Presenters

David Graham, Principal, Goodwood School
David Graham is an experienced school leader having led three primary schools across the Waikato. He is currently the principal of Goodwood School (a primary school of 400 students) and co-leader of Te Kahūi Ako o Te Oko Horoi, the Cambridge Community of Learning. David has recently returned from the United Kingdom where he worked with the Anna Freud Centre and the national Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme. His research investigated policy and programmes which support learners who are neurodiverse, their peers and teachers.

Darren Gunasekara, Senior Associate, DLA Piper
Darren is a Senior Associate at the global law firm DLA Piper, specialising in employment law. He has advised and represented clients in a range of industries including early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary employers in the education industry. He has provided strategic and pragmatic advice and representation on matters including personal grievances, workplace policy reviews, workforce restructuring, workplace health and safety, collective bargaining and assisting employers through regulatory audits and investigations. He has acted for private schools in New Zealand and tertiary education providers in New Zealand and Australia and regularly attends mediation on employment matters. Darren takes a particular interest in 'global employment' issues and works closely with DLA Piper's global employment team so understands that different employers have different needs which do not necessarily fit squarely within New Zealand's legal framework. He has applied this to his work in the education sector, assisting education providers to balance what are often competing legal obligations.