Announcing our Summer Reading Adventure Prize-Winners!

The winners themselves have known for a couple of weeks, but the day has finally come — it’s time for us to publicly announce the Grand Prize winners of the 2023-24 Summer Reading Adventure!

Of course, everyone who took part is a winner in some way — whether you won badges, books, stationery, vouchers, or just the eternal respect and admiration of your peers, your fearless ventures into the Land of Literature have not gone unrewarded. In fact, during the Summer Reading Adventure, our librarians gave out 2,270 prizes to intrepid word explorers across our fair city.

Some of these prizes came along with another, hidden prize — the opportunity to put your name in the hat to win one of the Grand Prizes. There were 10 Grand Prizes up for grabs in total — four for kids, three for teens, and another three for adults. Our lucky prize-winners are listed below:


Kids

Grand Prize #1 – Into the Wild

Winner: Natalie, age 8, from St Benedict’s School and Tari-kākā | Khandallah Library

Prize description:

  • 1x family pass to Staglands Wildlife Reserve and Cafe
  • 1x family pass to Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne
  • 1x family pass to Wellington Zoo
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #2 – Science and Wonder

Winner: Michelle, age 6, from Wadestown School and Ōtari | Wadestown Library

Prize description:

  • 1x family pass to the Wētā Cave Workshop Experience
  • Activity books from Te Papa Press
  • A NeoBear AR Globe
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #3 – Ultimate Artistry

Winner: Alin, age 12, from St Catherine’s College and Ngā Puna Waiora | Newtown Library

Prize description:

  • A selection of high-quality artistic stationery from Gordon Harris
  • A NeoBear AR Globe
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #4 – Books and More!

Winner: Abhirup, age 9, from Amesbury School and Waitohi | Johnsonville Library

Prize description:

  • A Summer Reading book bundle from Gecko Press
  • A voucher for Unity Books
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Teens

Grand Prize #5 – Books, Books, Books!

Winner: Rebecca, age 15, from Wellington Girls’ College and Waitohi | Johnsonville Library

Prize description:

  • A voucher for Unity Books
  • A voucher for a VIP experience at Te Pātaka, the site of our Central Library collection
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #6 – Artistic Endeavours

Winner: Penelope, age 13, from Waitohi | Johnsonville Library

Prize description:

  • A voucher for Gordon Harris Fine Art Supplies
  • A voucher for 3D printing and lasercutting services at Tūhura | The HIVE in Johnsonville
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #7 – Games and More

Winner: TJ, age 15, from St Patrick’s College and Te Awa-a-Taia | Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library

Prize description:

  • 20x tokens for experiences at Ye Olde Pinball Shoppe
  • 1x family pass to the Wētā Cave Workshop Experience
  • A voucher for Cerberus Games and a set of artisan gaming dice
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Adults

Grand Prize #8 – Books and Blockbusters

Winner: Doreen from Te Awa-a-Taia | Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library

Prize description:

  • A voucher for Unity Books
  • Double pass to Light House Cinema movie screening
  • A voucher for a VIP experience at Te Pātaka, the site of our Central Library collection
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #9 – Cultural Capital

Winner: Alex from Waitohi | Johnsonville Library

Prize description:

  • Double pass to a show at Circa Theatre
  • Double pass to a show presented by the Wellington Footlights Society
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Grand Prize #10 – Sonic Wonderland

Winner: Moriah from Te Awe Brandon Street Library

Prize description:

  • Double pass to a concert in Orchestra Wellington’s The Story season
  • Selection of recent CD releases from Rattle Records
  • Assorted locally-made goodies, including chocolate!

Massive congratulations to all our winners!

