National Conference: Cutting Edge

Cutting Edge is the national alcohol, drug and addiction treatment conference for the addiction field with the ongoing support of the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) as principal sponsor.

Changes Ahead
After taking a lead in the organising and underwriting of the conference for the past 13 years, it is felt that the time has come to pass the mantle on to others within the AOD field to take up the challenge and to bring to it a fresh perspective. The NAC will continue to be actively supportive by way of representation on the organising committee and research contributions and wishes the new organisers, DAPAANZ (the Drug and Alcohol Practitioners' Association of Aotearoa-New Zealand), the very best in facilitating this pre-eminent event in the AOD calendar.

Cutting Edge 2008 was a return to the normal Cutting Edge conference format following the historic combined meeting with APSAD in 2007. It was held at the Christchurch Convention Centre, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 4-6 September and attracted around 400 delegates.

Keynote speakers were invited on the basis of their international expertise in key "life and death" issues as they relate to addiction and, in the usual Cutting Edge tradition, included a varied and interesting range of issues. These issues included well-being, life trajectories, morbidity and mortality, including drug overdose. The degree of diversity and expertise can be gleaned from the keynote speakers and their titles:

• Dr Sue Bagshaw (primary care doctor in adolescent health and part time senior lecturer in adolescent health in the Department of Paediatrics, University of Otago, Christchurch) - The fragrance of life
• Dr Monique Faleafa (national manager of Le Va - Pacific mental health workforce development unit) - Infusing Pasifika: creating space for Pacific well-being
• Professor Sally Casswell (director of the Centre for Social and Health Outcome Rsearch and Evaluation at Massey University, Auckland) - Alcohol and alcohol policy
• Mr Piyabutr Nakaphiw (manager of PSI, Thailand's "O-zone" drop-in centre for injecting drug users)- Policy on drugs: rights to access rehabilitation treatment for the Thai drug users
• Professor David Fergusson (principal investigator and executive director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study) - Risk factors and pathways to illict drug use: results of a 30 year study
• Professor Richie Poulton (director of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study) - Teen substance use and later harm: more than it's cracked up to be?
• Mr Charles Henderson (manager of the NZ Needle Exchange Programme) - Injecting drug use - death: sudden or slow?
• Dr Kate Grundy (palliative medicine physician and clinical director of the Christchurch Hospital Palliative Care Service - Death
• Dr Alex Wodak (director of the Alcohol and Drug Service, St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst) - Alcohol and drugs at the cross roads: from evidence to better outcomes
• Mr Paraire Huata (tutor in "Te Taketake - Diploma of Applied Addictions Studies" and counsellor, mentor and supervisor at Purapura Whetu, a kaupapa Mäori initiative in mental health) - The unbearable lightness of well-being

The inclusion of a "Public Health" stream, initiated at the 2007 Combined Conference with great success through the energy of the New Zealand Drug Foundation and support from the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, was repeated this year and covered issues such as recidivist drink drivers and the public health message on cannabis.

The 2008 New Zealand Addiction Treatment Research Monograph contains detailed summaries from a selection of research presentations and is available for viewing and downloading.

BACK TO TOP

Each year the number of delegates who attend Cutting Edge grows and this year was no exception with 365 people from the addiction field in Aotearoa New Zealand gathering at the Duxton Hotel, Wellington, 7-9 September.

The diversity and range of the keynote speakers was evident in their presentations. Marc Schuckit, Professor of Psychiatry and Editor of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Director of the Alcohol Research Centre and the Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program, VA San Diego Healthcare System, reported on recent developments in the genetics of alcoholism; Papaarangi Reid, Associate Professor, Department of Mäori Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, discussed Mäori and addiction and Judith Martin, Medical Director at The 14th Street Clinic and the East Bay Community Recovery Project in East Oakland, California, gave a presentation titled Opioid Pharmacotherapies in the Treatment of Addiction: Oral Methadone and Sublingual Buprenorphine. Rae Lamb, the Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner, Complaints Resolution, asked, how should our consumers judge us?

Donna Matahaere-Atariki and Te Atarangi Whiu from Te Puni Kõkiri explored the Mäori potential approach in an applied context and Judge Ida Malosi, who sits in the Family Court and Youth Court at the Manukau District Court, posed the question, how did the dream become a nightmare? Charles Henderson, the National Manager of Needle Exchange New Zealand, discussed moving harm reduction forward by improving access to needle exchange among those who do not currently use the service.

For an overview of all the presentations and workshops a complete programme for Cutting Edge 2006 is available for viewing.

The New Zealand Addiction Treatment Research Monograph containing detailed summaries from a selection of research presentations from the conference is available for viewing.

BACK TO TOP

The nineth national Cutting Edge conference was held at the Palmerston North Convention Centre, 2-4 September, and this year saw the largest number of delegates so far with 345 people gathering together. It was a great opportunity yet again for the AOD field to meet and enjoy the hospitality of the Manawatu region. The theme of the conference was Integration.

There was a wonderful diversity of keynote speakers this year, among whom were Dr Gillian Tober from the Leeds Addiction Unit, UK (LAU) and Dr Duncan Raistrick, Clinical Head of the LAU. Both Gillian and Duncan have been leaders in the internationally important UK MATCH trial, a follow on from the mighty Project MATCH study conducted in the US in the mid-90's. At Cutting Edge 2004 we had the opportunity of hearing first hand about UK MATCH, which has been investigating the effectiveness of active involvement of "significant others" in outpatient treatment of alcohol dependence compared with motivational enhancement therapy.

