We have partnered with the Ministry of Education to bring you three FREE full-day symposiums designed to support kaiako confidently identify, understand and respond to diverse learning needs.

• Palmerston North: Saturday 2 May 2026   Register
Wellington: Saturday 16 May 2026   Sold Out
• Masterton: Saturday 6 June 2026   Register

The relational work teachers do is crucial. It’s not a soft skill or an optional extra, it’s the foundation for every academic, social, and emotional outcome we seek for our young people.

Teachers do this every day. They create learning spaces where children feel valued and seen, even under significant time and workload pressures. They build trusting relationships, offer predictability and warmth, and respond to students as whole people rather than simply learners of content.

This is especially vital for our neurodiverse learners, and one truth has become increasingly evident: children learn best when they feel safe, and for neurodiverse learners, this is vital.

As our keynote Kathryn Berkett explains;
When the brain perceives threat, whether through conflict, exclusion, uncertainty or stress, it activates what she calls the “red brain”. In this state, energy is diverted to survival responses: fight, flight or freeze. The rational, thinking part of the brain, the “green brain”, becomes less accessible. It’s not a failure of character or discipline; it’s a biological survival strategy.

As kaiako, we know the relational environment in our classrooms is vital. Learning doesn’t start with content, it starts with connection. A warm greeting at the door, a teacher who notices when a student is unsettled, a moment of shared humour. These small relational exchanges create the neurological conditions for learning. They tell the brain: you are safe here.

Join us to listen to a range of speakers and interactive sessions that explore the theory and discuss strategies, so that as kaiako we can better respond to the diverse learning needs of tamariki.