Mirla Edmundson | General Manager Connected Communities, Auckland Council

Mirla is a dynamic and high performing transformational leader who drives organisational change.

Committed to her team and to what the team is trying to achieve, she relies on courage and determination to push through tough leadership assignments. She enjoys the challenge of diagnosing complex situations to improve efficiency and staff performance and applies a strong business focus to ensure services are fully accountable to stakeholders, but at the same time relevant and accessible to the community.

Mirla is widely recognised as having proven ability to shape the people capability and financial resources to deliver services people need within a high-pressured environment.

Penny Hulse | MNZM | Former Deputy Mayor of Auckland | Local Government Specialist

Currently serving on the board of Kāinga Ora and the independent panel reviewing the Future for Local Government (FfLG), Penny knows Local Government, how it works and when it doesn’t.

https://www.futureforlocalgovernment.govt.nz/

Carolyn Robertson | Libraries and Information Manager, Christchurch City Council

Leading the planning and delivery of public library services for Christchurch City and Banks Peninsula.

Carolyn has sponsored several library building projects in recent years which form a key part of the Christchurch rebuild after the 2010/11 earthquakes. The largest of these is Tūranga, the multi award winning new central library which opened in October 2018. A key anchor project in the rebuild and flagship for the city’s library services, Tūranga welcomed one million visitors in its first year of operation.

Carolyn is a fellow of LIANZA (the Library and Information Association of New Zealand) and served as President in 2010/11. For several years Carolyn was also a member of LIAC (the Library and Information Advisory Commission), a national body advising the Minister for the National Library. She is also a member of both Public Libraries of New Zealand (PLNZ) and IFLA, the International Federation of Libraries.

Christchurch City Libraries | Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi

Daniel Lewis | General Manager, Digital Operations Casey Cardinia Libraries, Victoria, Australia

Explore the challenges faced by libraries in globally connected communities - including the disconnection of services, declining funding, and the impact on access to information and resources. Discuss ways libraries can work to mitigate these negative effects and continue to provide valuable services to their communities. This speaks directly to the Future for Local Government Reform, Treaty obligations, and Connected Communities and Wellbeings. Casey Cardinia Libraries is one of Victoria’s largest public library services. Funded principally by the City of Casey, Cardinia Shire Council and the Victorian State Government, the libraries support a rapidly growing and diverse community approaching half a million people.

Appointed Te Pouhuaki National Librarian on 17 December 2020, Rachel Esson is responsible for leading all National Library services in New Zealand.  She also contributes to the leadership of the Information and Knowledge Services branch of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Previously Director Content Services of the National Library, Rachel is the first internal appointment to the role. Rachel is a professionally registered librarian who has held senior and strategic roles in academic and research libraries for many years. She has researched and published in the area of evaluation of library services.

Her previous roles have included Associate Chief Librarian Alexander Turnbull Library, Associate Director Library Academic Services at Victoria University, and Medical Librarian (University of Otago, Wellington). She is a fellow of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) and is actively involved with association governance.

Former leadership roles in the sector include Associate Chief Librarian in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Principal Advisor to the Chief Archivist at Archives NZ, Secretary-General of the Pacific Branch of the International Council on Archives, and Programme Director Documentary Heritage at the National Library of New Zealand. Mark loves developing sustainable collaborations, connecting people and communities to their histories, and managing collections that support societal memory, people’s rights, accountability, and scholarship. He lives in Petone, Te Awakairangi (Lower Hutt) with his family.

Marion Read | Local Government New Zealand Libraries Policy Advisor

Marion Read is the Libraries Advisor for LGNZ taking up the role in November 2021 after spending 6 years as the Libraries Manager, Upper Hutt City.
Previously Marion’s library management experience included senior roles in Invercargill, Whangarei, Tauranga, and Auckland. In 2021, Marion was awarded the LIANZA Fellowship in recognition of her contribution to New Zealand Libraries.
Marion is known for her passion for public libraries and the communities they serve. In 2021 Marion successfully advocated for the removal of overdue fines including historic fines debt and has since used tis experience to provide support for the Fines Free Aotearoa 2025 project.
In her role as LGNZ Libraries Advisor, Marion draws on her key strengths of advocacy and building positive working relationships to achieve positive outcomes for public libraries throughout Aotearoa. In her presentation she will discuss key elements of successful advocacy as she describes her role within LGNZ and how Library Managers can support this mahi.  

Kate Hannah | Director and Founder, the Disinformation Project | Principal Investigator Te Pūnaha Matatini

Kate Hannah is the Founder and Director of The Disinformation Project Aotearoa, a research consortium which has studied misinformation and disinformation in Aotearoa New Zealand since February 2020. A cultural historian of science and technology, Hannah focuses on the role of the internet in information disorders, dangerous speech, and hate speech, with specific interest in the role of and impacts of misogyny, racism, and white supremacism in socio-political discourses.

She is experienced in research translation for decision-makers, communication, public engagement and consultation, and community co-development of research and research outcomes. Part of the Te Pūnaha Matatini team that won the 2021 Prime Minister’s Science Prize for their work in supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s Covid response, Hannah is a US State Department 2022 International Visitor Leadership Program alum, participating in a program focused on Disinformation in the Pacific. She is a Principal Investigator with Te Pūnaha Matatini, and a PhD candidate at the Centre for Science and Society at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

https://thedisinfoproject.org/about-us/

Echo Janman | Manager Community Hub Central Auckland at Auckland Council

An advocate for innovation and thought leadership, Echo has worked with and for communities for the best part of 20 years. Having moved to Aotearoa following her passion and curiosity for the arts in Polynesia, she believes in the power of creativity to change lives. Her work at Auckland Council allows her usher in digital solutions for online community connection, establishing communities of practice and advocating for new ways of working that priorities relationship and partnership.

Back, left to right: 
Dyane Hosler, Rob Baigent, Chris Hay, Lisa Sater
Front, left to right: Tangimerana Rua, Judy Ryder, Tiffany Rawlings, Anne-Maree Wigley
Insert: Lois Haddon

Executive Committee Public Libraries of New Zealand | PLNZ

Dyane Hosler - Chair | PLNZ
Rob Baigent - Chair elect | PLNZ
Lisa Salter - PLNZ Representative Region 1 | Far North & Auckland
Tangimeriana Rua - PLNZ Representative Region 2 Waikato & Bay of Plenty
Lois Haddon - PLNZ Representative Region 3 - Central North Island
TBC* - PLNZ Representative Region 4 | Wellington, Wairarapa & Chatham Islands
(*Tiffany Rawlings term expires March 2023).
Chris Hay - PLNZ Representative Region 5 | Upper South Island
Anne-Maree Wigley - PLNZ Representative Region 6 | Lower South Island

Judy Ryder - PLNZ Treasurer Not in attendance at National Forum 2023