Keynote Speakers
Hon Louise Upston
Minister of Disability Issues
Louise Upston is the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Minister for Social Development and Employment, and Minister for Child Poverty Reduction. And, since early 2024, Minister for Disability Innues. She has served as the MP for Taupō since the 2008 election.
Louise held a number of Ministerial roles in the Fifth National Government, including the portfolios of Corrections, Education, Land Information, Local Government, Women, and Tertiary Education Skills and Employment. She also served as Government Chief Whip.
Prior to entering Parliament in 2008, Louise was self-employed as a project management consultant. She also held directorships in a number of trusts and companies involved in property, tourism, management, and consulting. Louise holds an MBA from Waikato University.
Louise lives in Karāpiro, south of Cambridge, with her partner Hamish and her children.
Paula Tesoriero
CEO, Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha
Paula Tesoriero is chief executive at the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha.
She is a Paralympian, a world-champion athlete and a former senior public servant. Paula has served on several boards including the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, New Zealand Artificial Limb Service, Sport Wellington and Paralympics New Zealand. She is also a current member of the New Zealand Sports Tribunal.
A law, Politics and Public Management graduate from Victoria University, Paula previously worked in private and public practice in law and policy.
Dr Sam Bennet
Disability Programme Director
Grattan Institute
Victoria, Australia
(joining virtually)
Dr Sam Bennett joined the Grattan Institute as its inaugural Disability Program Director in September 2023. Sam has worked on disability, aged care and health reforms in service delivery roles, in the voluntary sector and in national government policy and strategy leadership for more than fifteen years.
Sam moved to Australia from the UK in 2018. In his last role he led the Policy, Advice and Research Division of the National Disability Insurance Agency where he was responsible for shaping and delivering national policy and implementing the Agency’s Research Strategy. Sam was also responsible for supporting the work of the NDIS Independent Advisory Council.
In Sam’s past roles in the UK he led transformation programs in the National Health Service (NHS) looking at the integration of social care and health services and was responsible for UK Government’s program to extend personal health budgets for people with complex disability and chronic health conditions until 2018.
Sean McKinley, CEO
Toitu te Waiora
Partner Sponsor
In November 2022, Sean McKinley stepped down from the Toitū te Waiora Council to act as the Acting Chief Executive.
Sean has held chief executive positions in several organisations across health, education and social services including Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi o Aotearoa -Playcentre Aotearoa, New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board, and New Zealand Psychological Society.
He was a member of the interim Establishment Board for Toitū te Waiora and was then appointed to the Toitū te Waiora Council when it was established. He also has experience on health sector boards, having been a Ministerial appointee to the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand and the Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Board.
NZDSN is grateful to Toitu te Waiora for their support of our conference.