Join our expert panel and explore a range of legal issues critical to excelling in your role as a school guidance counsellor. In the morning, gain insight into maintaining accurate records and legally sharing information to support students involved in criminal activities. The afternoon session will cover pertinent topics such as managing family breakdowns, supporting gender diverse students, and reviewing employment laws and awards relevant to your position.

Presenters

Ms. Sarah Mandeno, Barrister, Sarah Mandeno Barrister
Sarah is an experienced barrister specialising in serious crime. She is a member of the Criminal Committee of the New Zealand Bar Association. Between 1999 to 2004 she worked for the Auckland Crown Solicitor’s office. She then worked in the United Kingdom. In 2006 qualified as a solicitor of England and Wales. In 2007 Sarah left her role at Field Fisher Waterhouse in London, where she was involved in the conduct of regulatory proceedings for the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council, to rejoin the Auckland Crown Solicitor’s office, where she was a senior Crown prosecutor (2008) and an Associate (2009). Between June 2016 and January 2018 Sarah worked as a senior lawyer at the Public Defence Service, Manukau before commencing practice as a Barrister in June 2018. Since then Sarah has primarily been a Youth Advocate (PAL 1-4). She undertakes assignments as either the assigned advocate or counsel to assist the Court in the Youth Courts in TāmakiMakarau (including Rangatahi Courts, NgāKōti Rangatahi, and Pasifika Court).


Ms. Vanessa Curac, Barrister, Friendship Chambers
Vanessa started out as a solicitor for Oranga Tamariki, before becoming a Barrister, working in the Youth, Family and Criminal Courts. Vanessa mainly represents young people in the Youth Court, children in the Family Court and young adults in the District Courts in South Auckland. Vanessa has recently worked with survivors in the Abuse in State Care Inquiry as a panel lawyer, and currently sits on the board of her daughters college in Auckland. Vanessa is based in Friendship Chambers in Manukau.


Mr. Regan Boucher, (A) Detective Senior Sergeant, National Co-Ordinator: Child Protection, National Criminal Investigations Group, New Zealand Police
Regan is the National Child Protection Co-Ordinator for the New Zealand Police at the rank of Detective Senior Sergeant and has been a Police Officer for 30 years. Currently based at Police National Headquarters in Wellington, Regan has been a member of the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) since 2001. Most of Regan’s service has been in the Southern District, which included 17 years in Invercargill including at a rural 2-man station at Bluff and the last 13 years spent in Dunedin. He has been in the CIB since 2001 & involved in all the generalist CIB work, Adult Sexual Assault, Organised Crime and Drugs, Crime Squads, Youth Crime, Fraud & Intel. From 2018 – 2022 Regan was been the officer in charge of the Dunedin Child Protection team leading child abuse investigations across the Otago Coastal area and in December 2022 commenced as the National Child Protection Co-Ordinator. In this role he has been responsible for leading and supporting Police policy and procedure around Child Protection, overseeing the specialist child interviewing training programme, overseeing national consistency around New Zealand Police’s response to child abuse and delivering training to Police staff at all levels including recruit, Detective Development and Qualification Course’s and facilitates the Advanced Child Protection and Child Protection Investigators courses at the Royal New Zealand Police College.


Mr. Zac Fargher, Senior Associate, Simpson Grierson
Zac specialises in public and regulatory law, advising public and private clients on regulatory and statutory compliance, policy development and decision making. He also represents clients in judicial review proceedings, inquiries and investigations, having appeared in the High Court in New Zealand and before several specialist hearing bodies. Zac acts for a core participant in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. In that capacity, and more broadly, Zac provides advice on preventing and responding to systemic bullying, harassment and abuse issues.


Ms. Kathryn Dalziel, Barrister
Kathryn Dalziel is a barrister at Walker Street Chambers in Christchurch specialising in employment, privacy, and education law as well as civil litigation and professional ethics. Kathryn provides advice to school boards across a range of legal issues, predominantly in privacy law, employment, and human rights. She supports schools across New Zealand with adapting policies and procedures to their particular environment. In her career, Kathryn has worked as a senior crown prosecutor and she also lectures at the University of Canterbury. As a senior lawyer, Kathryn regularly presents at legal conferences and she has written for a number of publications. In 2009 she authored “Privacy in Schools” published by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.


Ms. Adele Towgood, Deputy General Secretary – Membership, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association Te Wehengarua
Adele Towgood has walked the talk as both as a PPTA member activist and a Field officer. She became PPTA field officer for the Wellington and Wairarapa region in 2015. Since 2020 has held the role of Deputy General Secretary for Membership where she works to support the Field Officers in their work with teachers and branches. The DGS Membership role also supports and guides Field Officers through competency, discipline and Teaching Council cases. Adele also works with the PPTA legal team to understand the ways in which the law and its updates over time impact on the work of PPTA Members, including Guidance Counsellor members. Adele recently completed the Harvard Trade Union Programme at Harvard University in Boston where leadership, policy, process and strategic choice were discussed in a global context.


Ms. Kirsty Farrant, Rainbow Taskforce Coordinator, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association Te Wehengarua
Kirsty Farrant was a teacher for 18 years before joining PPTA in the professional team (policy). Her current role is Deputy General Secretary (Policy and Advocacy). Both as a teacher and with PPTA Kirsty has been an advocate for LGBTIQA+ people and coordinates the PPTA Rainbow Taskforce. She believes that for LGBTIQA+ young people to thrive, schools must be a safe and inclusive space for them.


Ms. Charlotte Joy, Senior Associate, BE Employment Law
Charlotte has specialised in employment law since starting practice and has had experience at a national full-service firm and at BE Employment Law, a boutique employment law firm started by leading employment lawyers Emma Butcher and Angela Evans. She has represented employers and employees on a wide range of issues, both contentious and advisory. Charlotte is particularly interested in assisting employers with complex restructuring projects, managing employee mental health issues, and navigating workplace investigations. Charlotte takes a strategic and pragmatic approach to achieve the best outcomes for her clients in any employment law problem and strives to provide solution-based advice.


Ms. Fran Renton, Advisory Officer (Industrial/Legal), New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association Te Wehengarua
Fran is an experienced advocate, strategist and campaigner. She enjoys the challenge of influencing change and empowering others to be part of change. Fran works to build relationships across organisations and with stakeholders to achieve interest-based solutions. She has detailed knowledge of pay equity processes, employment law and the resolution of employment relations issues at individual, workplace and sector level.