Thank you as well to all of our wonderful sponsors for their support of this year’s Summer Reading Adventure. In no particular order: Ben & Jerry’s WellingtonCirca TheatreGecko PressLight House CinemaOffice Max NZOrchestra WellingtonRattle RecordsRead NZ Te Pou MuramuraStaglands Wildlife Reserve and CafeUnity Books, the Wellington Footlights SocietyWētā WorkshopYe Olde Pinball ShoppeZealandia Te Māra a Tāne, and Wellington Zoo. Ngā mihi to you all for helping us help you keep reading over the summer!

But most of all, thank you and congratulations to everyone who took part! As we’ve noted before, you have positively blown our socks off with your reading and we couldn’t be prouder of you all. See you for the next Adventure!

Tūhono 2024: We Want Your Poems!

Tūhono, Wellington City Libraries’ poetry journal for children and teens, will soon be opening for submissions! From 1 April – 12 May, we will be accepting submissions of poetry from young writers aged 5 – 18 in Wellington City. In previous years we have published more than 200 young poets in Tūhono — so this year we’ll again be splitting it into two books, one for kids and one for teens.

Unlike some other poetry journals, having your work accepted in Tūhono is not a competition — as long as you follow the rules of submission, every piece of work that gets sent to us will be published. Tūhono itself will be published as an eBook on OverDrive, and in a limited print run for our libraries, so that everyone with a library card can borrow it and bask in your talent and glory! Check out previous editions of Tūhono on our catalogue here.

Let your poetic thoughts take wing!

Here is all the information you need in order to submit a poem for inclusion in Tūhono 2024:

When?

  • Submissions are open from 1 April – 12 May 2024.
  • The journal will be published and available to borrow from the library in late 2024.

Where?

  • Submissions may be entered here from the 1st of April.

Who?

  • Anyone between the ages of 5 and 18 who lives in the Wellington region may participate.
  • You may submit as an individual or as a group.

What?

  • Theme: We want you to write a poem on the theme of “Tūmanako | Hope.” The kupu Māori ‘tūmanako‘ has a wide range of meanings, including the act of hoping or wishing for something to happen, as well as hope as an object — something that you greatly desire, yearn for, or wish to be so. When you are writing your poem, you might like to think about some of the following questions, but as always with Tūhono, there is no one way we expect you to respond to this theme:
    • Act of hoping — how does hope make you feel? What does hope help you to achieve? What does hope mean to you? When you are hoping for something to happen, what thoughts and feelings come into your mind? How does the act of hoping make your body feel?
    • Hope as an object — Do you hope for something tangible, like a new thing to own? What does that thing look like, smell like, taste like, sound like, or feel like? Do you hope for something intangible, like world peace? What does that look like, smell like, taste like, sound like, or feel like? When you have gained (or not) the thing that you have hoped for, what do you think that will feel like?
  • Length: Your poem should not be longer than one A4 page typed, with size 12 font and 1.5 line spacing. Only one poem per person will be accepted.
  • Language: Your poem may be written in English or te reo Māori.
  • Format: Your poem should be submitted as a .doc, .docx, or .txt file.

Why?

  • We want to give all young people in Wellington the opportunity to have their work published on an accessible platform. We think everyone deserves a platform and the chance to see something they created be part of the library’s collection, alongside all the other great authors and poets represented on our shelves. Tūhono aims to be a uniquely Wellington collection of writing, capturing the thoughts and emotions of kids and teens from all over the city and region across time. We consider ourselves lucky to be able to provide this platform for your creativity to take wing.

Throughout the months of April and May, we will be posting regular updates on this blog providing inspiration for your writing — so keep your eyes peeled! If you would like more information about Tūhono, you are more than welcome to contact the editors here. Happy writing, everyone! We are so excited to see what you come up with.

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara!

Kia ora koutou ngā kaitākaro poikiri / Soccer players!

Image of a number of hands raising the FIFA trophy into the air.
Unless you have been living under a rock (if so, hello! ) you might have heard that New Zealand (with Australia) is now hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is very exciting for Aotearoa as we often don’t get the chance to host such big and important tournaments.

