Our national magazine Spanz is circulated free to Presbyterian and Uniting churches in New Zealand. Spanz seeks to inspire and inform our churchgoers as they engage with their communities, as well as covering Presbyterian Church news.
Changes to Spanz publication
Prior to 2018, Spanz was a quarterly magazine, published each year according to this schedule: Autumn (March), Winter (June), Spring (September), and Summer (December).
In 2018, Council of Assembly advised that as part of its policy of a balanced operational budget, resource allocated to the Spanz publication had been reduced for the year ended 30 June 2019, which meant a reduction from four editions to three in 2018/2019 .
In 2019, Spanz (no.76) was published in May 2019 (there are no 2019 autumn nor winter editions). Spanz (no.77) was published in November 2019 (there are no 2019 spring nor summer editions).
In 2020, Spanz (no.78) is planned for May 2020 (there are no 2020 autumn nor winter editions).
Council of Assembly Convenor, Richard McLean advises: "We are investigating the Church’s overall communication across our life together and note the high use of, and engagement with, online communication in the wider community. We are also aware of our need to care for creation and the increasing costs of printing and distribution. Any changes beyond May 2020 will be signalled next year."
The May 2020 edition of Spanz was placed on hold when the country went into Covid-19 pandemic lockdown as it was not possible to produce it with businesses closed. Council of Assembly has not made an announcement yet concerning the future of Spanz.