What To Do When will be held at the Lake Wanaka Centre tomorrow from 9am to 4.30pm.
The child illness seminar is aimed at showing parents how to be proactive about caring for their children's health.
Co-organiser Chelsea Willmott, of Wanaka, said in her time nursing across Otago she noticed many parents did not take their children to the hospital until they were "really quite sick''.
"By the time they arrive we have to do so many things to them. So I thought, surely there are things that can be done to prevent this.''
It was especially important parents in rural and semi-rural communities had such information, she said.
"People living in Wanaka don't have immediate access to a lot of specialised healthcare advice.''
A range of health professionals will speak about different aspects of child health in a "TED Talk'' format.
The talks and workshops will cover 13 topics, including abdominal pain, choking and seizures, boosting natural immunity, fever and convulsions and water safety.
Parents will be taught the signs of injury and illness, how to manage symptoms and when to seek medical support.
While the seminar was targeted at parents and caregivers of children aged 0 to 10, much of the information could be generalised to any age group, Mrs Willmott said.
It is run through health education provider Empowering Education, which Mrs Willmott created with her friend Georgina Cleave.
They would seek to run similar seminars for other age groups and give them in rural centres, Mrs Willmott said.
"We'd love to take it to other small towns in the South Island and New Zealand-wide.''
It was the first event of its kind in New Zealand, she said.
Tickets cost $70.
