Keynote Speakers

We are very pleased to be announcing two Keynote Speakers whom will no doubt entertain us, educate us and leave us with much to take home to our families!

John Cowan

Parents Inc. is an organisation which was founded by Ian and Mary Grant in 1993, with a simple vision: “ to positively impact every family”. Their hope is that their vision will become a reality for you. Great families build great communities which in turn build a great country to live in!

John Cowan has been a presenter and writer for Parents Inc. for more than 15 years. He has a great ability to make people listen, as well as laugh and even sometimes cry. Using stories, humour, multimedia and a unique presentation style, he informs, entertains and educates. John is married to Naomi and they are parents of three teenage children.

He is an experienced parenting educator with a background of medical research, youth work and family counselling and is also an accomplished and entertaining broadcaster and author.

For more information visit www.theparentingplace.com

Miriam McCaleb

Recently endorced by our very own Judy Bailey (on the Good Morning Breakfast show and Australian Women's Weekly magazine), Brainwave is a charitable trust which exists to educate New Zealanders from all walks of life about the latest research in neuroscience. We now know that a child’s experiences from conception to three largely determine how their brain develops, and whether they will become capable, contributing, well adjusted adults.

Miriam McCaleb is an established presenter for Brainwave Trust Aotearoa. An at-home mother of a high-energy toddler, she is also a teacher of adults: at Tennessee Tech University and the Christchurch College of Education; and of infants and toddlers.

Miriam has done intensive brain development study in the USA, and is a certified trainer for PITC the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers. She has published in NZ and the USA for Early Childhood News, The First Years, and Child Care Information Exchange, and continues to write between presentations and parenting.