Featured Members

Name: Claudia Palmer (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri)
Company: Huia Publishers

What has been a highlight so far?
Definitely the people – the team at HUIA are super passionate about what they do, and everyone brings a fun and supportive energy to the office. I also love the work – getting to market books I would want to buy myself is a bit of a dream.

What has been a challenge?
I’ve probably got the best kind of challenge: being very busy. There are a lot of moving parts to learn, and there is new work coming in all the time. But I like to hit the ground running, so I’m enjoying it.

How have you found “real world” publishing different from the expectations you had while on your course?
The course offers two two-week work placements, which are a real highlight, and I happened to do one of mine at HUIA. So, stepping into the internship, I already knew the team and the work environment, and luckily, I got to skip the first-day nerves!

What are you reading at the moment?
The Liminal Space by Jacquie McRae. It’s immersive and beautifully written. In a small book, she captures the complexity of human nature in four very different characters. It’s a great read.

Name: Andrea Tamatea
Role: Operations Manager
Company: ESA Publications (NZ) Ltd (subsidiary of The Open Polytechnic of NZ)

My first job in publishing was: Customer Service & Data Entry in 2004.

I’m currently reading: The COVID-19 has been a great chance to catchup on some reading again, first I re-read the whole Harry Potter series and now I’ve got my nose stuck in Becoming by Michele Obama.

My biggest career highlight in publishing has been: Getting an unexpected phone call from the Chairman of the Board and being offered the Operations Manager role when Mark Sayes retired and sold the business to The Open Polytechnic of NZ in 2017.

Name: Laura Hewson
Role: Publicity & Marketing Co-ordinator
Company: Otago University Press

My first job in publishing was: Working as a sub-editor at The Dominion (now The Dominion Post) in Wellington.

I’m currently reading: Way too many things. But I’m particularly enjoying The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox.

My biggest career highlight in publishing has been: Working for OUP. I loved my time working for magazines in Australia but books will always be number one for me.

Name: Anne de Lautour, Former Association Director, PANZ 2007 – 2017

Brief publishing career history: My career in publishing covers a few decades and varied roles including time in sales for Benton Ross, Penguin, Scholastic and Hachette. I was also Publisher for Scholastic after Graham Beattie retired from the role.

Biggest career highlight: NZ being Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2012 was an unforgettable achievement on a grand scale for showcasing our publishing and our authors to the world. I’m so thrilled to have worked on this project. I’ve also enjoyed my involvement with the PANZ Book Design Awards, a favourite project of mine, and seeing the increased profile and continued success of these important awards.

What are you doing now:  I now live in Thames, Coromandel and am currently a Comment Moderator working on Australian newspapers for Pagemasters, a division of Australian Associated Press.

Name: Tony Fisk, former Managing Director of HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Ltd.

Brief publishing career history: I joined William Collins in the UK in 1971 as a sales rep in Central London. Transferred to the NZ company in 1983 as sales manager. Had a brief spell back in the UK with Faber and Faber before returning to HCP NZ in 1986. I retired from the company in 2012.

Biggest career highlight: There are two highlights. Working on publishing projects associated with The Lord of the Rings movies and other movie related projects with Weta Workshop. Then becoming President of PANZ in 2009 and working with colleagues to effect significant change within the organisation.

What are you doing now: Living on the South Coast of the UK.

Name: Ann Mallison

Brief publishing career history: I worked for Sweet & Maxwell (NZ) Ltd, then Methuen NZ before starting in 1980, with my partner David Rendel, Mallinson Rendel Publishers.

Biggest career highlight: October 1982, when Lynley Dodd (whose books The Apple Tree and The Smallest Turtle we published in 1982) came to my office and read to me the manuscript of Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy.

What are you doing now: I am Lynley Dodd’s agent for Film, Theatre and Music, on the Wellington Wagner Society Committee, Co-President of the Oriental Bay Residents Association (pushed into that one!) and take a close interest in the schooling and other activities of my two godsons. I also fit in some travel in the winter.

Name: Nicola Smith
Role: Director
Company: Essential Resources

My role on the PANZ council is: The International Education portfolio, supported by Peter Dowling. I hope to support and encourage government and industry collaboration and where possible securing funding and assistance for export opportunities aligning with PANZ’s international strategy.

My first job in publishing was: This is my first publishing job! I founded Essential Resources 20 years ago with my business partner Geraldine Sloane. As a ‘start-up’ I have both worked in just about every publishing position you can think of.

My favourite latest read: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. It is a compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime recollection of a man’s coming-of-age. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

My biggest career highlight in publishing has been: The delight of being involved in the education industry, of working with some amazing educators to create content that inspires the next generation to become lifelong learners.

Name: Claire Murdoch
Role: Head of Publishing
Company: Penguin Random House New Zealand

My role on the PANZ Council is: Training and development. I’m keen to make sure what we offer suits what our industry looks like right now: lots of people doing LOTS of work; only some of them in traditional full-stack publishing houses like ours; career pathways in publishing and on-the-job learning opportunities not at all what they used to be; uncertainty the only certain.

My first job in publishing was: Depends whether you count years spent writing embarrassing stories with my best friend, the gopher role at the Dominion newspaper circa the death of Princess Di, or getting to be Publishing Assistant to the late, great John Iremonger at Allen & Unwin in Sydney in the early 2000s.

I’m currently reading: Manuscripts, three-month-old New Yorkers, Motherhood by Sheila Heti, the new Patti Smith (sigh), the deservedly successful This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman and a little Lee Child, for the first time ever—plus, audiobooks and Jia Tolentino.

Name: Alex Collins
Role: Chief Executive
Company: Lift Education

My role on the PANZ council is: Education – domestic and secondary. The role is focused on increasing advocacy activity with the NZ Ministry of Education.  I am also on the advisory group for the Whitireia Publishing Course, and as part of this, I am working towards getting more student diversity on the course.

My first job in publishing was: An internship (thanks Creative NZ) at Learning Media as an editor and project manager.

I’m currently reading: Shane Carter’s Dead People I Have Known and re-reading Haiku by Andrew Vachss.

My biggest career highlight in publishing: Has been the recent publication of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, a graphic novel for all New Zealanders. Our first trade publication. Number One seller at Unity Wellington as I write this.