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Kia ora koutou!
Welcome to our September 2026 newsletter,
This month, we're 'thinking spring' at Buller District Libraries, with a variety of events for the young and young at heart, alike.
That said, we're not quite free of the chilly weather yet... we're excited to have our own polar explorer Aviaaja Schlüter back for the first time since her popular "Lifelong Learning" presentation in 2020. This time, Avi will be focusing on the lesser-known exploits of Roald Amundsen in the High Arctic.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, nurse Tina Fox will be in Reefton for her second Women's Health Information Day, and Lynn Rain is now rescheduled to present her postponed evening performance of "Two Small Islands" at the Sue Thomson Casey Memorial Library.
Our tamariki will be able to enjoy a fun scavenger hunt to tie into Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (14 to 20 September) and interacting with the natural world at home will be the focus for our Term 3 school holidays at the end of the month.
Whether you welcome the spring time on September the 1st, later on at the equinox on the 23rd, or some other time altogether, here's to the changing of the season.
Kia pai tō rā,
Your Buller District Libraries team.
Night Mode "Springs Forward"
New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) begins Sunday 27 September 2.00 am. This means the Tuesday opening hours are extended to 8.00 pm at the Sue Thomson Casey Memorial Library in Westport.
Our Tuesday "Night Mode" provides the perfect local "third place" for our rangatahi to gather and study - or decompress - as needed.
Warmth and Wi-Fi are included.
Latest news
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026 starts 14 September.
Kickstart your reo Māori journey by checking out one of our many Māori language books.
A scavenger hunt will be available at the library, perfect for engaging tamariki and their whānau... have fun trying to find all the heitiki we will have hidden!
Ake, Ake, Ake! Kia kaha te Reo Māori!
Below are some te reo Māori favourites available at your whare pukapuka. Click the covers to reserve them, now:
School holidays this spring
Phew! It's almost that time again! Our 'spring break' Term 3 school holiday programming will focus on plants and animals often found at home, and provide tips on how to nurture them, alongside some fun crafts.
In the coming days the finalised event programme will go live in our libraries and on our digital platforms; watch this space, whānau.
What's on?
Click the blue button below to see our events calendar, with these three specials events headlining September, so far. Remember to check back often as new events may be added as the month progresses.
2 September 12.00 pm
Reefton
10 September 11.00 am
Westport
22 September 5.15 pm
Westport
Our featured event
Featured books for September
Authors Larry Schwarz and Iva-Marie Palmer are back with this action-packed tale that reads like a modern day reimagining of the pop-culture favourite The Goonies.
Review excerpt (from Publishers Weekly):
In this quick-moving adventure from collaborators Schwarz and Palmer, a rare text sparks a treasure hunt for an American middle schooler in Paris. Visiting the City of Light for the summer with his physics professor mother, Owen Godfrey is roped into attending a seminar on Jules Verne (...) Highlighting Verne’s classic stories alongside Paris’s history and iconic locations, the creators give Owen and his friends ample chemistry as they race around the city by various thrilling means, bonding over their escapades in this energetic thriller.
Ages 10–14.
Robert Harris returns with this persuasive portrait of rivalry in ancient Rome. This fictional memoir by Octavius’s right-hand man shows us bloodshed, betrayal and hectic jockeying for power.
Review excerpt (from The Guardian):
If you’re one of those people who thinks about the Roman empire several times a week, Robert Harris has you covered. He follows his trilogy of novels about the life of Cicero and his one-off about the unpleasantness in Pompeii with a narrative that takes us from civil war through the assassination of Julius Caesar, with all the bickering and bloodshed that follows, on to the decisive battle of Actium and Octavius’s apotheosis as Caesar Augustus. (...) Here’s the clever bit: he narrates it all from the point of view of Octavius’s right-hand man, Agrippa, a much less well-remembered figure.
Our digital pick for September
BorrowBox Live Event
Join BorrowBox for an exclusive live online event with Matt Haig on Monday 7 September! Don't miss the internationally bestselling author of The Midnight Library and Reasons to Stay Alive, as he talks books, ideas and his latest novel The Midnight Train, followed by a live audience Q&A.
BorrowBox is provided free with your Buller District Libraries membership
Did you know?
If you live closer to Karamea than Kawatiri, you don't need to make an unnecessary extra trip south when your library books are due.
Take advantage of our excellent no-cost book return option, provided in partnership with the Karamea Information Centre and the Karamea Express.
Hei konā mai | Goodbye for now 😊
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