Reflections on the sixth decade by Sharyn Roberts
ANZASW President 2019 – current
In 2014 I attended the C50 celebration in Ōtautahi Christchurch which was a wonderful event that showcased the Association, its whakapapa, people, events and evolution as a key social work voice in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is hard to believe that another 10 years have passed, and I am now writing this reflection page to celebrate the ANZASW’s 60th Anniversary. I concur with the sentiments of Mary Nash who penned the previous decade reports, the difficulty in selecting what to include and what to leave out, such are the wealth of experiences to draw on, this 6th decade.
In this time, the ANZASW has grown as the professional body for social workers and has been dedicated to promoting excellence in the field of social work, aiming to uphold high standards of practice, ethics and competency while also advocating for social justice and systemic change to benefit individuals, whānau/families and communities. We have also strived to influence policies and practices that impact social work, to ensure that social workers are equipped to effectively address the diverse needs of New Zealand society.
The 6th decade report begins with our 50th anniversary in November 2014.
C50 – ANZASW hosted a very successful 2-day event in Christchurch, celebrating 50 years of representing social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand. President James Makowharemahihi opened and closed the event which showcased modern social work practice and included a series of ‘on the couch’ conversations with social worker superstars from each of the 5 decades.
The ANZASW Digital History project is located on the ANZASW website which includes recordings of these conversations.
Kia Hiwa Ra, Kia Hiwa Ra, Kia Hiwa-I-te-rangi (Calaeno).
This whetū /star is connected to the promise of a prosperous season. It is to Hiwa that Māori would send their wishes, dreams and desires for the year, in the hope that they would be realised. This tradition is likened to the notion of wishing upon a start or making a New Year’s resolution.
And so it was, in 2015 that the ANZASW Board embarked on a progressive co-chair arrangement with a President and Tumuaki co-sharing the role. At the time, the rationale for this was to re-invigorate Tangata whenua engagement and send a signal to the wider membership that the board meant to step into a robust bicultural experience across the Association, starting at the ‘top’. It was an exciting development for the Association, ambitious and possibly ahead of its time, which we now know and understand better. The timing of this was also while the Association was managing the turbulence of near insolvency, low membership numbers, changes in the roles and dynamics between ANZASW and SWRB and while also contending with some challenges among Board relationships. While the Board believed they could have worked through the challenges and felt the co-chair arrangement and other plans in the pipeline would assist them to do so, this was not to be the case. A Special General meeting held in April 2016 resulted in the current Board members being asked to resign, with a plan for the Chief Executive and staff left to sort a way forward for the ANZASW. This was a challenging period for the Association, however many of the progressive ideas imagined by this Board have been established and mobilised, and a more engaged and vibrant membership now exists.
Contributions by James Makowharemahihi, President 2014-2015 & Karen Shepherd, President 2015-2016.
2016 – The Massey University 40th Anniversary conference and seminar ‘Social work in changing times: Towards better outcomes’ was held 17–19 November 2016 at Massey University, Palmerston North, attended by 209 registrants. The conference hosted the 2016 ANZASW AGM and launched the Doctor of Social Work programme and the text Social Work in Aotearoa, New Zealand—exploring fields of practice by Dr Kathryn Hay, Dr Michael Dale, and Lareen Cooper.
On the final day of the conference, 45 alumni and current staff attended a reunion dinner. Professor Robyn Munford, a foundation class member, discussed highlights of the programme’s 40 years, paying special tribute to Merv Hancock and Ephra Garrett.
In January 2015, Merv Hancock, the founding President of the Association and Professor Robyn Munford celebrated 40 years since Merv was employed at Massey University to establish the Social Work Unit and Bachelor of Social Work. Hancock died on 7 May 2016. He made a significant contribution to the Palmerston North community as a city councillor, public servant and private social services consultant.
He was the inaugural director of the Social Work Unit at Massey University established the first four-year Bachelor of Social Work degree in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1976.
He remains an inspiration to numerous social workers, and was a life member of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers.
According to Professor Kieran O’Donoghue, Head of the School of Social Work at Massey University, “Merv was the epitome of a professional social worker. He was civic-minded and an active community citizen. When the university awarded him his Honorary Doctorate in 2012, it honoured both him and his tremendous legacy within the field of social work and his tremendous service to the community and people of Palmerston North. He has been a tremendous role model, mentor and supervisor to many in social work and is greatly loved and greatly missed.”
Contribution by Professor Kieran O’Donoghue, Head of School of Social Work, Massey University.
