As a network, we are so proud to bring organisations together to grow their impact collaboratively. VOYCE Whakarongo Mai is one of them – and their conference was incredible. 

Our collective in Aotearoa New Zealand has grown steadily, and our local impact for children is gaining momentum. VOYCE Whakarongo Mai’s first-ever national conference “Kōkiri – The Future Speaks” was a gathering led by young people, focused on the future of the care system in Aotearoa.  

Run by those who know best, children and young people who have grown up in care, Kōkiri was the first gathering of its kind. Our supporter care team lead Sophia went along on behalf of Family For Every Child, and she writes about it below.   

It felt like such a privilege to attend Kōkiri, in line with Family For Every Child’s key goals and values: doing work to strengthen community collaborations and mobilisation for more effective child rights action. 

Kōkiri was designed to put the voices of care-experienced rangatahi (young people) at the centre of national conversation and decision-making. VOYCE’s Chief Executive, Tracie Shipton (we’re pictured together below) summed it up beautifully: this conference was about creating a platform where those with power in the care system could truly listen to the young people who know it best, and who have had to grow up in it. 

From the moment it began, it was obvious: this was a space for honesty, courage, and real dialogue.

Over two days, I joined a diverse group of people committed to change: 31% of the attendees were care-experienced rangatahi, 26% were caregivers, community sector professionals, and NGO’s (many of our partners who were part of our 2025 research project were there!), while 12% were government professionals. Every voice in the room contributed to collective discussion, shared perspectives, and interactive learning.

How can we challenge the status quo for children in Aotearoa? How can we better collaborate for change? How can we continue to fix a broken system? 

The programme was grounded in VOYCE’s Six Promises framework, a call for change that Family has supported them with, a clear vision for a care system built on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Day One was opened with a powerful welcome from the Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, and guest speaker Jazz Thornton, setting the tone for honest, courageous conversations. I personally really enjoyed day two, which focused on the political and policy future of care. It was great to see some of our politicians show up for young people. We also heard from Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad, who authored the foreword of our 2025 research report, the Chief Ombudsman John Allen, and Arran Jones, Chief Executive of Aroturuki Tamariki.

All of these leaders have backed our research in the past, and it was great to catch up in person. 

Listening to these conversations made it clear that policy and decision-making must be guided by the voices of rangatahi themselves, not just those of adults in power. It’s something that’s so critical to all of our advocacy work at Family, and as someone who speaks to our supporters every days, it was wonderful to see this as a priority in actually making change happen. 

The underlying message of Kōkiri was simple but really profound: real change begins by listening. When we centre children, young people and their experiences, we can transform the system around them, and the lives of the young people and families it exists to serve.

Eva Marie Lewis, a famous activist, was quoted during the conference. It really resonated with me:

“To be an activist is to speak. To be an advocate is to listen. Society can’t move forward without both.”

Walking away from Kōkiri, I felt inspired, challenged, and hopeful. Our work is about advocating for meaningful change by listening to those who know best, by backing these voices with local and globally recognised research, through ongoing advocacy and collective action, care and a persistent push for change – across policies, legislation and at the system level. 

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