Welcome from Sallie and Dayle to the May 2011 issue. There is such a proliferation of interest in AI and strengths-based approaches in the two countries that the twelve articles contained here provide only a small taste, but a rich one. Our hope is that this issue will shine a light on the intriguing applications being tried, bring more Australian and New Zealand AI practitioners out of the woodwork to participate in the global community and help the AI community in both countries to grow.