Major Investment in SLT Workforce

We're pleased to share exciting news from Budget 2025: the Government has announced funding for an additional 78.5 FTE speech-language therapists, aiming to support around 2,500 students with communication and behavioural needs over the next four years.

This investment directly aligns with the priorities outlined in our 2024 Business Case, which highlighted the urgent need to grow and diversify the SLT workforce to meet increasing demand – particularly in education and especially for Māori and Pasifika learners.

While we can’t say definitively what influenced the decision, it’s heartening to see movement that reflects the very challenges and solutions we’ve been raising with decision-makers. This announcement supports the vision at the heart of our advocacy work plan: ensuring tamariki, whānau, and communities can access timely and equitable speech-language therapy services.