2019 – A revised version of the ANZASW Code of Ethics Ngā Tikanga Matatika was approved at the 2019 AGM held at Ngā Hau e Wha marae in Cambridge. The significance of this revised version was its alignment of ‘Our Professional Values and Ethical Principles’. The ANZASW gratefully acknowledged the work undertaken by Neil Ballantyne, Prof Liz Beddoe, Dr Kathryn Hay, Prof Jane Maidment and Shayne Walker, in the Ako Aotearoa funded research project: Enhance R2P: Social Work, including the statement of Values in Aotearoa in the Professional Capabilities Framework. This project developed the seven value statements for Social Work in Aotearoa and consulted widely among the New Zealand Social Work profession about them. The value statements are: Rangatiratanga; Manaakitanga; Whanaungatanga; Aroha; Kotahitanga; Mātātoa; and Wairuatanga.
We cannot let this decade report pass without referencing the greatest disruption to our lives, the Covid-19 global pandemic which profoundly impacted our nation and significantly affected the social work profession. Nationwide lockdowns, living + working in bubbles, closed borders, social-distancing, PPE, mask mandates, quarantine + isolation, vaccination, travel restrictions, curfews, hygiene + hand sanitation, testing and contact tracing, RATs, traffic light system …. new language, new practice measures, security for some and polarising for others. Despite all these challenges, we demonstrated resilience and innovation and continued to provide critical support and advocacy for those in need when it was most needed
2020 – For the ANZASW, adhering to the Covid-19 restrictions resulted in our National Office staff working remotely from home on alternate days. With the roll out of the new ANZASW strategic plan, Te Mahere Rautaki 2020 – 2025 and its new strategic priority to relocate the Chief Executive’s role and office in Whanganui a Tara, Wellington, to be nearer the seat of government and key ministries to assist the outworking of the new strategic priorities for the Association and the decision was made for the office staff to move fully to working remotely from home. This move has opened the Association to employing new staff based on skills, rather than geographic location which has ensured the building of a highly skilled and talented team.
When I reflect on the period, I was President of ANZASW, three moments are etched in my memory. One is sitting in the parliamentary gallery witnessing the passing of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Bill (2019) into law. This landmark legislation made registration mandatory for social workers, giving protection for some of our most vulnerable people and raising practice standards across the social work sector. It had been 16 years since the voluntary registration system was introduced in 2003.
The second moment that stands out is at the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) General Meeting in 2020 when Aotearoa’s motion to establish an IFSW Indigenous Commission was presented to members and that motion was passed by a significant majority. This mechanism for indigenous voices to be heard at the international level was a significant milestone.
This kaupapa, led and nurtured by TWSWA with ANZASW in support, was the result of years of dedicated and tireless effort. I acknowledge Robyn Corrigan and Miriama Scott; their vision and resilience turned the dream of an Indigenous Commission into a reality
Both the changes to the Social Workers Registration Act and the creation of the Indigenous Commission report for the IFSW Executive required the collective strength of Aotearoa’s social work leaders, their shared vision, and the mobilisation of the collective wisdom and action. Together, we successfully challenged and revised several proposed amendments to the 2019 Act that would have been detrimental to our profession, including one that sought to give employers the authority to define who was classified as a social worker based on job title rather than actual duties. We also secured the first of two extensions, to the prior experience category of registration (section 13). It was inspiring to see our Association, the Social Work Alliance group, and other stakeholders from across the social sector come together and make a meaningful difference when it mattered most for our profession.
The third highlight of my time as President was the Board’s decision to appoint a Professional Development Advisor. Despite ANZASW’s financial challenges, the Board was committed to sourcing and offering professional development opportunities at various levels and reasonable rates for our members. The Professional Development Advisor role was created to support this kaupapa, and Anne MacAulay was our first appointee. She was instrumental in developing a framework that helped ANZASW provide quality professional development for all social workers.
These highlights recognise the dedication of many. I am deeply grateful to Lucy Sandford-Reed, the chief executive of ANZASW at that time, the board, our staff, and life members. Their leadership and foresight were crucial in guiding ANZASW to be the effective advocate and voice for our profession it is today.
I am proud to be a registered social worker and a life-member of ANZASW.
Contribution by Shannon Pakura, President 2016-2018
In 2021, after fare welling our long serving Chief Executive Lucy Sandford-Reed, our newly appointed Kaiwhakahaere Chief Executive Braden Clark moved into an office in the Urban Hub, Lambton Quay which is where the ANZASW office is still located.
We have enjoyed getting back into conferencing and it was during these events that we remembered how much we enjoyed being together in these types of forums – we had missed each other!
