2026 Online Symposium
Keynote Speakers
Mangor Pedersen
Associate Professor at AUT University
Topic: How does the brain recover from TBI?
Caroline Rawnsley
Rehabilitation Coordinator, Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit
Topic: The Big Five of SCI: Bladder, Bowel, Skin, Spasm, and Autonomic Control
Caroline Rawnsley has worked in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) since 2002. She worked in the UK before being recruited by the Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit (ASRU) in 2009 and moving to NZ. She has worked in a variety of RN and leadership roles, before transitioning to her current role of Rehabilitation Coordinator in 2013.
Her experience working with people who have sustained a SCI, ranges across acute, rehabilitation and community settings. Caroline’s practice is grounded in holistic, rehabilitation focused nursing, with a strong focus on empowering people to maximise their independence and achieve their personal goals.
Andrew Parker
Neurosurgeon, Wellington Hospital
Topic: Chiari malformation and syringomyelia
Mr Andrew Parker is a consultant neurosurgeon specialising in general neurosurgery, with particular interests in anterior skull base surgery, hydrocephalus, neuro-oncology, and central nervous system trauma. He practices at Wellington Hospital and has completed specialist training at leading centres including the Royal London Great Ormond Street, Queen Square, and the Hammersmith Hospitals Group.
Vivienne Walker
Ko Ngati Porou me Rongowhakaata te iwi
Nurse Specialist Māori Health, DCCM Auckland Hospital
Topic: Nursing with a Te Ao Māori Lens
Muthu Muthappan
Interventional Radiologist, Wellington Hospital
Topic: Stents vs Shunts: The role of interventional radiology in idiopathic intracranial hypertension
Fiona Martin
Clinical Nurse – Specialist Inpatient Rehabilitation, Wellington
Maxine Paterson
Clinical Nurse Specialist – Rehabilitation, Wellington
Topic: New Stroke Pathway speeds up access to Inpatient Rehabilitation
Dolin Bhagawati
Neurosurgeon, Wellington Hospital
Topic: Clinical Application of Ultrasound in Neurosurgery
Dolin Bhagawati is a UK-trained neurosurgeon having obtained his primary medical degree from the University of Oxford and University College London. He completed neurosurgical training across major London centres, including the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Imperial College as well as operating in Seattle, USA and in India. In the last year, he has moved to New Zealand and now works permanently in Wellington. Alongside clinical practice he has pursued translational research into novel drug-delivery strategies for brain tumours, including work on convection-enhanced delivery for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and emerging intraoperative ultrasound imaging techniques in glioma surgery. He is also exploring technologies such as focused ultrasound to transiently open the blood–brain barrier and enhance delivery of otherwise inaccessible therapies to the central nervous system.
2026 Symposium
Save the date! Our 2026 Symposium will be held on the 14-15th of May.
Join ANNA and ARNA
We support affiliation with professional associations:
- The Australasian Neuroscience Nurses Association (ANNA)
– acute - The Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses’ Association (ARNA)
– rehabilitation and community
Membership benefits include an annual conference, journal, networking, webinars, and workshops. To join ANNA click here and to join ARNA click here.
Past Symposia
Past Symposia
2025
Another great two days, starting with a patient retelling their experience with AVM surgery. Followed by insights from the surgeon who conducted the 30-hr surgery – Mr Woon. Participants then heard from Mr Bhatt who gave his insights into TBI from a neurosurgical perspective. Anna Griffiths spoke about supporting people with loss and change and took us through a practical mindfulness exercise. Day two commenced with a workshop from Pride Pledge, who expanded our understanding of rainbow communities. The day ended with a session about the nurses’ role in sexuality, how/when to commence this conversation with our patients. We also had a brain tumor research insights from Freya Weth and education of attention and communication from Maegan VanSolkema.
Throughout the two days, it was great to hear from each other – we had six nurse presenters and six round-the-regions presentations.
We are very grateful to Integra who once again sponsored our 2-days of learning.
Our 2025 prize winners were:
Best case study: Parmeet Mutti, Best topic of concern: Frances Bay, Best first-time speaker: Jitha Baby and Scarlett Jung, People’s choice: Day 1: Di Hanson and Day 2: Dyan Lariosa.
2024
Our biggest virtual event yet, with over 100 nurses from Whangarei to Dunedin attending. It was a very successful two days of networking and knowledge sharing. Our invited speakers presented topics ranging from Ischaemic stroke, Keto diet for neuro patients, Understanding confabulation, The world of adaptive virtual reality, Long Covid, Middle meningeal artery embolisation and Neurosurgery decision making.
