Gluten Free Food Festival, Lincoln Event Centre, Christchurch

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW SESSION (Friday 10th April, 5pm – 8pm) Be the first through the doors! The Friday night Preview Session offers an exclusive, relaxed shopping environment.
MAIN EVENT DAY (Saturday 11th April) Saturday is all about the festival atmosphere! To ensure a comfortable experience for everyone, we are running two dedicated sessions:

Need a ticket to attend the festival? Click here:

SEMINARS AND FOOD DEMONSTRATION - Hosted by Coeliac New Zealand. (*price included with festival ticket)

Knowledge, Confidence, Community - Thriving Gluten Free at Every Stage of Life

Join the team at Coeliac New Zealand for an inspiring and informative seminar (and food demonstration) focused on thriving - not just coping - with coeliac disease. Featuring medical and other specialists, these sessions will explore diagnosis, dietary management, and long-term gut health at every stage of life, with a strong emphasis on community, shared learning, and support.

Together, we’ll unpack what it truly means to live well gluten-free. You’ll hear from trusted experts, take part in an interactive Q&A, and connect with others who understand the journey - because thriving gluten-free is better when we do it together.

Presentation seminar 1: Saturday, 11th April 2026
Morning session (10.15 am – 11.45 pm)

Food Demonstration (12.15-1.30 pm): by The Two Raw Sisters (sponsored by Ploughman’s Bakery)

Presentation seminar 2: Saturday, 11th April 2026
Afternoon session (2.00 pm – 3.30 pm)

Hear from the Experts. Learn Together. Thrive Gluten Free.

Topics include:

Your Coeliac Health Journey: Thriving With Confidence at Every Stage, presented by Dr Alastair Dunne, GP. A supportive, big‑picture session helping people understand their long‑term health, what to expect, and how to partner with their GP for the best outcomes.
Helping Our Tamariki Thrive GF: Growth, Development, and Family Wellbeing, presented by Prof Andrew Day, Paediatric Gastroenterologist. A family‑focused session for parents, caregivers, and young people navigating coeliac disease.
Eating Well, Living Well: Everyday Nutrition for a Thriving GF Life, presented by Sophie Hall, Dietitian. A practical, empowering session focused on real‑world food choices and confidence.

Whether you have coeliac disease, support someone who does, or are simply interested in gluten-free living and gut health, this workshop offers practical knowledge, reassurance, and a sense of belonging within the gluten-free community.

Come along, connect, and discover how – together - we can thrive gluten free.

Thank you to our proud supporter Ploughman's Bakery.

Pre-register to attend the workshops and food demonstration

Everyone Loved Our Free seminar at last year’s festival in Auckland – and this year we have a new lineup of speakers.

Our Presenters

Professor Andrew Day (MB, ChB, MD, FRACP, AGAF)

After a period of training at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, Dr. Day took up a position at Sydney Children's Hospital. It was not until 2009 when he returned to New Zealand to take up his current academic appointment as a Paediatric Gastroenterologist with the University of Otago, based in Christchurch. Dr. Day has a busy clinical role and also provides outreach Paediatric Gastroenterology services around the rest of the South Island. He has strong clinical and research interests in coeliac disease as well as other gut disorders. Andrew’s ongoing research activities are strongly supported by Cure Kids.

Sophie Hall - New Zealand Registered Dietitian

Clare is Head of the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Auckland and a New Zealand Registered Dietitian. Since qualifying in the UK in 1984, she has specialised in paediatric dietetics, practicing in the UK and Australia. An active contributor to infant and childhood nutrition policy, she serves on national review panels. Her research explores how early-life nutritional determinants affect health, and she led a National Science Challenge - funded trial on prebiotic complementary foods and infant gut microbiomes. She has a daughter with coeliac disease.

Dr. Alastair Dunne

Dr Alastair Dunne is a board member of Coeliac NZ and a practising GP with an interest in health optimisation. He is co-founder of Gestalt, an AI company advancing medical education, and also advises Immigration NZ. He is a dual Fellow of the Royal New Zealand and Australian Colleges of General Practitioners, holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge in healthcare strategy, and is a (Chartered) member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand. He contributes internationally through his work on the Research Strategy Board of Coeliac UK and has clinical experience across New Zealand, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2021 after many years of symptoms, Alastair brings both lived experience and professional insight to the challenges of diagnosis, long-term management, and improving outcomes for people living with coeliac disease.

Georgia Blomquist - New Zealand Registered Dietitian

Georgia is a NZ Registered Dietitian with a passion for nutrition and health. Her journey began in her parents' bakeries, where she developed a deep appreciation for the vital role food plays in our well-being. With strong clinical experience, Georgia is excited to take on the role of health promotion and dietary education at Coeliac New Zealand. She looks forward to supporting the gluten-free community to thrive and learn together at the Gluten Free Food Festival.

FOOD DEMONSTRATION - Supported by Ploughman's Bakery

Saturday, 11th April 2026, 12.30 pm - 1.3o pm

Gluten Free Made Delicious: Ploughman's experience - presented by The Two Raw Sisters.

Join our new Food Ambassador, Two Raw Sisters, live at the Gluten Free Food Festival as they share their love of cooking and baking with Ploughman's Gluten Free bread. Discover simple, flavour-packed recipes, clever tips, and plenty of inspiration to make living gluten free both easy and delicious. Whether you’re newly gluten free or a seasoned pro, this is your chance to taste, learn and be inspired.

Introducing Two Raw Sisters

Margo and Rosa are the powerhouse duo behind Two Raw Sisters, a movement transforming how we eat well, live well and be well in the modern world. Or as they like to call it: being intelligently lazy.

These sisters don’t preach perfection; their message is inclusive and real. They speak from lived experience: burnout, chronic fatigue, endometriosis, diet culture and the all too familiar chaos of juggling work, family, and mental health. As former startup founders working 12-hour days, they know what it means to hit rock bottom - and what it takes to rebuild a life around sustainable habits. They are looking forward to sharing their wisdom so you can enjoy gluten-free food again, through organisation, flexibility and ease.

Pre-register to attend the workshops and food demonstration

If you or someone in your whanau has coeliac disease and you are not already a member of Coeliac New Zealand, here is why you should become one:

“Joined Coeliac NZ, read the information sent (was so helpful), tried some of the recipes, they are amazing and use the wee book with the ingredient list provided all the time – a constant addition to my handbag (need another one actually for when I change handbags 😊). Also learning about GF-free logos, which my husband is all over now too.”
“Telling people and them knowing someone with Coeliac Disease and connecting with them and listening to their stories and their helpful tips, made me think I was not alone.”
“Learning to take more time when supermarket shopping to be able to read ingredient lists ..”

Agenda

If you would like to advertise at the conference there are still opportunities available. Please use the contact form to request a Coeliac NZ Conference 2023 sponsorship pack.

ENQUIRE NOW >

About Coeliac New Zealand

Your partner in
healthy living

Coeliac New Zealand is available throughout your journey. As part of our community, you’ll get support, advice, and assistance. We work with health professionals, manufacturers, and researchers to raise awareness of coeliac disease in NZ.

Together, we can reach a day when every person with coeliac disease gets diagnosed quickly, lives a healthy life, and has the prospect of a cure.

Website by Alexanders Christchurch NZ