Meet our guest speakers for The Muster.
Guest Speakers
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Jo Robertson, a seasoned sex therapist with a Master of Science in Medicine, specialises in relationships and wider sexual culture. She explores the relationship between media, gender messages and sexual trends, examining how they shape intimacy and modern relationships. Beyond private practice, she runs Tricky Chats, a parenting course that helps families navigate conversations about sex, porn, technology, and consent. Jo has delivered a TEDx talk ‘Why we need to talk about porn’, and is an international speaker on intimacy, parenting, and sexual culture.
Jo’s keynote at The Muster is The Intimacy Session – what we need to know about our bodies, our minds and our relationships.
As well as being a keynote speaker, Jo will be running two workshops.
Intimacy: Real Questions, Real Answers
Left to their own devices - parenting in the digital era
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Jemma Robertson is returning as MC for The Muster at Tokanui. Jemma’s career began in broadcast journalism working for RNZ as a reporter based in Christchurch before moving to Wellington and becoming a Rural News reporter and presenter. She then moved to New York, USA and was a reporter for Digiday, covering fashion, luxury and media companies were adapting in the digital age, while also producing the publication’s two weekly podcasts. A highlight was interviewing Marie Claire’s editor-in-chief on the magazine’s digital evolution.
Now based in Rangiwahia, Manawatū, Jemma and her husband Alexander run his family’s sheep and beef farm while raising their three young children. They also host guests at The Last Church in Āpiti – their boutique accommodation and event space. Jemma is currently on maternity leave from her role as Communications Manager at Massey University.
Jemma says, “It was a real privilege to MC the inaugural Shepherdess Muster in Mōtū, Gisborne, and I’m so excited to be involved in this next event in Tokanui Murihiku Southland. The Muster is a one-of-a-kind event and experience. It’s a chance to connect, reflect, learn, and laugh alongside like-minded women who are passionate about living and working in provincial New Zealand. We share many of the same challenges that come with living rurally, and it’s incredibly inspiring to meet women from around the country who use their creativity, skills, determination, and hard work to build businesses and lives they love on the farm.”
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Alice Soper is known for running it straight and speaking the same. She’s been playing rugby in Wellington women’s teams since age thirteen and is a staunch advocate for getting women in sport over the advantage line.
As a freelancer, Alice writes a weekly column for the Herald on Sunday and has contributed to many different media outlets over the years. An accidental activist, Alice is keenly interested in the intersection of politics and sport - unpacking what the action on the field says about our wider society.
When she's not writing, Alice has hosted award winning sports podcasts, a children's TV show, MC'd and presented at events and created, produced and directed content for clients such as World Rugby. In her spare time she has coached her local women's rugby team and advocated at both a regional and national level for women in her sport.
Alice's Southland's connection comes from her parents, who met at Gore High. At The Muster Alice is one of our keynote speakers and will also be running a workshop.
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Katherine Mitchell is a fisher, hunter, grower, and citizen scientist with a passion for promoting food resilience. As manager of Fiordland Charters, she uses her time on the water to teach clients about sustainable fishing practices and to foster respect for Fiordland’s fragile marine environment. On land, Katherine supports her local community garden and runs community cooking classes, showing how to make the most of local, seasonal produce. Her work — both on the water and in the kitchen — is driven by a vision of a future where New Zealanders can confidently grow, harvest, and catch their own food, working in balance with nature.
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Carol Hayes is a former Black Ferns rugby player and experienced educator based in Murihiku Southland, where she continues to champion women's sport, leadership and learning.
At The Muster, Carol will join sports columnist and podcaster Alice Soper on stage for an in-conversation interview during Alice’s keynote.
Having played rugby for Tokanui, Carol will be returning to her old stomping ground, with The Muster hosted by the Tokanui Rugby Club.
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Rangihuatake Sharne Parkinson has long been immersed in Māori arts, kaupapa Māori events, and teaching. Through her business Harakeke Down South, she has created projects and programmes ranging from small, intimate gatherings to large community events. Using Toi Māori as a pathway, she helps people deepen their understanding of culture and strengthen their connection to the natural world and to each other. Her wānanga weave mātauranga Māori, toi Māori, and rongoā Māori – Māori arts, knowledge and healing – and she has shared these with schools, marae, prisons, and communities across Aotearoa. Passionate about toi Māori, Rangihuatake has been honoured with awards for both her artistry and the difference her work makes in people’s lives.
At the Muster she will be delivering a keynote, and running two Taonga Puoro making workshops.
Her keynote at the Muster is From Dawn to Dusk.
Content advisory: sensitive topics like child loss, suicide and abuse will be discussed in this session.
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Waitati-based gynaecologist and health educator Dr Helen Paterson will be sharing a lunchtime health message focussed on cervical cancer prevention. Dr Paterson decided she needed to do something to ensure regional women didn’t miss out on crucial checkups. So she set up Te Waka Wahine Hauora Woman’s Health Bus along with nurse and women’s health advocate Alice van Zijl from Clyde. For the past few years they have been on the road across Ōtākou Otago and Murihiku Southland reaching women in underserved areas. As a social enterprise grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and focused on sexual and reproductive health the service continues to grow in scope, reach, and responsiveness.
The Woman's Health Bus will be onsite for the weekend, in the Wāhi Hauora Health & Wellbeing Space, which is kindly supported by the Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women.
