Tonic Conference 2024

Lani Evans (she/her/ia) is a for-purpose founder, leader and director. She has spent the last decade leading philanthropic organisations and holds multiple governances roles across philanthropy and community development. She is co-founder of Fundsorter, an AI tool to support faster, easier and more equitable grant applications and Share Collective, a non-profit distributing dividends from a charitable share portfolio. Lani is Executive Director of Generous Ventures, a 2024 Equitable Futures Fellow, a past recipient of the Winston Churchill Fellowship, an honorary member of Philanthropy New Zealand and was awarded a New Year’s Honour for services to social enterprise. Lani lives in an intergenerational, multi-whānau household and is proud māmā to two children

Simon is CEO of Bishop’s Action Foundation. BAF is a catalyst for change, enabling and supporting community changemakers to launch ideas that challenge inequity and create lasting solutions to social issues. Simon has extensive governance experience. He is currently Deputy-Chair of Wild For Taranaki, is a trustee of the Access to Justice & Wellbeing Trust and is a Director of Catalyst Housing Ltd.  At a national level, Simon was Co-Chair of Hui E! Community Aotearoa and Chair of the NZ Navigator Charitable Trust from their inception through to 2020. Simon is also an accredited mentor with The Mentoring Foundation of New Zealand.  He has an MPhil through AUT which focused on governance in the community sector and also holds Post-Graduate Diplomas in Development Studies and Public Health.

Tiri (Ngāpuhi, Te Ātiawa) is the Chair of the Waitara Taiohi Trust. Their vision, He puna wai koropupū ko Waitara – A place of refreshing where taiohi are woven, whole and winning. Their purpose, He pūrengi mātou he tautoko i ngā pou taiohi – To awhi taiohi in building a deep sense of belonging, identity and confidence. Their programmes serve as spaces for taiohi to connect with seasoned youth workers and mentors, fostering meaningful relationships that inspire confidence and instil a sense of responsibility. Tiri is also Chair of the Waitara Food Bank Pataka Kai, He Rau Oranga Trust-Waitara Night Markets and North Taranaki Sport and Recreation Incorporated.  Tiri is also a Trustee of the North Taranaki Healthcare Trust and Sustainable Taranaki. Her focus is to apply a Māori lens to strengthen and equip organisations to be the best they can in achieving their vision and mission.

Together Towards Tomorrow

Nicola (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, and Ngā Ruahine) was appointed chair of the Te Kura Board of Trustees in July 2022. She is currently the principal of Spotswood College in New Plymouth and previously held principal positions at Tamatea High School and Patea Area School. Before her role at Te Kura, Nicola served as chairperson of the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. With a diverse background spanning early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary teaching roles, as well as teaching in prisons, Nicola has a strong passion for authentic learning. She is committed to disrupting the educational norm through transformative leadership, guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a future-focused vision. In 2013, Nicola received a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award for her transformative work at Tamatea High School. In 2016, she was named Taranaki Daily News Person of the Year for her transformative impact at Patea Area School, which later received the National UNESCO Award for Education – Global Citizenship in 2018. Nicola is married to Wayne Cribb, and together they have two daughters.

From Doom & Gloom to Hope & Optimism

Sue Kohn-Taylor is the founder of The Mental Fitness Company, known for her passion for life and unwavering optimism. A dedicated advocate of personal growth, Sue’s philosophy is grounded in mental and emotional fitness and finding silver linings in every challenge. With extensive experience in 1:1’s, group coaching and workshop training, Sue’s relatable and practical approach has earned her recognition in New Zealand, Australia, and internationally. Sue is a familiar face on television, a respected columnist, and a sought-after speaker.  In 2024 Sue won a Silver award at the Women Changing the Worlds Awards in London, presented by the Duchess of York. She observes that life in its current form, is causing us to be more stressed and anxious. We have complicated what it is to be human, interacting in a modern complex world! Sue is dedicated to helping others cultivate their optimal selves and create a positive impact on the world around them.

