By Deborah Shaw AE, President
Kia ora koutou katoa
The daffodils are peeking through the grass here in Ōtepoti Dunedin, so we must be coming out of winter and easing into spring.
I hope you’ll be able to come along to our annual branch meeting on Tuesday 22 September at 7 pm. You’ll hear updates from the committee and EdANZ members who serve on other IPEd committees. It’s always interesting to hear what other committees are doing and how that is benefiting our EdANZ members.
We’ll also be hearing from Catherine Macdonald AE, the IPEd Board chair. Catherine has been part of IPEd and Editors Western Australia for a long time; she knows what it’s like to be part of a small branch like ours.
At the annual branch meeting, there will be a few changes to the committee. I’m stepping down as branch president (it’s the end of my 3-year term). I’m very pleased that Andrea McKay AE is taking over this role from me. Andrea has been on the Standing Committee on Awards and Prizes for the last few years and has done a fantastic job coordinating the Student Prize. Our branch will be in great hands!
If you’d like to be a part of the committee, do consider joining us. This year we’re looking for:
- an events coordinator
- a secretary
- a social media coordinator.
Whether you’re a new or established editor, you’re welcome to join the committee. Everyone brings ideas and experience. Feel free to email me and we can chat about the roles.
This month, Jill McCaw has written a wonderful article for us on macros and how they make our work fast. I love her enthusiasm! I spent far too long thinking that macros were too complicated for me. When I finally took Paul Beverly and Jenifer Yankopolus’s workshops, I realised how life changing they are. A new macro I love is CopyToListAlphaMenu. The name is a mouthful, but it adds words to my chosen section of a style sheet in alphabetical order. It’s great for separating names from the general spelling list.
Finally, I encourage you to enter the Rosie award, which recognises excellence in editing. In 2025, EdANZ member Kimberley Davis was shortlisted for the Rosie for editing Under the weather: a future forecast for New Zealand by James Renwick. Go to the IPEd website to check the eligibility criteria.
Ngā mihi nui
Deborah Shaw AE
edanz.president@iped-editors.org
Keep in touch with EdANZ through our Facebook page