Kōkiri – The Future Speaks
A National Conference on Transforming the Care Experience in Aotearoa
16–18 March 2026 | Oceania Room, Te Papa, Wellington
VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai is proud to host our first national conference, Kōkiri – The Future Speaks — a gathering dedicated to transforming the care experience in Aotearoa. This event centres care-experienced rangatira as leaders in the national conversation on care, and brings them together with care providers, government and non-government sectors to connect, learn, and wānanga bold solutions. It will spotlight “care” as a specialised and vital area within the social services sector — one that deserves focused attention, courageous conversations, and collective action. Join us as we co-create a future where every young person in care is nurtured, empowered, and embraced with mana and aroha.
🎯 Conference Theme:
Making the 6 Promises Real for Tamariki and Rangatahi in Care.
Read about the 2020 launch of the 6 Promises here.
Read about the 2024 “You Promised, Now Deliver” campaign relaunch here.
These promises are grounded in the voices of care-experienced rangatahi and reflect what they need most from the systems and people around them. This conference is about turning those promises into action.
🗣 We Are Calling for Workshop Proposals! 🗣
We invite care-experienced rangatira, providers, practitioners, academics, advocates, and policy leaders to submit proposals for interactive workshops that:
- Explore challenges and solutions within the care system
- Uplift the voices of tamariki and rangatahi
- Share innovative practices, research, or lived experience
- Help bring the 6 Promises to life in practical, impactful ways
Workshops can take many forms — from kōrero and storytelling to hands-on activities, creative sessions, or panel-style discussions, and should fit under one (or more) of the following themes:
1. Care
Every tamaiti receives nurturing, protection, and provision, as any good parent would offer.
Workshop ideas might explore:
- Models of relational and whānau-based care that promote aroha, trust, and belonging
- Trauma-informed caregiving approaches that restore and heal
- Building caring relationships between caregivers and tamariki/rangatahi
- Elevating everyday care practices that prioritise dignity, empathy, and emotional safety
2. Stability
Young people in care experience consistency, safety, and a sense of belonging.
Workshop ideas might explore:
- Strategies to reduce placement breakdown and frequent moves
- Building secure attachments and long-term relationships in care
- Creating culturally safe and consistent environments
- Innovations in care planning that prioritise continuity and connectedness
3. Learning
Education as a gateway to dreams, rangatahi are supported to achieve aspirations.
Workshop ideas might explore:
- Removing barriers to educational participation for care-experienced rangatahi
- Culturally relevant and inclusive educational support systems
- Mentoring, tutoring, and future-focused opportunities (e.g., trades, tertiary, creative pathways)
- Role of schools, teachers, and support staff in upholding the educational rights of tamariki in care
4. Wellbeing
Timely, accessible, and culturally conscious health and mental health services are available to all taiohi.
Workshop ideas might explore:
- Designing youth-centred, trauma-informed health and mental health responses
- Breaking down barriers to accessing support (e.g., stigma, systems navigation, funding)
- Models of integrated care that respond to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs
- Culturally grounded approaches to healing and wellbeing (mātauranga Māori e.g. Whare Tapa Whā, Pasifika frameworks)
5. Voice
Tamariki and rangatahi are involved in decisions that affect them, and their voices are honoured.
Workshop ideas might explore:
- Tools and practices to embed youth voice in care decision-making
- Genuine co-design models and how to do them well
- Power-sharing and advocacy: enabling tamariki/rangatahi to influence policy and practice
- Listening systems: mechanisms for feedback, complaints, and accountability
- Spoken word poetry
6. Identity
Every tamaiti is supported to know their whakapapa, culture, and sense of self.
Workshop ideas might explore:
- Supporting reconnection with whakapapa, whānau, iwi, and cultural identity (e.g., Te Reo Rangatiratanga for mokopuna Māori)
- Identity-affirming care: what it looks like in practice
- Experiences and needs of Takatāpui, Pasifika, Rainbow, and culturally diverse rangatahi in care
- Creative and therapeutic tools for self-expression and identity discovery
Preference will be given to workshops that are co-designed or led by care-experienced individuals, and that reflect the core values of VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai: Aroha, Manaakitanga, Tika, and Pono.
📝 Submission Guidelines:
- Deadline: Friday 8th August 2025
- Format: Interactive, wānanga-style preferred, 60–90 minutes long
- Submit to: lea@on-cue.co.nz
- Include: Workshop title, description (max 300 words), facilitator bios, and how your session aligns with one or more of the 6 Promises
- If you need support to develop your proposal or have accessibility needs, please reach out — we’re here to help.
💬 Let’s shape the future — together.
This is your chance to be part of a movement that centres care-experienced voices and drives real, lasting change. Kōkiri – The Future Speaks is more than a conference — this powerful gathering is a call to action. Together, we will explore the route from the current state of care in Aotearoa to the thriving, relational, and culturally competent future our mokopuna deserve — one that honours Te Tiriti, trauma-informed practice and holistic hauora.