The Braille Authority of New Zealand Aotearoa Trust (BANZAT) was set up in August 2010.
BANZAT's purpose is to set standards and to make rulings on Braille code usage within New Zealand, maintain awareness and consistency with current international developments in all Braille codes, accredit practitioners involved in Braille production, promote Braille as the prime literacy medium for blind people and promote best practice in teaching, acquisition and distribution of Braille. Information about the history of Braille in New Zealand is available here.
Today, 4 January, is World Braille Day. This honours the birth of Louis Braille in 1809. 2025 marked 135 years since the founding of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. In 1890 formal services to blind New Zealanders began with the establishment of what was then called the Jubilee Institute for the Blind … Read more
BANZAT is updating Essentials of Braille Formatting. We want requests for proposal from New Zealand Transcribers to lead this task by 23 January 2026. We will be engaging with Braille readers prior to completing the update by September next year. Here's the link to the RFP document.
The Braille Authority of New Zealand Aotearoa Trust is calling for applications to become an Accredited Individual Braille Producer. All the details are in the Word document you can download from here. We look forward to receiving applications.
You are warmly invited to apply to sit the Trans-Tasman Certificate of Proficiency in Unified English Braille. All the details about the Certificate, including the linnk to the application form, are on the BANZAT website at https://www.banzat.org.nz/trans-tasman-certificate-of-proficiency-in-unified-english-braille. The Certificate in UEB is an open book examination which should be completed without conferring with others. The … Read more
Mary Schnackenberg writes: Today we celebrate World Braille Day on the birthday of Louis Braille. As a lifelong Braille reader I find myself defending literacy through Braille very often. Surely, people tell me, with today's technology Braille is not needed! And I am frequently told today's society does not care they can't spell. Oh really! … Read more
