Meet The Director

Amy Oughton

Director

Speech Language Therapist

Speech, Drama and Voice Coach

Communications Executive Portfolio for the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists Association

Amy has worked across both the paediatric and adult acute environments. Amy is qualified, experienced and passionate about working with infants through to elderly. Her dynamic abilities to treat infants and elderly across both education and health related speech, language, communication, voice, feeding and swallowing difficulties, confirms her stand out knowledge.

Determined, intelligent and diligent, Amy has specialist skills within Health related speech therapy, for example, specialising in the area of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Head and Neck Cancer pre/post surgical care and voice therapy. 

Speech and Language Therapist Amy goes above and beyond to do independent work with her clients one on one, but also with those around them to make sure their communication is effective.e.g meeting with school teachers to make sure the curriculum is adapted to meet the child’s needs. Amy will work with the teacher, rather than just ‘telling’ them what to do.

Amy is also a passionate teacher of Speech, Drama and Singing. She started training in Speech and Drama as a 10 year old, completed her Trinity College London Speech & Drama and Singing exams, performed in competitions, choirs and multiple productions across the south island. Amy has extensive experience and knowledge of the Speech New Zealand and Trinity College of London Speech and Drama Syllabus.

Amy is passionate about raising awareness nationally and internationally about the Speech Language Therapy profession and about communication and swallowing difficulties. Amy holds the Communications Executive Portfolio for the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists Association and is heavily involved in the International Communication Project, serving on both the International Working Party and Strategic Group and the Giving Voice Aotearoa Campaign. 

Amy is passionate and excited to help children, youth and adults strive to be the best communicators they can be. 

Contact Amy: amy@mackenzietherapy.co.nz



Rob Martin

We are extremely lucky to have Rob join the Mackenzie Performing Arts Academy team! Rob will be running the academy in Fairlie. 

Rob has been professionally involved in theatre and the arts for over 40 years as a Performer, Director, Musical Director, Choreographer, Writer, Producer, Designer, Stage and Company Manager and Piano Accompanist in more than 25 professional productions, and is an internationally recognized Vocal Technician/Coach.

Rob’s life in the arts has taken him around the world enabling him to live and work as a professional theatre practitioner in 6 countries; highlights being the critically acclaimed Production/Direction/Musical Direction of the musicals ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Children of Eden’, both performed outdoors in the Cumberland State Forest in Sydney: London
(vocal coaching and cabaret performer); New York (Off-Broadway run of a new Australian musical ‘Valentino’); Vancouver (Rapunzel’s Prince in ‘Into the Woods’); and throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, USA, Canada, Egypt, Jordan and The Mediterranean (various Cruise Line contracts as lead singer, featured cabaret artist and dancer).
Productions in NZ include EVITA, SCDL 2015(Musical Director); SHREK JNR., Roncalli College 2016 (Musical Director); Cabaret shows THE SOUND OF MUSICALS and PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ and the children’s musical A COW NAMED COW with his own production company Rob Martin Productions International 2017 (Director, Musical Director, Choreographer and Executive Producer); AVENUE Q, SCDL 2017
(Musical Director); BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, SCDL 2018 (Musical Director).

Rob Martin Productions International currently produces an extensive range of entertainment throughout Australasia, along with his very successful ‘Voice Studio’ and artist development tuition programs, and is currently the largest supplier of Christmas entertainment in Australasia.
 

He is vocal coach for some of Australia’s finest singers who have, and are currently performing in professional musicals in Australia and the UK.
 

Next year Rob will be working with a Broadway Producer in New York and across Australasia as well as a performing in a growing programme of shows internationally.
 

He is currently reworking his own original musical PIONEERS, co-written with award winning composer Gregory Peterson, which is being produced by multi Tony award winning Broadway Producers for an Off-Broadway showing in 2020.