We're excited to introduce our newly-appointed chairperson, cultural-sector badass Courtney Johnston.

Even a year or two ago, it would’ve been inconceivable to think we'd be soberly discussing the need for better governance over hour-long skype calls, but since its inception as a Longreads-lite Tumblr, surprise (mainly the good, delightful sort) has been one of the few constants at The Pantograph Punch.

We’ve grown over the last seven years into a sprawling team of editors and writers from around the country and overseas, and one of the biggest challenges we've had to face is the way we snatch hours here and there, and how that means we don't always get the chance to step back and think about why we do what we do, and where to from here.

That’s why we’re delighted to welcome Courtney Johnston as the new chairperson on our board. It's a role that adds to an impressive list of responsibilities - elsewhere, Courtney is the Director of Hutt City Museums (The Dowse Art Museum, Petone Settlers Museum and the Community Arts Portfolio) and sits on the Arts Wellington Board, the ICOM NZ Board and is Deputy Chair on the Museums Aotearoa Board. She's fiercely intelligent, finds some of the best art writing on the internet each week, and is one of the country's leading experts on how cultural institutions could pull themselves into the 21st century and be better at what they do.

But more than anything, we're thrilled to have her on our board because she truly supports our kaupapa. “I really believe that art, in all its forms, needs to be fed by intelligent conversation to thrive, and that audiences deserve smart, brave and insightful commentary about the culture that surrounds them," she recently wrote to us, "And I'm very excited about the work we're going to do together.”

We can't wait either.

Aroha nui,
The team at The Pantograph Punch