Sands National Conference 2019
"Rebuilding your Life"
 WHERE:
Sudima Christchurch Airport Hotel, Christchurch, New Zealand
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WHEN:
Friday 20 September to Sunday 22 September 2019
      
TIME:
8:30-5:30 Friday 20 September 2019
9:00-5:30 Saturday 21 September 2019
10:00am Sunday 22 September - Memorial Service
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Kia ora koutou - welcome to the Sands National Conference website. 

Sands is a voluntary, non-profit organisation that supports parents, families and whānau when a baby or infant dies. We provide a range of services to bereaved families and the people who care for them.

Every two years a Sands group hosts a national conference that brings together bereaved families, health and caring professionals, researchers and anyone with an interest in perinatal and infant loss, grief and bereavement. Sands Canterbury will be hosting the 12th biennial Sands conference in Christchurch on 20-22 September 2019 at the Sudima Airport Hotel, Christchurch, New Zealand.

We are excited to be bringing some experts and speakers to Christchurch to educate, inspire, motivate and inform us. Our keynote speakers are Jane Weekes and Janel Atlas! 

For convenience of those flying into our beautiful city, our conference venue is the Sudima Hotel at Christchurch Airport - see our 'accommodation' page for more information. 
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"Rebuilding your Life"

Being a city devastated by a major earthquake and having to rebuild, we found the theme quite fitting for this area. As the city rebuilds, so do we rebuild our lives after our own 'earthquake'.  How we do this, where we find support, and the journey of a city and ourselves were quite symbolic, especially in relation to grief. So we felt it quite fitting to follow this theme throughout our 2019 Conference.

For Professionals

We usually allocate hours for conference from the Funeral Service Training Trust and reach PD requirements from the Midwifery Council. We aim to have this again, please return at a later date to view more information. 

Our Keynote Speakers:

Jane Weekes

Since surviving the loss of her triplets in a tragic fire in Qatar, Jane has completed a Bachelors of Counselling and is now working alongside people experiencing difficulties in their lives such as trauma, grief and loss, postnatal depression, relationship difficulties and addiction.

​Read more.....

Janel Atlas

Janel Atlas is a PhD candidate of English at the University of Delaware. Her research centres on emotion and writing studies, particularly the importance of writing about loss, grief, and trauma. She is especially interested in ways in which a writing practice helps individuals process and grow through difficult experiences.

Read More....

Miriama Kamo

Award winning journalist Miriama Kamo is the host and correspondent for TVNZ’s flagship current affairs programme Sunday, and for Maori current affairs programme Marae. Miriama is also a writer, she released her first children’s book The Stolen Stars of Matariki in 2018. As an endometriosis sufferer Miriama is passionate about women’s health and issues related to fertility A mother of two, she is the ambassador for Endometriosis NZ.

Read More....

Conference & Special Events

Our conference schedule will be full of great speakers and will run on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September.
We will be having a Memorial Service on Sunday 22 September at 10am which you are all welcome to attend!

Conference Prices

 $295.00 for a bereaved parent or Sands group committee member
$395 for a professional
(prices until 31 August 2019)