2020 marked the inaugural Māori and Pasifika Social Work Symposium held in Whanganui a Tara Wellington in February and Ōtautahi Christchurch in March, co-hosted by ANZASW, Barnardos and SWRB. Keynote speakers were Justice Joe Williams and Kiritahi Firman, and Guest speakers Anaru Eketone, Sharyn Roberts, Miriama Scott, Associate Professor Dr Yvonne Crichton Hill and Gisa Dr Moses Ma’alo Faleolo. Building on its success and navigating Covid-19 restrictions, these wonderful and well attended symposia have continued online in 2021 and 2023. We are grateful to Shannon Pakura, the visionary Whaea of this kaupapa waka who continues to steer in the background.
Ko te Whaea te takere o te waka
Mothers are like the hull of the canoe; they are the heart of the family.
27-29 April 2022.
6th INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS VOICES IN SOCIAL WORK CONFERENCE
AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND.
THE WHAKAPAPA:
In 2004 at the IFSW conference in Adelaide, Australia a group of indigenous people held an impromptu gathering outside of the conference and agreed that a conference needed to be initiated that was for and by indigenous social workers, with the intention of lifting the indigenous voice in social work, to support one another in this endeavour and to keep forging and legitimising indigenous knowledges and practices within the sector of social work. In keeping with the decision, the University of Hawai’i generously offered to host the first conference in 2007; followed by the second conference in 2013 hosted by the University of Manitoba, Canada; the 3rd conference in Darwin, Australia in 2015 was hosted by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people; the 4th conference hosted by the Sămi people in Alta Norway in 2017 and the indigenous Taiwanese social workers in Hualien, Taiwan hosted the 5th conference in 2019.
WĀNANGA IPURANGI – ONLINE:
The wānanga ipurangi online conference for the 6th International Indigenous Voices in Social Work Conference was a collaboration of tangata whenua from Aotearoa under the kaupapa of the Tangata Whenua Voices in Social Work and the Tangata Whenua Social Workers Association. The navigation of the challenges of COVID and the constraints of travel given the pandemic meant that the tinana-ā-tinana, so valued by indigenous peoples, was shifted to the kanohi ki te kanohi on screen and with that the need to manage global time differences and the essential nature of access to effective internet and technological facilities. Heoi anō ka tūhonohono te kaupapa.
The wānanga ipurangi carried the kaupapa of Rangatiratanga: Indigenous Excellence with the meaning conveyed in the following: Rangatiratanga: Indigenous well-being is achieved when Indigenous peoples determine and lead their own responses from within indigenous worldviews and identity.
Te kai a te rangatira, he kōrero The food of the leader is talk
Te tohu a te Rangatira, he manaaki The sign of the leader is generosity
Te mahi a te Rangatira, he whakatira i te iwi The work of the leader is to unite the people
THE ARA TAUMATA:
A great gathering of kaupapa and kōrero from indigenous peoples around the world, which has now been nurtured by the proposal from the University of Calgary to host the 7th International Indigenous Voices in Social Work Conference in August 2025.
Contribution by Whaea Miriama Scott, Te Kahui member, Tangata Whenua Social Workers Association
September 2022 – a 2-day wānanga on Decolonising Social Work practice at Te Mahurehure marae, Tamaki Makaurau. We had survived our lockdown years and celebrated with a wā, where we engaged in whakawhanaungatanga and kotahitanga activities; Tangata Tiriti participated in a facilitated Wall Walk and Tangata o te Whenua went on a hikoi back in time with Kaumātua Te Naihi to understand how we got here and enjoyed whakawhitiwhiti kōrero before ending in wairuatanga. Fantastic 2 days – he waka eke noa, we are all in this together.
April 2023 – we held a joint ANZASW / TWSWA 1 day symposium on rangatiratanga, for Tangata o te Whenua social workers. Together we explored our joint kaupapa as Tangata o te Whenua social workers, the hononga that binds us inextricably together and how we will progress forward. It was an incredibly rich time, the first of many more to come, ka rawe te kaupapa!
September 2023 – we were thrilled to host our first for many years, ANZASW Social Work Conference and Social Work Awards Gala Dinner in Ōtautahi, Christchurch was a wonderful 2 days of reconnecting, learning and celebrating. The theme, Rangatiratanga: Empowering whānau and social work leadership was apt for the time, and we heard from some inspirational social work leaders who were living their dreams. Our keynote speakers: Chief Children’s Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers, Govt. Minister Poto Williams, Ngāi Tahu Chief Executive Arahia Bennett and Associate Professor Social Work Dr Yvonne Crichton-Hill, University of Canterbury all shared their sage advice on Rangatiratanga as an aspiration and practice for social work.
