Our Mission and Purpose
We foster excellence in addiction practice.
We ensure Aotearoa’s addiction workforce is ethical, competent and culturally-responsive so that whānau affected by addiction can flourish.
REFLECTIONS ON OUR BRAND
The story behind the dapaanz brand icon.
The inspiration for the dapaanz brand icon is the tukutuku pattern ‘waharua’ that shows vertically paired diamond shapes. The pattern represents commitment and courage.
It also suggests a point where people or events cross, and serves as a reminder that change can occur at these meeting points.
In developing our brand identity, we were inspired by these notions. We wanted to honour these decisive moments, when our members support whānau and communities in Aotearoa, whose lives are impacted by addiction.
To tātou uara | Our Values
Featured Events
Latest News
Covering topics important to our members and the profession.
Earn-as-you-learn addiction practice internships launching soon
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is funding a new, dapaanz coordinated internship pathway to help grow a sustainable addiction workforce. The Intern Addiction Practitioner programme will support better access to training for priority populations — applications* are encouraged [...]
Ka mua, ka muri: A conversation with Suzy Morrison
Suzy Morrison is a dapaanz registered practitioner, accredited clinical and accredited peer supervisor. A member since 2014 and Board member 2017-2022, Suzy was made a dapaanz lifetime member in November 2025 in recognition of her service to the sector. Earlier [...]
Māori membership passes 600 and reaches almost 30% of total membership
At the end of February 2026, the number of dapaanz members identifying as Māori reached 608, or a smidge under 30% of total membership (2068 members). This milestone, and what it means for health services, communities and the addiction [...]
New member category to support graduates into employment
On 17 December 2025, dapaanz finalised the details on a new member category to support new graduates into our workforce: Provisional Practitioner (Graduate). This new category aligns with other allied health professions and is designed to support graduates with dapaanz [...]