New NIPPA president fights back against outsourcing

Newly elected president, Karen Birch, has big plans for NIPPA. Mitchell Jordan finds out what the future holds for the organisation under its new leader.

The Auckland-based Birch, who currently works at Unitec, was appointed president at NIPPA's recent annual conference and awards in Rotorua after 20 years of experience in printing and graphic arts across both New Zealand and Australia.

Completing degrees in graphic design and civil and structural engineering, Birch was first introduced to NIPPA in 2004 and in 2006 was nominated onto the management committee, working her way up to the role of secretary.

After two years, Birch (pictured) felt that she had served her "apprenticeship" and decided to run for president. "It was a decision I thought about long and hard for six months," she said.

"As secretary, I was also shadowing other members of the CoM. I felt that I had a lot to give and wanted to act quickly."

No one challenged Birch's run for president, but it was still a surprise when she learnt that the role was hers.

"I found out before the conference but I was so busy and focussed organising [the conference] that it didn't really sink in until the Annual General Meeting," Birch said.

"It was overwhelming, but a great honour."

Being female and a president is a rarity – especially in the printing industry, but this did not deter Birch; in fact, it had the opposite effect.

"The printing industry is very male-dominated and as a female I wanted to show that I can make a difference and that gender is irrelevant," she said.

The role of president can be held for a maximum of four years, and Birch intends on staying for the duration. "I will need two years to start making a difference."

Birch is a firm believer that NIPPA's future lays in its branches and in growing membership.

"I want to grow the membership and provide the right sort of conferences and personal development opportunities for members," she said.

Birch notes that thanks to the UK-based UPMG, there is room for NIPPA to grow and expand its presence outside of Australasia.

At a time when many in-house print operations look to outsourcing as an easy solution, Birch suggests otherwise and has the following advice:

"I don't believe outsourcing is a good option and NIPPA has the resources and  members willing to help and to demonstrate there are better alternatives," she said. "It's like a big family full of information."