Tracey Rountree

ADHD New Zealand

Tracey has been working with ADHD NZ to help them fulfill their mission to educate, support and advocate for those affected by ADHD.  She has been presenting the Everyday with ADHD programme for over 8 years, facilitating parent courses and professional workshops around Auckland.  As well as presenting current facts and information on ADHD through this programme, she has lived experience of ADHD and can bring that all important personal perspective to our Safe for Children presentations.

Amanda Phillips

Altogether Autism

Amanda Phillips works for Altogether Autism and is one of the founding facilitators for PRISM Professional Development Series. Amanda has worked with people on the autism spectrum for over 12 years in England, New York and New Zealand. Through working in schools and the community, Amanda has experience working in many settings and across all ages. Amanda currently manages PRISM Sales and Delivery for Altogether Autism and is passionate about building knowledge and awareness about autism in the community and ensuring professionals leave training workshops with simple strategies that can be implemented immediately to create more supportive environments for people with autism.

Lynne Hansen

Altogether Autism

Lynne joined Altogether Autism in 2014. She has extensive experience presenting to groups such as the NZSTA, MOE, MSD and schools. She has also contributed to various educational panels around inclusive education. 

Lynne is also mum to a beautiful little girl called Amy who is 12 years old and has ASD. Lynne lives the experiences of supporting someone with autism and is incredibly passionate about educating and raising autism awareness to support whanau, parents and professionals.

Tom Kearney

Drowning Prevention Auckland

Tom has been with DPA for two years where he has excelled in establishing and growing our workplace education.

With a Bachelor in Sport and Recreation, and 12 years hands-on experience in various capacities with the wet sector, this promotion is a great way of acknowledging his wider experience in open water instruction, safety and supervision and education.  

Harry Aonga

Drowning Prevention Auckland

With a bachelor’s degree in Sport, majoring in Physical Education, Harry has been working with DPA for 11 years with a particular focus on drowning prevention for the Pasifika community. This Team leader position with provide Harry with a wonderful opportunity to leverage his commitment to our diverse community even further. Harry has for many years mentored and supported the team and I am thrilled that he now gets to contribute and grow his natural leadership skills further. 

Kathryn Berkett

Engage Training

Kathryn has a Master's in Educational Psychology and is certified as a Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics practitioner with Dr Perry.  Kathryn has has worked and trained in this area for over fifteen years, delivering to a variety of organisations and people including primary and secondary teachers, the Police, Child Youth and Family, prisons, kindergartens, parents, recreation groups, mental health professionals, politicians and corporates. 

John Sigurdsson

Halberg Foundation

John is a Lead Adviser for the Halberg Foundation working with teachers, coaches and enthusiast volunteers in the school and sport sector.  He has been working in the disability sector now for 15 years, 11 of those for the Halberg Foundation where he has been presenting inclusion training sessions in different formats.  Halberg believe in an inclusive New Zealand where we enhance the lives of physically disabled young people by enabling them to participate in sport and recreation.  He is qualified with a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree, majoring in sport business and coaching.  Based in Taranaki, he is also a keen sportsman involved in football, golf and running.

James Glen

Halberg Foundation

Bio coming soon - watch this space!

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Sarah Agar

Healthy Active Learning (WDHB)

Sarah is Senior Dietitian for the Healthy Active Learning team (Public Health), working alongside Waikato schools and early childhood centres to support a healthy food environment. Sarah has been a registered dietitian for fifteen years, working in a wide range of dietetic specialties including paediatrics, eating disorders, renal and public health. She is a strong believer in fostering curiosity and enjoyment of food in individuals and communities and she enjoys advocating for food system change to improve access to nutritious, affordable food.

Pauline Spence

Netsafe

Netsafe is an independent, non-profit New Zealand organisation focused on online safety.  Netsafe provides specialist support for schools, educators and school communities around digital citizenship, responding to online incidents and other online safety issues.

Pauline has over 20 years’ experience in education, both in New Zealand and internationally.  While always a classroom teacher at heart, in recent years she’s worked on large school improvement projects, as well as leading the development of professional learning programmes.  Pauline thrives on helping educators and school communities to navigate the fast-evolving world of digital technology.

Cate Keville

New Zealand Red Cross

Cate Keville is a NZRC Senior First Aid Instructor based in Wellington. She has an education and training background and has been teaching First Aid for nearly 10 years.  She is also a Pacific First Aid Instructor/Delegate where she travels to Red Cross National Societies throughout the Pacific and trains people to be First Aid Instructors.  For the past 3 years she has been travelling throughout NZ facilitating Psychological First Aid Courses.

Pam Hughes

OSCAR Network

Pam Hughes is a professional development co-ordinator for the OSCAR Network and specialises in OSCARcentric training.  She has worked in the sector in a variety of roles for 25 years, from establishing a programme, and running that programme for a number of years through to capacity building and development of OSCAR staff. Pam still has a small role in her local programme.  Coming from Christchurch Pam has developed unique insight and experience into emergencies.

