PAANZ Courses 2026

Explore a range of shoulder conditions, from frozen and restricted mobility to shoulder hypermobility and instability. We will examine how acupuncture can support recovery, rehabilitation and pain management, including the selection of appropriate acupuncture points for different presentations.

Exercise prescription will be concluded in case discussion, with an emphasis on restoring and maintaining strength, stability and motor control. Come prepared to share your favourite shoulder exercises, demonstrate how you would prescribe them, and explain the reasoning behind your choices.

Vignette evenings are an interactive session. You do not have to provide a case study and there will be breakout groups to discuss the cases brought up for discussion.

About the webinar:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundational document of Aotearoa New Zealand, establishing a critical partnership between Māori and the Crown. Within the healthcare sector, it serves as the cornerstone for delivering equitable care, ensuring cultural safety, and actively working to reduce health disparities. By embedding the principles of Partnership, Protection, and Participation into our practice, health professionals are guided to deliver care that truly respects, honours, and uplifts Māori health outcomes.

Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi with regards to needling in physiotherapy is incredibly important because these interventions involve direct physical contact and penetration of the skin. This closely intersects with deeply held cultural beliefs around the sanctity of the human body. As practitioners, being aware of concepts such as tapu, particularly concerning the head and specific body areas, is essential to practicing safely and respectfully. Furthermore, applying holistic health frameworks like Te Whare Tapa Whā ensures that we treat more than just the physical injury, allowing us to support the mental, spiritual, and whānau wellbeing of our patients. This knowledge is vital for developing informed consent processes that honour cultural values and promote true patient autonomy.

This 2-hour webinar will comprehensively cover the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi with regards to needling in physiotherapy. It is a mandatory component for those completing the Certificate in Acupuncture and Dry Needling for Physiotherapy (Cert.ADNP). Physiotherapists who simply want to complete this module independently for their own professional development are warmly welcome to join us as well.

Registrations for this event have closed. If you have any questions, please contact paanz@physiotherapy.org.nz

This foundation course, taught by Trevor Montgomery in association with PAANZ, is suitable for all physiotherapists wishing to expand their clinical reasoning and treatment skill sets with the use of dry needling. The course has a large practical component with particular emphasis on safe needling practice as set out in the latest PAANZ safety guidelines.

The course is an introduction to Dry Needling, learning to needle major muscle groups in all areas of the body, but focused looking at conditions such as Achilles Tendonosis, Shoulder Impingement, and SIJ dysfunctions. As we look at each of these conditions, we teach you how to needle trigger points in the muscles that may be dysfunctional in those conditions and then look at how to rehab the conditions using exercises/stretches that Trevor has developed. The Foundation Course teaches you to needle most major muscle groups in the body safely and plenty to take back and use with patients on Monday morning! However, we do not needle over the thorax in the Foundation Course because of the risk of pneumothorax. Needling muscles over the thorax is considered more advanced and, therefore, is included in the Advanced Upper Limb Course.

The course is designed to help practitioners integrate dry needling into their clinical approach to address the underlying causes of some of the more common clinical presentations we treat. Having taught over 240 introductory and advanced courses for AUT, PAANZ, the APA of Australia and Asia over the last 18 years. Trevor brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his teaching in this specialty area.

Prerequisites: All attendees must be registered in New Zealand and have a current APC. Non-PAANZ members and non-PNZ members are welcome.

This course will be proceeding.

​Are you looking for a formal qualification to show your clients you are fully trained and safe to practise needling? The Certificate in Acupuncture and Dry Needling for Physiotherapists (Cert.ADNP) is a comprehensive, blended learning pathway designed specifically for physiotherapists that provides an internationally recognised qualification, equivalent to a postgraduate certificate that you can take anywhere in the world.

​Important Note: This is the official starting point for the certification. You must register here to officially enrol in the pathway before you begin booking your individual practical courses.

​Registering for the Cert.ADNP today includes your online modules, your assessment and portfolio, examination fees, and the issuance of your certificate upon completion.

​Pathway Structure

For full information and FAQs, please click here.

​In summary, to achieve certification, candidates must complete four key components over a maximum timeframe of three years:

• ​Online Foundations: Two modules covering crucial safety protocols, an introduction to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and applications to needling in physiotherapy.
• ​Mandatory Practical Courses: Nine days of core face to face training, which covers foundational skills, acupuncture for musculoskeletal physiotherapy, and thoracic safety.
• ​Optional Practical Modules: A minimum of 14 hours of tailored elective courses to suit your clinical focus.
• ​Clinical Assessments: Robust evaluations including a live practical assessment, a self directed clinical portfolio, and online case study and literature critique presentations.

​Requirements

• ​Membership: Candidates must hold and maintain joint Physiotherapy New Zealand (PNZ) and Physiotherapy Acupuncture Association New Zealand (PAANZ) membership for the entire duration of their studies.
• ​Enrolment Fee: The initial $600 enrolment fee covers your two foundational online modules, all assessment marking, and the final certificate issuance.
• ​Ongoing Costs: The programme operates on a transparent, pay as you go structure for the remaining practical courses. With your PAANZ membership, courses provided will be at the PAANZ members’ rates.

​International Accreditation

Upon successful completion, candidates will attain the Cert.ADNP from PAANZ and a Certificate of Completion from the International Acupuncture and Dry Needling Specialty group of World Physiotherapy (IADAPT). This achievement is equivalent to a postgraduate certificate that you can take internationally.

​Pricing

$600 Cert.ADNP Enrolment: Includes the two foundational online modules, all assessment marking, and the final certificate issuance.