Welcome to the

New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association Inc

New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association Inc (NZSTA)

Te Kãhui Kaiwhakatikatika Reo Kõrero o Aotearoa

NZSTA is the professional association and regulatory body for speech-language therapists in New Zealand. This site contains information about the NZSTA, as well as information for parents and families on speech-language therapy, and information for practising speech-language therapists in New Zealand and overseas. Current members of the NZSTA can access additional information by logging in.

IMPORTANT: Financial Viability for NZSTA

Dear Members,

The recent centralising of our administrative and management functions under the oversight of an experienced Executive Director has provided an opportunity for us to review and scope areas of the organisation that are under-resourced. The Financial Viability document (click here) provides very clear information about the current state of the Association and options for the future. This information culminates in two options for you to consider and prepare to vote on at our upcoming AGM in May. The Executive Council encourages you to read this information carefully and consider what sort of future you envisage for the NZSTA.

The Executive Council supports the adoption of Option 1 - increasing membership fees to ensure that the NZSTA is appropriately resourced for future operational and strategic work. Members of the Executive Council will be attending a number of upcoming area meetings to answer any questions members may have on the paper. In addition a teleconference will be available to members later in April - full details to follow after Easter.

Thanks for your support of the NZSTA. We look forward to seeing many of you in Auckland in May.

Executive Council, New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association

2012 Conference, Auckland, Beyond Boundaries

The New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association Beyond Boundaries 2012 Conference programme and Online registration is now available

For more information and the Online registration form, click here.

As the conference is close to capacity, we will close registrations on Friday.

Call for Area Representative Nominations

Several Area Representatives have come to the end of their term in office or are moving on for other reasons. The EC are therefore calling for nominations for Area representatives in the following regions: Otago/Southland, Wellington/Nelson, Central, and Auckland. This is a great opportunity for members to take on a leadership role within NZSTA and develop your networking skills!

Check out the News and Events page for more info.

Closing date is the 27th April 2012. An announcement will be made at the AGM on May 23rd.

2012 Membership Renewal OPEN NOW

It's time for membership renewal for the 2012 calendar year. The easiest and fastest way to do it is on-line. Go to the on-line membership renewal form or the student renewal form. The instructions for recording your professional development are in the professional development section of the website, the form can be downloaded here.

For those who are eligible for NZSTA membership and wish to join NZSTA or rejoin after a break go to joining on-line. Overseas trained therapists whose qualifications have not previously been approved by the NZSTA go to Qualifications Approval.

Full information on membership of NZSTA can be found in the Membership section

The NZSTA Dunedin Professional Development Seminar

The NZSTA Dunedin Professional Development Seminar was held in Dunedin on the 30th and 31st of May. We have a great turnout, with over 70 people attending the seminar. The keynote speakers, Dr Marleen Westerveld and Dr Maggie-Lee Huckabee gave very comprehensive and challenging presentations on Oral Narrative Assessment and Intervention, and Neurostimulation Techniques and Rehabilitation, respectively. The presentations prompted a great deal of discussion among delegates. A number of therapists gave their time to present papers based on workplace initiatives and research they have been involved in. I would like to acknowledge Dr Libby Schaughency and Dr Mele Taumoepeau of the University of Otago who presented research that was very pertinent for speech-language therapy. Liz Wallace, a music therapist from Therapy Professionals, co-presented with Susan McDonald in an excellent demonstration of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Delegates gave positive feedback regarding the Seminar. They enjoyed the opportunities to network with speech-language therapists from around the country. Many delegates also commented they enjoyed hearing about what was happening in the broader SLT world. Commonly at conferences, we attend the streams that are directly relevant to our clinical or research work. The Professional Development Seminar has only one stream, and allows the opportunity to hear from therapists working in a range of settings. As one delegate commented, this helps bring us back to what we have in common across the profession.

We hope that slides of many of the presentations may be available to Seminar delegates on the NZSTA websites.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and in particular to those who presented - we would not be able to offer these professional development events if it was not for you volunteering to present.

ACC Rehabilitation Provider Liaison Group

The NZSTA has a new representative on this group. Members can access more information about this group here and how to receive updates and give feedback.

Standards & Definitions for Texture Modified Foods and Fluids

Standards and Definitions for Texture Modified Foods and Fluids

The NZSTA has worked with the Dietitians NZ to develop information and resources for workplaces seeking to implement these standards and definitions. These resources can be accessed by following the link above.