Meet the LIANZA Council for 2025-2026
Laura Caygill, President-elect
E ngā whare mātauranga o Aotearoa, e ngā whenua e tākoto nei, tēnā koutou.
Ki ngā huia kaimanawa kua ngaro i te pō, moe mai koutou.
Karanga mai e te kaupapa – ka haere mai tātou i tawhiti, i tata, ki te hāpai i te mahi o Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa.
Nō reira, e te iwi, me tiaki tātou i a tātou.
Tēnā koutou, tēna koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
He uri au nō tawhiti.
I tau iho ōku tūpuna ki runga i Ōtautahi, nō reira me mihi ka tika ki taua whenua
Ki ngā iringa o kahukura te pae maunga
Ki Ōtakaro te awa
Ko Cressy te kaipuke o tōku tupuna
He Tangata Tiriti ahau
Nō Ōtautahi ahau
Ko Laura Caygill tōku ingoa
I am excited to put my hand up for LIANZA President-elect this year.
In my day job as Operations Manager for Selwyn Libraries, I ensure our services are running smoothly across the fastest-growing district in the country. In the 15+ years I have worked in libraries, I have also worked across communities in Tāmaki Makaurau, Waimakariri and my home of Ōtāutahi.
I have 12 years’ experience in library leadership roles across the motu and currently represent LIANZA on the governing board of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa. I review books on RNZ’s Nine to Noon and completed my Level 5 Diploma in Te Reo Māori in 2023.
One of my great joys is volunteering to read out new citizens’ names at local ceremonies. Not only do I get to meet loads of people, but I also get to stoke that fire of appreciation for the beautiful diversity of Aotearoa. I see diversity as a strength, too, of LIANZA, bringing together members from all corners of the library and information profession, representing all kinds of communities, groups and needs.
I am honoured to represent the LIANZA membership as we work together to uphold our values and promote access to information, services, and enriching experiences, no matter what institution we work in, no matter what community we serve, no matter what challenge we may face.
Rangitihi Pene, Appointed Council Member
Nō Ngāti Hinemihi, nō Ngāti Huarere ōtirā nō Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao ahau [te taha ki taku koroua].
Nō Ngāti Hurungaterangi, nō Ngāti Te Rorooterangi, ōtirā nō Ngāti Whakaue hoki ahau [te taha ki taku kuia].
Rangitihi is the newly appointed council member for Tikanga and Mātauranga Māori for LIANZA. Rangitihi is a trustee for Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, and Central North Island Iwi Collective.
He sits on the paepae of both Te Pākira, Whakarewarewa, and Hinemihi Marae, Ngāpuna, and as part of Te Whare o Tūhourangi, organises Hīkoi and Wānanga for Tūhourangi.
Rangitihi composes for Te Kapa Haka o Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Raukura and Ngāti Tarāwhai and is the chairman of the Hinemihi Marae. As such, he has led the delegation to London to negotiate the return of Hinemihi carvings. He presented to the 2013 Adjudication Panel for the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley on behalf of Tūhourangi Tribal Authority. Rangitihi has a passion for the history of Tūhourangi and has recorded their history in documentaries and books. Until recently, Rangitihi was the Mātauranga Māori and Engagement Lead for Te Aka Mauri / Rotorua Library.
Shiobhan Smith, Elected Council Member
Kia ora. Ko Shiobhan Smith tōku ingoa.
Ko au te Associate University Librarian Customer Experience ki te Whare Pukapuka o Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka.
I am an active member of LIANZA, serving on both the TEL SIG and Murihiku committees, and a passionate neurodivergent librarian with 20 years of experience.
I have qualifications in history, teaching, and librarianship, and my career has spanned roles from circulation library assistant to subject librarian and manager of a research support unit. I have expertise in strategic planning, budgeting, and organisational leadership.
I developed a capability framework for librarians supporting researchers and contributed to Te Tōtara Capability Framework, which I am now helping implement at Otago. I am committed to strengthening our profession and advocating for inclusive, future-focused libraries. It is an honour to serve on the LIANZA Council, giving back to our community at a national level.
Maia Bennett, Elected Council Member
Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa
My name is Maia Bennett, and I am a public and secondary school librarian in Wānaka with a broad and varied professional background traversing information technology, academic research and early childhood education before I leaned into librarianship.
My library roles have ranged from part-time sole-charge librarian in a small rural library; to secondary school librarian fostering reading for pleasure and supporting teaching and learning across the curriculum; to my current district-wide leadership role where I am responsible for Queenstown Lakes Libraries collections.
My strategic leadership and consensus decision-making skills were honed through my time at Miramar and Methven Playcentres from 2007-14. Since moving to Wānaka, I have further developed my governance skills through serving on committees for preschools and sports clubs, and I am currently a committee member of the Upper Clutha History Society.
Consensus decision making skills have been exercised through my recent experiences as a judge of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and the Storylines Notable Book Awards.
19 May 2025
