A varied and experienced panel of judges with a shared belief in the importance and power of books and reading in the lives of young New Zealanders has been appointed to judge entries in the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
 
Associate professor in children’s literature at the University of Waikato Nicola Daly will convene the English language panel. She will be joined by Ōtepoti bookseller Daniel Buchanan, Kirikiriroa-based writer Feana Tu‘akoi, Wānaka school and public librarian Maia Bennett (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), and award-winning author and illustrator Ruth Paul from Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
 
The panel judging the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for books written or translated into te reo Māori for 2023 will be convened by Ruki Tobin, the Kaihautū | Director Ratonga Māori at Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, National Library of New Zealand. Joining him this year is kaitiaki pukapuka Mihi Te Rina Henare from Tāmaki Makaurau, and Rotorua-based kaiako and translator Te Wairere Ngaia.
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There are only five days left before the 2023 NZCYA awards’ first submission deadline of 13 December, for books published between 1 April 2022 and 30 November 2022. More details about how to enter can be found on our website.

The New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa is now inviting submissions for the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. These annual awards recognise and celebrate the best books for young readers published in Aotearoa. Titles with release dates between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023 will be considered for the 2023 awards.
 
There are two submission dates. Publishers are asked to observe the guidelines for sending entries in two tranches, which are in place for ease of sending to judges. Submissions are now open for books published between 1 April 2022 and 30 November 2022, and will close at 5pm on Tuesday 13 December 2022. For books published between 1 December 2022 and 31 March 2023, submissions open on 14 December and will close at 5pm on Friday 10 February 2023.
 
For books in the second tranche, page proofs will be accepted where books are not yet printed. In such cases, finished books must arrive with the Awards Administrator, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, Attn: Joy Sellen, 72 Te Wharepōuri Street, Wellington 6023, by 5pm on Friday 10 March 2023.  
 
All entries must be submitted online at www.nzbookawards.nz and fees paid by credit card via the online submission form. 
 
A Call for Entries pack with eligibility criteria and other information is available at http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards-for-children-and-young-adults/how-to-enter/. Eligibility criteria and conditions of entry are reviewed each year, so even publishers who enter books annually are encouraged to read the pack carefully before completing the online form. 
The judges of the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults will be announced in the coming weeks, and their shortlist will be made public on 1 June 2023. The awards ceremony is planned for Thursday 10 August 2023 in Wellington. 
 
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are administered by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa, and supported by Creative New Zealand, HELL Pizza, the Wright Family Foundation, LIANZA, Wellington City Council, the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (NZSA), and Nielsen BookData.
Any queries about the Awards should be directed to the Awards Administrator at [email protected].
​
Belinda Cooke
Manager
New Zealand Book Awards Trust
Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa
Tel: 021 481044
www.nzbookawards.nz

SLANZA is excited to announce the SLANZA Sessions podcast will be launched in November. 

This podcast will celebrate the school library sector as well as literature for youth. We aim to provide relevant content for school librarians and the wider community by hosting author interviews and expert discussions, along with book reviews. 

A group of Manawatū SLANZA members are working with Manawatū People's Radio to create this podcast, which will be produced fortnightly. Please get in touch if you'd like to be a part of the planning and production crew, no experience is necessary just interest and passion. 

SLANZA Sessions podcast format: 

• SLANZA and sector events and news 
• Interview/panel discussion/topical content 
• Book reviews 
• Question Corner 
• What's up in our next episode 

The first three episodes: ​

#1 - Why we LOVE school libraries?  
#2 - How do school libraries help raise our literacy levels? 
#3 - Festivals and Competitions that build readers

We need you! 

We need you, your students, and your teachers to send in recorded book reviews. 

We need sound bytes about why your students, your staff, and your parents LOVE school libraries - tell us what value your library space brings to your community! 

Do you, your students or school staff have a burning question (preferably library or literature related) we can help find the answer to? 

We'd love your feedback on what you'd like to hear about the above episode topics - Who do YOU want to hear from?  

Please send all feedback, questions for Question Corner, and audio to our dedicated email address podcast@slanza.org.nz 

Large audio files are best sent via a file-sharing site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer. ​

We look forward to hearing from you. 

The second round of grants providing support towards a new library and information qualification opens from October 4-22. Grants are available for tertiary qualifications relevant to careers in public, school, tertiary, national and special libraries, and whānau, iwi and marae collections of taonga tuku iho.
 
We encourage you to apply for these LIANZA SLANZA grants and more information is available here: https://www.librariesaotearoa.org.nz/tertiary-grants.html

Kia ora koutou
 
The next round of grants providing support towards a new library and information tertiary qualification opens from October 4-22.

Grants are available for tertiary qualifications relevant to careers in public, school, tertiary, national and special libraries, and whānau, iwi and marae collections of taonga tuku iho.
 
We encourage you to share information about this round of the LIANZA SLANZA Tertiary Grants.

• Social media assets and videos are available to share on your communications channels on this link here. These include a 30-second video for use on social media.
• More information about the grants can be found online here 

Tertiary Grants Funding
Funding for qualifications in library and information studies.
www.librariesaotearoa.org.nz

 

• These grants have been made possible by New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP) funding of $1.5 million to a Library and Information Association of New Zealand (LIANZA) and School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (SLANZA) partnership.

 
Julia Smith BAppSci (LIS)
Qualified Librarian
Kerikeri High School
 
SLANZA National Executive Communications
SLANZA National Executive rep for Te Tai Tokerau 
 

 
 

The 2022 Softlink School Library Survey is now open for submissions.   
​
The information received will help to form an accurate and current representation of school libraries in New Zealand. As in previous years, we will openly share the results in a range of reports, whitepapers and supporting resources that can assist school libraries in their advocacy. You can complete the survey here https://www.softlinkint.com/blog/2022-school-library-survey-APAC/
 
The Survey close date is 20 September. You can find out more about the survey in Softlink's blog post. 

It’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori soon, so we’ve put together a selection of pukapuka to add to your library or classroom, including E Hoa, the new board book from 2022 Book of the Year winner, Gavin Bishop, and Arewhana Hunahuna by David Barrow, translated by Karena Kelly.

We have two finalists in the UK’s Teach Early Years Awards this year--A Perfect Wonderful Day with Friends by Philip Waechter is a Happy & Healthy category finalist and Elephant Island by Leo Timmers is a Picture Book category finalist. 

Follow the links above for Teacher Notes and Activities and to sign up directly for Gecko Press's next newsletter.