Our History


The Beginnings


The New Zealand Association for Training and Development (NZATD) evolved from a special interest group of the New Zealand Institute of Management in the early 1980s. The meeting that established the future and an independent organisation occurred at an NZATD conference in Wellington in 1985.

Six groups established themselves under the NZATD umbrella – Auckland, Central North Island, Taranaki, Manawatu, Wellington and Canterbury. Each group maintained a separate constitution and affiliated to the national body. These groups acted independently sharing only the Code of Professional Practice and a biennial conference.

By 1988 it became clear that if the NZATD was to achieve its goals then it would need to establish a national organisation under one constitution. In 1989, Leonie Black as chair of the restructuring committee wrote “The executive of the NZATD are strongly committed to the objectives of the organisation and believe the achievement of them can enhance the position of training and development specialists in New Zealand. We also believe however that whilst we represent a loose affilitation of separate groups the mechanisms to achieve these developments are not in place.”

In 1989 at the NZATD conference in Rotorua the new national organisation was launched and celebrated.

NZATD Incorporated


The establishment of the national organisation has lead to significant changes and many dedicated volunteers have contributed to the development

NZATD Publications


The national newsletter Flipchart was replaced with the journal People and Performance in 1993. People and Performance remained the official NZATD Journal until the end of 2011. In its first years the journal was edited and produced by Ken Seccombe of CCL. From 1997 until the end of 2011, editing and production was handled by Ross Miller of Kotuku Media.

From February 2012 NZATD joined forces with the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) to make AITD’s Training & Development a joint trans-Tasman publication. Training & Development has now replaced People and Performance as the official NZATD journal.

NZATD Professional Membership


Introducing professional membership was a goal of NZATD from the start. We needed a way to recognise the skills and knowledge/professionalism of members.

Work started by reviewing competencies and standards from the USA, Canada and United Kingdom. A change in direction was required in 1990 when the New Zealand Qualification Authority came into being and for an extended period NZATD put effort into the development of unit standards for the learning and development professionals.

These unit standards are now integrated into the Professional Membership system. The first professional membership was granted in 1998.

Mentor Programme


The Mentor programme was introduced in 1998 and brings together many experienced, successful and talented members with those seeking support and guidance in their careers. See Mentoring under Services for more information.

NZATD Affiliations


NZATD has established affilitations with a number of organisations over the years including the National Speakers Association of New Zealand (NSA) and Human Resource Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ).

In 2005 a more formal relationship in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding was established with HRINZ. This recognises the complementary membership of the two organisations and the need to maintain independence whilst working together for their respective members. Information from both organisations is shared and members attend meetings and events held by either organisation at the member rate.

Click here to view current NZATD Affiliations.

National Presidents


The National Presidents of NZATD since it was consituted in 1985 are:

  • Joanna Smith (Auckland – Current National President)
  • Kath Cherrie (Wellington)
  • Diane Edwards (Auckland)
  • Barbara Morris (Wellington)
  • Simon Taylor (Wellington)
  • Beryl Oldham (Auckland)
  • Kevin Day (Wellington)
  • Phillippa Elliott (Canterbury)
  • Doug Turner (Auckland)
  • Colin Dawson (Auckland)
  • Leonie Black (Wellington)
  • Russell Robb (Canterbury)
  • Alan Barker (Auckland)

Under the former NZIM structure the National Presidents were:

  • Bob Wrighton
  • Matt Willoughby Graham

Life Members


Life membership is granted to individuals in ‘recognition for outstanding contribution or services to NZATD and/or to the practice of training and development’. Life Membership has been awarded to:

  • Diane Edwards
  • Mike Horner
  • Russell Robb
  • Leonie Black
  • Colin Dawson
  • Doug Turner
  • Beryl Oldham

The NZATD Education Trust


The NZATD Education Trust is a charitable trust set up with the profits from the 1985 Wellington conference. Click here for more details.