Duffy Books in Homes is committed to raising literacy among Māori and Pasifika tamariki

Duffy Books in Homes has delivered more than 16 million books into the hands of tamariki.

Duffy Books in Homes has picked up a prestigious award at the Children’s Music Awards.

Duffy Books in Homes is a literacy programme aimed at breaking the cycle of booklessness among children throughout New Zealand. It was founded by Māori author Alan Duff in 1995.

General manager Linda Vagana, who has been working at Duffy Books in homes for 18 years, says, “We’re really excited to receive the Arthur Baysting Prize. Arthur’s a hero really in the world of creativity for children, whether it’s books, music, or writing. Unfortunately, he died in 2019, and given all the legendary work he’s done we’ve been very fortunate to receive an award in his memory.”

The Baysting Prize is presented to an individual, group, or organisation each year who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the development and wellbeing of New Zealand children, through the creation of or support for music, TV programmes, films, live shows, books, education or advocacy.

Research shows that by the age of 15, 35.4 per cent of teenagers still struggle to read and write. Vagana says the numbers are higher in Māori and Pacific communities.

“It’s a programme that shouldn’t be around but over the past 20 years our Māori and Pasifika young people have really struggled and failed to meet the standards for them to be able to live life, the basic essential needs of literacy as adults.”

Duffy Books in Homes has delivered more than 16 million books into the hands of tamariki across Aotearoa, and gifted more than 100,000 new books to children, three times a year.

“If books in homes can somehow inspire the love of reading in young children, so they can succeed and become parents who inspire that as well, we’ll start having a nation that reads and that’s what’s really important that we uplift everybody,” Vagana says.