Scanz Communications

What Scanz Communications does

SCANZ (legally the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand) is a non-profit incorporated society established on 23 June 2004 in Auckland to provide a national community for science communicators in Aotearoa New Zealand. The organization was founded following a 2001 Science Communicators Conference hosted by the Royal Society of New Zealand, a 2001 government-agency science communicator network, and exposure to international peers at PCST 2002 in Cape Town; founding support came from the Royal Society of New Zealand, Merck Sharp & Dohme, the Australian High Commission, and FRST, with Australian Science Communicators (ASC) providing setup assistance.

SCANZ operates a membership-based service portfolio rather than a technology product. Core offerings include an annual national conference (the 2026 edition in Ōtautahi Christchurch drew 168 registered attendees and 40+ speakers), rotating regional networking nights, online webinars ('web hui') on topics such as COVID-19 communication, AI tools for science communication, and disinformation, an archive of conference recordings from 2016 onward, regular newsletters, and award programmes (the SCANZ Excellence Award, SCANZ Emerging Science Communicator Award, and the Fleur Templeton Memorial Award with Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake). The association is run by a 9-person volunteer Executive Committee and operates its website on Squarespace.

The revenue model is membership-subscription plus conference registration fees. Membership tiers are publicly listed at NZD $150/year for working individuals, $50/year concession (students/low-unwaged/retired), and $750/year for corporate members (six individual memberships for the price of five). The organization holds close links with international counterparts ASC and PCST, and submitted a policy briefing to New Zealand's Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology in March 2024. In 2025, SCANZ updated its constitution to align with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.

Name

Scanz Communications

Legal name

Science Communicators Association of New Zealand

Website

https://scanz.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SCANZ is a non-profit New Zealand incorporated society founded in 2004 that provides membership, conferences, networking events, webinars, and resources for science communicators across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SCANZ generates revenue through annual membership fees with three tiers: standard individual ($150), concession ($50 for students/low-unwaged/retired), and corporate ($750 for 6 individual memberships). These fees fund the association's activities including conferences, networking events, webinars, and the regular newsletter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SCANZ is a non-profit incorporated society that provides membership, conferences, networking events, webinars, awards, and resources for science communicators across New Zealand. It connects individual science communicators and corporate organizations through a tiered membership program (individual, concession, and corporate), an annual conference, regional networking nights, online webinars ("web hui"), a quarterly newsletter, on-demand conference recordings, and two annual awards.

Product overview

SCANZ (Science Communicators Association of New Zealand) is a professional membership organization that provides community, events, and resources for science communicators in Aotearoa New Zealand. The organization does not offer a unified software product but rather a suite of membership-based services including annual conferences, networking events, webinars (web hui), awards programs, and member-exclusive content such as conference recordings. SCANZ's core offerings center on professional development and community-building for science communication practitioners rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SCANZ Membership Program Core annual membership offering for science communicators in New Zealand, available in Individual, Concession, and Corporate tiers. Members receive access to webinars, the quarterly newsletter, networking nights, conference recordings, and member rates for the annual conference and awards. The corporate tier bundles six individual memberships for institutional buyers.
• SCANZ Annual Conference Flagship annual in-person conference for SCANZ members and the wider science communication community in New Zealand. Brings together practitioners for talks, sessions, and networking, and serves as the venue for the annual awards.
• SCANZ Networking Nights Recurring in-person networking events held in regions across New Zealand, designed to connect local science communicators and build community beyond the annual conference.
• Web Hui (Online Webinars) Online webinar series available to SCANZ members, providing remote access to professional development content and maintaining member engagement between in-person events.
• SCANZ Newsletter Quarterly member newsletter delivering updates, articles, and resources to SCANZ members.
• Conference Recordings Archive On-demand library of recordings from past SCANZ annual conferences, accessible to members as a continuing education and reference resource.
• Fleur Templeton Memorial Award Annual award named in memory of Fleur Templeton, recognizing excellence in science communication in New Zealand. Presented at the SCANZ annual conference.
• SCANZ Award Annual association award recognizing outstanding achievement in science communication, presented to members at the SCANZ annual conference.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of CanterburycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Gold sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference. Provided venue support and sponsorship for the conference held in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
• Te Pūnaha MatatiniminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Silver sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference, a Centre of Research Excellence for complex systems and networks.
• Environment CanterburyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Silver sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference (regional government environmental authority).
• MacDiarmid InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Bronze sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference, a Centre of Research Excellence for materials science and technology.
• Bioeconomy Science InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Bronze sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference.
• QuakeCoreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Silver sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference, a consortium focused on earthquake science and resilience.
• Science Media CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Bronze sponsor of SCANZ 2026 Conference and corporate member of SCANZ.
• Hon Judith Collins, Minister of Science, Innovation and TechnologyminorOthers · 1 March 2024SCANZ sent a briefing note on mission-led science communication to the Minister in March 2024, providing policy input on science communication opportunities.
• The WorkshopminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2020Partnership with The Workshop to deliver the COVID-19 communication webinar featuring Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw. SCANZ co-hosted this web hui with The Workshop.
• Australian Science Communicators (ASC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCANZ has close links with Australian Science Communicators (ASC), providing cross-Tasman collaboration and member access to ASC's members portal. ASC provided valuable assistance to SCANZ in setting up the organization in 2004.
• Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCANZ maintains close links with PCST and other international science communication organizations and networks.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Australian Science Communicators: The Australian national professional association for science communicators. SCANZ explicitly partners with ASC, who helped found SCANZ in 2004, and shares a near-identical member-based model focused on conferences, networking, and member portals.
• National Association of Science Writers: US-based professional association for science writers and communicators with membership tiers, an annual conference, networking, and awards programs. Directly comparable membership-based professional community model for science communication practitioners.
• Canadian Science Writers' Association: Canadian national organization for science communicators and writers with membership, awards, and events. Closely comparable to SCANZ in serving a national community of science communicators with similar programming.
• Public Communication of Science and Technology Network (PCST): International scientific committee and network for science communication. SCANZ maintains close ties with PCST and shares a mission of advancing the practice of public communication of science and technology through community events.

Broad incumbents

• Sigma Xi: International scientific research honor society offering membership, lectures, publications, and awards. Comparable as a long-standing membership-based scientific organization, though broader in scope than SCANZ's science communication focus.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Large international scientific membership organization with programs in science communication, public engagement, and education. Overlaps with SCANZ's mission of advancing public engagement with science but operates at far greater scale and scope.

Others

• Science Media Centre (New Zealand): A New Zealand organization that helps journalists and researchers improve science coverage. Both a corporate member of SCANZ and a programmatic partner (co-hosting webinars), making it a closely adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scicomnz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scanz Communications