Welcome to our speakers
Simon Denny
Mater Young Adult Health Centre | University of Queensland.
Professor Simon Denny, MPH, PhD, FRACP, is an internationally recognised adolescent and young adult physician, researcher and health system leader.
As Director of the Mater Young Adult Health Centre and Professor at the University of
Queensland, he advances youth-appropriate care in adult health settings. He
has led major youth health studies, authored over 100 peer-reviewed
publications, and influenced policy through research on social determinants,
chronic disease, mental health and accessible multidisciplinary care. He
chairs the RACP Youth Appropriate Health Care Working Group.
David Chinn
ICAFS, Te Whatu Ora
David Chinn is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist working at the Infant, Child, Adolescent
and Family Service (ICAFS) based in the Hutt Valley, through the Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disability Service (MHAIDS) under Te Whatu Ora. He is also an Affiliate Researcher and Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine in The University of Otago and a member of the Pharmac Mental Health Subcommittee.
Nikki Denholm
The Light Project
Nikki Denholm is the Director of The Light Project, which equips the health and FVSV workforce to better understand online youth sexual ecosystems and strengthen prevention and response to online harm. She has a background in emerging sexual health issues, including FGM and HIV/AIDS, and holds several board roles in the counter–child sex trafficking sector.
Liz Hosking-Clement
Youthline
Liz Hosking-Clement is a comprehensive nurse with a career spanning clinical practice, operational management, and service development. Currently serving as the Clinical Improvement Lead at Youthline Auckland, Liz works to implement best-practice, clinical governance frameworks and ensure young people receive effective, accessible, and culturally responsive support.
With over 15 years of experience in the health sector, Liz has held key leadership roles across various organisations, including Counties Manukau CAMHS, the National Hauora Coalition, Whakarongorau, and the University of Auckland.
Te Aorangi-Kowhai Morini
Youthline
Te Aorangi-Kowhai Morini is a young person with 6 years' experience in the rangatahi mental health space. She currently works as the Youth Council Coordinator at Youthline, supporting the establishment and onboarding of the Youth Advisory Council at Youthline. She ensures rangatahi always get a seat at the decision-making tables and that
their voices continue to shape the services our young people are receiving.
Sharon Pihema
Cardiac and Respiratory Foundation NZ
Sharon Pihema is the Māori Community Liaison Officer for the Foundation, leading community engagement and youth vaping education initiatives focused on rangatahi
wellbeing. Wth a background in population health, service development, and whānau engagement, Sharon has previously worked with Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti, the National Heart Foundation, and the Health Quality & Safety Commission. She is interested in exploring more innovative and engaging approaches to youth health education and prevention.
Anganette Hall
Te Whatu Orand Coast
Dr Anganette Hall is a specialist in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine who has worked with young people and their families for over 20 years. Following fellowship training at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Canada, she returned to New Zealand in 2004. Her clinical interests include eating disorders, mental health, ADHD and the broader health and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults.
Pinky Solitude
iLeadnd Coast
Pinky Solitude is a disability advocate living with EDS among other disabilities. He brings a lived experience as well as their peers experience towards his advocacy, slowly integrating himself into more roles including community projects as well as personal ones. Pinky has a passion for inclusivity for queer individuals in the disability sector.
Liam Teichmann
Whāraurau
Liam Teichmann's role is to bring his lived experienced perspective to the work of Whāraurau so that the voices of rangatahi experiencing mental health issues are heard and that their care is delivered in a way that meets their specific needs as a young person.
Benjamin Phillips
Whāraurau
Benjamin Phillips role is to ensure that the voices, experiences, and perspectives of young people directly shape mental health and addiction services. He advocates for youth-centered practices, collaborates on projects to make sure they’re relevant and accessible, and helps bridge the gap between young people and services to drive positive, systemic change.
He has spent the past decade working as a professional dancer and dance teacher allowing him to connect with a variety of individuals, build supportive communities, and foster self expression.
He has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology and Criminology from the University of Auckland. This combination of creative youth mentorship and psychological science informs his current approach to advocacy and youth advisory work.
Letavai Faava Tuigamala and Penni Wolfgramm
Village Collective
Letavia Faava Tuigamala is a Talavou Fale Youth Educator with Village Collective.
Dr Penni Wolfgramm works as a Clinical Psychologist and Sei Lelei Clinical Lead with Village Collective.
Kate Whitaker
Classification Office
Kate Whitaker is an educator with 20 years’ experience across teaching, facilitation, and professional learning in Aotearoa. In her role at the Classification Office, she shares evidence-informed insights about what rangatahi experience online and how adults can respond. She is passionate about keeping young people’s voices at the center of these conversations.
Rebecca MacKenzie
University of Auckland
Dr Rebecca MacKenzie is the Research Team Lead for the Health and Wellbeing Domain within the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study and a Research Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland. Her research takes a broad view of young people’s health and wellbeing, exploring how the social and structural conditions shape their lives across the life course, and the translation of this evidence into policy that reflects the realities of whânau and communities across Aotearoa.
