Michelle was the first Speech Language Therapist in New Zealand to be appointed as a Courts Communication Assistant for the Ministry of Justice in 2012 and was the first Communication Assistant to receive UK-based specialist training in 2017, including forensic questioning of children. Michelle has worked on hundreds of cases within New Zealand Courts, including Family, Youth, Matariki, District and High Courts, as well as assisting police, Oranga Tamariki and Corrections. She has also been involved as a presenter for the continuing education of lawyers, the judiciary and other agencies.

Michelle is passionate about empowering people to communicate. She is the Director of Moretalk and a highly experienced Speech Language Therapist and Lead Court appointed Communication Assistant, with over 30 years’ experience across New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Michelle had over 15 years’ experience as a Pediatric Speech Language Therapist for the Ministry of Education, including three years in a Service Manager role, before establishing her own private practice.
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She has held specialist roles overseas, working with children with autism and cerebral palsy, as well as adult rehabilitation. She has also undertaken health management roles in New Zealand, as Team Leader of Allied Health for Northland District Health Board.
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She continues to provide leadership mentoring and supervision to a growing group of CA contractors around the country.

Carolyn has had a vast career in management-based roles both nationally and internationally. She managed and owned her own businesses for over 9 years gaining a great knowledge base of business acumen and working with a wide range of the community. Carolyn has been with Moretalk since 2021.

Ellen (Ngāpuhi/Pākehā) was born and raised in sunny Northland and has been working as a CA for Moretalk since 2020. Ellen has worked with a wide range of participants in most courts in Northland and has a particular interest in combining mātauranga Māori and Western science to provide culturally safe communication assistance to Māori participants and their whānau.

Prior to working for Moretalk, Ellen spent 4 years working at the Ministry of Education in South Auckland. Ellen has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Linguistics (Victoria University of Wellington) and a Master of Speech Language Therapy Practice (The University of Auckland). Ellen has published research on the experiences of whānau and kaiako with Speech Language Therapy in Kauapa Māori Education. 

Denise is based in the winterless north and started with Moretalk as a CA in 2023. She came to Moretalk as a very experienced Speech Language Therapist with over 35 years in the industry both here and overseas. She holds a Bachelor of Logopedics and Audiology and has worked in the field of Complex Communication Needs within an education environment for many years.

Denise is originally from South Africa but is a New Zealand Citizen who has immersed herself in our culture. She holds a Level 4 Te Reo Māori Certificate and is capable in Māori Sign Language. Denise has worked in both education and health over the years and has held roles as a clinical supervisor and team leader within the Speech Language Therapist sector. She really enjoys working with a wide variety of people from the community and hearing about their journeys.

Mark Stephenson is a highly qualified specialist with a Diploma in Teaching, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Canterbury, and an Master of Science in Speech Science from the University of Auckland. With thirty years of experience as an educator and speech-language therapist, he has worked across the education and health sectors in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Tonga. Mark’s extensive background includes a decade in the youth justice sector, where he supported young people’s education within secure residences and after their release.

Julia is based in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. She has over 20 years of experience working as a Speech Language Therapist in education and health settings. Julia has been working as Communication Assistant since 2016.

Angela is based in beautiful Bay of Plenty where she has worked as a Communication Assistant for Moretalk since 2022. Angela brings over 20 years of experience working as an Speech Language Therapist in the disability and education sectors for government agencies and NGOs. She holds a Bachelor of Speech Language Therapy.

Angela prides herself in being able to develop strong relationships with key stakeholders and is passionate about making communication accessible to all. She enjoys the variety the CA role brings and the range of people she gets to work with within both the justice setting as well as Oranga Tamariki.

Kathryn is based in the sunny Bay of Plenty where she has been a Speech Language Therapist for over 20 years, most of which was based in Education and Early Childhood Education which she really enjoyed. She has been with Moretalk since 2018 and is a Lead Communication Assistant.

Bridget is based on the beautiful East Coast of the North Island and has worked as a Communication Assistant for Moretalk since 2022. Bridget has 10 years’ plus experience working as a Speech Language Therapist with adults with acquired communication and swallowing disorders with diverse communities and presentations.

She completed her Bachelor of Speech Language Therapy at Massey University in 2011 and has worked for both Waitemata and Hawkes Bay DHBs since graduating. She recently finished up with the DHB working in inpatients 0.4FTE and as Professional Lead SLT 0.2FTE which required managing a clinical caseload and maintaining professional and clinical standards for the wider SLT team.  Bridget currently works for Ear Nose Throat Hearing Hawkes Bay as their in-house Speech Language Therapist and also manages a caseload of private patients for voice, swallowing and communication disorders.

Mary-Elizabeth lives in the Taranaki area though originally from Ireland and has been involved in Communication Assistant work in a variety of roles since 2018. She has over 30 years experience as a SLT working in the UK, Ireland and Aotearoa.

She has worked across many areas of specialism within the profession in both pediatrics and adult services in Health, Public Health and Education and has held leadership roles in the professional bodies RCSLT and NZSTA. Mary-Elizabeth first came to Aotearoa in the early 90’s and gained wonderful experience working both in the hospital and community in South Auckland. After several years back in Ireland, she returned to settle in Taranaki in 2015. She thrives on being challenged and enjoys working in partnership with others to optimise communication for all.

