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Conference Summary 2008
The OSCAR Foundation National Conference was held at Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre in Auckland on Friday 17 to Sunday 19 October 2008.
The theme was ‘The Big OSCAR Experience (OE) – Te OSCAR Wheako Nui’.
This was the biggest conference yet with 415 delegates from 147 different organisations. It was a fantastic and energetic weekend with all the delegates enthusiastic to meet new people and share ideas.
Management Day
We offered a Management Day on Friday prior to the conference. Peter Heaslip welcomed 104 delegates attending this additional day. He spoke about OSCAR programmes having the power to shape children’s lives and create experiences for them to remember. The Management Day workshops included “Go Kids!”, What’s In My Child Protection Policy?, Alternative Income Streams and CYF Approval For OSCAR Services. They were all well received with some excellent feedback shared about these topics.
Shopping Experience
On Friday we introduced a social activity during the day. 14 delegates registered for our Shopping Experience and enjoyed a day shopping at Dress Smart and Sylvia Park. The benefit of this day was that delegates did not have to worry about transport. Judging by the number of shopping bags that came back, an excellent day was had by all.
 JSA Audit Drinks Hours
A drinks hour at the OSCAR Trade Show, kindly sponsored by JSA Audit, was held on Friday night to allow for a little socialisation. This hour was also a great opportunity for our delegates to have a preview of the information and resources available at the trade show.
Quiz Night
An informal evening of fun, networking and dinner followed with an entertaining Quiz Night. Delegates enjoyed pizza and burgers whilst testing their general knowledge, including some questions relating to OSCAR!
OSCAR Trade Show
The OSCAR Trade Show was open throughout the Conference and provided valuable information for delegates. This year our trade show was outstanding. All our exhibitors felt that it was very worthwhile for them to have attended the trade as it gave them the opportunity to talk directly to OSCAR providers.
It also gave OSCAR providers the opportunity to talk to experts, ask questions, and take home valuable information and resources. The OSCAR Trade Show included these exhibitors:
- Accomplish,
- The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand,
- The OSCAR Foundation,
- “Go Kids!”,
- Teacher Direct,
- Crombie Lockwood / Vero,
- Life Care Consultants Ltd,
- School Supplies,
- CPS,
- Toshiba,
- MyWebucation.
Official Conference Opening
On Saturday morning, delegates were welcomed to the Conference with a complete cultural experience with a pôwhiri. This was followed by Arvid Ditchburn, Chairperson of The OSCAR Foundation, welcoming everyone and officially opening The OSCAR Foundation National Conference.
Labour List MP, Darien Fenton spoke about the benefits of out of school services. She spoke highly of the new Extended Services initiative and the positive outcomes this was creating for children, families and communities. She also announced the second round of programmes that had been selected as Extended Service providers.
Murray Upton, CEO of The OSCAR Foundation, talked about the phenomenal growth of the OSCAR sector, and the consistency this growth has with the Governments Choice’s for Living, Caring and Working Plan and MSD’s Five Year Action Plan. He then introduced The OSCAR Foundation team and highlighted the advice and support services we provide the OSCAR sector. 
Workshops
The topics for the Saturday morning workshops included:
- The coach approach,
- All aboard!,
- Science toys,
- “Go Kids!” active games,
- The OSCAR check up: evaluating and improving programmes,
- Developing policies and procedures,
- The ripple effects of family violence,
- How to hire,
- Tikânga mâori,
- Learning to learn.
Academic Speakers
An Academic Speaker’s stream was launched at this Conference with four quality speakers providing interesting insights and information on a variety of topics impacting the OSCAR sector. These sessions, running concurrently with the normal workshop optionswere well received and will be something we will look at continuing at future Conferences. The Academic Speaker's were:
- Tim Gill, our keynote speaker, discussed risk aversion,
- Tina Green, our Operations Manager, spoke of her experiences of the Danish and the United Kingdom’s quality assurance systems
- Michael Gaffney, Deputy Director of the Children’s Issues Centre at the University of Otago, made connections between the early childhood and OSCAR sectors,
- David Kenkel, from The Office of the Children’s Commissioner, talked about the issues, trends and challenges for child advocacy in New Zealand.
Group Artspace
Delegates were invited to participate in a constructive, hands on Group Artspace project throughout the Conference. This which was available during each day.
The project used individual blocks of wood which needed to be ‘arted up’ so it would create a wonderful tiled masterpiece when it was put back together. The theme for this was to celebrate OSCAR experiences and culture in New Zealand. This is now proudly displayed on the wall in the national office of The OSCAR Foundation in Auckland.