The kick off started on Thursday 20th July in Auckland with NZ winning 1-0 in their first world cup match against Norway, who is a much higher ranked team than us. New Zealand, ranked 26th in the world, had never won a match in five previous appearances at the Women’s World Cup.

We also set a record for attendance for any soccer match in New Zealand history, men’s or women’s with more than 42,100 people in attendance. You can imagine how proud and excited we all are!

Kimihia ngā poiwhana! | Find the footballs!

playground with football sign attached to fenceApart from going to games there are also lots of other fun events and activities around the city to get involved in.

 Wellington City Council’s very own Play Specialist Peta has set up a cool installation in six local parks where you can try and Kimihia ngā poiwhana | Find the footballs! Find the golden ball to be in to win one of 20 FIFA Women’s World Cup TM Official Merchandise packs!

⚽ Check out this reel here: Wellington Recreation Centres to find out more or read more below:

⚽ At six of our parks below we’ve hidden 11 special football signs for you to find. On each of the football signs, you and your tamariki can learn common football terms in Te Reo Māori and in New Zealand Sign Language.

⚽ Amongst the 11 football signs at each park lies a hidden treasure – a golden ball with a QR code. Scan this to go in the draw to win one of 20 FIFA Women’s World cup 2023 TM Official Merchandise Packs!

⚽ The balls are located at six of our parks, including Karori and Nairnville Parks, which are not far from a couple of our Wellington Recreation Centres. You can find them at:

  • Miramar Park
  • Linden Park and Linden Park West
  • Pukehuia Park
  • Narinville Park
  • Wakefield Park

We will be drawing winners throughout July and August, and winners will be contacted directly via email.

FIFA Fan Festival 

3 football fern players

Football Ferns Headshoot, Christchurch, New Zealand, 10th November 2022. Copyright: John Davidson / www.photosport.nz

⚽  Join the party at the FIFA Fan Festival™ at Shed 6. From 20 July to 11 August enjoy free entertainment from artists including Ladyhawke, Amba Holly, Ria Hal, Che Fu and much more, plus live streamed matches and fun for the whole family.  Indoors at Shed 6, and outdoors at Queens Wharf Square.

⚽  There are lighting projections planned on Te Papa and The Boatshed during the FIFA tournament window, with additional uplighting installed along the Waterfront and last mile, leading to Wellington Regional Stadium.

⚽  Find out more at the WellingtonNZ Fifa Fan Festival website


A picture of Hataitai beach

Council’s Beach Planting initiative for FIFA Fans

  • On 25th July, willing FIFA Fans and players can join a planned beach planting day at Lyall Bay Beach.
  • Transport will be available from the CBD.
  • Bookings will take place on the Council’s ‘SMART’ app.

Tell me more about the World Cup!

soccer ball on a field with stadium seats in background

Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington will host seven Group Matches, a Round of Sixteen clash, and a Quarter Final. All games will be held at Wellington Regional Stadium.

Wellington Regional Stadium Matches- coming up

  • Football Ferns v Philippines: 25 July (5.30pm NZDT)
  • USA v Netherlands: 27 July (1pm NZDT)
  • Sweden v Italy: 29 July (7.30pm NZDT)
  • Japan v Spain: 31 July (7pm NZDT)
  • South Africa v Italy: 2 August (7pm NZDT)
  • Round of 16: 1C v 2A: 5 August (8pm NZDT)
  • Quarterfinal Match: 11 August (1pm NZDT)

Can’t make it to a World Cup event? Don’t worry, we have plenty of great stories featuring awesome female (and male) football players and lots of books to help you learn some new skills too!

Books about Football!

