Students – The Future of Speech Language Therapy – Te Whai Ao is the theme for this year’s Speech Language Therapists’ awareness week 14-20 September. It refers to the light before dawn – a time of emergence, possibility, growth, and becoming. Within the context of this year’s campaign, it reflects the future of the profession, the energy and perspectives students bring, and the ongoing evolution of speech-language therapy across Aotearoa New Zealand.
SLT Awareness Week 2026 also aligns with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, recognising the significance of language within culture, identity, whānau, and community. This alignment reflects the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association and ABI Rehabilitation’s commitment to a bicultural future and to strengthening communication access, participation, and connection for all kiritaki and whānau.
We have nearly 20 speech-language therapists that work within ABI Rehabilitation to support communication and swallowing for kiritaki and whānau across the lifespan and across the journey of the brain injury. As the need for these services continues to grow, so too does the importance of inspiring future clinicians and promoting speech-language therapy as a meaningful and impactful career pathway. ABI Rehabilitation is proud to support future generations of SLTs, providing student placements from all three universities University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, and Massey University. Not only do our SLTs support our kiritaki and whānau recover from brain injury, they are also teaching students how to be amazing SLTs.
We will be celebrating the outstanding mahi of our SLTs working within ABI Rehabilitation this SLT Awareness Week.
