Picking Up the PACE 2024 speakers

Brandon Mock
**Pyxis Family & Consulting Services LLC**

We are delighted to have Brandon back again to present for us. He is a DDP practitioner, consultant and trainer, having trained under Daniel Hughes (PhD), the originator of Dyadic Developmental Practice, and he has over two decades of experience working with youth who suffer from the effects of developmental trauma.

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Linda Surtees
**Caring Families Aotearoa**

Linda has been with Caring Families Aotearoa since 2010 and CEO since 2012. She has developed a robust and transparent support service that supports 4,659 caregivers. She has a wealth of experience in the foster care sector and has direct experience in caregiving, which includes five years running a family care home wi...
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Lynda Knight-de Blois

Lynda Knight-de Blois is an experienced educator who is currently the principal of Glenview School in Cannons Creek, Porirua. She has dedicated 30 years to education, working in various schools in Wellington, Auckland, and England. Lynda’s commitment to innovative approaches and student well-being has significan...
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Mikaira Pau
**E Tū Whānau**

Mikaira Pau, a native of Ponsonby, Auckland, boasts a rich background in the family violence sector, with over 13 years of experience collaborating with chief executives, board members, and trustees of various NGOs and organizations. A graduate of Sacred Heart Primary School, Saint Peters College, and the University of...
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Associate Professor Nicola Atwool

Nicola has a particular interest in attachment theory and resilience, which she explored in her PhD. An ecological framework, the sociology of childhood, critical theory, and a children’s rights perspective informs her work. The goal of her research is to influence policy and practice to improve outcomes for children...
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Nyvonne Krause
**Caring Families Aotearoa**

Nyvonne's caregiver journey started when she and her husband took on a voluntary role for Hato Petera College as Mātua Atawhai. She then accepted the challenge of Family Home Parents for Child Youth & Family. Whānau took her and her husband to Perth where they worked as Professional Therapeutic Caregivers for...
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Office of the Ombudsman
**Ombudsman**

The Office of the Ombudsman helps New Zealanders deal with public sector agencies. They handle complaints, undertake investigations and inspections, and encourage good administration. They also provide advice, guidance and training to public sector agencies, and promote awareness of their role to the wider community...
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Richard Rose
**Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi)**

It is a pleasure to have Richard back again to present. Richard has worked with traumatised children and families since he was 17 years old, and in that time has been shaped by those he has journeyed with over the last 38 years. He qualified in Social Work in 1989 and since then worked in the UK in local authority chil...
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Rob Cope

Our Kids Online

Rob Cope is an Author, Documentary Filmmaker, Educator and father of 4.In 2020 Rob, along with his wife Zareen, released the documentary 'Our Kids Online". The film has been shown at various screenings, including NZ Parliament, DIA, the NCOSE Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Annual Global Summit (during which they...

Rob Surtees
**Caring Families Aotearoa**

Rob’s professional interests lay with Family Therapy and parenting children with attachment disorders. He has a degree in counselling, has completed study in Psychotherapy, and has experience in foster caring.

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Ron Mark

Ron Mark has worn many hats. He was a former soldier, a commercial consultant, a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand First party between 1996 – 2008 & 2014 - 2020, and notably during this time, Deputy Leader, Minister of Defence and Minister for Veterans Affairs. He served as mayor of Carterton from...
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Sarah Naish
**Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma**

Sarah is an experienced foster caregiver and adoptive parent with over 30 years’ experience. She has adopted five siblings and her experiences raising her children has helped form the basis of her knowledge.She has developed models of specialised parenting that have had a national impact in the UK, increasing the rec...
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Brandon Mock

Pyxis Family & Consulting Services LLC

Brandon Mock, ATR-BC, LPC, LCMFT, is the Managing Consultant at Pyxis Family & Consulting Services LLC in Overland Park, KS, USA. For more than two decades, he worked in clinical and administrative capacities for organizations serving youth in psychiatric residential and outpatient behavioral health. He provides individual, family, and group therapy as well as consultation, education, and training for parents and mental health practitioners in working with youth who suffer from the effects of developmental trauma such as mood dysregulation, disrupted attachment, and challenging behaviors.

Brandon received training and supervision from Daniel Hughes, PhD, the originator of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Parenting, & Practice (DDP) and is certified as a DDP practitioner, consultant, and trainer. He has served on the DDP Institute (DDPI) Board and remains active with several DDPI Worldwide board committees.

Linda Surtees

Caring Families Aotearoa

Linda has been with Caring Families Aotearoa since 2010 and CEO since 2012. She has developed a robust and transparent support service that supports 4,659 caregivers.

She has a wealth of experience in the foster care sector and has direct experience in caregiving, which includes five years running a family care home with her husband.

Linda is a strong advocate for caregiving families to receive robust, collaborative support and training, to provide quality care for our most vulnerable children.