The power of storytelling

Rachel Klaver loves a good story. Especially if it’s going to help you get the attention of the right people. She’s worked with over a thousand small businesses and organisations helping them with marketing strategy and content marketing coaching. She’s the author of 28 books, with her more recent one Be a Spider, Build a Web detailing how to build an effective content marketing strategy. Her podcast Confident Content helps small business owners work out how to create content that attracts, and converts their ideal clients.

Systems Change: Using narratives and frames to shift mindset

Julie is a strategic communicator who loves how a good story can shape our thinking and actions. Julie is committed to making it easier to talk about the big issues that impact our collective wellbeing – so that our whānau and communities can thrive. Julie enjoys sharing her skills and experience gained over 20 years of working in social marketing and public sector communications. She works collaboratively and loves learning and contributing. Julie is focused on creating change for a better future for everyone.

Exploring Wills and Bequests

Fiona’s passion is helping community groups develop the skills and knowledge that will help their associations grow and prosper while increasing the connection and satisfaction of members. Fiona enjoys using the myriad of skills she had developed over her career to make a positive difference within communities. After leaving Banking and spending more than a decade studying and working in fundraising, specialising in the bequest and major donor space, Fiona saw the potential to make a significant difference at the grassroots level. With the knowledge of bequest giving being a game changer for regional organisations, sports clubs, community groups, churches and schools Fiona wanted to make this information available to them.

Re-set, Re-energise, Results

After experiencing career-mom burnout, navigating an international move, and facing sudden job loss, Helena turned to the transformative Happy for No Reason® programme. With over 20 years in corporate Learning and Organisational Development, she now brings together her specialist experience in high performance with her personal experience and study of happiness and wellbeing to work with teams and individuals who are tired, overwhelmed or burnt out or going through change. Her fun and engaging workshops and coaching give you the inspiration, energy and confidence to go from struggling to supercharged!

MC extraordinaire

As a trained lawyer, Paul has done everything but practise law. He’s worked in government, managed and chaired community organisations and co-led a collaboration consulting firm. In all these experiences, he noticed that many people struggled to connect, engage and collaborate. Now he works with leaders who want to create an inclusive environment for high performance. Paul recently recorded the last episode of his podcast Beyond Consultation and is now working on his next book Leading Questions. He writes a popular weekly newsletter and shares free resources at www.paulmcgregor.co.nz. When Paul’s around, expect lots of curious questions, a few stories, a laugh and a smile – especially when the conversation is a difficult one. 

Leveraging social media 

Shay’s got a wild streak for all things marketing and knows how to make brands stand out from all the noise online. She owns the award-winning creative studio Idyllic, a studio of experts helping businesses find their vibe and communicate what makes them unique and special. Known for social media campaigns that are anything but ordinary, Idyllic takes bold to a whole new level.

Kerri is an experienced facilitator who has been working in the public and community sector for 25+years. She is known for delivering engaging sessions which get people thinking—and doing—differently. Kerri is the founder of The Facilitators Network and is on a mission to level-up the way meetings and workshops are run in our sector. She is an avid-poster on Linked In and you can catch all her tips and tricks at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerri-price/. For more information about The facilitators Network, visit the website https://thefacilitatorsnetwork.co.nz/

Megan is a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm with more than  24 years’ experience in facilitation and developing, designing and delivering training programs. She has worked with people in corporate, government and Not-For-Profit organisations all over the world. Community and Not-For-Profit organisations are her passion, working with people who make a real, positive difference in their communities. Megan focuses on supporting community and non-profit organisations at the business end of what they do. She has a real knack for delivering useful information in an engaging way, she will make you laugh and think, but most of all she will give you practical tools you can easily implement in your organisation

Accommodation fills up fast in popular New Plymouth, so it’s a good idea to book your room at the same time as you purchase your conference ticket. There are also a few events, the Taranaki Garden Festival, the Taranaki Fringe Garden Festival, the Sustainable Backyards Tour and the Taranaki Arts Trail, and happening at the same time that you can stay and enjoy

Plymouth International phone 0800 800 597 or email reservations@plymouth.co.nz – only a limited number of rooms are available. 

Auto Lodge Motor Inn (across the road from the venue) phone 0800 800 896 or visit autolodge.co.nz.

Parkside Motel and Apartments (1.7km from venue) visit parksideapartments.co.nz or phone 06 757 5763