“Being involved with LIANZA is an ongoing highlight and receiving a LIANZA Associateship was a proud moment. I’ve been chair and member of LIANZA Te Whakakitenga aa Kaimai, on the Credentials Committee, and currently a newbie member of the LIANZA Standing Committee on Copyright.”
Lee Rowe
Knowledge and Information Services Manager, Te Pūkenga, Toi Ohomai
You, our members are the foundation of LIANZA and it's important to celebrate your many successes and to support your professional work. One way we can celebrate these achievements is by offering awards and grants.
LIANZA PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
LIANZA PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AWARDS INCLUDE:
- Fellowships
- Associateships
- Awards of Professional Excellence
- Letter of Recognition
- Joint Letter of Recognition for Bicultural Development
- Honorary Life Membership
LIANZA NATIONAL GRANTS
There are national grants and awards available annually, with some only offered biennially.
LIANZA NATIONAL GRANTS INCLUDE:
- Rua Mano Grant – annual
- Edith Jessie Carnell Grant – biennial, next offered in 2026
- Ada Fache Grant – annual
- John Harris Award – biennial, next offered in 2026
All LIANZA National Grants and Awards are now judged by one panel of seven members made up from LIANZA Council, LIANZA Communities and Te Rōpū Whakahau, unless a bequest deed specifies differently. The panel may co-op relevant expertise if necessary.
In 2019 the Scholarships Working Group made recommendations about the existing scholarships offered by LIANZA.
The following terms were clarified and names of some existing scholarships were updated:
- an award recognises an achievement that has already been completed
- A grant is given for a specific purpose
STUDENT AWARDS
We also work with Victoria University & Open Polytechnic of New Zealand to offer Student Awards, more information on those can be found here >
LIANZA PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
The LIANZA Professional Awards were established in 1955 and recognise people who have contributed to a significant level to the work of the association and the library and information sector.
FELLOWSHIP
A fellowship is the highest level of professional attainment awarded by LIANZA. It's awarded to a personal member of the Association who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, teaching or research qualities and as a result, has made a significant contribution to the advancement of librarianship and/or information management.
- Frequency: Annual
- Closing date: end of May, 2025
- Last awarded to:
- Kim Taunga
- Peter Murgatroyd
- Philip Miles
Send application to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
ASSOCIATESHIP
A LIANZA associateship is a significant professional achievement and demonstrates your commitment to professional learning, the impact you make in your workplace and your contribution to the wider library and information sector. You can apply for a LIANZA Associateship.
- Frequency: Annual
- Closing date: end of May, 2025
- Last awarded to:
- Hana Whaanga
Send application to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
LETTER OF RECOGNITION
A LIANZA Letter of Recognition can be awarded to an individual or organisation has rendered a significant and special service to the library and information profession within New Zealand Aotearoa or demonstrated commitment to the profession over a period of time. In contrast to the LIANZA Award of Professional Excellence which focuses on your workplace, the Letter of Recognition recognises a one-off achievement that has benefited LIANZA or the wider library community.
- Frequency: Annual
- Closing date: end of May, 2025
- Last awarded to:
- Mark Hughes
- Dawn Carlisle
- Adrian Jenkins
Send application to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
AWARD OF PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
The LIANZA Award of Professional Excellence is given to members who have shown excellence and innovation in their workplace such as developing a really innovative approach to a challenge, or solved a key problem in their workplace, or who have helped to raise the profile of library and information services within their community. You can either apply for or be nominated for this award.
- Frequency: Annual
- Closing date: end of May, 2025
- Last awarded to:
- Sana Saleem
JOINT LETTER OF RECOGNITION FOR BICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN NEW ZEALAND AOTEAROA
This award is made to an individual or organisation who/which has rendered a significant and special bicultural service to the library and information profession within Aotearoa, or demonstrated commitment to biculturalism over a period of time to the profession, or made an outstanding contribution biculturally to librarianship, libraries or information management in New Zealand.
- Frequency: Annual
- Closing date: end of May, 2025
- Last Awarded to:
- Auckland Libraries and Te Waka Kerewai
Send applications to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP
Any person who has given distinguished service in furthering the objectives of LIANZA may be elected an Honorary Life member with full membership rights. Honorary Life Members shall not be required to pay a subscription.
There is no closing date to nominate someone from an Honorary Life Membership-nominations will be accepted at any time by LIANZA Council.
FOR EVEN MORE DETAILS ON THESE AWARDS:
Please see the LIANZA Professional Recognition Awards & National Grants Handbook
LIANZA NATIONAL GRANTS
RUA MANO GRANT
- Frequency: Annual
- Value: approx $500
- Last awarded to: Te Maiora Rurehe (2019)
Closing date: June 30, 2025
Send application to: officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
EDITH JESSIE CARNELL GRANT
This scholarship was established as a result of a bequest in the will of Mr Archibald William Dunningham, named in honour of Edith Jessie Carnell. Edith Jessie Carnell was a British librarian who worked in New Zealand between 1939-1944 as the liaison between the NZ Library Association and the Country Library Service.