Her advocacy has led Oranga Tamariki and Caring Families Aotearoa to increase National Caregiver Training Programmes. She was part of a cross-sector group of practitioners with expertise in working with children and families and her knowledge was invaluable on the Expert Advisory Panel modernising Child, Youth and Family.

She has also been involved in developing the new National Care Standards and establishing the Extraordinary Care Package for children in Permanent or Whanau Care. She continues today as Chair of the Extraordinary Care Fund Panel.

In 2019 Linda received an MNZM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her contribution to children and the state.

Lynda Knight-de Blois

Lynda Knight-de Blois is an experienced educator who is currently the principal of Glenview School in Cannons Creek, Porirua. She has dedicated 30 years to education, working in various schools in Wellington, Auckland, and England. Lynda’s commitment to innovative approaches and student well-being has significantly impacted her school community. Lynda recognized the need for a different approach to address challenging behaviours among students at Glenview School. In 2018 she visited schools in London, Finland, and Estonia to research trauma-informed models. She brought these learnings from overseas back to her school and has since focused on professional learning and development (PLD) related to trauma-informed practices.

Lynda’s commitment extends beyond her school. She has called on the Ministry of Education to ensure that all teachers receive proper training to understand trauma in children. She recognizes that factors like neurodiversity, stressful home lives, poverty, homelessness, and colonization play a role in students’ well-being and behaviour.

She has been awarded a 2024 Winston Churchill Memorial Fund fellowship and a principal sabbatical. In April 2024 she travelled to the UK to research effective strategies and approaches which support, re-engage and regulate secondary school students affected by stress, trauma or sensory processing complexities.

Mikaira Pau

E Tū Whānau

Mikaira Pau, a native of Ponsonby, Auckland, boasts a rich background in the family violence sector, with over 13 years of experience collaborating with chief executives, board members, and trustees of various NGOs and organizations. A graduate of Sacred Heart Primary School, Saint Peters College, and the University of Auckland with a degree in business, Mikaira currently serves as the e tu whanau worker at Te Korowai Aroha o Aotearoa Trust within the Indigenous Qualifications Framework.

With a diverse heritage encompassing Maori, Pukapukan Cook Island, and English Scottish ancestry, Mikaira also holds the position of Director at The Whanau Channel Ltd. He actively engages in cultural consultation and procurement across various ministries while using his influence as a social media figure to champion wealth creation and side hustle opportunities for disadvantaged youth and families.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Mikaira is a record producer and content/podcast developer at Studio275. He is an entrepreneur, multi-homeowner, and entertainer who has worked with Maori and Pacific Island men in Mt Eden and Paremoremo Correctional Facilities to address behavioral challenges. Mikaira is also a master of ceremonies and an advocate for positive change within his community.

Associate Professor Nicola Atwool

Nicola has a particular interest in attachment theory and resilience, which she explored in her PhD. An ecological framework, the sociology of childhood, critical theory, and a children’s rights perspective informs her work. The goal of her research is to influence policy and practice to improve outcomes for children and young people exposed to adversity.

Nicola worked for what is now Oranga Tamariki for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles, before moving into an academic role in 1994, working as a lecturer and senior lecturer in the Social and Community Work programme at the University of Otago.

From 2006 to 2012, Nicola worked as a Principal Advisor in the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, before returning to the Social and Community Work programme at the University. She finished her time with them in December 2023 and has recently begun a new venture as an independent contractor.

Nicola has been a Board Member with Caring Families Aoteaora since 2014.

Nyvonne Krause

Caring Families Aotearoa

Nyvonne's caregiver journey started when she and her husband took on a voluntary role for Hato Petera College as Mātua Atawhai. She then accepted the challenge of Family Home Parents for Child Youth & Family. Whānau took her and her husband to Perth where they worked as Professional Therapeutic Caregivers for an NGO and where Nyvonne developed a true understanding of therapeutic parenting by attending every course she could. On her return to Aotearoa, Nyvonne attended a DDP workshop where pennies dropped like rain for her. "PACE is a natural way of being that requires a simple concept, connection, and connection is a feeling, and you can’t fake feelings." Nyvonne is the Kaitakawaenga (Cultural Advisor) & Coromandel Regional Coordinator for Caring Families Aoteaora.

Office of the Ombudsman

Ombudsman

The Office of the Ombudsman helps New Zealanders deal with public sector agencies. They handle complaints, undertake investigations and inspections, and encourage good administration. They also provide advice, guidance and training to public sector agencies, and promote awareness of their role to the wider community.

One of their roles is the enhanced oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system. The duties include;

· Deals with complaints about Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children and their contracted Care or Custody Providers.

· Provides advice to Oranga Tamariki and its Care or Custody providers.

· Receives information from Oranga Tamariki and its Care or Custody providers.

· Coordinates his duties alongside the Independent Children’s Monitor and the new Children and Young People’s Commission.

· The Ombudsman handles complaints about and investigates the administrative conduct of public sector agencies, including official information requests.

