Te Tai Tokerau welcomes you to Waitangi
The 2027 symposium is being hosted by Te Tai Tokerau branch and held at Waitangi in the beautiful Bay of Islands.
This wānanga-style symposium will bring together speech-language therapists from across Aotearoa to explore Te Tiriti responsiveness, ethics, and supervision in depth. Over two days, we will learn alongside each other, reflect on our responsibilities as a profession, and leave with practical tools to strengthen everyday practice.
A draft programme will be published in April 2027. This is a unique opportunity to reflect on our profession’s responsibilities at Waitangi – we encourage you to save the date.
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By the end of the symposium, participants will be able to:
- Better understand Te Tiriti o Waitangi and apply Te Tiriti-responsive approaches in their own practice.
- Identify ethical issues in SLT and develop tools to manage them.
- Strengthen supervision practice as both supervisees and supervisors.
- Better understand how Te Tiriti, ethics, and supervision intersect across SLT settings.
- Build networks and whanaungatanga with colleagues.
- Attend to their own hauora throughout the symposium, drawing on the four walls of Te Whare Tapa Whā.
WAITANGI TREATY GROUNDS
As part of the focus on Te Tiriti responsiveness, the symposium experience will include:
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A guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds (50 minutes)
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A Māori cultural experience (30 minutes)
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Full access to:
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All heritage buildings
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The world’s largest ceremonial waka
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Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi
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Te Rau Aroha Museum of the Price of Citizenship
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These elements are integral to the learning experience, offering participants the opportunity to connect more deeply with the history, context, and ongoing significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for our profession and the people we serve.
Symposium 2027
After careful consideration, NZSTA has decided to defer the planned 2026 Symposium for one year, with the event now scheduled for 2027.
This has been a difficult decision. With ongoing uncertainty around travel, financial pressures, and workforce demands across our sectors, we believe it is the most sensible and responsible course of action. Our priority is to ensure the symposium is accessible, well-attended, and delivers the quality of experience, learning, and connection that members value.
The symposium remains an important part of NZSTA’s professional development programme, and deferring it will allow more time for confident planning and stronger participation.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. We look forward to sharing more details in due course and to coming together in 2027.
The 2027 symposium is proudly sponsored in partnership with Moretalk.