The grant is awarded for the purpose of assisting an individual with travel, study or research. The grant is worth approx. $3,000-$3,500 and is awarded every two years. The next time is grant will be offered is in 2026.
- Frequency: Biennial
- Value: no greater than 70% interest earn from investment
- Last awarded to: Philippa Robinson & Sana Saleem (2024)
Closing date: June 30, 2026
Send applications to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
ADA FACHE GRANT
Ada Fache (1918 – 1994) was a stalwart of the library profession. She started work as an assistant at Dunedin Public Library in 1937 and the majority of her career was at Dunedin Public Library culminating in her appointment as City Librarian in 1960. She was the second woman to hold this position in a metropolitan library. The Ada Fache Fund was established in 1995, by the then NZLIA National Council, to provide an award or awards to assist with an individual's, or individuals' continuing professional development.
The purpose of this grant is to subsidise a LIANZA conference registration or LIANZA professional development event for a member in a professional or geographical situation which could be considered isolated. The grant is worth about $500 and can be awarded annually.
- Frequency: Annual
- Value: no greater than 80% of interest earnt from the investment
- Last awarded: Sharon Cornwall (2023)
Closing date: June 30, 2025
Send application to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
JOHN HARRIS GRANT
The John Harris Award was established in 1961 and is presented by LIANZA in recognition of notable published work, such as in the bibliographical, critical, historical or administrative fields, which represents a contribution to New Zealand librarianship.
A work published within the previous three years may be submitted either by the authors or by another person, with the author’s consent. The John Harris Award is offered biennially and has a value of $500. The next time this grant will be offered is in 2026.
- Frequency: Biennial
- Value: approx $500
- Last awarded to: Donald Kerr (2016)
Closing date: June 30, 2026
Send application to officeadmin@lianza.org.nz
PAUL REYNOLDS 'NO NUMPTIES' GRANT
This grant is in memory of Paul Séamus Reynolds (1949-2010) inspirational, enthusiastic and a digital world citizen. This grant was established in 2010 from donations made by the National Library of New Zealand, Internet NZ and friends of Paul Reynolds. The donations are held in trust by LIANZA.
The grant is intended to be used to enhance the knowledge and development of those working in the New Zealand GLAM sector. The project funded should reflect the value of the internet and digital world for New Zealanders. The grant will enable the successful applicant to spend time working with an overseas institution in order to research and develop specialist digital knowledge or experience. The selection panel will have representatives appointed by NDF, LIANZA and National Library of New Zealand. The grant was offered for the last time in 2024.
- Last awarded: Marlies Zyp - van der Laan (2024)
FOR EVEN MORE DETAILS ON THESE AWARDS:
Please see the LIANZA Professional Recognition Awards & National Grants Handbook
STUDENT AWARDS
Mary Smith Fleming (1908 – 1964) was Senior Lecturer in Cataloguing at the New Zealand Library School from 1946 to 1964.
The LIANZA Mary Fleming Award is awarded to the Victoria University of Wellington student, who is in the opinion of the VUW Information Studies Programme Director is the best student of the year in INFO 526 - Bibliographic Organisation and is worthy of the award
The award is for one year of LIANZA membership or LIANZA Professional Registration
LIANZA DAVID WYLIE AWARD
David Wylie was the Deputy University Librarian at Victoria University of Wellington from 1968 to 1981 and University Librarian from 1981 to his death in late 1985 and this award was established in 1986, in recognition of his concern for the education of library and information professionals.
The David Wylie Award is awarded to both Victoria University of Wellington and Open Polytechnic students who are judged by their institution to have completed the best piece of written work on an aspect of library and information studies.
Each award is for one year of LIANZA membership or LIANZA Professional Registration
THE LIANZA AWARD
The LIANZA Prize was established in 1982 as the NZLIA prize and renamed in 1999. It commemorated the establishment in 1942 of the Association’s certificate course, the forerunner for many years of the New Zealand Library Studies Certificate, and the long-standing interest of LIANZA in the students of those courses. The LIANZA Prize has been offered in recent years to Open Polytechnic students completing Level 5 or 6 library diplomas. It was renamed the LIANZA Award in 2019. The award is awarded to a student who is judged by their institution to have the highest overall academic achievement in either the Level 5 (NZ3466 or OP5205) or the Level 6 (OP6208) diplomas.
The LIANZA Award is for one year of LIANZA student membership or LIANZA Professional Registration
LIANZA TE PUMANAWA AWARD
The LIANZA Te Pumanawa Award was initially part of the NZLIA Prize and is administered in partnership with Te Rōpū Whakahau and Open Polytechnic.
It is awarded to an Open Polytechnic library diploma or degree student who is judged by their institution to have completed the best work on a bi-cultural theme. The Ngā Kaiwhakahau of Te Rōpū Whakahau are the judging panel for this award and set the selection criteria.
The LIANZA Te Pumanawa Award is for one year of LIANZA student membership or LIANZA Professional Registration.