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Massage Aotearoa New Zealand (MANZ) was recently contacted by a member of the public seeking to verify whether a massage therapist was a current MANZ-registered practitioner. During this process, it came to light that the individual had presented a fraudulent Annual Practising Certificate (APC) — a document that had been altered from a legitimate version shared online. The original certificate dated back to 2017 and had been edited to appear current, with expiry dates changed to suggest validity through to 2026.

Any attempt to misrepresent registration or falsify official documentation is a breach of professional ethics and undermines public trust in our Industry. We advised the member of the public to cease communication with the individual involved and we attempted to report and follow up via X (formerly Twitter), where the communication took place. However, the account used to make contact appears to have been deleted before any action could be taken, and we were unable to identify or directly contact the individual involved. It’s unclear whether the account belonged to a real practitioner or was a misleading or automated profile. At this stage, we have no reason to believe this reflects a wider issue within the New Zealand Massage Therapy Industry. However, if you come across anything similar or have concerns about a therapist's claimed registration, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

If you are seeking to confirm whether a massage therapist is currently registered with MANZ, we recommend:

Checking our Find a Therapist directory for the most accurate list of registered Therapists or emailing us directly at admin@massageanz.org.nz as not all members share their details online in the public directory, so if you're unsure - we will gladly verify a therapist’s membership status.

We appreciate the vigilance of those who brought this matter to our attention and remain committed to protecting the integrity of our membership and the wellbeing of the public.

Ngā mihi nui,

Bridie Munro - Administrator

Massage Aotearoa New Zealand (MANZ)

admin@massageanz.org.nz

Massage Aotearoa New Zealand (MANZ) is the only massage therapy-specific membership body in Aotearoa, dedicated to supporting the ongoing development of the massage industry.