National Executive Communique - April #1

The National Executive met last weekend, 8-9 April 2017, in Wellington at Raroa Intermediate School. Below is Part 1 of a two part summary of some of the discussions held at the meeting, Part 2 will follow in the next couple of days.

National Executive Personnel Changes

With no nominations for President Elect received  from members National Executive have nominated Kirsty Adam and Julia Smith to be co-Presidents-Elect.

Current President, Sandi Faulconbridge, has accepted a new job opportunity with the National Library. Due to the conflict of interest, Sandi is unable to hold any office-bearing role within SLANZA and has stood down. Sandi has been president for seven months, taking on the role in difficult circumstances. Yet her outstanding organisational skills, quick thinking and equally quick wit has helped steady the SLANZA organisation and reset forward momentum. We sincerely wish Sandi all the best in her new role.

As a result of these exceptional circumstances, co-Presidents Elect Kirsty and Julia, with the full support of the NE, move into the role of interim co-Presidents until their positions can be ratified at the AGM in July.

Kirsty Adam represents the Southland region and is the Library Manager at James Hargest College in Invercargill. She has a degree in psychology and education, is a trained teacher and worked at the Invercargill Public Library before moving to her current position five years ago. Kirsty took on the role of  NE rep for Southland in 2014 and has done an incredible job of rebuilding SLANZA Southland. Her enthusiasm and drive, coupled with a strong can-do attitude has certainly benefited both her region and National Executive. Kirsty has recently completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice through Mindlab.

At the other end of the country, Julia Smith, represents the Te Tai Tokerau region. Julia joined SLANZA fifteen years ago, completed her BAppSci in Information and Library Studies through the Open Polytechnic in 2010, and about the same time secured a full-time job at Kerikeri High School. She has been involved with SLANZA for many years, stepping up to Chairperson in 2013, then the following year became the SLANZA Te Tai Tokerau National Executive Representative; she still holds both of these positions. Julia’s main role within NE has been Communications, though she has enjoyed moderating the Google+ community discussions and facilitating the Connected online learning modules.

Kirsty Adam and Julia Smith

The National Executive welcomed four new members at this meeting. Greater regional representation provides a stronger voice for members, encourages robust discussion and helps to share the workload.  Our new NE members are:

·         Stephanie Gibbons, library manager at New Plymouth Boys High School who takes over the role of NE rep for Central region.

·         Glenys Bichan is the new representative for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region, Library Manager at Cambridge High School, and current Chairperson for her region.

·         Ngaio Blackwood is our new Administration Officer, the only paid position within SLANZA. Ngaio is a librarian at Tamatea Intermediate in Napier and has spent the last thirteen years in school, tertiary and public libraries. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) and a postgraduate Certificate in Information Studies (library). Ngaio can be contacted at admin@slanza.org.nz

·         Bridget Schaumann representing the Otago region, was warmly welcomed back. Bridget, as a past President and with many, many years experience on NE, offers a vast knowledge repository that is truly remarkable and invaluable.

The fact that two of our SLANZA presidents have so recently been employed by National Library is well worth noting. National Library has obviously recognised the work, responsibilities and leadership potential that SLANZA provides and nourishes. Although we may begrudge National Library harvesting our best people, it is with pride that we acknowledge the role that SLANZA has played in furthering both Miriam and Sandi’s careers.

The second part of our meeting summary will be shared in the next couple of days.

Julia Smith

Communications