⚽  If you want to improve your skills, or just learn some more about soccer or some of NZ’s sporting greats check out these great reads:

Football atlas : a journey across the world and onto the pitch / Buckley, James
“A journey across the globe and onto the pitch to learn about the world of football. A comprehensive exploration of football, covering players, teams, stadiums and competitions through a mix of illustrations, photographs, maps and diagrams. Follow the story of how football began, learn about World Cup winners, meet some of the top players and discover amazing facts and figures in this action-packed atlas.” (Catalogue)

Charligh Green vs. the spotlight / Mante, Priscilla
“Hi! I’m Charligh, and one day I’m going to be a big star. I’m full of PIZZAZZ after all, and everyone I’ve ever met tells me I’m unforgettable. In a good way, I think. I’ve always loved attention, but at the moment, there’s a teeny tiny chance I’m getting it for all the wrong reasons. For starters, me and my very-nearly-world-famous team, the Bramrock Stars, are trying to win big against our rivals in the new league. But I can’t stop tripping over the ball! And although I’ve got my dream part in the school play, the words just won’t stick in my head. What’s going to happen if I can’t learn my lines? Luckily for me, my best friends really are the bestest, and I know they’ll help me whatever it takes. It’s time for me to step into the spotlight, and prove girls really can do anything!” (Catalogue)

Megan Rapinoe / Sánchez Vegara, Ma Isabel
“Discover the life of Megan Rapinoe, the world record-breaking footballer and activist. Chasing a ball in the school playground, Megan discovered her calling at a young age. Even if she didn’t always fit in at school, she was a star on the field- and her teammates thought so too. Her passion, skill and leadership took Team USA to Olympic Gold and a World Cup victory, while she continues to champion women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and representation in sport.” (Catalogue)

She shoots, she scores / Clarke, Catriona
“She Shoots, She Scores! tells the empowering story of how women’s football has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Written by acclaimed YA novelist Catriona Clarke and with a foreword by England captain Steph Houghton, it is sure to inspire the next generation of female football superstars. Young football fans will discover how the early female players overcame prejudice to set up their own teams, and read the compelling stories of players who beat the odds to become famous around the world: including Scotland’s Rose Reilly, Asisat Oshoala from Nigeria, and Afghanistan’s Nadia Nadim. The book is packed with facts and stats about the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, plus pocket profiles of the world’s top players – from Marta to Megan Rapinoe – and record-breaking teams, including the US national women’s team and Olympique Lyonnais. What’s more, discover the key skills you’ll need to become a great goalkeeper, a tough-tackling defender or the world’s next superstar striker!”–Publisher’s description.” (Catalogue)

Our beautiful game / Kuenzler, Lou
“Polly Nabb is no stranger to trouble. When her brother Joe is sent to serve in the trenches, all Polly wants is to kick a ball about and forget the war. Mam has other ideas, and makes her stay home to help with endless chores. But football is something Polly is prepared to fight for – it’s her life! She’s determined to do whatever it takes to fulfil her dream and show the world that football is not just for boys . . .” (Catalogue)

The big book of football
“Dive into the world of football with this mega book of everything to do with the beautiful game. Learn all the lingo; meet the greatest players, managers and teams from both the men’s and women’s games; take masterclasses with the pros; wander through the haircut hall of fame; learn the most iconic goal celebrations and more.” (Catalogue)

Find more books in our catalogue

Read Books, Earn Pizza!

Love pizza? Love reading? Then boy, do we have the deal for you!

The famous (or infamous) HELL Reading Challenge has returned for another year, and from now until the end of January 2024, Hell Pizza will give you one free kids’ pizza from their 333 menu for every seven books you borrow and read from the library.

Sounds too good to true? We understand your scepticism, but just trust us. We’d never lie to you about books. Or pizza!

So how does it work?

The next time you go to your local library, ask the friendly librarian for a pizza wheel. They look a bit like this:

A circular card divided into seven segments, each of which has a space to be stamped by a librarian. once seven segments are stamped, the card can be redeemed for one free 333 kids' pizza at any Hell Pizza store.

All those books just waiting to be read; all those pizzas just waiting to be eaten!


