Association Update – July 2026

After spending the first half of the year busy producing the Sign & Print Expo, it has been nice to refocus on some of the other projects we have on the go. There is plenty happening behind the scenes, and over the coming months we’ll be putting a lot of energy into releasing new member resources, including a sign industry-specific Health & Safety document library, planning member visits and regional get-togethers, and progressing the next stages of the Master Sign Maker framework and official guarantee as mentioned at the AGM last month.

It has been great to see the momentum following the Sign & Print Expo. Not only have members come away feeling re-energised, with new relationships formed and more collaboration happening across the industry, but we’ve also welcomed an influx of sign shops applying for membership, along with several new suppliers wanting to join as Associate Members. It is incredibly rewarding to see the industry getting behind the Association and to see the NZSDA establish a stronger presence throughout the country.

I’d like to remind members that the 2026 Pay Rates Guide and the Industry Pricing Guide have both now been released and are available for download on the members section of our website. These resources take a significant amount of time to produce, with input from across the industry to ensure the information is practical, reliable and relevant. We know they are valuable tools for running your business, and we’re pleased to be able to continue providing them, free of charge, as part of your membership.

This year we made the decision to keep both guides as digital resources rather than printing them. Doing so helps reduce production costs and means we can continue offering them free to members. We did produce a limited number of printed Pricing Guides which we gave out at the Sign & Print Expo. If you missed out at the Expo, don’t worry, we do still have a small number of printed copies available, and will be handing them out to as many members as we can when popping in for visits.

Planning is already well underway for the 2027 Sign Makers Conference and Awards of Excellence, which will be held in New Plymouth. The conference will take place on 10-11 June, followed by the Awards of Excellence on 12 June. Make sure you save the dates now, as it’s shaping up to be another fantastic event. If you’re planning to fly, it’s worth booking early while fares are still low. We recommend arriving on the morning of 10 June and departing on 13 June, the day after the awards evening.

For those wanting to pursue Master Sign Maker accreditation, these are the dates to work towards. If you’d like to receive your Master Sign Maker plaque on stage at the 2027 Awards of Excellence, you’ll need to have your application submitted before June 2027. Over the next 12 months we’ll also be running more webinars and creating more opportunities for members to earn accreditation points, making it easier to work towards achieving Master Sign Maker status. 

Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come along to the Sign & Print Expo this year, it was great to have so many members all together. We have a lot of exciting projects underway and look forward to continuing to provide value, support and opportunities for our members to connect over the coming months.