We also had a fabulous range of free presentations from our nursing community. Our round the regions topics were: How restraint is managed – what does ‘restraint free’ mean in a neuro context; and Prevention of medication errors and what interventions different areas have tried when errors were made. These all promoted much discussion.
Our prize winners were: Best case study: Dyan Lariosa-Di Mattina; Best Quality Project: Diana Kleijberg; Best topic of concern: Yash Sharma & Jake Watson; Best first-time speaker: Maryanne Johnson; People’s choice: Day 1: Diana Kleijberg and Day 2: Marie Tucay & Kiya Shortland.
2023
A virtual event with 75 neuroscience nurses attending from across Aotearoa. We had powerful presentations from our support groups and their clients – Brain Tumour Support, Brain Injury New Zealand and Camp Unity – providing us with an understanding of their experiences and needs. We have some exciting keynotes which included Jonathan Armstrong ‘recognising and supporting people with cognitive deficits’; David Abernathy ‘secondary and post traumatic headache’; Imogen Milner ‘seizures and epilepsy’; Letitia Burridge ‘compassion literacy: is this a core nursing tool in your kit and are you using it?’; and Dr Helen Rook ‘Focus on research and the Empathy project’.
Fantastically, we also had a number of nurses speaking about their experiences and projects. Our round the regions topics included ‘how do we support staff and encourage well-being?’ and ‘debriefing after a significant event’.
Our prize winners included People’s choice awards: Day 1: Yu Zhang (Jassie), Pei-Chih Yang, & Julie Beck (Counties Manukau); Day 2: Jayne Sheridan (Auckland City Hospital). Best case study: Colin Woodhouse (Christchurch Hospital). Best quality project: Dyan Lariosa (Wellington Hospital). First time nurse presenter: Yu Zhang (Jassie), Pei-Chih Yang, & Julie Beck (Counties Manukau).
2022
A sensational virtual event where virtual communication felt very familiar! Our two day symposium was very well attended across the motu and was packed with interesting and engaging presenters including: Alice Falemaka (CNE), Fiona Martin (NE), Jennifer Ballard (EN), Mr Kelvin Woon (Neurosurgeon), Dr Matt Page (Radiology Registrar, Maegan VanSolkema (SLT, ABI), Mary Griffiths (CNS), Mary MacDonald (ACNM), Michele Richardson (CNE), Dr Sam Cutfield (Neurosurgical Registrar), Sarah Robertson (NS), Shayal Chand (Dietician, ADHB), Te Rina Ruru-Pelasio (Māori Development Manager), and Varsha Asrani (Dietician).
2021
In 2020 we unfortunately had to cancel our event due to covid restrictions. this led to a change in presentation style, and in 2021 we hosted our first virtual event! There were many benefits including ability to broaden guest presenters to outside of the event location. We strengthened our ‘round the regions’ sections where nurses presented topics of interest – which was a very popular component in the symposium. Our guest presenters included: Professor Alan Barber (Neurologist), Ali New (ARNA), Catherine Tanumihardja (CNS), Dr Claire O’Donovan (Lecturer in Psychology and Neuroscience), Jane Sutton (Nurse Practitioner), Julie Beck (Clinical Nurse Director), Dr Julie Pryor (Nursing Research & Development Unit Royal Rehab, Sydney), Mr Kelvin Woon (Neurosurgeon), Kevin Henshall (Trauma Nurse Specialist), Kiri Pook (RN), Lai-Kin Wong (CNS), Louise Kelly (Nurse Manager), Dr Nicola Kayes (Co-Director of Person Centred Research Institute), Rebecca Lissiman (CNE), and Dr SoYoung Kim (Rehab Consultant).
2019
We altered our symposium format to two days in 2019, and continued to have enthusiastic support of the event. Presenters included: Mr Agadha Wickremesekera (Neurosurgeon), Professor Anna Ranta (Neurologist), and Rosie Feliuai (Stroke Nurse), Dr Carl Hanger (Stroke Physician), Dr David Bourke (Neurologist), Karen Marshall (CNS Spinal), Dr Maas Mollenhauer (Neurologist), and Dr Matthew Page (Radiology Registrar).
2018
Our inaugural meeting was a huge success with 100+ nurses attending in person each day. We were fortunate to have presentations from: Dr Julie Pryor (Nursing Research & Development Unit Royal Rehab, Sydney), Mr Andy Parker (Neurosurgeon), Dr Kate Barnard (Rehab Physician), Kathryn Berkett (Educational Psychologist), Mr Kelvin Woon (Neurosurgeon), and Dr Robin Sekerak (Rehab Consultant).
Senior nurses attended a third day with a focus on leadership as well as nursing participants presenting papers.