Dargaville Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers project

The Dargaville Project vision

Reading with our children to promote wellbeing and to strengthen connections in our community.

Project partners

Partners in the project are working together to engage young people and their whānau with reading for pleasure and well-being. The project will provide:

• books

• little libraries in the community

• reading experiences

• professional development for educators.

The partners include:

• Dargaville Intermediate

• Selwyn Park School

• Te Kopuru School

• Dargaville Public Library

• National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

The project launch — creating a school reading culture

The project was launched with an event in March 2023 at Dargaville Intermediate for partners and school staff. National Library staff presented a session on:

• the benefits of reading for pleasure

• factors that underpin a reading community, and

• a ‘book talk’ showcasing a selection of inspiring children's and YA books.

Staff from the schools were encouraged to browse books from a display of books from the National Library’s Schools Collection. Attendees took books for reading, sharing with students and swapping with colleagues.

The focus for the project is young people during their primary and intermediate school years, including the transition into primary school and after intermediate. The project will also connect with whānau as part of school communities and other community settings.

Dargaville project research

National Library has commissioned Sue McDowell from New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) to undertake research for the project.

Read the Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers Phase 1 Summary and Insights report and the research reports from other Pūtoi Rito projects by Auckland University of Technology School of Education, Point and Associates, and NZCER.

Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers reports