Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa LIANZA Council is excited to announce that our new Executive Director will be Laura Marshall.

Many of you will already know Laura as she was a previous Director of Te Aka Mauri Rotorua Libraries. Laura has recent experience as the GM Commercial Services with Hospice West Auckland and experience as the Commercial Manager at Rotorua Museum. She was the owner of Evergreen Books. Laura will commence as the LIANZA Executive Director on November 25.

Laura tells us about her experience and vision here:
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I am thrilled to join the LIANZA team. My experience as a community and business-focused leader with over 20 years in the literary sector, including owning prominent rare and second-hand bookstores, and serving proudly as Library Director at Te Aka Mauri Rotorua Library, will aid in my new role with LIANZA.
 
I also bring eight years of experience as a commercial manager in the not-for-profit sector, with expertise in revenue generation, partner development, marketing strategies, and volunteer support.
 
My governance experience includes working with board members, serving on the Kōtui Board, holding a volunteer board position, and being a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD).
 
I’m passionate about strategy and look forward to finding creative ways to support our members, while actively advocating for the vital role of libraries and information services within the wider community. One of my key goals is to explore how we can attract more people in the library world to join LIANZA and engage with the exciting opportunities we offer.
 
Outside of work, you’ll often find me stuck in a good book or at one of our stunning beaches, trying to improve my surfing skills.

Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin councils are working alongside the PSA to establish fair pay for library assistants

A pay equity claim was lodged by the Public Service Association (PSA) in 2019 with Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin councils.  

As pay equity work is an important issue for libraries and library staff across New Zealand, we expect this update will be of interest to the wider libraries and information management community.

The basis of the claim is that library assistant work is predominantly performed by women and has been historically undervalued.  It was agreed that the claim was arguable and in late 2020 the parties entered a Bargaining Process Agreement.

Currently, 976 employees (653 FTE roles as of June 2024) are the focus of this claim.  This number includes the variety of library assistant roles and shelvers employed by each of the six councils.

The process has involved extensive job task and responsibility analysis across library assistant roles in each council, and comparisons to jobs that require similar levels of skills, responsibility, and effort.  

Formal negotiations started in late July 2024. The council teams are currently reviewing and considering all relevant information.  All parties are currently preparing for negotiations to reconvene in November 2024.
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The councils and PSA continue to work on reaching agreement on this pay equity claim as soon as possible.

Tertiary Education Union Pay Equity Claim Update

There has been some progress in the TEU claim, although they are a few steps behind the PSA claim as the TEU claim was lodged a couple of years after the PSA claim. 

• The union / employer process arrangement has been signed off  
• They have agreed on an appropriate job evaluation tool to be used for these claims
• The unions held a series of workshops on university sites to outline the investigation process, the tool to be used, and the interview process. 
• And they have started work on agreeing an interview process.

​E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha o ngā hau e whā, tēnā koutou katoa.
 
He mihi tēnei ki a koutou o te whānau i whakarauika mai i raro i te kaupapa nunui o Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa 2025.

Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa LIANZA 2025 Conference will be every bit as amazing as LIANZA2023. LIANZA2025 is a wonderful opportunity to bring people together from across our diverse library and information sector. The conference will be held September 23 - 24, 2025 at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre in Pōneke Wellington.

We are very excited to announce the 2025 LIANZA Conference committee. From a strong group of 20 EOI’s we have a committee of ten people.

LIANZA is looking for library and information professionals or those from the wider cultural heritage sector who are members of LIANZA or Te Rōpū Whakahau and have expertise or an interest in copyright to join the LIANZA Standing Committee on Copyright.

“Being part of this committee has been amazing for my professional development and confidence around assessing and applying copyright. Being involved in the Copyright Act review alongside a great group of like-minded and experienced librarians is an amazing opportunity to advocate for the cultural sector and our patrons.”  
​Zoe Richardson, Auckland Museum and LSCC secretary

The Committee meets by Zoom monthly for an hour, and there can be work between meetings. With the aim of one in-person meeting per year, the expected time commitment is around 3-6 hours per month. Although there can be periods of intense work when preparing a submission, the committee shares the workload.

This committee is very collegial and joining is a great way to extend your awareness and understanding of New Zealand libraries' copyright issues. This is an exciting time to be working on copyright matters and joining the committee will give you the opportunity to help shape change. The review of the Copyright Act 1994 is likely to resume in 2025.

The initial commitment for membership is a three-year term. Sound like you?

• Complete the expression of interest by 15 November, and send it to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz 
• If you have any questions please contact Lee Rowe, the current chair at [email protected]

“It is an unprecedented time of change within the copyright sector. Joining this team presents a real opportunity to make a difference in advocating for New Zealand libraries throughout this period of copyright flux.” Anna Rennie, former LSCC chair