Ben Fletcher
University of Auckland
Dr Ben Fletcher is the Research Team Lead for the Psychosocial and Cognitive Development Domain within the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study and a Research Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland. His research focuses on mental health and wellbeing across the life course, exploring how social, developmental, and environmental influences shape young people's experiences and support positive outcomes.
Audrey Robin
Dr Audrey Robin (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou) is a Hawke’s Bay General Practitioner with a passion for adolescent health. Her work spans youth clinics, school-based health services, and clinical leadership. As a founding member of the team that developed Te Ūkaipō, she is dedicated to supporting rangatahi through strengths-based, kaupapa Māori approaches to culturally safe, whānau-centred healthcare.
Emily Hughes
Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri -
NZ Drug Foundation
Emily Hughes is the Principal Science Advisor at the New Zealand Drug Foundation. She has worked in public health and research for the last 13 years and specializes in drug subject matter expertise, drug checking, overdose responses, neurodiversity, and substance use and emerging research and data in the drug space. She is also involved in international drug policy and is the Oceania Representative for the IDPC MAC and a regional representative on YouthRise’s IWG.
Lucia Griffith
Victoria University of Wellington
Lucia Griffith is a student at Victoria University of Wellington, studying Political Science and
International Relations. After treatment for functional neurological disorder (FND), and her diagnosis of ADHD at sixteen, she has become passionate about advocating for youth mental health and women with ADHD. She helps the Hutt Hospital ICAFS team to run their youth ADHD workshops and volunteers for Mental Health Matters Initiative, a youth-run mental health advocacy group.
Charlie Zonnevylle
Tu Whatu Ora
Charlie (he/they) is a Pākehā Kaiwhakaora Ngangahau/Occupational Therapist who grew up in Te Whanaganui-a-Tara and studied in Kirikiriroa. Charlie has been working in child and adolescent mental health in Te Awa Kairangi since 2023, and completed a New Entry to Specialist Practice post graduate certificate throughout his first year of practice. Part of Charlie’s role includes being one of the facilitators for caregiver and teen ADHD groups.
Rosalie Norton
Youthline
Rosalie Norton is a youth advocate, recording artist and the Founder of mindbox.nz, a platform supporting rangatahi wellbeing. Rosalie is a Kirikiriroa-based creative and advocate, advising for local kaupapa like being the c o-chair for the Waikato Regional Councils youth initiative Rangatahi Voices (2020-2025), 2024 Pacific Director for the University of Waikato WSU (Waikato Student Union) board and nationally is also on the Inspiring Stories Youth Advisory Group, the MYD and Curative taiohi initiative, The Hive and The Mental Health Foundation YAG co-ordinator. She is also currently on the Youthline Youth Advisory Council as well as advising for Voices of Hope . As artist Lehali, she blends smooth beats with stories of identity, culture and belonging. Her music and mahi are about expression, confidence and backing young people to find their voice and step into who they are.
Steven Lillis
University of Waikato
Originally from Ireland, Steven is a highly experienced GP
with over 30 years in clinical practice. Steven is currently the Clinical Lead for Assessment for the new University of Waikato Medical School development project. He has also held senior national roles in medical education, including Chief Examiner for the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and Director of Examinations for the Medical Council of New Zealand. Steven has a Diploma in Sports Medicine, a PhD, and has published approximately 60 research papers in his special interest areas of medical education, neurodiversity, ADHD and mental health. Outside of work, he loves cooking. Steven works at Little London Lane as a GP on Friday afternoons.
Liv Fountain
i.Lead
Liv Fountain is a disability advocate and Chairperson of the
Waikato iLEAD Committee. Living with cerebral palsy, she brings both professional and lived experience to her advocacy, working alongside disabled people, health professionals, and community organisations to improve inclusion and healthcare experiences. Liv is passionate about ensuring healthcare professionals, particularly GPs, learn from the lived experiences of disabled people to deliver more accessible, person-centred care.
Amiria Koopu
Active Health
My passion for physiotherapy was sparked by the support I received from physiotherapists while representing Aotearoa in basketball during high school. When I’m not in the clinic, I work with a variety of sports teams. My experience includes working at the Hamilton Netball Courts, with the Hamilton City Under 18 Netball Team,
Hamilton Old Boys Premiership Women’s Rugby Team, Waikato Women’s Rugby League Team, and the Taniwharau Premiership and Reserves Men’s Rugby League Teams.
Nicola Warmington
Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoad Coast
Nicola Warmington (RN, PGDip Auckland University) is one of Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa’s Nurse Educators and Clinical Nurse’s based in Papakura, Auckland.
Having worked for the organisation for nearly 7 years Nicola is an expert in contraception with experience in teaching, course creation, and international (Pasifika) programme creation.
Rebecca Armstrong
The Light Project
Rebecca has been working as a physiotherapist at Active Health Clinic for almost 2 years now. In that time I have worked with a number of different sports teams within the rugby, hockey, netball space sports of which all require plenty of taping!
