Amplifying wellbeing for bullying prevention

As bullying is ever-increasingly in the spotlight, an online conference sponsored by New Zealand National Bullying Prevention was hosted by the University of Auckland on July 11th and 12th. An initiative by the International Stakeholder Engagement Group (iSEG), New Zealand National Bullying Prevention has members from diverse fields of practice including education, health, social work, psychology, human rights, and employment relations.

According to Mike Webster, conference organiser and Senior Lecturer at University of Auckland’s School of Counselling, Human Services and Social Work, working with stakeholders across multiple fields “brings together practitioners in the field with academic research to maximise effective outcomes in schools and the workplace”.

Keynote speakers of the conference shared reflections on the latest research on micro-aggressions, wellbeing, and workplace bullying, and were rounded out by Associate Director of HR Stefanie Boyer, sharing ‘Telling a story: How the University of Auckland is supporting our staff in addressing bullying and harassment.’

Building on the 2022 conference, Webster’s hope is to attract overseas and local researchers and practitioners to contribute to existing knowledge, and to promote research-based tools to create ‘a culture of wellbeing’ in schools and workplaces.

Readers are invited to contact Mike Webster for further information about the event and the planned 2023 conference at the University of Auckland.