ANZASW is a membership based organisation and as such the members ultimately control the direction of the organisation. They do this through attendance and voting on an annual basis at the Annual General Meeting. In addition to this all members belong to either a local branch or a roopu. At this level members can run events on behalf of members, debate issues of local or national concern and ask the national Governance Board members to provide a national response to these issues if necessary. The members of the local branch or roopu also send a delegate to a national congress meeting on an annual basis to provide advice and guidance to the Governance Board on the future direction of the Association. In addition the Tangata Whenua Takawaenga o Aotearoa – the Maori Caucus of ANZASW, represents the concerns of Tangata Whenua members of the Association.

Individual members may also belong to an Interest Group. There are currently eleven ANZASW Interest Groups and one e-community;

1. Private Practitioners Interest Group
2. Social Workers in Schools Interest Group
3. Supervisors Interest Group
4. Pasifika Social Workers Interest Group
5. Chinese Social Workers Interest Group
6. Social Workers Out There Interest Group
7. African Social Workers Interest Group
8. Filipino Interest Group
9. Managers and Leaders Interest Group
10. Indian interest Group
11. Christian Fellowship Interest Group

e-community:

1. Social Justice

These forums are a national network of professionals who share a similar area of interest or professional practice. They provide an opportunity for debate of issues of concern and for collegial support. Interest Groups may also send a delegate to the national congress meeting and in this way influence the future direction of the national organisation.

The governance of ANZASW is invested in a nine member Governance Board. At the Annual General Meeting, members of the Association elect seven members of the Governance Board and a further two can be co-opted by the Board to ensure an appropriate mix of skills and experience. The current members of the Governance Board are:

• Tauha Te Kani (President)
• Paula Grooby
• Janine Joyce
• Merrill Simmons-Hansen
• Bella Wikaira
• John White
• James Makowharemahihi
• Andrew Lynch
• John Dunlop
• Witariana Mita (Kaumatua)

A number of committees have responsibility for specific areas of work on behalf of the Governance Board. All of these consist of members of the Association who volunteer their time.  Further details for the current committees can be found on the contact page.

The operational work of ANZASW is managed by a small paid team, most of whom are based in the National Office in Christchurch. The team currently consists of:

• Lucy Sandford-Reed- Executive Officer
• Colin Elliott – Competency Manager
• Jacqui Christian – Office Manager
• Margaret Langley – Administration Officer
• Fiona Scott – Administration Officer
• Cinnamon Kouka – Administration Assistant

In addition, ANZASW has contracts with a number of members who undertake key areas of operational work on behalf of the Association. The areas of work include:

• Competency Assessment
• Recertification Assessment
• Editing Publications
• Continuing Professional Development