Introducing our first Keynote Speaker: Kate de Goldi, Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador

Kate De Goldi. Image credit: Bruce Foster. Source: https://readingambassador.nz/posts/welcome-to-my-reading-for-pleasure-blog

We are thrilled to announce some exciting news for the upcoming SLANZA Horowhenua Hui: Stronger Together - Supporting, Sharing Succeeding! 
With the hui details confirmed, we can now share some thrilling Keynote Speaker announcements. We've listened to your needs and interests, and our lineup of speakers is designed to help you support your school community.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Kate de Goldi, the newly appointed Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador for Aotearoa New Zealand, will be joining us as a Guiding Voice at the SLANZA Horowhenua Hui: Stronger Together! Commencing her two-year term in June 2025, Kate is set to be a powerful advocate for reading among young New Zealanders, their families, and communities.
Kate comes to this vital role with an impressive background as an acclaimed and award-winning author, broadcaster, teacher, and public speaker. Her profound knowledge of children's and young adult literature is extensive, making her an invaluable voice in promoting literacy. Throughout her career, Kate has consistently championed reading and writing within schools and communities, and she has been a long-standing supporter of libraries and young people's access to books. 
An acclaimed and prolific author, Kate de Goldi has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career. Her novel The 10pm Question was a major success, winning the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards Book of the Year in 2009. She also won the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction for From the Cutting Room of Barney Kettle in 2016. Recognised internationally, her work has been honoured with the German LUCHS Prize and selected for the prestigious White Ravens list. Acknowledged for her significant contributions to literature, she was named an Arts Foundation Laureate in 2001 and received the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal in 2011.
The "Te Awhi Rito" name, inspired by the harakeke (flax plant), beautifully symbolises the ambassador's role: the mature leaves ("Awhi Rito") protecting and nurturing the young shoot ("Rito"). We are honored that Kate will be a part of our hui as we connect, share, and learn together.
We eagerly anticipate hearing her insights and vision for fostering a love of reading across Aotearoa.

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