Whenever you issue a book from the library, ask the librarian to stamp and sign one segment of your pizza wheel. You can have one segment of your wheel signed for each book you read from the library! Our librarians absolutely love talking to you about the books you’ve been reading, so make sure you come to the desk prepared to talk about bookish things.

Once you have all seven segments of your pizza wheel stamped and signed, the librarian will finish it off with the Master Stamp (One Stamp to rule them all, etc.), and then take the completed wheel to any Hell Pizza store and exchange it for one free 333 kids’ pizza. It really is that simple!

The Fine Print

There are some important rules we all need to follow in order for you to participate in the Hell Pizza Reading Challenge:

  • You must be in Years 1-8 at school to participate in the Challenge
  • Pizza wheels will be valid to redeem at any Hell Pizza store until 31 January 2024
  • Pizza wheels must be redeemed in person — you can’t do it over the phone or online!
  • There’s no limit to how many pizza wheels you can earn across the year, but Hell Pizza will only redeem one wheel per child per visit. So you can’t stockpile 10 pizza wheels and get 10 free pizza wheels all at once

We know many of you will have started your 2023 HELL Reading Challenge journey already — but for those of you who haven’t, it’s never too late to start! You can pick up and sign off pizza wheels at any of our 14 branches across the city. Last year, Wellington City Libraries kids racked up over 15,000 free pizzas as part of the HELL Reading Challenge — that’s well over 100,000 books read! Can we beat that number this year?

A special thank you to Hell Pizza and the New Zealand Book Awards Trust for their generous support of this initiative.

Happy reading, everyone! 🙂

The Summer Reading Adventure for Kids: Grand Prizes Announcement!

Read books, explore the city, win prizes!

The Summer Reading Adventure for Kids runs from 1 December 2022 – 31 January 2023 for children aged 5-13. Read books; write, draw or film reviews; and complete quests to earn all kinds of awesome goodies — and you’ll still be home in time for tea! Adults and teens can also take part in their own Summer Reading Adventures — read our News blog for all the info.

Today, we’re stoked to introduce our grand prizes for kids in the 22/23 adventure!

Into the wild prizeGrand Prize Option 1: Into the Wild

This prize pack contains:
– A family pass to Zealandia
– 4x individual passes to Wellington Zoo
– A NeoBear AR Globe
– A selection of locally-made goodies, including chocolate! 

Wellington City Libraries is grateful to Zealandia, Wellington Zoo and OfficeMax for their generous sponsorship of this prize. 

Science and Wonder

Grand Prize Option 2: Science and Wonder 

This prize pack contains:
– A family pass to the Space Place
– A NeoBear AR Globe
– A Merge Cube holographic cube
– A selection of locally-made goodies, including chocolate! 

Wellington City Libraries is grateful to Experience Wellington, The Space Place, and OfficeMax for their generous sponsorship of this prize. 


Art Through Technology

Grand Prize Option 3: Art through Technology 

This prize pack contains:
– A selection of high-quality artistic stationery
– A Merge Cube holographic cube
– A selection of locally-made goodies, including chocolate! 

Wellington City Libraries is grateful to OfficeMax for their generous sponsorship of this prize. 


Movies and More

Grand Prize Option 4: Books, Movies and More 

This prize pack contains:
– Free movie vouchers for Light House Cinemas in Wellington – enough for the whole family
– A Unity Books voucher to the value of $50
– A selection of locally-made goodies, including chocolate! 

Wellington City Libraries is grateful to Light House Cuba for their generous sponsorship of this prize. 


Pick up the Adventurer’s Guide from your local library and visit our Summer Reading Adventure website to pre-register and start logging your reading and adventures today.

Read on to find out more!

Continue reading

Tūhono 2022: We Want Your Poems!

Tūhono, Wellington City Libraries’ poetry journal for children and teens, is now open for submissions! Until December 14th, we will be accepting submissions of poetry from young writers aged 5 – 18 in Wellington City. In previous years we have published more than 200 young poets in Tūhono — so this year we’ll again be splitting it into two books, one for kids and one for teens.

