Kia ora dear APANZ members,

About three years ago, we asked Marianna Ackerman to transition our Newsletter into the digital realm. She embraced the challenge with creativity and dedication, and as we’ve all seen and appreciated, she did an outstanding job in creating a vibrant and engaging connection for our Association, rich in images and content. It is now time for her to enjoy a well-deserved break and focus on other pursuits (and for us to seek a new APANZ newsletter editor – see expressions of interest information below). In Marianna’s own words:

So, a bit of news. It’s time for me to hang up my Editor’s hat and warmly say goodbye to each and every one of you. I’m hoping to clear some space to do more printmaking, gardening, and to spend more time with my sublime husband. To create more unfettered time and see what happens. 

Over the past three years I have had the privilege and fun of transforming the Newsletter from that spiral bound paper treasure (to which many of you were sentimentally attached) to an online format, 
bravely bringing the Newsletter into the 21^st century with colour photos and links and everything! During this process I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from quite a few of you, all positive exchanges that put a spring in my step. Thank you for that. I’ve been filled with a sense of wonder and gratitude that after each call for submission you responded. Why did I ever doubt you? 

Now I’m hoping that someone can take on the Editor’s role and have fun with it, bring new energy and a new voice, do things I didn’t find time for or think of. I promise to help shepherd you into the job during the first issue if you’d like that. And there are perks: you get to work with our extremely competent and pleasant administrator Luisa Maloni, you receive cool emails from people you don’t know, you’re the first on the block to know what’s what before it gets published, and you get to have a sense of contributing to something bigger than yourself. Plus—hand-on-heart—it really doesn’t really take all that much time. Think of it as a win-win.

Once again, thank you for letting me do a job I’d never done before and discovering that I could. Thank you, dear Gabriela, for roping me in with your considerable charm.

Marianna Ackerman

Thank you, Marianna, for your outstanding work. Transitioning to the digital world is not simply about replicating the old printed format. It required significant time, energy, and creative problem-solving, and you tackled these challenges with dedication. We can all see the results in the engaging APANZ Newsletter we receive in our inbox. Thank you!

For expression of interest on the Newsletter Editor role, please email: John O’Connor to johnnygj@xtra.co.nz

John O’Connor

APANZ President

August 16 2024