How wonderful it was to celebrate the Quality & Innovation Social Work Awards at a Gala Dinner, where we glammed up in our finery, ate good food, drank fine wine or Fanta, and celebrated with all the finalists and the winners of each category.
Our greatest celebration on the night was for the ANZSW Journal Editorial Collective who won the John Fry Supreme Award – ka mau te wehi, awesome achievement!! Under the leadership and guidance of Professor Liz Beddoe, the Social Work Journal has been a vital platform for promoting indigenous, bicultural, and inclusive practices in social work. It consistently featured research, critical analysis, and discussions on social justice, Māori perspectives, and the evolving needs of diverse communities. The journal has been instrumental in advancing professional development, highlighting the integration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles, and fostering collaboration between practitioners and academics. Through this period of 2014-2023 it has remained committed to uplifting indigenous voices and supporting social work excellence in Aotearoa, even during the ‘Covid times’ the journal continued to publish every edition without fail which is testament to the dedication and commitment of the Editorial Collective.
Pacific Reflections
As I reflect on my time on the Board over the past 8 years, I am humbled with what the successive Boards have achieved, and how support and deep respect for Pacific has been demonstrated. With Judy Matai’a joining the Board in 2024, the ANZASW now has two Pacific Board members. It is incredibly important that Pacific members consider serving at the Board level to give voice to the strengths and needs of Pacific families. It is also an opportunity to cultivate one’s craft alongside high performing social workers who are willing to lead by example.
To date, it has often been our Pacific social work academics who we have looked to for thought leadership. Two editions of Tu Mau have been published and we continue to grow Pacific social work research within the Pacific.
In the international space, Dr Yvonne Crichton Hill graciously accepted nomination onto the IFSW Ethics Commission as an Asia Pacific Region Representative. Yvonne also serves on the Coordinating Body for Aotearoa, where the Tangata Whenua Association of Social Workers and the ANZASW come together to provide a unified voice from Aotearoa within the IFSW spaces. The Board continues to uphold social justice issues and is committed to strengthening the Pacific voice within the Asia Pacific region. Keep watching this space over the next 10 years
In 2023, the ANZASW welcomed a new Chief Executive, and Pacific members were very happy to have one of their own take on this significant role. Nathan Chong-Nee is of Samoan, Māori, and Chinese descent and he has very strong ties back to Samoa.
As we proceed forward with our Tangata o te Whenua cousins, we embrace the tuakana – teina relationship that we have here and in the Pacific. We look forward to the strengthening of each other so that Pacific families may be served well and with the appropriate cultural humility. The future looks bright when we work together with whole hearts and strategic thinking.
Faka ‘apa ‘apa atu, Sally Dalhousie
In November 2023, we launched the ANZASW Supervision Strategy, a wonderful sector-wide strategy designed to lift the quality of social work supervision in Aotearoa New Zealand. Developed over several years with input by specialists and members, this strategy is a legacy project for us now but also for future generations of professional social workers who will benefit from quality supervision. It is impossible to name all participants in this strategy, but a couple of honourable mentions are warranted; previous CE and CPD Coordinator, Lucy Sandford-Reed and Anne MacAulay for starting this project; previous Kaiwhakahaere CE Braden Clark project lead to launch, and ANZASW Senior Policy Analyst Bronwyn Larsen who holds the mana of this kaupapa. You are all superstars and the ANZASW is very proud of this taonga we will treasure for future generations.
In May 2023 we farewelled Braden Clark, our Kaiwhakahaere Chief Executive who had helped lead the Association through a time of strategic and structural change management process, including the implementation of Te Mahere Rautaki 2020-2025, our strategic plan.
Later in July 2023, we welcomed our new Chief Executive Nathan Chong-Nee supported by his whānau, with a mihi whakatau in Tamaki Makaurau where Braden handed our ANZASW Mauri stone to Nathan, witnessed by the Board and Members Support Team.
Our collective efforts reflect ANZASW’s commitment to enhancing the skills of social workers, advocating for systemic change, and addressing critical social issues in New Zealand. And of course, as I write this report, the ANZASW board and Member Support team are well in the throes of organising the 60th Anniversary of this truly amazing, resilient Association for social workers in Aoteaora New Zealand – see you there in Tamaki Makaurau!! For more detailed information on our recent activities and initiatives, you can visit the ANZASW website