Speech and Language Therapy - Massey University

10/08/2026

Calling all SLTs in Aotearoa - please get involved with this short survey https://massey.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bQUCd8pzBb7s7aK

07/08/2026

It's that time of year again! Very soon, we'll open enrollment for 2027. If you follow this page and have always wondered, "Could SLT be the career for me?" perhaps this is the sign you need. We're running one of our online info evenings on Wednesday 9th September from 5:30-6:30pm and look forward to answering any questions prospective tauira/students may have.

Graduates, help grow the profession and awhi your future colleagues to take that first step - learning about what it takes to study with us.

Friends, please share this far and wide. Who knows who might be interested in taking the study plunge!

23/07/2026

So excited to be collaborating with START this semester!

Yesterday we were delighted to welcome seven students from the Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy programme at Massey University to START.

Between now and October, these Year 2 and Year 3 students will be spending Wednesdays observing and gaining practical experience with our speech-language therapist, Chris, as they gain insight into working with people who stutter.

We're thrilled to be able to offer this learning opportunity and hope it inspires the next generation of speech-language therapists to develop an interest in supporting people who stutter.

03/07/2026

Great opportunity for our tauria!

💙 Volunteer Opportunity | Help Build Meaningful Connections

Looking for a rewarding way to make a difference?

Our friends at IHC New Zealand are seeking compassionate volunteers to join their Online Friendship Programme, connecting with people with intellectual disabilities through regular video or phone calls.

As communication professionals and students, members of our community have skills that can help foster confidence, connection, and inclusion—while building a meaningful friendship along the way.

Volunteers receive:
✨ Full induction and orientation
✨ Training in intellectual disability, communication, and first aid
✨ Ongoing support throughout their volunteering journey

If you're 18 years or older, have a warm heart, and would like to make a positive difference, we'd love to encourage you to learn more.

🔗 Find out more about the Online Friendship Programme and other volunteer opportunities here: https://www.ihc.org.nz/get-involved/volunteer

28/06/2026

This year Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has the privilege of hosting Lil Gay Out - Auckland Schools Rainbow Festival. How incredible is it to get hundreds of high school students together to connect, wānanga and celebrate the strength in our diversity.

Associate Professor Hone Morris - DVC Māori at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University opened the day with whakatauki: E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū: The tūī chatters, the kākā cackles and the kererū coos. It’s about how our ancestors have already celebrated the many voices and perspectives we all have.

Green Party Co-Leader and MP Chloe Swarbrick shared advice her father always gave her: If you always tell the truth you’ll never have to remember a lie.

Great advice for our rangatahi for living their truth and a reminder for us oldies too. Be the authentic you, whatever that looks like, and you will be a beacon to others.

Of course Mershen and Emma are there to tautoko!

26/06/2026

Emma and I are fortunate to serve on the Board of the New Zealand Speech Language Therapist’s Association (NZSTA). The other week we convened our board meeting and the SLT Leaders Forum at the Parliament buildings in Wellington. It was a privilege to assemble and an honour to represent our peers and those we serve in Aotearoa.

11/06/2026

This RNZ Checkpoint article from yesterday is worth a read.

SLT students do unpaid placements too. It’s part of how you learn to be a clinician, and we know the learning that happens on placement is some of the most meaningful of your whole degree. But that doesn’t make the financial reality any easier.

Travel, childcare, not being able to pick up shifts, fuel costs adding up week after week - particularly the fuel right now.

We support the Paid Placements Aotearoa campaign and the conversations about equity when it comes to training our future workforces. We think this conversation matters for SLT just as much as it does for nursing, social work, and teaching.

To our students on placement right now: we see the effort and sacrifice you’re putting in. Aroha nui.

With rising fuel prices and cost of living, trainee nurses, teachers, medical students, midwives and social workers are only just able to keep their heads above water.

11/06/2026

This week we had the privilege of hosting the annual programme accreditation hui. Perhaps not everyone will know this, we are one of three universities in Aotearoa preparing tauira/students for the SLT workforce. The University of Auckland offers a master’s programme, the University of Canterbury offers both a bachelor’s and master’s programme, and Massey University educates future SLTs via distance modality (from anywhere in the motu) at bachelor’s level. No matter where or how tauira learn to become a speech-language therapist, they all graduate ready to practise and eligible for new graduate NZSTA registration.

That's why collaboration matters. Alongside the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association we support each other and hold each other to account, to ensure our curricula are grounded in Te Tiriti, responsive to the needs of Aotearoa, and forward-looking.

What made this year different is that it was the first year we used the new framework, Ngā Kete. This framework is a genuine reflection of where we are as a profession, and a guide for where we could be. Documents like this are often dry and not the sort of thing anyone outside those directly involved would choose to read. Ngā Kete is different. It’s readable and relevant to anyone in the field of speech-language therapy, and even those outside it who are curious about what we do. It's a document we are very proud of. Don’t take our word for it though. Have a read for yourself: https://speechtherapy.org.nz/careers/university-programmes/programme-accreditation-framework/

Thank you to everyone on the committee which includes sector, university, and NZATA representation - including our very own Mershen Pillay for all the work to make sure the future of speech-language therapy is bright. Here’s a photo of some of the people from our hui ☺️

New and recent grads, we'd love to share your stories of how you’re settling into your mahi…

09/06/2026

Auckland Libraries are inclusive spaces for everyone to enjoy, and Massey University SLT students Mat Rope and Zara Sebi Mohamed have been exploring how speech-language therapists can share their knowledge to realise this vision through a first-ever community placement with Auckland Libraries. They worked alongside clinical educator Dr Prianka Parusnath and field educator Alexis McCullough. Together, they developed an accessible communication toolkit for library programmes across the region. This is a really exciting example of innovative practice.

Huge congratulations to Prianka, Mat, and Zara on this exciting mahi!

Thanks, New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association for the profile in Communication Matters.

Read the full article here: https://speechtherapy.org.nz/assets/Communication-Matters-Articles/2026-Communication-Matters/Communication-Matters-Hotoke-Winter-2026-web.pdf?vid=4

07/06/2026

This week we have been celebrating our senior professional clinician, Annabel Grant, who submitted her PhD thesis for examination. Annabel is passionate about and advocates for people with dementia. Her PhD research- “Social citizenship and Dementia: Communication, friendship and connection in Aotearoa”, has been a labour of love. We are so proud of you Annabel!!!