Be part of the 2025 OPEN Symposium: Collaborative practice – Working in partnership with children and families. Tickets are on sale now - don't miss out! Program and keynote details inside. Students and Switch to Social Work participants can register for free.
We’re excited to announce that Dr Penny Hagen and Angie Tangaere will join us as keynote speakers at the OPEN Symposium 2025.
Dr Penny Hagen, Manukura Tangata Tiriti, Auckland Co-design Lab, assists organisations, teams and communities to take a systems-oriented approach to wellbeing. Working across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, Penny has supported cross-sector teams to respond to complex social issues including child and youth wellbeing, youth employment, chronic health conditions, and family and sexual violence. With a PhD in participatory design, she co-leads the Auckland Co-design Lab, building the capability of the public sector to work in more place-based and complexity-informed ways alongside whānau and communities.
Angie Tangaere (Ngāti Porou), Kaitohu Tangata Whenua, Auckland Co-design Lab, was born and raised in South Auckland and has worked across iwi, government and community organisations to strengthen services and engagement with Māori whānau and communities. With a Masters in Māori and Indigenous Leadership, Angie brings deep experience in co-design and whānau-led innovation, challenging “business as usual” systems and supporting approaches grounded in Māori knowledge, practice and leadership.
Together, Penny and Angie will share insights from their work at the Auckland Co-design Lab, reflecting on what it takes to embed collaboration, equity and lived experience at the centre of systems change. Their keynote connects directly to this year’s theme: Collaborative practice: Working in partnership with children and families.
We are proud to welcome Professor Alina Morawska as the first keynote for the OPEN Symposium 2025.
As Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland, Professor Morawska is recognised internationally for her research on parenting, child development, and family wellbeing. Her keynote will highlight the role of evidence-based approaches in creating better outcomes for children and families.
More keynote announcements are coming soon.
Partner with us to support collaboration and innovation. Find out how you can sponsor the OPEN Symposium 2025.