Salatielu (Sala) Tiatia

Te Ora Hou

Sala Tiatia is a youth educator who has been involved in youth work for the last 30 years, most recently in alternative education as Education Manager at Te Kauapapa Whakaora at Te Ora Hou in Ōtautahi Christchurch. He trains youth workers and runs leadership programmes, is a keynote speaker (check out his TED Talk, The Power of Words), and he won the People’s Choice Award in Survivor NZ Season one. Sala is married to his Māori queen Danette, who he refers to as his heart, and has six amazingly talented tamariki, his six heartbeats.

Rachael Bell

Rachael Bell Child Protection Advisor

Rachael has worked within the field of child protection social work for 20 years both in statutory work, and in the community. Rachael has held a variety of roles and most recently in advisory capacities to support organisations and practitioners to provide meaningful outcomes for vulnerable children and whanau. Rachael specialised in policy development and project management initiatives, having developed child protection policies for large national organisations and government departments. Rachael has worked at a senior level to engage with partners across sectors, including health, education and social services, to provide a cross-community work programme around workforce development. Rachael is currently employed as the Child Protection Co-ordinator at Lakes DHB.

Rod Baxter

Te Whare Manaaki o Ngaio

Rod Baxter is the Director of Impact for Prince’s Trust New Zealand. He previously worked for the Boys and Girls Institute and has been a passionate youth worker for many years. He also runs a range of seminars and workshops on behalf of a number of organisations including Praxis, Ara Taiohi and now Safe For Children.

Hannah Boocock

St Johns

Hannah has been part of the St John first aid training team for over 12 years, and also has operational experience as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT Paramedic). Her qualifications in ambulance practice and adult education allow her to lead an innovative regional training team who can empower the community to be confident in First Aid emergency situations. This leads to amazing student feedback regarding how the skills they have developed during their St John course have been used in their own life situations.

St John has developed a Child First Aid course they would encourage all parents, and grand-parents to do; to help look after and protect their children, and grand-children. If you are interested in doing a Child First Aid course run by one of St John’s professional tutors like Hannah, click on our logo; this will give you a Safe for Children discount off any St John Child First Aid course available around New Zealand.

Cathy Sweet

Professional Supervisor

BA Education, PG Dip Professional Supervision in Bicultural Practice. Cathy lives in New Brighton with her extended family and lively Jack Russell dog. She has previously worked at the OSCAR Network in Christchurch, and currently works as a Professional Supervisor as well as running Treaty and cultural awareness courses for Safe for Children. Cathy brings to her work her mixed cultural background of English, Ngapuhi/Te Aupouri and Dalmatian heritage.

David Lucas

Health & Safety Advisor

An experienced, empathetic, and mature Health and Safety professional who understands the reality of managing multi-hazard sites. A qualified Engineer who since 1995 increasingly specialises in the on the job requirements of the Health and Safety Legislation in New Zealand. And now operates his own consultancy. Has on the ground experience in childcare realities and the implementation of Policy, Procedure, and Practices. Life long education and career development learning is close to David's heart, empowering and sharing knowledge a pivotal activity. Time spent in the Dept. of Labour now M.B.I.E. working as a Health and Safety Inspector bestowed a in-depth knowledge of the issues and concerns and challengers of business owners and childcare providers.  Additionally qualifying as a Hazardous Goods and Noxious Organism Inspector with E.R.M.A. now E.P.A.

Paul Whitaker

Management Consultant

Paul has had a varied career, starting life as a teacher in the UK then moving into a variety of leadership roles both in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. His specialism is in change management, leadership and developing high performing teams.  Paul’s mission is to assist people who work with children to achieve their goals in their professional career and personal life, through sharing his experiences, expertise and knowledge. 

Paul offers a range of services to organizations with the goal of developing workplaces with people at their heart.  In his spare time he currently sits on the boards of: Creative Bay of Plenty, TEDx Tauranga, MOE Establishment Board of Trustees for a new primary school in Papamoa, The Distributions Committee for the Acorn Foundation.

Tessa Clarke

Food Safety Advisor

Tessa Clarke has over 20 years experience in the field of food safety; working with people in a range of businesses to help them achieve excellence in food safety.  Tessa is a qualified Environmental Health Officer with additional qualifications in HACCP and Auditing.  Training has always been a passion of Tessa's and over the years she has worked with a number of businesses to help managers and staff alike understand their responsibilities in providing safe and suitable foods along with the practical measures to achieve it.  Tessa is committed to providing quality training for Safe for Children which assists organisations to grow in a positive direction.

Barbara Cook

Specialist Science Teacher

Barbara Cook is an NZ registered primary teacher who has worked in the wellness education space for over 20 years. In the last two years she has worked as a specialist science teacher, developing and delivering classes at House of Science (now STEAM-Ed). Her science classes span all levels of the New Zealand curriculum, including children ranging from 5 to 13 years old, and serving both home-educated and after-school students. The foundation of her pedagogy is a respectful, restorative approach to classroom management and learning. Motivated by her passion for well-being and a heart for those students whose interests, abilities and needs take her beyond her lesson plans, Barbara is currently working through a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology.