Association Update – December 2025

December is finally upon us and with it the usual end of year madness as we prepare to shut up shop for a couple weeks of sunshine and celebration. I for one am loving the hot weather and am spending every spare second lying on the beach and working my way through that pile of unread books.

Earlier this week the NZSDA board held our end of year strategy planning meeting, where we reviewed the last 12 months, and made plans for the next. It is always so interesting to see how much progress has been made towards our long-term goals and to have that moment of pride in how far we have come this year. From the launch of the new Master Sign Maker pathway, through to the release of the n3 discount scheme, we’ve had a busy and productive year! We also spent time planning out our goals for 2026, and how we can keep up the momentum we have seen over the last few years.

We would like to say a big thank you to our members for another year of growth, engagement and connection. It is incredible to see the direction the industry is taking as everybody commits to working together for a stronger future. To all those who came along to regional meetings, attended conference, won awards, represented at career expos, opened their sign shops to high school students and so much more, thank you for your support! An association is only as good as it’s members, and we are lucky to have some pretty awesome people in our ranks.

A special shout out to our 2025 sponsors who have worked hard to support our events. Whether that is flying around the country for smaller regional meetings, running tables at the conference speed networking session, or standing on stage awarding the best in the industry, your support has really made such a difference!

Now it’s time to get all those loose ends tied up before the summer holidays so we are ready to jump into 2026 feet first. Make sure you have scheduled the Sign & Print Expo in your 2026 calendar (17-20 June) and are ready to start submitting your award entries come the new year (opening in Jan)! We will also be sending out the survey for the 2026 Wage & Salary Guide, so please keep an eye out for this as it is important that we all work together to make this resource successful

That’s me for 2025, see you all in 2026 – it’s going to be a big year!

Meri Kirihimete, ā, he Tau Hou Hari