Enter here!

Click this button to enter!

Unlike some other poetry journals, having your work accepted in Tūhono is not a competition — as long as you follow the rules of submission, every piece of work that gets sent to us will be published. Tūhono itself — the collection of poetry from young people all over Wellington — will be published as an eBook on OverDrive, and in a limited print run for our libraries, so that everyone with a library card can borrow it and bask in your talent and glory! Check out previous editions of Tūhono on our catalogue here.

Let your poetic thoughts take wing!

Here is all the information you need in order to submit a poem for inclusion in Tūhono 2022:

When?

  • Submissions are open from 1 November – 14 December 2022.
  • The journal will be published and available to borrow from the library in early 2023.

Where?

Who?

  • Anyone between the ages of 5 and 18 who lives in the Wellington region may participate.
  • You may submit as an individual or as a group.

What?

  • Theme: We want you to write a poem on the theme of “Whakangā | Breath.” Whakangā refers to the taking in of breath, or to the process of breathing. It also calls to mind the idea of inhaling from the world; taking a breath to create calm; taking time to stop, slow down, relax, be.Exactly what you write about in relation to this theme is up to you. You could write a poem about times when you feel calm or things that help you to feel relaxed; or, you could write about things or feelings you experience when you might feel the need to whakangā.We recommend you look up the definitions of the words ‘whakangā‘ and ‘breath‘ in a dictionary to find out all the hidden meanings before you start writing. They don’t mean exactly the same thing — and that is intentional, to give you a wider range of stuff to write about. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
  • Length: Your poem should not be longer than one A4 page typed, with size 12 font and 1.5 line spacing. Only one poem per person will be accepted.
  • Language: Your poem may be written in English or te reo Māori.

Why?

  • We want to give all young people in Wellington the opportunity to have their work published on an accessible platform. We think everyone deserves a platform and the chance to see something they created be part of the library’s collection, alongside all the other great authors and poets represented on our shelves. Tūhono aims to be a uniquely Wellington collection of writing, capturing the thoughts and emotions of kids and teens from all over the city and region across time. We consider ourselves lucky to be able to provide this platform for your creativity to take wing.

Throughout the month of November, we will be posting regular updates on this blog providing inspiration for your writing — so keep your eyes peeled! If you would like more information about Tūhono, you are more than welcome to contact the editors here. Happy writing, everyone!

View Finders Photo Competition Results

Over the school holidays, we asked young people to tell us a story by taking a photo!

We took submissions in three categories: Nature, Whānau, and Objects/Books, and in two age groups, 5-12 and 13-18.

Thanks to all our competition entrants who wowed us with your creativity, eye for detail, and wonderful visual storytelling.

We are grateful for the insightful judging provided by the team at Splendid Photo. Thanks Splendid for helping us pick these winners!

Check the winners out here! Underneath each photograph is the story behind them.

5-12 – Nature: Mala

Mala - Nature Winner

“I wanted to take a photo of a natural beauty. I want people to feel like they are in the photo, surrounded by towering blades of grass.”


5-12 – Objects/Books: Lucas

Lucas - Objects-Books Winner

“This cat was at the playground. I really wanted a photo of the cats paw because it looked interesting . I spent a long time getting the paw in the photo.”


5-12 – Whānau: Mia

Mia Whānau Winner

“It was sooooo cool! I didn’t know that sunrises in New Zealand could look like this. We were lucky to go to an old fashioned Bach. It was old and had holes in the floor. But the front bedroom had glass for one wall. So me, mum and my sister all slept in there, so that we could see the sunrise from our beds. I got up so early, so that I could go down and take photos. It was so beautiful I couldn’t believe it. Like art in the sky. Only us there on the beach together.”