They also carry out a range of roles that contribute to protecting your rights, such as monitoring places of detention, and implementing the UN Disabilities Convention. Outside of New Zealand, they work across the Asia Pacific region to help develop international best practice.

Richard Rose

Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi)

It is a pleasure to have Richard back again to present. Richard has worked with traumatised children and families since he was 17 years old, and in that time has been shaped by those he has journeyed with over the last 38 years. He qualified in Social Work in 1989 and since then worked in the UK in local authority child protection and from 1997 with the highly regarded residential therapeutic treatment agency SACCS, including four years as the Clinical Practice Director of the Mary Walsh Institute.

Throughout his career, Richard has worked with children and their families in and out of home care and within birth family placements, to enable these placements to become healthy and nurturing. In 2020 he founded Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi) a new International Professional Community that impacts across the World.

Richard is a regular visitor to Australia where he is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University, Melbourne and an Honorary Associate of Berry Street, Melbourne. He is also an Honorary Associate of the Open Adoption Institute, University of Sydney. He is a regular visitor to the USA, where he presents for Portland State University, DHS Oregon and ORPARC (Adoption Services). He is married to Paula and has two children, Ben and Callum.

Rob Cope

Our Kids Online

Rob Cope is an Author, Documentary Filmmaker, Educator and father of 4.

In 2020 Rob, along with his wife Zareen, released the documentary 'Our Kids Online". The film has been shown at various screenings, including NZ Parliament, DIA, the NCOSE Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Annual Global Summit (during which they also presented on a panel), and the ‘See It End It Film Festival’ to help prevent exploitation and human trafficking (California, USA).

In 2022, the couple released the educational film series for NZ schools "The Informed and Empowered Programme" which is now in over 200 schools with more than 1000 educators signed up.

Rob now travels the country giving "Parent Cyber safety Evenings" and speaks to more than 10,000 parents a year.

He has been featured on "The Breakfast Show" and "Paddy Gower has Issues", alongside numerous news articles about children and devices.

Ron Mark

Ron Mark has worn many hats. He was a former soldier, a commercial consultant, a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand First party between 1996 – 2008 & 2014 - 2020, and notably during this time, Deputy Leader, Minister of Defence and Minister for Veterans Affairs. He served as mayor of Carterton from 2010 to 2014 and was re-elected to Mayor in 2022.

Ron was born in Masterton and was fostered with six Pākehā foster families in Pahiatua, saying; "I wouldn't have survived without them." He was educated at Tararua College from 1968 to 1970.

Ron is a lover of country music. In between his time in politics and Mayor of Carterton, and thanks to the encouragement and persistent prodding of friends and family, Ron produced an album dedicated to his grandchildren, the thousands of foster children in Aotearoa and their wonderful foster parents – Never Give Up.

Ron is a strong believer that it is your attitude that determines your altitude, Be bold, Stand tall, Set your goals high, Work hard and Never, Give Up. This is a message that he has been sharing with care experienced rangatahi at L’Oreal New Zealand's annual Face Your Future event for 14 years.

His personal story of overcoming trauma, accepting the things that happened and not allowing them to define his future; to owning his mistakes, accepting total responsibility for them, and above all “Never Give Up”, is truly inspiring. It has taken him from being a young man on the brink of prison time to Minister of Defence and Minister for Veterans.

Sarah Naish

Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma

Sarah is an experienced foster caregiver and adoptive parent with over 30 years’ experience. She has adopted five siblings and her experiences raising her children has helped form the basis of her knowledge.

She has developed models of specialised parenting that have had a national impact in the UK, increasing the recognition of the needs of traumatised children. She is widely recognised as a trail blazer in the field of Therapeutic Parenting.

Sarah established the National Association of Therapeutic Parenting (NATP) in the UK which now has over 10,000 members to provide a desperately needed hub of information and support to carers of traumatised children.

She is a bestselling author of books on Therapeutic Parenting, which have been translated into five languages. Caregivers across New Zealand and staff at Caring Families Aotearoa have found her bestselling book The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting: Strategies and Solutions an invaluable resource, and we recognise Sarah as an expert in Therapeutic Parenting.

Her recent release, the A-Z of Survival Strategies for Therapeutic Parents (From Chaos to Cake), is an easy-to-follow, dip-in dip-out resource that addresses common challenges and feelings experienced by therapeutic parents and offers 80 practical strategies to help you cope and survive.

Bringing her true lived experience and an engaging, humorous style you will not want to miss this very special one hour presentation that will discuss some of these strategies that will help you on your Therapeutic Parenting journey.

Speakers

Brandon Mock

FASD-CAN

Linda Surtees

Lynda Knight-de Blois

Mikaira Pau

Associate Professor Nicola Atwool

Nyvonne Krause

Office of the Ombudsman

Richard Rose

Rob Cope

Rob Surtees

Ron Mark

Sarah Naish