The New Zealand Association of Counsellors – Te Rōpu Kaiwhiriwhiri o Aotearoa was formally established in 1974 under the name the NZ Counselling and Guidance Association. Initially we were a group of people either appointed to secondary schools as guidance counsellors or those involved in their training and employment.

As membership grew, so did the structures which enabled the Association to meet the needs of its members. From a largely voluntary organisation, NZAC now has a National Office in Wellington employing nine staff.

Name changes have also reflected not only the developing philosophy of the Association but the increasing diversity of the contexts in which its members practice. In 1990 the name New Zealand Association of Counsellors was formally adopted and registered; 1991 saw the addition of the Māori name - Te Rōpu Kaiwhiriwhiri o Aotearoa- with the permission of the Rev. Kingi Ihaka from the Māori Language Commission.

We have grown from a membership of 42 mostly school-based counsellors to approximately 3,500 counsellors who work in:  

• education
• health
• justice
• government agencies
• community-based social service agencies
• Iwi Social Services,
• Pacific Island Organisations
• private practice
• a range of ethnicity-specific helping agencies. 

Their work is underpinned by a rigorous membership application process, a comprehensive code of ethics, a formal complaints procedure and a commitment to supervision and professional development.