Dr Michael Baigent, Clinical Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Flinders University, Adelaide, spoke on the “Treatment of Methamphetamine Dependence” and the Pacific keynote speaker this year was Tamasailau M. Suaalii-Sauni, lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Auckland, whose topic was "Thinking Beyond Description: To Think and Walk the Culturally Appropriate Talk?".

In keeping with the theme of "Integration", the Mäori keynote speaker, Moe Milne, spoke on "Integration: A Mäori Perspective". Moe is Ngati Hine, Nga Puhi Nui Tone and her Pakeha whakapapa is from her father who is Irish. Moe has an extensive history in mental health, including A&D, education, health management, purchasing, research and consumers rights. She is a registered psychiatric nurse and and certified teacher.

This year's "distinguished academic from a field other than the addiction treatment sector" was Dr Martin Kennedy from the Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Martin is one of New Zealand's leading genetic researchers and he has a particular interest in the genetics of mental health disorders focused on improving pharmacotherapy treatments. He has a knack of making complex ideas understandable to non-experts and his talk on "Alcohol and Other Drug Addictions: Can DNA Make a Difference?" gave a fascinating insight into how things are likely to develop over the next few decades regarding the use of genetic knowledge for the benefit of our patients/clients.

The full programme for Cutting Edge 2004 can be viewed here.

BACK TO TOP

The theme 'Spirit of Partnership' evolved from thinking and sentiment associated with holding the conference in such a special symbolic place as Waitangi.

The keynote speakers were Professor Eric Broekaert from Brussels, an international figure in the area of therapeutic communities, Lloyd Geering, Emeritus Professor of religious studies and distinguished academic external to the A&D field and Keith Evans, former CEO of ALAC and now Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs based in Canberra.

The full programme for Cutting Edge 2003 showing the range of topics covered at the conference can be viewed here.

The four keynote speakers were Professor John Saunders from Australia, who was a key person in the team that developed AUDIT, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; Professor Mason Durie, Professor of Mäori Research and Development, Massey University; Associate Professor John Raeburn, Associate Professor of Behavioural Science in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, and Dr Nicholas Sievewright, psychiatrist, United Kingdom who, in recent years, has combined full-time clinical duties with research interests in personality and neurotic disorders, dual diagnosis, cocaine, benzodiazepine misuse and pharmacotherapies, with resultant publications.

Once again the overwhelming theme from Cutting Edge presentations was diversity. There was no formal theme to the conference and topics covered the whole spectrum of A&D problems and treatment. Continuing on from Cutting Edge 2001 there were a number of papers on family involvement in, and effect on, A&D treatment. Notably, there was a significantly increased number of presentations on or about women, dual diagnosis, or gambling. Culture continued to have a significant presence with Mäori and Pacific Nation presentations being plentiful. It was wonderful to have the return of the colourful and vivid Tupu group. Also maintaining a strong presence were papers around opioids and methadone programmes. Talks were more wide ranging, including one on making opium tea from poppy seeds! In terms of the substances covered, as in previous years, alcohol by far featured in the majority of presentations. That said, the whole gambit of addictions was talked about in the three days of the conference, including benzodiazepines, nicotine (making an appreciated reappearance), amphetamines, GBH, cannabis and shopping. The aspects or types of treatment considered ranged from brief intervention, residential treatment and opioid substitution through narrative therapy, music therapy and Rational Recovery to stigma, sexuality and violence.

For another year the A&D field can be proud of the scope of communication that was produced at Cutting Edge, which was educational and comprehensive. Perhaps even more importantly Cutting Edge 2002 produced a high level of collegiality within a diverse range of workers.

The full programme for Cutting Edge 2002 can be viewed here.

The theme was involving family/whanau in the treatment of addiction.

There was a wide variety of presentations largely around alcohol but ranging from gambling and cannabis to Pacific communities and methadone maintenance. For the first time the conference featured a research stream which was sponsored by the Treatment Research Interest Group (TRIG).

Thy keynote speakers were Dr Francesco Piani, director of the European School of Alcohology and Ecological Psychiatry, Trieste, Italy, Janis Fairbairn, an Australian clinical and consulting psychologist, Esta Nonu-Reid, manager of the Mental Health & Addictions Services for the Hawkes Bay District Health Board, Ralph Gerdelan, executive director of the Problem Gambling Foundation, Associate professor Ed Gane, transplant physician and hepatologist, Terry Huriwai , project manager in the Mental Health Directorate of the Ministry of Health and Ngahau Davies, alcohol and drug educator, whanau support worker and community development worker from Northland.

The full programme for Cutting Edge '01 may also be viewed here.

In contrast to previous years, Cutting Edge 2000 did not have specific and focused topics, but instead took Cutting Edge as a broad theme and applied this to three key concerns: How treatment works, improving our clinical practice and improving services.

The keynote speakers were Professor John Strang, Director of the National Addiction Centre, London, Dr Wendy Swift, senior researcher from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Sydney, Ms Paula Snowden, Manager of the Maori Unit of the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, and Professor Peter Joyce. Head of Department of the Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine.

The full programme for Cutting Edge '00 may also be viewed here.

The full programme for Cutting Edge '99 may also be viewed here.

A look at the programme for Cutting Edge '98 will give an idea of the range of topics covered and the high quality of speakers attracted to New Zealand's key alcohol and drug conference.

BACK TO TOP