Welcome to the second edition of the Journal of 
Di s t a n c e  Lear n ing. There was widespread 
acclaim when the first edition was published last 
year, and the same thoughtful and considered 
approach from editor Terry Hearn and the 
editorial board will see this edition further 
establish the journal as a significant contributor 
to worldwide academic debate in open and 
::listance learning. The growing number of 
international subscribers reflects this trend 
already. 

The growth of the journal corresponds with a 
time of reflection and change within DEANZ 
itself. Once, membership was virtually restricted 
to the B i g  Three - Massey University, the 
C o r res p o n d e n c e  School and the Open 
Polytechnic. Now there is a diverse membership 
which moves beyond tertiary educational 
institutions to embr ace Industry Tr aining 
O r g a n i s a t i o n s ,  schools, governm ent 
organisations and private firms. The DEANZ 
membership directory, to be published later this 
year, will offer an insight into a growingly 
diverse membership. 

As the DEANZ executive deals with the issue 
of growing diversity, reflected in the number of 

Editorial 

employment changes of executive members 
since the time of the last election, the need for 
finding new ways of working is being constantly 
reinforced. The theme for next year's DEANZ 
conference is already clearly emerging, though 
not yet defined - the words from which the 
theme will be d r a w n  are c o n ver g e n c e ,  
networking, partnerships, working together. 
The fact that a joint conference or ganising 
committee is being drawn from both the Open 
Polytechnic and the Correspondence School 
merely reflects the r e a l i t ies of the new 
environment in which we work- going it alone 
is only one option, and not always the most 
effective! 

Meeting the needs of a membership, spread 
nationwide, is a challenge. If you feel you belong 
to a group with particular needs in open 
learning, please feel free to contact me at the 
Open Polytechnic of New Zealand with your 
suggestions. The address is Glenise Dreaver, 
President, DEANZ, The Open Polytechnic of 
New Zealand, Private Bag 31.914, Lower Hutt. 
E mail: dregle@topnz.ac.nz 

Glenise Dreaver 

President, Distance Education Association of New 
Zealand. 

Journal of Distance Learning, Vol2, No. 1, 1996 (c) Distance Education Association of New Zealand 

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