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Speech NZ is excited to announce eminent New Zealand actor Dame Kate Harcourt as its Patron. Dame Kate strongly believes in the importance of communication skills, finding one’s voice, and the benefits of involvement in the performing arts.

Since 1964, Speech NZ has set out to “help our nation to communicate” and boost Kiwis’ confidence. Dame Kate has sought to foster these values, with a strong sense of creativity and imagination infused into every role as an actor, singer, teacher, and within her own family.

The Harcourt-McKenzie whānau is a highly successful and talented show-business family. Dame Kate is the matriarch of a family with three generations of actors working concurrently. They have developed successful international careers as actors, directors, coaches, writers, broadcasters, presenters, storytellers ... the list goes on.

Dame Kate’s and her family’s list of accolades, awards, and achievements is breath-taking.

Born in 1927, Dame Kate became Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in 1996 for services to theatre. She was the first recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from New Zealand Actors Equity. During her lengthy career she performed in many landmark productions. In 1988 Dame Kate was a founding member of Hen’s Teeth, a feminist cabaret company, and at the beginning of the broadcast history of Aotearoa she was the host of radio's Listen with Mother and television's Junior Magazine.

With the head of the Harcourt acting dynasty becoming the figurehead for New Zealand’s most prominent speech organisation, Speech NZ aims to develop confident, articulate New Zealand voices through relevant, future focused strategies that empower and strengthen communities.

Given that Dame Kate also taught speech and drama, it is a natural fit that she now lends her keen support to Speech NZ to help New Zealanders find their voice in a variety of contexts, including fostering and building imagination and creativity, helping to lead fulfilled and happy lives, and developing their identity through finding their voice.

Her daughter Dame Miranda Harcourt is also an eminent New Zealand actor, director, and acting coach. Dame Miranda and Stuart McKenzie's daughter, Thomasin McKenzie, has become an internationally recognised actress winning awards, and featuring in movies such as Jojo Rabbit, The King, The Power of the Dog, and the TV show Life after Life.

Dame Kate Harcourt has had a stellar career that spans eight decades and includes diverse roles in teaching, acting, speaking, singing, and broadcasting. As such, Dame Kate brings a wealth of insights, knowledge, skill, and experience – and has experienced first-hand the need to respond to complex and challenging times. This experience dovetails well into the complexity and challenges that Speech NZ has faced and continue to face in the light of the challenges of COVID-19 lockdown, floods, and other challenging situations that requires flexibility, imagination, innovation, and critical thinking to meet the changing needs of teachers and students.

With this in mind, Speech NZ is offering refreshed and new syllabi and an innovative training programme for teachers who want speech, drama, and communication skills as part of their teacher toolkit — and to meet the growing demand for communication skills for both personal and professional development.

Speech NZ has emerged from behind COVID’s closed borders stronger than ever with diverse syllabi and providing more choice and versatility than ever before. This is to meet changing demands, to co-create and deliver greater value with students and teachers, and to provide Zoom and in-person examinations.

Dame Kate typifies why it is so important to have a strong communications skillset. By engaging in learning speech and communication skills, you will help to set yourself up for personal and professional success — and attract more opportunities as a confident, articulate, and proficient speaker and communicator.

As noted by Pauline Prendergast, the Chair of Speech New Zealand, “We are honoured that Dame Kate has agreed to become our patron as her skills are an example of all that we encourage in our students across New Zealand. Hapaitia te ara tika pumau ai te rangatiratanga mo nga uri whakatipu. Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence, and growth for future generations.”