October 20, 2026
As new figures reveal declining reading achievement and enjoyment among New Zealand children, Kiwi Christmas Books is calling on Kiwis to help turn the tide — one book at a time.
New Zealand has a reading problem — and children’s book charity Kiwi Christmas Books says getting quality books into the hands and homes of tamariki has never been more urgent.
Recent national data shows that less than half of Year 8 students are meeting or exceeding curriculum expectations in reading, while 44 percent are more than a year behind. Just as concerning, the proportion of Year 8 students who say they don’t like reading has doubled in six years, from 8 percent in 2019 to 16 percent in 2025.
As Kiwi Christmas Books launches its 2026 book donation campaign, charity founder and children’s author Sonya Wilson says those figures are hugely concerning.
“If kids aren’t picking up books, aren’t reading for pleasure, aren’t getting lost in stories, they are missing out on so much. Research tells us that reading not only builds vocabulary and comprehension, but it supports mental health and builds empathy, too. Children who read for fun are far more likely to be successful later in life, to be happier and smarter and more engaged with their communities, to be better decision makers and better citizens.”
Indeed, the alarm is being sounded across New Zealand’s literary and education sectors. Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador Kate De Goldi describes the decline in reading as a “crisis”, warning that the consequences reach well beyond literacy.
“Will there be readers, constant or otherwise, in 30 years’ time?” she asks. “The answer to that question is enormously consequential for all of us, for our social and economic health as a nation.”
De Goldi has called for a nationwide “reading insurgency”, arguing that reading needs to be actively championed in the face of declining concentration and vocabulary, rising anxiety, an increasingly screen-dominated culture, the accelerating encroachment of AI, and a measurable decline in critical thinking faculties – at precisely the moment in history we need them most.
“We live in difficult times. Never has it been more important to pay attention to the incalculable gifts of story, language, and image. Reading’s depthless gifts are badly needed.”
Wilson agrees.
“Stories develop imagination and empathy and teach us to concentrate, question and think deeply. At a time when our kids are surrounded by screens, algorithms, scrolling and an extraordinary volume of information, the benefits good books bring feel more important than ever.”
But there are considerable inequities when it comes to access to books in Aotearoa. For families struggling to pay for food, rent and power, buying books understandably slips down the list, Wilson says. The School Library Association of New Zealand (SLANZA) estimates that less than half of Aotearoa’s students across primary, intermediate and secondary schools have access to school library services.
“So we need to start with access; we need to put appealing, exciting books in front of our young people — and we need to make sure every child has that opportunity, regardless of how much money their family has.
“We can tell children that reading is important until we’re blue in the face. But they need books around them. They need books that excite them, books they choose themselves, books they can take to bed, reread until they’re falling apart, lend to their brother or sister and put on their own shelf. There is something special about being told, ‘This book is yours.’”
So this Christmas, Kiwi Christmas Books is asking New Zealanders to do one simple thing: buy a book from your local bookshop for a kid in need. By buying local, you’ll be supporting local booksellers, publishers and authors, too.
“We can’t solve New Zealand’s reading crisis by Christmas,” Wilson says. “But we can put thousands more books into children’s hands. And that feels like a good place to start.”
HOW TO HELP
The Kiwi Christmas Books 2026 Christmas campaign runs from November 1st until December 10th.
Members of the public can donate a brand-new children’s or young adult book through participating bookstores and community collection points around Aotearoa, or support the campaign online through the Kiwi Christmas Books website.
See where to donate or donate online here: www.kiwichristmasbooks.org.nz
ABOUT KIWI CHRISTMAS BOOKS
Kiwi Christmas Books is a registered New Zealand charity. It collects brand-new children’s and young adult books and distributes them through charities and community organisations supporting tamariki, rangatahi and whānau experiencing hardship throughout Aotearoa.
Last year, more than 14,000 brand-new books were donated to kids in need through Kiwi Christmas Books. Since they began, they have gifted more than 68,000 books to Kiwi families.
Facebook / Instagram: @kiwichristmasbooks