13-18 – Nature: Brunella 

Brunella image

“For me, beauty is also in nature, and it’s not always exposed on the outside; easy to see, touch, feel, and smell… but it also is sometimes in unexpected places where if you look carefully, you can find light and beauty somewhere dark, small and
mysterious.”


13-18 – Objects/Books: Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn - Objects

“This is my netball hoop. Dad bought a new one because the other was tipping over. I have spent a lot of time this holiday practicing shooting for the netball season ahead.”


13-18 – Whānau: Tilly

Tilly Whānau Category Winner

“The whānau photo took place when my family and I were flying a kite on the beach. People stopped to watch as my family and I laughed willing it to fly higher and higher. The moment captured the familiar essence of whānau.”


Each of our winners won their own reusable film camera, a roll of film, and a voucher to get it developed! We hope they will all enjoy exploring a classic photography medium, that might be what their parents (or grandparents!) grew up with.

Thanks to Ben & Jerry’s Wellington and Light House Cinema who kindly provided some bonus spot prizes for a few other entrants!

Keep an eye-out for the travelling View Finders photography exhibition, including all our young people’s work. Coming soon to a library near you!

Enter the ComicFest Multiverse with Beanstack!

With ComicFest 2022 hitting the screens on Saturday 7 May, the capital’s comic book fans will be looking for ways to get hyped in advance of joining the veritable galaxy of comic creators we have lined up for the big day. You’re in luck — through our Beanstack platform, we have devised the perfect tool for anyone seeking entry to the ComicFest multiverse.

Visit our Beanstack site to start exploring the ComicFest multiverse!

What is Beanstack?

Beanstack is a digital platform and app that adds a bit of spice to our reading lives by allowing you to earn virtual badges and achievements (and sometimes real-world goodies too!) by reading and participating in activities and challenges. You can sign up for Beanstack at any time in order to:

  • Log reading books and minutes spent reading;
  • Earn reading streaks for reading on consecutive days;
  • Write, draw, or film book reviews;
  • Receive recommendations of books in our catalogue from our librarians and from other readers;
  • Engage in fun reading-related challenges and activities throughout the year to earn achievements and prizes!

While you have access to all of the above features at any time, our creative librarians are always dreaming up ideas for special Challenges to add even more flavour to your reading experience — many of you will have experienced this with the Summer Reading Adventure or View Finders challenges already!

What is the ComicFest 2022 Beanstack Challenge?

The ComicFest 2022 Beanstack Challenge is our latest offering, designed to get you immersed in the ComicFest 2022 multiverse ahead of the big day. When you sign up, you’ll be challenged to:

  • Explore the unique artistic worlds of our wonderful ComicFest creators — a star-studded cast including such greats as Tea Dragon tamer Kay O’Neill, cartoonist extraordinaire Dylan Horrocks, pro-wrestler and Sāmoan superhero Michel Mulipola, and webcomic megastar Jem Yoshioka;
  • Track down and read all of the books, webcomics, zines, and anthologies our ComicFest artists have created — be warned, this task could keep you occupied for a very long time!
  • Get geared up to submit your finest cartoonish creations for the Comicify Your Life art competition — entries are closed as of 1 May 2022 — but by all means keep on creating! We love to see your work!

Each digital badge you earn puts you in the running to win some awesome ComicFest spot prizes, all while immersing you in the amazing world of New Zealand comics and their creators. The challenge runs until Saturday 21 May, so you can keep exploring even after ComicFest 2022 is done and dusted.

How do I sign up?

Comic fans of any age can register for the ComicFest 2022 Beanstack Challenge by visiting our Beanstack site and hitting the “Register an Individual or Family” button. After that, you’ll be asked if you would like to register for the ComicFest 2022 challenge!

It’s also super easy to use Beanstack on your phone or mobile device. You just need to:

  • Download the Beanstack Tracker app (Google Play) (App Store)
  • Open the app
  • Choose ‘Library’ as the Organisation
  • Search for Wellington City Libraries
  • Touch Sign Up!

