​Heather Furniss - WaiBOP SLANZA National Executive Representative

Ko Aerana ko Ateria te whakapaparanga mai
Ko Rockhampton, Queensland te whenua tupu
Nō Ahitereiria au
Kei Morrinsville au e noho ana
He kaitiaki whare pukapuka au i Morrinsville College
​Ko Heather Furniss taku ingoa

I’m a fresh face in the school library world, having started at Morrinsville College at the beginning of 2025. However, I’ve been working in public libraries for the previous 10 years after finally figuring out what profession I wanted to work in!



​I started my library career over in Sydney, working part-time while I studied for my Masters in LIS through Charles Sturt University. Previously, I’d been teaching English as a Second or Other Language to adults and had completed a 2-year volunteer abroad teaching English in Schools in Armenia.
I came to New Zealand with my growing family and soon found a job working at Matamata-Piako Libraries. The Waikato is an amazing place to live, so we were happy to settle in Morrinsville.
I’ve been fortunate to ease into school libraries with a wonderful mentor job-sharing with me as I learn all about how schools operate here and how our library is set up. It’s clear how librarians who are sole-charge can feel quite isolated in a school, so I’m excited to be part of a professional network of librarians who support each other and provide opportunities for professional growth.
Coming on board with the National Executive of SLANZA feels like a big step up this early in my school librarian journey, but I’m passionate about making sure everyone has a voice on the national stage and wouldn’t want the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region to miss out. I am excited with what SLANZA are doing in the advocacy and research space and look forward to making contributions to enhance the mana of all school librarians in Aotearoa.

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