In this issue...

• Reading Ambassador
• Communities of Readers
• Precious
• He Tohu Travel Fund
• Helen Zwartz Scholar
• Updates from the Team

Reading Ambassador Announcement 

On 5 August, Prime Minister Ardern announced the ‘New Zealand Reading Ambassador for children and young people’ role. As a National Library initiative, Te Puna Foundation are proudly committed to help establish and sustain the role designed to champion reading and literacy amongst our younger generations.

With declining rates of children reading for pleasure, now more than ever it is important to celebrate reading and encourage the joy of books. This role aligns with the Government's wider efforts to improve literacy, support child wellbeing and reduce child poverty. 

Te Puna Foundation Trustee, Kate De Goldi, spoke alongside students from Wellington High School, Rāroa Intermediate and Huntly College; the next generation of readers and leaders.

"Reading formed me as a person. Reading is threaded through my working life – I talk about it a good deal with school students around the country. You could say I live by reading. And I believe most fervently in the importance of reading in the lives of all young people, their whānau and communities."

– Kate De Goldi, Te Puna Foundation Trustee

Check out our Media Release for more information.

Communities of Readers

The National Library’s Communities of Readers programme, funded by Te Puna Foundation, aims to connect local and national organisations to create and sustain better reading outcomes for children and young people. In 2020-2021 we are working with community partners and young people across Aotearoa to create a culture of reading for pleasure.

The largest project is in South Dunedin where there will be a public campaign aimed at encouraging and inspiring whānau to read together, particularly with children aged 3-7. It is due to launch in October along with the wide distribution of books in different languages, and supporting events and programmes. The project will make books available through many local organisations, businesses and community services.

The schools-based projects are also progressing well: in West Auckland with five primary schools in Te Kāhui Ako o Tiriwā; and with Huntly College. These projects have a particular focus on strengthening the confidence and capability of school staff to be effective reading role models.

Precious

August saw the opening of of the first instalment of Precious Exhibition. Precious was co-designed by National Library staff in conjunction with Thorndon and Kimi Ora Schools and is the first of four to be featured in the Te Puna Foundation Gallery. This collaborative exhibition was made possible thanks to a generous grant from Wellington Community Trust. Precious 2.0 featuring Pauatahanui School and Raphael House Rudolph Steiner School opened in September.

He Tohu Travel Fund 

From 72 students in 2018, to 411 in 2019, to over 500 by the end of this year, the He Tohu Travel Fund has been making a huge impact on our rangatahi. The Fund enables tamariki from far and wide to access the documents that shaped Aotearoa. The inclusion of He Tohu Tāmaki last month has opened up even more opportunities for tamariki to engage with our history and taonga, and the He Tohu Travel Fund is available now for both locations. 

In July we welcomed Ora Konnect to He Tohu, the first non-school group to be awarded a grant from the He Tohu Travel Fund.  During their visit, we saw this group transform into a collection of inspired and positively impacted young adults. He Tohu had an immeasurable impact on these young peoples’ lives. 

"The visit to He Tohu was incredibly important for the group, who at first did not see how three documents could have so much impact in their lives today... The rangatahi engaged with He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Women’s Suffrage Petition openly – they asked questions and displayed a sense of ownership...We look forward to seeing the continued impact in the lives of these future leaders and are truly grateful for the aroha, manaaki and matauranga that has been shared with us."

– Amy Cameron, Ora Konnect facilitator.

Helen Zwartz Scholar - Introducing Alex Bassett

In September, National Library and Te Puna Foundation hosted Alex Bassett - the 2020 Helen Zwartz Scholar. Alex, Wakatipu Libraries team leader with Queenstown Lakes District Council, came to National Library Wellington for a ten day long residency. She met with leaders across the library to investigate new ways of working and engaging audiences through events, programming and outreach.

The Helen Zwartz Scholarship was generously established in Helen's memory by her husband, David, to afford other librarians the opportunity to work with the National Library.

General Updates

With COVID19 disrupting 2020, we have been re-examining how to best operate within the fundraising space to remain effective and impactful.

Alongside managing the He Tohu Travel Fund and supporting the New Zealand Reading Ambassador role, Te Puna Foundation continues to support National Library exhibitions and initiatives like Pūkana and Precious.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to our ongoing supporters; Air New Zealand, Bell Gully, Perpetual Guardian Trust, The Village Goldsmith, Wellington Airport, Panasonic and Wellington Community Trust. 

Kath took up the role of Te Puna Foundation Manager in 2019. Since beginning in this role, she has facilitated the Foundation to take on new shape, embracing new approaches to fundraising and instigating compelling new campaigns to ensure Te Puna Foundation can continue to support the National Library's mahi into the future.

This year has seen the expansion of our mahi and our Partnerships Team with the introduction of Lucy Shand, the new Partnerships Coordinator and the inclusion of Rheilli Uluilelata, our  Marketing Co-ordinator. Together we are working hard to usher the Foundation into its next exciting chapter. We continue to seek funds to keep our campaigns going. Information on how to donate to Te Puna Foundation can be found here.

Exciting news!

Our very own Te Puna Foundation trustee, Kate De Goldi, is featured in the October edition of Air New Zealand's Kia Ora Magazine. So next time you fly with Air New Zealand or pop into one of their lounges, read all about the amazing mahi Kate is doing with Te Puna Foundation and beyond!