So go on and get signed up today — we can’t wait to see you there!

View Finders Beanstack Challenge!

This April School Holidays, take part in our View Finders Photography Challenge! 

We have a holiday challenge for you on our Beanstack platform!

This Beanstack challenge will guide you down the path of learning about photography so that you can get your submissions in before the deadline of the 1st of May — and there are some cool spot prizes for people who complete book reviews and take part in activities. We’re choosing a random book reviewer or challenge completer EVERY DAY to win a spot prize, so don’t miss out!

To jump right into Beanstack, click here! 🎞

Our Beanstack challenge is full of tips and activities to help you take great portraits of people, find flora and fauna in our wonderful city, and get inspired by excellent object photography!

Beanstack challenges

Some of the digital badges you can earn on our Beanstack!


For our photo competition, we’re taking submissions in three categories: Nature, Whānau, and Objects/Books, and in two age groups, 5-12 and 13-18.

The first prize for each category is a reusable Kodak film camera, some black-and-white film roll, and free development with Splendid Photo!

The Beanstack activities lead to a link to enter your own photos.

We look forward to seeing your photos and hearing the story behind them! You may want to display your photo at your local branch library at the end of the competition.

View Finders 1st Place Category Prizes

Our 1st place category prizes! You could win your very own film camera!


Special thanks to our friends at Splendid Photo, who are helping us to judge the competition, and Ben & Jerry’s Wellington, Light House Cinema, and Unity Books, who are kindly providing us with spot prizes to give away. Ka rawe!

View Finders Photo Competition

This April School Holidays, tell us a story by taking a photo!

From the 16th of April to the 1st of May, we’re running View Findersa photo competition for tamariki and rangatahi across Wellington City. There are heaps of cool prizes to be won — and a special exhibition to take part in at the end!

We’re taking submissions in three categories: Nature, Whānau, and Objects/Books, and in two age groups, 5-12 and 13-18.

Don’t forget to check out our special View Finders Beanstack Challenge to earn spot prizes, log your reading, and do some simple activities to get your photography skills into top gear for the competition!

Submissions for View Finders are now closed! We will be announcing the winners on the 13th of May — keep an eye on this blog for updates!

Nature:

Take a picture of something that blows your mind in a local park, down at the beach, or high in the hills! See what flora and fauna you can discover in the great outdoors of Aotearoa.

While you’re out and about, you might want to check out iNaturalist NZ – Mātaki Taiao, which is an app that you can use to record what you see in the natural world! There is also an annual City Nature Challenge for Pōneke/Wellington where us locals can make a big effort to see what we can find!

Whānau:

In a literal sense, whānau means family in Te Reo Māori, and is based on shared whakapapa and descent from a common ancestor.

Whānau is also used by non-Māori to talk about their family. Sometimes, Whānau is used to describe groups of people who come together bound by a common purpose, this could also be called whānau ā kaupapa.

So, for our photo competition, you can take a picture that tells a story about your family, or you can take a broader view of whānau to tell a story about a team or group you are involved in, or even a group of friends.

Objects or Books:

Tell us a story about a physical object that is important to you. It could be a cherished toy, or your comfiest couch! Maybe the object would even be a book (we do love books at the library!) With ComicFest coming up on May 7th, you could find a creative way to photograph your favourite comic book, maybe by putting it in a funny or unexpected location!


View Finders

Get your phone, tablet, or camera at the ready!


You can enter once per category. If anyone else appears in your photo, make sure you have permission to share it with us.

We look forward to seeing your photos and hearing the story behind them! You may want to display your photo at your local branch library at the end of the competition.

Special thanks to our friends at Splendid Photo, who are helping us to judge the competition, and Ben & Jerry’s Wellington, Light House Cinema, and Unity Books, who are kindly providing us with spot prizes to give away. Ka rawe!