Kia ora Visitor,

Update from ATANZ Chair

Kia ora koutou, 

I hope everybody has had a great first half of 2026. I am looking forward to our board meeting on July 17th, where we will begin planning our next strategic plan. We would love your feedback to guide this planning.

Please feel free to email me directly, chair@atanz.org.nz or complete the survey below. Among my highlights from this month's update, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ann Smaill for her recent recognition in the King's honours list for her services to speech and language therapy and AAC.  I am also very excited about the possibility of hosting the CPEC Movements for Communication workshop here in New Zealand in 2027.



Ngā mihi nui,
Kathleen Jones
Chair, ATANZ Board of Trustees and Speech Language Therapist at Tauranga Special School.

 

Spotlight on our current board members

AAC in Aotearoa Update - Ann Smaill recognition in King’s honours list 2026

Ann Smaill was recognised in this year’s King’s honours list for her services to speech and language therapy and AAC. 

Ann has been a trailblazer in the area of AAC in New Zealand, and it is amazing to see that her work in this area has been recognised in this way. Congratulations Ann! 

 

CAT1 support referral form

TalkLink have updated the CAT1 support referral form to borrow ATANZ equipment, or to have funded equipment set up. This is now a Microsoft Form and will send you an email with a copy of what you have submitted. A reminder to please email a copy of the quotes and the online order to referrals@talklink.org.nz with the client's name. This is necessary so that TalkLink can check that the equipment that arrives matches what you have applied for. 
 

Reminder upcoming Professional Development

We have lots of professional development opportunities coming up this year! 

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 video series below where Sam Brydon shares what this 2-day workshop can offer. Please feel free to share these videos from our ATANZ Facebook page

Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, 

Or listen to the 'Talking with Tech podcast with Sam Brydon: AAC coaching Strategies for Parents, 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. Now fully booked! You can still be added to the waiting list. To attend the fourth 'Professionals Only' session (23 November) on its own, email our events manager at events@atanz.org.nz. You can also contact her for all your other event-related questions. Or make sure you follow our Facebook page to keep up to date on all upcoming PD as it is announced as well at our website: https://www.atanz.org.nz/events.
All attached event flyers can be shared widely within your networks! 

Expression of interest for Teaching Movements for Communication Course 2027
ATANZ is hoping to facilitate a 5-day intensive workshop by CPEC Australia’s Gayle Porter and Claire Cotter. This workshop is designed to support both clinicians and whānau, providing support to individuals with complex physical and sensory needs to access communication.
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please fill in an expression of interest via our website: https://atanz.org.nz/2027-eoi-teaching-movements-for-communication-5-day-workshop 
 

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 

Talking Mats Workshops

Foundation Course 

Talking Trouble is offering the Talking Mats foundation course in person later this year, in Wellington. This will be on the 23rd of October. Please email alaynemckee@talkingtroublenz.org to book your place. 

Focused Foundation Training Course around Eating & Drinking 

This will be offered online and is focused around the eating and drinking resource Talking Mats offers. This will be held across three sessions in November & December this year. See attached flyer for more information, contact alaynemckee@talkingtroublenz.org to book. 

General Information:

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:

As you may be aware, due to budget restraints, it may be that applications are taking longer to be processed through Disability Support Services, and when they are processed, they may be subjected to EMS review. Just a friendly reminder to look at cost-effective solutions during your assessment and when writing your report. It is really important to ensure that all CAT applications, including low and mid tech, are submitted with a CAT report that highlights the essential need of the equipment and that this report is peer reviewed by a fellow CAT 1 or 2 therapist. 

If you need supervision support, please find a list of therapists who can provide CAT supervision via our website: 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).

Trial Equipment:

Trial equipment continues to be in demand for the upcoming term. A reminder to please return equipment on the dates provided, and ensure that the correct accessories (chargers and cords) are returned. If incorrect equipment is returned, a charge will be passed on to replace the equipment (chargers from Kmart etc are not the correct power wattage for iPads). 

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