufeld paradigm consultant. She has a particular interest in young people with complex and challenging behaviour. Drawing on her extensive experience and learning she supports parents and professionals to better understand young people through the lens of relationship and development. Adrienne is a former high school teacher and lecturer in human development and is mother to now grown-up kids of her own. Adrienne is on Faculty with the Neufeld Institute and former Team Leader of Neufeld Aotearoa.
Break out Sessions - Stories from the Field Option 3
Therapeutic Power of Play for Wellbeing ( Panel - Marriene Langton, Sue Grant, Colette Murphy and Sandy Hitchens) When we value play, make room for it, and genuinely invite it, something remarkable happens: play shows up and takes care of our students, our clients, and even ourselves in ways we could never manufacture through effort alone. It offers a therapeutic power that softens, restores, and reconnects — often doing the heavy lifting we struggle to do without it. In this breakout session, a panel of practitioners from different fields will share stories from their work — moments where play emerged, surprised them, and brought movement where words or interventions could not. Their experiences will offer a grounded, real world look at how play supports emotional expression, fosters connection, softens hearts, and drives wellbeing, maturation, and development. Together, we’ll explore what real play looks like, what conditions allow it to arise, and how adults can gently invite it — not as another strategy to implement, but as a natural, restorative force that comes alive when safety, relationship, and spaciousness are in place Introducing your panel Colette Murphy Parent, Speech and LanguageTtherapist, Parent Coach/Educator, Professional Development Provider Sue Grant Parent, Counsellor, Supervisor, Counselling Educator Marienne Langton Parent, Grandparent, Principal of Christchurch Primary School Sandy Hitchens Parent, Grandparent, Counsellor, Supervisor, Parent Consultant, Neufeld Institute Faculty and Regional Director
Q&A session with Dr Gordon Neufeld
This is a chance to have have some of those questions answered -and to glean even more insight from Dr Neufeld while we have him here in person .
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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