Key event details include a full day of varied events held at the Palmerston North Library and the Globe Theatre on July 22nd, as well as the distribution of 20-page activity booklets inspired by finalist NZCYA books.
A second year of funding from the Mātātuhi Foundation has enabled Books Alive to expand to Palmerston North this year, bringing the fourth regional centre to host large-scale events for school children with finalist authors in the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
“Books Alive is a dynamic initiative that brings New Zealand authors into direct engagement with young school children, offering workshops that inspire creativity, enhance literacy, and foster a love of reading,”
says Alan Dingley, outgoing Te Awhi Rito NZ Reading Ambassador. Alan and Sasha Eastwood, immediate-Past President of SLANZA, will spearhead the Palmerston North project.
- The Palmerston North project aims to provide immense benefits to the local community by connecting children with the authors behind their favourite books.
- The event will enrich the city’s literary landscape and strengthen its reputation as a place that values knowledge and creativity.
- Regional benefits will also be considerable, as the event will provide local students with valuable opportunities to engage with authors, as well as make these experiences accessible to schools in smaller towns and rural communities across Manawatū, Tararua, and Rangitīkei.
Alan and Sasha say the project has the potential to inspire children’s literature and promote a love of reading.
- Not only will the event provide local students with valuable opportunities to engage with authors, but it will also make these experiences accessible to schools in smaller towns and rural communities across Manawatū, Tararua, and Rangitīkei.
- More than 3000 copies of the 20-page activity booklet have been distributed to date, featuring activities inspired by finalist NZCYA books.
The Mātātuhi Foundation grant will support bus transport to bring school children from around the region to the city, and will also enable the distribution of 3000 more copies of the 20-page activity booklet. Details of the Palmerston North programme will be shared once the finalists in the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have been announced.
The programme will include a full-day programme of varied events held across the library and the Globe Theatre, and will be led by experienced Children’s Programmes Coordinator Rhonda Chenery and the team at Palmerston North Library.
