MC

Miriama Kamo

Keynote Speakers

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr

Hoturoa is the captain of the oceangoing waka Haunui. He has been sailing around the Pacific for more than thirty-five years. He paddles waka, sails waka, teaches waka.

Hoturoa grew up with his numerous elders who nurtured and cared for him on the many marae of Waikato. He is a native Māori speaker and spent the first six years of his life in Rūātoki, where his parents taught at the Rūātoki District High School and only speaking te reo Māori. Hoturoa recalls how the children laughed and mocked him for his inability to speak English when he started school in Auckland. 

He was educated at Onehunga High School and went on to study for a BA at the University of Auckland, and a Masters at Waikato University. His Master’s thesis investigated how the waka is a symbol of mana in the twenty-first century. He was a lecturer at Waikato University for over nineteen years. More recently he has specialised in education and leadership programmes that use the waka as a platform for learning and development.

Dr Linda Bendikson

Linda has been involved in educational leadership her whole working life, as a principal of a two-teacher school, as an adviser to rural schools, as a deputy principal of a large, urban primary school and then as its principal. She went on to become a regional manager in the Ministry of Education in New Zealand for ten years. During that time she also completed a PhD on the “The Effects of Principal Instructional Leadership on Secondary School Performance” under the supervision of Professors Viviane Robinson and John Hattie at the University of Auckland. Following this period of study and working as a Ministry official, she took up a position leading the University of Auckland’s Centre for Educational Leadership. There Linda developed and facilitated leadership programmes. This mix of academic experience along with extensive practical experience as a teacher, principal, professional development provider, and system leader, laid the groundwork for her latest move into private consultancy in 2019. Her current work is focused on helping schools and education systems to gain improvement in their outcomes by applying improvement science. She is also actively involved in researching, writing and publishing articles on leadership and school improvement. 

Dr Nina Hood

Nina has a background as a secondary school teacher. In 2017 she founded The Education Hub, a not-for-profit with a mission to bridge the gap between research and practice in education. In early 2024, Nina stepped down as CEO role of The Education Hub but continues to be involved with the organisation as a trustee and Education Advisor. Nina is currently helping to develop a new initial teacher education programme at The Teachers' Institute as well as continuing to be involved in education research and knowledge translation.

Prof Deidre Le Fevre

Deidre is a Professor in educational leadership at the University of Auckland. She began her career teaching in primary and secondary schools in New Zealand and England before moving into university teaching and research in the United States and New Zealand. Her research focuses on practices that support leaders solve complex leadership problems and on effective approaches to professional learning. She has published extensively on interpersonal effectiveness, leadership development, educational improvement, organisational change, adaptive expertise, and effective professional learning. Deidre enjoys the challenge of working in schools alongside leaders in the important work of school improvement. In addition to her role at the University of Auckland, she works as an education consultant supporting leadership teams and providing professional learning on leadership and change in New Zealand and overseas.

Dinner Speaker

Abbas Nazari

Abbas Nazari fled the Taliban in Afghanistan as a child and was resettled in New Zealand after his family were rescued by the Tampa containership in 2001, an international story known as the Tampa Affair. Abbas and his family have thrived since being resettled to New Zealand. In 2019, Abbas was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to the United States, where he graduated with a Master's in Security Studies from Georgetown University, Washington DC. His memoir, After the Tampa: From Afghanistan to New Zealand, is a #1 bestseller. Abbas was named a finalist for the 2022 Young New Zealander of the Year. Abbas will be speaking about his journey, his experiences of thriving in a foreign country, overcoming life's obstacles, and some lessons learned along the way. Abbas will have copies of After The Tampa: From Afghanistan to New Zealand available for sale and signature at this event.