Conference 2025

Elen Nathan is a NZ registered Occupational Therapist and certified Sensory Integration Practitioner. She has over 20 years experience working with children and adults who have  diverse needs. 

Elen has specialised in Autism and Sensory Processing Differences and is passionate about working with neurodivergent people and their families, as well as providing professional development for the people and systems around them to be able to provide safer inclusive spaces.

Dr. Sarah Aiono is a leading expert in play-based education and CEO of Longworth Education. A former teacher and international speaker, she supports educators across Aotearoa, Canada, and India to embed evidence-based, culturally sustaining play pedagogy. Sarah co-leads research on indigenous play practices and represents NZ in the Global Recess Alliance. Through her work, including the Play Conversations podcast, she champions play as a powerful driver of learning, wellbeing, creativity, and resilience for all ages.

Brooke is a leadership coach, educator, and facilitator specialising in trauma-informed, inclusive, and neurodiversity-affirming practice. She supports teams across Aotearoa and internationally to build psychologically safe, connected environments. With experience from early childhood to tertiary education, Brooke brings practical insight and a systems lens to her work. An MOE Accredited Consultant and former NZAGC President, she leads Potential to Performance Ltd, helping thousands of professionals embed strategies that honour lived experience and foster relational trust.

Neil has over 20 years of experience working with autistic children. He has developed a large number of education and training programmes, including Way to Play, Framework for Autism in New Zealand (FANZ), Tilting the Seesaw, and many more. Neil also has considerable experience working with autistic children in the mainstream classroom, both in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom. This has included managing satellite classes in mainstream schools and advising schools on how best to include autistic pupils.

Elen Nathan is a NZ registered Occupational Therapist and certified Sensory Integration Practitioner. She has over 20 years experience working with children and adults who have  diverse needs. 

Elen has specialised in Autism and Sensory Processing Differences and is passionate about working with neurodivergent people and their families, as well as providing professional development for the people and systems around them to be able to provide safer inclusive spaces.

Louise Doyle, Principal of Oaklynn School, has spearheaded a profound cultural transformation over the past few years. Her leadership has centred on embedding trauma-informed policies and practices, fostering relational safety for ākonga, whānau, and kaiako. Louise will share Oaklynn's journey, highlighting the enablers and barriers encountered in becoming a trauma-informed organisation. Her insights will empower fellow leaders to initiate similar shifts within their own spaces.

Lara is an insider researcher, neurodivergent advocate, and founder of Gamechangers League (GCL)—a safe, empowering space for neurodivergent learners. As an autistic ADHDer and parent to a neurodivergent teen, Lara brings lived experience and academic insight to their work. Their recent research explores the preconditions for psychological safety in education. With a background spanning student, parent, tutor, and researcher roles, Lara is dedicated to dismantling systemic bias and fostering environments where neurodivergent youth can thrive.

Andrew Raba is the founder of Yoga Education in Schools Charitable Trust, an initiative to equip every young person in Aotearoa with a simple daily home Yoga practice by the time they leave school. He holds an MA from Victoria University of Wellington and has a degree in psychology from the University of Auckland. He currently works at Western Springs College as the Library Manager. Every week he teaches Yoga to students, staff, and neurodiverse learning support students.

Andre McLachlan is a Clinical Psychologist and Addictions practitioner based in the Waikato.

Mauri is described as vitality, an elemental energy, a living force, or the essence of life present in all living and natural things. This brief workshop will introduce the Mauri Ora Tai Pari as applied to trauma. A framework for exploring changing levels of energy, and māori concepts of piki (lifting) and heke (lowering) this energy, rāhui (protecting) and tuning into the tohu (messages) within us and the outside world.

Tracey Richardson is a Learning Support Coordinator at a large intermediate school in West Auckland with over 30 years’ experience in education. Her roles have included classroom teacher, deputy principal, curriculum advisor, and RTLB. Tracey completed a Master of Specialist Teaching in 2024, focusing on trauma-informed and inclusive education. Passionate about health education and learner wellbeing, she is committed to creating safe, connected environments. 

Michelle Wishart is a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) dedicated to understanding behaviour through relational neuroscience. With over 35 years’ experience, she has worked across diverse educational settings in Aotearoa, India, Thailand, and London. Michelle has taught ages 4–15, held senior leadership roles, and helped establish two new schools. A formative role at Westbridge Residential School ignited her passion for trauma-informed practice. She holds postgraduate qualifications in Specialist Teaching: Complex Educational Needs and Learning & Behaviour.

Anna is an outreach specialist teacher at Oaklynn School and has completed the Applied Educational Neuroscience course from Butler University with Dr. Lori Desautels. She is a champion for supporting our disabled children through a holistic compassionate relational safety lens. Anna is passionate about supporting kaiako and adults better understand students' distressed behaviours in the educational settings through a relational neuroscience lens. 

Abi Raymond is a neurodivergent, queer counsellor, arts therapist, and neurodiversity advocate. She supports Autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, neurodivergent, queer, and neuroqueer individuals through affirming, neurodiversity-informed practice. Abi is passionate about reframing how we understand neurodivergence, neuro-inclusion, and neuro-normativity. She challenges the compliance mindset that emphasises behaviour change, advocating instead for adapting environments to be more inclusive, accepting, and accommodating—meeting diverse needs to foster safety, authenticity, and belonging.

Frian is a passionate advocate for the rights of disabled and neurodivergent children, and neuroscience based trauma informed approaches to support inclusion and equity. A mum to three sons, she brings lived experience alongside professional expertise as an Early Intervention Specialist. 

Frian is the founder and chair of NATINA, president for Parent to Parent and a respected facilitator supporting whānau and professionals. Her work is grounded in holistic, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches that uplift tamariki, families, and communities across Aotearoa.