The New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters (NZSTI) (or, in Maori

Maori language

Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...

, Te Ropu Kaiwhakamaori a-waha, a-tuhi o Aotearoa) is the professional association for translators

Translation

Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...

 and interpreters

Interpreting

Language interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Its mission statement:

"NZSTI is a nationally representative body of translators and interpreters that provides a networking forum for its members, represents members' interests, and promotes continued professional development, quality standards and awareness of the profession within government agencies and the wider community.".

NZSTI is affiliated with the International Federation of Translators

International Federation of Translators

The International Federation of Translators is a worldwide organization, composed of the national translation organizations from over 60 countries...

 (FIT) and has a close relationship with SLIANZ, the Sign Language Interpreters Association of New Zealand (which has its own seat on the NZSTI National Council).

History

NZSTI was established in 1985 and has three regional branches in the three main centres of New Zealand: Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

 and Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

. As well as an annual conference (to be held in Wellington in 2009), the branches hold regular activities through the year to support local members.

Membership

NZSTI has seven categories of membership: "member" (or "ordinary member"), "affiliate", "observer", "fellow", "retired member", "honorary member" and "foreign member". A online directory is available with a search function by name, by language combinations and by mode (whether a translator or interpreter).