Hon Brooke van Velden Minister of Internal Affairs

 6 August 2026

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden has announced changes to the Public Lending Right for New Zealand Authors scheme that will see more New Zealand authors recognised for their books held in libraries.

“Cabinet has agreed to lower the eligibility threshold for the scheme. Currently, 50 copies of an author’s book must be available across New Zealand libraries. These changes would lower the threshold to 30 copies, meaning more authors receive a payment and more Kiwi literary works are recognised,” says Ms van Velden.

Consultation feedback showed strong support for change, with 77.1 per cent of submissions favouring a reduction in the threshold. The proposed change strikes an appropriate balance between broadening access and maintaining the integrity of the fund.

Around 170 additional authors are expected to be recognised under the scheme following the change. The changes also include a simple mechanism to remedy underpayments, where an author has been paid less than they should have been. “The amendment will allow underpayments to be addressed efficiently from the following year’s fund, rather than requiring the Department to draw on baseline funding. This is a sensible improvement that makes the scheme easier to administer.

“I am particularly pleased to be delivering these meaningful improvements within this parliamentary term, reflecting the views of the majority of authors who supported the changes and ensuring the scheme remains fair, relevant, and accessible to a wider range of New Zealand authors.”

Note to editors:

The Public Lending Right fund, administered by the National Library of New Zealand, is fixed at $2.4 million each year.