Before I share the result of the recent ELS Manager recruitment round, I want to acknowledge Tomo and thank him for all his work while in the secondment role to the ELS Manager position.

I have been impressed by his work ethic, his care and concern for colleagues and his leadership during Covid, the focus on whakawhanaungatanga within the team, his relationship building with our newly located Te Pātaka colleagues and his management of the ELS Team supporting our students in PJH and EPS during unsettled times.

Tomo you have done a wonderful job while in the role, thank you for all of the passion and commitment that you brought to both your mahi and the team. Thank you also for your contribution to the wider leadership team, I know we have all enjoyed working alongside you. Ngā mihi nunui ki a koe Tomo.

The recruitment round was very competitive, attracting a large number of applicants from across the country.

I am very pleased to share that Simon Burge has accepted the offer of the ELS Manager role and will be joining us in late August.

Simon has previously worked at the Auckland Institute of Technology, was the Team Leader of Information Services at the Christchurch College of Education followed by another role at Christchurch City Libraries as the Team Leader of Information Services.  Following this, Simon went on to take the role of District Libraries Manager for Waimakariri District Libraries. In 2011 Simon returned to Christchurch City Libraries where he managed 2 large service delivery teams, the Shirley Community Library team and the Network Library Assistants Team.  Simon then went on to different leadership and managerial roles within the Digital Library Team which included oversight of technical services, systems support and the web (and social media) team. He played a significant role in the development of Te Hāpua, and more recently Tūranga re digital solutions, infrastructure and fit out. Most recently since 2021, following a council wide IT restructure Simon has been managing Digital Technical Services, Digital Service Operations in the I.T. Unit for Council.

I am excited to have Simon joining the team, he is passionate about libraries and brings a huge depth of managerial and professional knowledge and experience from across the sector. He is looking forward to joining us.