Australasian Society for Developmental Paediatrics

Speaking Well, Thinking Well, Being Well

Mā te rongo, ka mōhio
Mā to mōhio, ka mārama
Mā te mārama, ka mātau
Mā te mātau, ka ora

Through listening comes knowledge
Through knowledge comes understanding
Through understanding comes wisdom
Through wisdom comes wellbeing

It was so wonderful to be back in Aotearoa for the 2025 ASDP Annual Conference in beautiful Tāhuna, Queenstown.

The program centred on the theme of Wellbeing, exploring how speaking well, thinking well, and being well are interconnected in the lives of children, families, and practitioners. Sessions highlighted the importance of language, mindset and holistic care in developmental paediatrics, while also fostering reflection, collaboration and community among delegates. I was honoured to open the conference with my keynote, “First Do No Harm-The Impact of Language in Healthcare”, followed by a workshop of the key learnings from my communication training program, “Below the Surface”.

It was SO good to spend a few extra days in the area with my husband Nathan Maddigan- showing him places that are special to me growing up. We road tripped to Milford Sound, stopping at every small town along the way to try out their cheese rolls. The winner of the best cheese roll was in Garston, at a little food truck called the “coffee bomb”. For an extra special treat we stayed at the Milford Sound Lodge for two nights. It was absolute bliss, and took a boat trip into the sounds to see the thousand waterfalls. Highly recommend!