Events

Pack up the books and relocate to a George St shop and set up.  

Associate Professor Yoram Barak’s research interests include multiple sclerosis, cancer, a wide range of psychiatric conditions (such as depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder), old-age psychiatry, and suicide.

He is also interested in Alzheimer's Disease and has published a popular book called "Preventing Alzheimer's: A Personal Responsibility".

One of my favourite quotes is “There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream” – Shelley K. Wall.   At the age of 17, about to embark on life outside of school, I was involved in a motorcycle accident.  I shattered my bones; I shattered my ambitions and I shattered my ability to run after anything or so I thought.

Today, I feel privileged to say that I am an award-winning speaker, business adviser and mentor.  In 2008, I began my Toastmasters journey.  I have contested six Toastmasters New Zealand Speaking Finals in Impromptu, Humorous and International Speech contests, attaining two 3rd places and winning the coveted International Speech Contest in 2012. This enabled me to represent Toastmasters New Zealand in the 2012 Toastmasters International Semi-Finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Other significant Toastmasters New Zealand roles have included being selected to be an International Speech Contest Chairman, Contest Judge and Evaluation Contest “Test Speaker” for New Zealand Finals. I was also asked to MC the Toastmasters New Zealand District 72 Conference held over 3 days in May 2019 in Dunedin. 

As part of my commercial business activity, I offer speaking and presentation training to business teams and individuals (private and business).  

In 2019 I self-published two books – Sophie’s Speech and How to Save the World – One Question at a Time.    Check out the shop for those books. 

In 2020, after nearly 4 decades in such diverse industries as banking, insurance, stadia and pathology I have decided to become a business adviser.  I love business, always have.  To be a good adviser I believe you need to understand and relate to the executive and street-smart business owners.  To support this, I also act as a mentor through Business Mentors NZ and provide services through the Regional Business Partner Network.

Jordana Whyte is the Trust Manager for the Wildlife Hospital Dunedin, an organisation she co-founded in 2015. She also serves as chair of the NZ Sea Lion Trust. Her previous experience involves being a Project Manager for the Cosy Homes Trust and she has a community development and grant writing background. She is also on the Predator Free Dunedin trust board.

Ruby, Hamleen, and Anna are from Otago Girls High School and Marco is from John McGlashan College and they attended the Auckland Science Forum.  

407 Hillside Road

Philippa has been working in the marketing industry for over 22 years and provides strategic marketing advice for a range of industries. She enjoys collaborating with her staff to bring brands to life in print and online. Along with her expertise in design direction, website copy & planning, helping clients improve their online visibility, accreditation with Google Ads, she is heavily involved with social media marketing and training. She translates her knowledge to guide organisations on how to navigate these challenging times, consulting on how to effectively integrate digital and social media into their overall strategy.

The I Have a Dream program first began operating in the Wesley community of Mt Roskill in 2003, with significant success.  We have now expanded to 4 low-decile schools in the high-needs Tikipunga and Otangarei communities of Whangārei.

The Mt Roskill “Dreamers” have achieved success across many metrics, including leadership, community participation, sports and quality of life.  But perhaps the most significant, and certainly the most easily quantified, is their educational success.  We tracked them against a Comparison Group, which was the Year Level ahead of them at the same Decile 1 Primary School in Mt Roskill.