Peter Heaslip Scholarship Grant
The Peter Heaslip Scholarship Grant was presented by Peter Heaslip to Nane Katia from Ponsonby OSCAR in Auckland. This Scholarship is to be used to further professionalism in the OSCAR sector and Nane was very excited to have received it.
 Keynote Speaker - Tim Gill
Tim Gill, one of United Kingdom’s leading thinkers on childhood, was our keynote speaker. The title of Tim’s address was ‘No Fear: Growing up in a Risk Averse Society’ with his presentation relating closely to his book, bearing the same title.
Tim looked at some of the ways in which Britain has become a risk averse society for children with warnings for New Zealand from the British experience. He also discussed how these aversions may be overcome and ways in which various communities in Britain are addressing the issue.
This keynote session was kindly sponsored by Toshiba.
Workshops
The Saturday afternoon workshops covered:
- Positive ideas for handling difficult behaviours,
- “Go Kids!” motor sensory development,
- Bringing puppets to life,
- Planning for success,
- What to expect from kids,
- Maximizing chances of receiving MSD funding,
- Stories out of “nowhere” to “everywhere”,
- Business as usual,
- Screen printing,
- Mâori games.
Walk Around The Lagoon
A group of delegates headed off for a walk around the lagoon at the end of the day on Saturday. The walk was led by OSCAR Advisor, Sally Lee. This was a great chance for delegates to stretch their legs and clear their heads in the fresh air after a full on day listening, learning and experiencing new skills and knowledge.
Awards Evening
On Saturday night, The OSCAR Foundation hosted the Awards Evening to celebrate the winners of the OSCAR Foundation 2008 National Awards. This was an outstanding evening filled with glitz and glamour. The winners were acknowledged for their wonderful contribution and effort to the OSCAR sector.
This year we also celebrated the winner of the inaugural Supreme OSCAR Award. This was won by bKidz After School Care from Tauranga.
The Awards Dinner was wonderfully MC’d by one of the stars of New Zealand standup comedy, Jeremy Elwood. Jeremy also entertained delegates throughout the evening with his ability to combine a no-holds-barred style of comedy with his own unique guitar music. 
Workshops
The Sunday morning workshops enabled delegates to get involved in
- Facilitating unique networks in workplaces (aka FUN!),
- Making cool food for kids,
- Teenage leadership,
- Effective first aid for OSCAR personnel,
- Preparing for CYF reviews,
- The sound of (practical) music,
- Introduction to drama,
- Do it, get it, love it!,
- Quality assurance,
- Inclusion as a foundation for out of school services.
A second round of workshops on Sunday provided delegates with the chance to learn about:
- Switching on to study,
- Peaceful conflict resolution,
- “Go Kids” hip hop dance,
- Saving the world before lunch with sustainable gardening for children,
- Planning for professionalism in OSCAR programmes,
- The OSCAR subsidy,
- Inclusion in out of school services,
- Extended services,
- Health and safety,
- Improvisation and movement.
 Guest Speaker - Dame Susan Devoy
Dame Susan Devoy, a New Zealand sporting legend, was our guest speaker at the closing of our Conference. She talked about her experience as a world champion squash player and the experiences she had as a result. Her main focus, however, was on her own personal experiences as a mother to four boys, providing a very kiwi down to earth approach to raising children.
This closing session was kindly sponsored by the Families Commission.
Competitions
We had a number of competitions throughout the Conference weekend. Executive Travel sponsored our Passport Competition with a mystery trip for two within New Zealand, including travel and accommodation. The lucky winner of this prize was Naressa Gamble from Ponsonby OSCAR in Auckland.
We also ran a competition for those delegates who registered and paid for The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand’s OSCAR Certificate during the Conference. Toshiba kindly donated a laptop for the prize, which was won by Deborah Wallis from Bread of Life in Blenheim.
The winner of the Postcard Competition, kindly sponsored by School Supplies and Pete’s Post, was also announced. The creative children from OSCAR@Fenwick from Oamaru won a voucher from School Supplies.
Many of the exhibitors at the OSCAR Trade Show also had their own giveaways which were enthusiastically received by the lucky winners. 
Conference Closing
Arvid Ditchburn, Chairperson of The OSCAR Foundation, summed up the 2008 National Conference by praising the work of OSCAR programmes. He concluded by going back to something Peter Heaslip talked about earlier in the weekend - ‘attendance in this programme may seriously aff ect your child’s future’ – in such a positive way.
 Check out our fantastic Conference photos in our Flickr Photo Gallery
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