NZCS membership has a range of benefits, depending on which stage of your career or education you've reached.

This page focuses predominantly on the benefits of professional membership - please visit the student, graduate, and affiliate pages for the additional key benefits of these membership classes.

A selection of the benefits of membership are listed below:

In today's fast-paced world it's often easy to forget about the importance of professionalism. The first and foremost benefit of membership is the professional recognition being a member of the NZCS, New Zealand's only ICT professional body, brings.

Being a member of NZCS means something. It separates a true ICT professional from someone who calls themselves an IT Consultant or practitioner but doesn't prescribe to a code of ethics or commit to continual professional development.

Membership is for those that not only demonstrably know their stuff (and don't misrepresent this), but also commit to continued professional and personal growth and development and active participation in the community of ICT professionals.

And consequently membership of the NZCS is recognised by your peers, current or future employers, and the community at large as evidence that you aren't just "in IT", but that you're a true ICT professional.

Being a professional is more than just knowing your stuff at one point in time, it's about keeping up, and that's especially important in our sector.

Those who join the Society commit to a programme of continued professional development, and the Society continues to make available growth and educational opportunities to help our members continue to keep up with the play, and continue to develop themselves as professionals - no matter how experienced they are.

Our nationwide events programme also allows members to keep up with many of the latest developments in the world of ICT.

The NZCS operates branches in the 5 main centres of New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Hamilton) as well as a number of sub-branches and small groupings throughout the regions.

Participation in nationwide and local events around the country, as well as local branch committees, lets members not only meet and get to know other professionals in their area (both geographically and professionally), but build career-long contacts and relationships with like-minded professionals.

As well as being a heap of fun, networking is an essential part of professional growth.

NZCS also offers a select range of relevant discounts and offers to NZCS members. We are very selective about the offers we provide and focus on a small number of high-value relevant discounts, rather than a high number of irrelevant offerings.

Click Here for more information.

The NZCS regularly negotiates discounted attendance at most ICT-related conferences throughout New Zealand for NZCS members, as well as discounts for training courses and other educational opportunities.

These discounts are published from time to time in Newsline, the NZCS newsletter.

The NZCS, in conjunction with i2i Insurance, offers a highly competitive professional liability insurance package for members and corporate partners.

This provides an extremely competitive package which in many cases saves our members literally thousands of dollars a year.

Click Here for more information on the ICT Professional Liability Insurance offer for NZCS members.

The NZCS runs a nationwide Mentoring Scheme for members.

Mentoring is a key part of being a professional, and our professional members have the opportunity to both mentor and be mentored.

Mentoring is relatively inexpensive, and extremely rewarding and integral to both career and professional development.

Note that the mentoring scheme is currently temporarily on hold while a team evaluates and redesigns the programme.

The NZCS undertakes a continual comprehensive advocacy campaign to lobby for the improvement of the professional standing of ICT and the ICT profession, and for the removal of barriers both into, and up through, ICT as a profession.

We have regular contact with all levels of Government (Ministers, spokespeople, government officials, and local government) many of whom rely on the Society for independent, impartial and high quality advice and advocacy on ICT matters. We are also represented on most significant ICT Advisory Boards, panels and steering committees throughout government, academia and industry and are consulted on most ICT-related matters.

Our Chief Executive and President also regularly advocate for ICT issues in all forms of media, including industry publications such as Computerworld and IT Brief (both essential reads), as well as commenting regularly in the mainstream media such as the Dominion Post, The Herald, The Press, and The Otago Daily Times.

NZCS are also founding members of the Government's Digital Development Council (DDC), the new advisory and implementation body for the Government's Digital Strategy.

The influence of NZCS on ICT matters is significant, however it is very much reliant on our membership.

NZCS members "give back" to the profession in a number of extremely rewarding ways, including participating in the many Working Groups and other activities aimed at transforming the ICT sector, and providing opportunities for those just entering our exciting and engaging profession.

These activities make a real and significant difference to the ICT landscape in New Zealand and around the world.

The NZCS operates at the core of the ICT Community, with connections throughout the business, government and academic sectors.

The Society acts as the conduit between what we regard as the "three pillars" of the ICT Sector, being industry, academia and government, facilitating cooperation and communication between these essential elements of ICT in New Zealand.

Membership of the Society gives our members the unique opportunity to work with all three pillars to assist with the furtherment of ICT as a profession, but also in a way that facilitates and aids the professional growth of our members.

The NZCS is currently looking at reviving the New Zealand Journal of Computing, a peer-reviewed Computing and ICT academic journal. Once re-established, the Journal will provide an avenue for NZCS members to publish academic research in New Zealand.

NZCS also works closely with NACCQ and facilitates members publishing in the Journal of Applied Computing and Information Technology, a double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal.

NZCS is a member of the international community of ICT professional bodies, and hence our members have many international opportunities to contribute to and with the profession globally.

As full members of both the international IFIP organisation and SEARCC, our members can attend many international events and conferences, as well as publish in many international journals and participate in international Working Groups and Standing Committees dealing with real issues of our profession.

We are also aligned with professional bodies operating in most countries around the world, meaning our members travelling abroad will always have access to the local ICT community almost anywhere. We also offer reciprocal membership arrangements with several countries.

There are many other benefits of membership. Please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss how NZCS membership can benefit you or your organisation.

Joining NZCS is quick and easy, only costs around $4 a week (or less than $1 a week for students and recent graduates), and you can complete the first steps online right now.

Join NZCS online and become part of the community of ICT professionals in New Zealand.