Kia ora Visitor,

Update from ATANZ Chair Kathleen Jones
Kia ora everyone,
2026 is well underway, and it has been a busy start to the year. I am looking forward to reviewing our strategic plan this year to shape the future of ATANZ and would love your feedback to inform this process. The board will meet during the Term 2/3 school holidays to develop this plan. Please complete the survey below or get in touch to have your say on our direction!

I also want to bring your attention to our first Online Whānau Workshop on Switch Access and Switch-Adapted Technology on July 31st. As our newsletter does not reach many whānau directly, please pass on the details to those who may be interested.

Lastly, I’d like to take a moment to thank our board members. They are all dedicated volunteers, and I truly appreciate the time and expertise they give to support our organisation.

Spotlight on our current board members

Upcoming Professional Development

We have lots of upcoming professional development opportunities coming up this year! Make sure you follow our Facebook page to keep up to date on all upcoming PD as it is announced as well as our website: https://www.atanz.org.nz/events 

For all your events related questions please contact our events manager
at events@atanz.org.nz or check out check out the ATANZ Events webpage for all scheduled events this year. All attached event flyers can be shared widely within your networks! 

We are excited to announce that ATANZ will be hosting a set of two afternoon webinars on the topic of Reconceptualising AAC Abandonment facilitated by Andy Smidt and Chloe Wine. This will be held on the 23rd of October and 6 November 2026! We will notify you as soon as online registrations open.

2026 Online Whānau workshop - Switch Access and Switch-Adapted Technology presented by Jacki Mayne-Davis 
31 July 2026 via Zoom 

2026 Coaching for Communication Partners 2-Day Workshop presented by Dr Sam Brydon - In person
Auckland: 10th & 11th August 2026 
Christchurch: 20th & 21st August 2026
Check out the 'Talking with Tech podcast with Sam Brydon: AAC coaching Strategies for Parent, Teachers and Staff'

2026 Full Online LAMP Words for Life & the LAMP Therapy Approach presented by Dr Sam Brydon
Four online sessions via Zoom, 12th & 28th October, 9th & 23rd November. 
Please note the fourth session is for professionals only.
Three additional spots left for the fourth 'Professionals Only' session on 23 November. These places are offered by email request only via events@atanz.org.nz.
 

Other opportunities for learning:

Upcoming tools workshops:

Tools workshops run by the TalkLink Trust are a great way of keeping up to date with what tools are available to apply for as a CAT therapist as well. This can be extremely helpful for both newly trained therapists as well as therapists who have had their CAT for a while. 

For more information on tools workshops coming up in your area please contact: courses@talklink.org.nz 

Free online workshops for AAC users and their support teams: 

As part of their support, TalkLink is running free online training webinars for teams who are supporting individuals who have recently been funded with a high tech AAC device. This training is to complement / would be in addition to the training that they receive from their CAT assessor when they are issued their equipment. For more information and to register check out their website: https://talklink.org.nz/online-help-with-your-communication-devices 

Talking Mats Workshops

Talking Trouble are offering the Talking Mats foundation course in-person later this year, in Wellington & Auckland.
Wellington: 19 June 2026
Auckland: 23 October 2026
Email alaynemckee@talkingtroublenz.org to book your place

General Information:

CAT supervision:

In order to maintain your CAT 1 or 2 accreditation supervision in this area is vital. On our website we have a list of supervisors who are able to support therapists in this area. To find out more  about supervision requirements for maintaining your CAT accreditation or information on available supervisors please follow the link here: https://atanz.org.nz/professionals/professional-supervision
If you would like to be listed as a supervisor on our website please get in touch with ATANZ via email (admin@atanz.org.nz)

ATANZ Grants:

A reminder that ATANZ members are able to apply for grants towards professional development in the area of AAC. Please find attached the link to find out more info on our grants, who is eligible and how to apply: https://www.atanz.org.nz/professionals/grants-and-funding 

Strategic Planning Feedback:

This year, ATANZ is updating our strategic plan, and we would love your insight on what this could look like. Please find below a link to our survey to share your voice and insights: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCXTEFBlaIntfRnyye1-0dAZErqqwLyT946AqIFZiMlVIRNQ/viewform

Roles and Responsibilities Position Statement

At the request of our members, we have compiled a position statement on roles and responsibilities for CAT accredited assessors co-working with other SLTs. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TjZcW9_wvPPianREofIxkMkwBAfBlWoi/view?usp=sharing 

Equipment Updates:

Just a friendly reminder that all original trial equipment and accessories must be returned together at the end of each trial as part of the loan agreement. This includes the charger and charging cable that came with the equipment.
If you are unsure that the charger you are returning is correct, please check that the charger is labelled with an ATANZ asset label.
 

Keep in Contact

ATANZ loves to hear from you - whether you have success stories to share, questions, comments, feedback, suggestions or new ideas - let us know. 

    
As always you can email us at admin@atanz.org.nz