Towards Cultural Responsiveness
The NZSTA is committed to developing a bicultural organisation that is responsive to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and acts as a resource for the profession of speech-language therapy in cultural safety.
While we have a long way to go, we have started laying the foundations through our strategic plan, new cultural awards, new cultural roles, revised CPD Framework, kete of bicultural resources and more.
Some constitutional changes:
The NZSTA Māori and cultural development portfolio was created in 2009.
- Kerrie Gallagher (2009-2011)
- Adele Siave (2011-2013)
- Karen Brewer (2014-2017)
- Renee Taylor (2017-2019)
- Katrina McGarr (2020-2022) and
- Hana Tuwhare (2022-current).
The 2018 constitution notes one of our purposes is: (to) give meaning to Te Tiriti O Waitangi through practising the principles of partnership, protection and participation.
In the 2023 version, members agreed on changes around appointing the Māori and Cultural portfolio holder through the Māori Rōpū.
Strategic Plan
Strategy 2020 – 2025
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
Initiated in 2020, the NZSTA strategic plan identifies our current organisational values and priorities. The plan was developed by the NZSTA Board following input from the membership.
Strategic Aspirations
- The NZSTA and members are responsive to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The profession of speech-language therapy has resources and kaupapa to ensure culturally safe practice.
- The NZSTA membership will be engaged, diverse and valued.
- Our communities and partners will be knowledgeable about communication and swallowing disorders in Aotearoa.
- NZSTA members will be lifelong learners.
- The NZSTA will promote excellent and ethical practice.
This commitment is reflected in the 2020 - 2025 NZSTA strategic plan. We aspire to ensure the NZSTA and members are responsive to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, where the profession of speech-language therapy has resources and kaupapa to ensure culturally safe practice. The strategic plan also sees the embracing of the NZSTA values: kotahitanga, whanaungatanga, rangatiratanga and aroha.
So far, we have created three cultural awards to recognise tohu manaaki, rangahau and kaupapa Māori; hosted the first annual wānanga for Māori members; developed a kete of resources to help in our journey of decolonising the profession, and created our annual awareness activity around one of our values.
By 2025 we aim to:
- Demonstrate equity, and te ao Māori lens is present for research, strategic planning, clinical practice, events and conferences.
- Increase the cultural diversity of the profession.
- Ensure Māori speech-language therapists are valued and supported to practice as Māori.
- Ensure we have a culturally responsive and culturally safe workforce through the values of kotahitanga, rangatiratanga, whanaungatanga, and aroha.
Cultural Awards
Three cultural awards were established in 2021 to acknowledge and recognise a team or individual's service and commitment to kaupapa Māori in the workplace; to recognise research in speech-language therapy celebrating mātauranga and kaupapa Māori, and to recognise speech-language therapists’ contribution and action to manaaki others, embodying manaakitanga in and outside their workplace.
Continuing professional development - a new framework
The NZSTA CPD Framework (March 2022) incorporates the NZSTA values and sets a minimum number of units dedicated to bicultural learning to integrate cultural competence and reflective practice into professional development.
Kete of professional development resources
NZSTA has gathered resources to continue the learning journey of SLTs around the history of Aotearoa, colonisation, biculturalism and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These resources include websites, podcasts, books, courses, webinars, short films and documentaries.
He Kete Whanaungatanga
He Kete Whanaungatanga was established in March 2015 to support the Māori and cultural development portfolio and work towards ongoing cultural responsiveness within the NZSTA. He Kete Whanaungatanga has since developed into a Facebook group for Māori and tauiwi (non-Māori) SLTs to share resources and pānui.
If you would like to join, email us.
New roles
The NZSTA has established several roles to advise and support appropriate cultural development.The Māori and cultural development board portfolio is responsible for promoting cultural safety and diversity within the NZSTA and the profession.
A big mihi to kaumātua Rukingi Haupapa for his role in assisting the speech-language therapy profession in providing a culturally safe and equitable service. Matua Rukingi was appointed in 2019, and we are honoured to have his guidance. Rukingi Haupapa supports the NZSTA in his role as kaumātua to assist the NZSTA board and the speech-language therapy profession.
Ngongotaha ki runga, Pukeroaoruawhata ki raro.
Ko te Utuhina te awa e rere nei ki Te Rotoruanui-o-Kahumatamomoe
Ko Te Arawa te waka
Ko Ngāti Whakaue te iwi
Ko Tamatekapua te tupuna
Ko Rukingi ahau