A grant of $1 million to Te Puna Foundation will fund a new initiative designed to connect more children and young people to reading, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today.

The Minister said improving children’s lives was a priority for the Government. “Helping with their reading and literacy development is one of the ways in which we can work to achieve this.

“We’re giving them tools for the future and an opportunity for more enjoyment now.

“We know that reading for pleasure improves both literacy and wellbeing. This initiative will enable the National Library to work with a small number of communities to strengthen reading engagement.”

'Communities of Readers' will support communities to get more children and young people reading for pleasure, accessing libraries, and improving connections across schools, family, whānau and the wider community. “We’re focused on strengthening a reading culture and environment that benefits young people.”

Led by the National Library of New Zealand, ‘Communities of Readers’ will be funded through Te Puna Foundation, the National Library’s fundraising body. The initiative will focus on each community’s aspirations, priorities and identified needs.

It is also a first step towards the Library’s strategic goal of growing a nation of readers, and builds on the National Library’s current role and services supporting literacy and learning in schools.

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