Say Kia Ora to our Presenters

Our network of passionate professionals.
Learn from some of the leading experts and hands-on practitioners across Aotearoa

Abdullah Hussaini

Abdullah is a professionally qualified and experienced Accountant and MYOB, XERO and Payroll Certified Advisor with over 8 years of teaching experience. Graduating with a Business Management Studies degree with accounting major from the University of Waikato, he has successfully trained well over 2500 students in New Zealand.

Aly McNicoll

Aly has over 20 years of experience as a trainer, consultant and leadership development practitioner across the business, public and not-for-profit sectors. She was a founding lecturer of the Unitec programme and has a passion for teaching and mentoring. Aly is regularly called upon to present at international conferences in America and Europe to share her expertise in coaching and mentoring.

Andra Moldoveanu

Andra is a certified trauma-sensitive yoga teacher, a trained mindfulness facilitator and practices as a registered social worker and a full member of ANZASW. With over 15 years of diverse experience in various roles and settings in social services, child protection, community mental health, education, family violence and sexual harm, Andra is focused on creating safer spaces for clients.

Brooke Trenwith

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Dr Bruce Arroll

Bruce is a Professor of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland, and was a practicing GP in Manurewa in South Auckland for 32 years. He now does regular general practice at the Auckland City Mission and special consultations using Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT), for people who are feeling stuck in their lives by stress, pain or low energy. He does this work with his own patients as well as those referred from his clinic colleagues, and for people outside of the clinic.

Chris Malcolm

Chris teaches Health and Wellbeing (Applied Practice) and Addiction Studies at the Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawkes Bay. Having spent many years working in mental health, counselling and management, Chris’ interests within this field center on addictions, trauma-informed practice, family-inclusive practice, peer-led recovery, cognitive behavioural approaches, and strengths-based approaches to building resilience. He is a member of DAPAANZ, ANZACBT and ANZTCA.

Damian D'Cruz

Damian has worked as trainer, facilitator, coach, mentor and consultant since 1995. He has been working within the New Zealand Coaching & Mentoring Centre team since 2018 running coaching and mentoring training modules with clients plus co-ordinates and facilitates our leadership development modules. Damian has designed and facilitated a wide range of workshops - he was a finalist in the Vero Business Excellence awards in 2007 for his creative approach.

Diane Clare

Diane is a registered Consultant Clinical Psychologist has worked in mental health and counselling services since 1981 - first as a grief counsellor, then as a psychotherapist, before becoming a registered psychologist. A seasoned presenter, Diane provides a range of workshop options with an emphasis on providing practical solutions for clinical staff. As a Fellow of ISSTD, Diane has been recognised as offering an outstanding contribution to this field and to the work of ISSTD, and is an accredited EMDR-NZ Practitioner.

Edmond Otis

Edmond is a licensed psychotherapist and internationally known speaker and performance coach who works with professionals, businesses, public and private organisations, athletes, sport teams, and everyday people. He was a senior lecturer in Health and Sport Science at the Eastern Institute of Technology, and prior, a Senior Lecturer in Humanities, and Director of Martial Arts in Athletics at the University of California, where he was twice recipient of the University Distinguished Teaching Award.

Dr Eileen Britt

Eileen is a Professor in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury, and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), an international collective of MI trainers who promote excellence in the training, research, practice and implementation of MI. As a MINT Certified MI Trainer, Eileen has worked as a Clinical Psychologist in mental health, health, criminal justice and research settings.

Elen Nathan

Elen is a NZ registered Occupational Therapist and a qualified Sensory Integration Practitioner. With 20 years experience in NZ and abroad working with children and adults who have diverse needs, she has specialised in Autism Spectrum Disorder which has led her to work in peak body organisations including Autism New Zealand, The National Autistic Society and Autism Victoria.

Joanne Lawless

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John Hendon

John is an international presenter, trainer, author, therapist, and performance coach. Based in the UK, he has a background in psychology, is a qualified counsellor, and is a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). As an internationally sought- after trainer on Brief Therapy Interventions and the Solutions Focused Approach, John delivers a broad portfolio of intensive solution focused brief therapy workshops across the globe that aim to provide attendees with easy-to-learn-and-apply solution focused tools and techniques that can be put into practice immediately.

Marge Pryor

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Dr Marion Roberts

Marion is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland and honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago, with 19 years’ experience in eating disorders across clinical and academic roles. Her research focuses on neurocognition and translating evidence-based treatment into primary care. Marion serves on the Executive Committee of the Australian & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders and is passionate about sharing evidence-based knowledge to support compassionate, effective care.

Nicky Cooper

Nicky is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and educator with a deep experience in child, adolescent, and parental health. Her background spans population health, family violence, and child protection. Trained in both the parenting and classroom Circle of Security® programs, Nicky's workshops offer a condensed, relationally rich experience designed to help educators understand their vital role as attachment figures in the lives of tamariki and whānau.

Nikki Palamountain

Nikki has over 30+ years of classroom teaching experience during which she witnessed countless students with neurodiverse learning needs or poor mental health being left behind by a system not fully equipped to support them. This lead Nikki to found her own program Dyslexia Unpuzzled specifically designed to meet their unique needs, and offer specialised support and guidance for many learners struggling with reading, writing, and math and ADHD. Her mission is simple: to help every individual overcome their challenges and succeed in a way that works best for them.

Poornima Ranchhod

Poornima is a qualified and experienced Play Therapist. As the Founder of Play Sense, Poornima works as a contractor with services such as Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Education and High Complex Needs Services, as well as working in private practice and being a school-based play therapist. She has spent many years working with children and young people with complex psychological issues (e.g. depression, anxiety, attachment disorders) and difficult life experiences (e.g. family stress, divorce, bereavement, family and sexual violence). Trained in child development and attachment, and the use of play as a child’s natural form of expression and communication, Poornima's specialties include working with neurodiverse children.

Dr Ruth Lawson O'Connell

Ruth is a member of the NZ Counselling Assoc and the NZ Psychological Society with nearly 30 years’ experience. Having trained and worked in Scotland and Canada, and NZ, she has an MA (Honours) in Social Anthropology and Psychology (Aberdeen University) and a PhD (Counselling Psychology - Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland). Ruth specialises in attachment and complex developmental trauma both in adults and children, and has specialist training as a neuro-psychotherapy practitioner and a trauma specialist working with partners of sex addicts.

Dr Samantha (Sam) Newman

Sam qualified from Bristol University Medical School in 2010 and has been working as a GP in NZ since 2015. Her FemaleGP clinic was established in 2016 to improve access to focused healthcare for women, with her specialist area’s being hormonal health across a women’s lifespan, peri-menopause and menopause, and reproductive hormone medicines. Sam regularly meets with specialist health care providers from all over the globe and is a sought after clinician and presenter internationally, as well as here in New Zealand.

Dr Suzanne Henwood

Suzanne is a coach, author, mentor, supervisor and trainer and a nervous system specialist. With over 30+ years’ experience of teaching and training at an advanced level, Suzanne is a multi-Award Winning Neuroscience based Coach and Trainer. She is trained in a range of techniques including: Polyvagal Informed Therapy, Havening, Rapid Results Coaching, Neurocoaching, Trauma Informed Coaching and Refocusing Counselling.