"The conference is about educators getting together and looking at how they can best do their jobs in the face of these obstacles while keeping the child at the centre."
Ms Mills said local students were invited to speak as part of this year's conference theme.
"This is a good opportunity to hear from the students directly about the influence of teachers and how they were encouraged to reach their full potential."
Rotorua Girls' High School Year 13 student Te Aumihia Hapeta spoke at the conference, along with Rotorua Boys' High School student Arona Kerei and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Rotoiti's Perez Kerei.
Te Aumihia told the Rotorua Daily Post she was scared of speaking at the conference at first but enjoyed sharing her perspective.
"What I really wanted to stress is how important it is as a teacher to build relationships with students. It's a two-way street and if a student feels like their teacher believes in them, they are more likely to succeed.
"All it took was one teacher telling me I could do it for me to actually step out of my comfort zone and give it a go."
The conference will run until midday tomorrow. For more information, go to www.nzei.org.nz