Book deliveries fund choice activities for schools

Hunterville School year 6 pupils Euan Gowler (left) and Javaarak Kennedy-Goodwin deliver a new phone book to Hunterville resident Mrs Bet Taylor.

New phone books have been delivered to thousands of homes and businesses in the Whanganui region during the past month.

Many of them have been delivered by school children running door-to-door with parents acting as back-up crew to transport the books.

Rather than being individually paid, the children are raising funds for their schools to finance activities such as class outings and camping trips.

Hunterville School principal Stephen Lewis, said the school have been helping with phone book deliveries for at least 18 years.

"It's a team effort," said Mr Lewis.

"Parents transport the kids who help deliver the books door-to-door."

The books are sorted into delivery areas at the school before the children "scurry off in different directions to" deliver to their designated areas.

Mr Lewis said the school participates in a number of fundraising activities but the money raised from the Yellow book deliveries are tagged for specific activities.

"The funds go towards subsidising class trips, camps and the Life Education Trust to bring its bus and the beloved Harold the giraffe to our school.

"It goes into what we call the 'outdoor education' account, for all the fun miscellaneous things we offer the kids outside the classroom."

Mangaweka Play Centre, Raetahi Ohakune Rotary and the Marton Lions were also involved in the Yellow book deliveries throughout the Whanganui region.

Yellow chief executive Michael Boersen said the company goal is to help connect people and their communities.

"What better way than to have locals delivering the books themselves, with their efforts directly benefitting their organisations," he said.

"The efforts of these organisations are much appreciated by the 88,115 people in Wanganui who consult their Yellow book each month."

Research for the Whanganui region shows that 80 per cent of book searches result in a purchase from a local business.