Jessica Scott is based in the Lower North Island and started with Moretalk at the beginning of 2024. She has 5 years of experience working as a Speech and Language Therapist with both children and adults in the health and disability sectors in New Zealand.

She has particular skills in working with neurodivergent people and the use of alternative and augmentative forms of communication. Jessica holds a Masters of Speech and Language Therapy practice (MSLT prac.) from the University of Auckland.

Victoria started with Moretalk in 2022 and lives in the beautiful garden city of Christchurch. She holds a Master of Speech Language Therapy Practice as well as a Bachelor of Arts and enjoys the variety her role as a Communication Assistant gives with a particular interest in participants with hearing impairment.  

Originally from down south, Victoria grew up in Otago. After 8 years in Auckland, she nearly converted to becoming a North Islander but decided to go back to the mainland and moved to Christchurch in 2022.  Victoria has been working for 7 years within the pediatric population. For the past 4 years, she has worked with the Deaf and hard of hearing population, first at The Hearing House in the Early Intervention team working with children who received cochlear implants, and now at Ko Taku Reo – Deaf Education in Christchurch. Victoria is currently learning New Zealand Sign Language.

Ellie is based in Canterbury and has been working as a Speech Language Therapist in the Education sector from Invercargill to Christchurch throughout the years. She has worked as a Communication Assistant for Moretalk since 2021 and is particularly experienced in Youth Court matters.

Ellie enjoys working with youth and supporting the adults working with them to understand the links between communication and behaviour. She enjoys the diversity and challenges this adds to her role as a Speech Language Therapist in private practice.

Paulette has recently moved to Canterbury, having lived in Marlborough for more than 30 years. She gained her Masters in Speech and Language Pathology in 2016 and spent the next four years working with children for the Ministry of Education.

Paulette joined the Moretalk team in 2021 and values the difference that communication assistance can make for people involved in the justice system.

Paulette has a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Linguistics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education. Her background includes working in a local Polytech as a learning advisor, with a special focus on adult literacy and numeracy.

She was the literacy and numeracy advisor for an Industry Training Organisation for more than three years and this links well with her role as a communication assistant at Moretalk. Paulette enjoys working with people from a range of ages and backgrounds and making a difference for their experience of the court system in New Zealand.

Michaela is based in Canterbury and has a Bachelor of Speech and Language Pathology with Honours from the University of Canterbury. She has experience in the education, private and health settings working with children with a broad range of communication difficulties, and adults with developmental and acquired communication conditions. Michaela has been with Moretalk since 2019, and is a Lead Communication Assistant.

Michaela is very passionate about fairness and equity and believes it’s important that everybody is given equal access and opportunity to participate in the justice process.

Bridget lives in the picturesque Otago region and has worked as a CA since 2017 for Moretalk. Bridget holds a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy and since 1997 has been working as a speech-language therapist with children, young people and adults across the Education, Oranga Tamariki and Health sectors in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Cook Islands.

Bridget founded SHOUT Speech Language Therapy in 2003 with a team of 13 staff from Christchurch right down to Invercargill. She sold SHOUT in 2022 and now works full time as a Lead Communication Assistant for Moretalk.

Bridget has extensive experience working with children and adults with developmental and acquired communication conditions with a focus on accessing the communities they live in. She was previously the private practice representative on the Bachelors and Masters Programme Accreditation Committee (PAC) and also held the Private Practice Representative Role for the New Zealand Speech Language Therapy Association (NZSTA).

Alex is originally from the UK and is now based in glorious Southland. She has been a Speech Language Therapist for over 12 years working in the areas of Mental Health, Criminal Justice, Brain Injury rehabilitation and Education. She has been with Moretalk since 2020.

Alex has worked in both the UK and New Zealand as a Speech and Language Therapist, specialising in Mental Health and Trauma and has experience working with tamariki, rangatahi and adults in these spaces. She is passionate about her work as a CA.

Hallie is based in the beautiful Central Otago area and has worked as a Speech Language Therapist for over 15 years, most of which was based in the Early Childhood and Education sector which she is highly passionate about. She has been with Moretalk since 2021.

Hallie has held positions in Western Australia which is where her passion for supporting children with disabilities began. Hallie believes all children should be able to find their voice, and communicate to their best potential. Hallie has since worked within the private practice sector for 9 years and more recently returned to the government sector within Education. Hallie is a problem solver and enjoys finding solutions to help people understand and communicate across a range of settings, which is why she feels she is suited to the complexity of work that being a CA brings.

Zoe lives in the south of the south and has been with Moretalk since 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Speech Language Pathology from Canterbury University and has been practicing as a Speech Language Therapist since 2019. Zoe enjoys working particularly with youth in the youth court setting.

Zoe was originally involved in private practice and particularly enjoyed the experiences and functional opportunities that arose for individuals on the contracts she saw (ACC, HCN, PCSS, OT Ngai Tahu). She currently works for MoE in a SLT role and is looking forward to increasing her knowledge and experiences within the justice settings.