Kia Ora, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Kia orana, Nisa Bula Vinaka, Fakalofa lahi atu, Taloha Ni, Namaste, Annyong, Warm greetings, to all Duffy Books in Homes schools, sponsors, role models and supporters.

It’s been a busy few months at Duffy Books in Homes headquarters, where we have been attentive to the rapid development of technology, including at last week’s Pacific Wave Conference 2016 “Prosperous Futures through Technology”. We know so much more can be achieved when organisations, community, business and funders work together to benefit our communities, so it was an opportunity to learn and collaborate with new industries. 

We were also pleased to be invited to the ‘Reading Changes Lives’ event presented by Miranda McKearney, founder of the Reading Agency in the UK. This certainly had a literacy focus and created a collective of literacy based organisations with the opportunity to further advocate and research around a reading for pleasure vision in Aotearoa-New Zealand.  So, watch this space.

There are some great pictures in this newsletter of a very successful fundraising event – The Stage of Origin plus another great round of Book Offer One - Role Model assemblies. I was very fortunate to visit two of our schools Ohinewai School in Waikato and Maketu School in the Bay of Plenty during their assemblies.  It’s always an amazing experience sharing a love of reading with young people in our Duffy school communities and seeing excited children receive brand new books of their own to take home.

I’m looking forward to receiving the entries for our Scholastic Duffy Day Out competition and T-shirt poem designs. Book Offer Two - Government Book Week should see a few MP’s and local board members invited to our schools to present the books. Remember term two book offer is fully funded by the government.

On to the Duffy Hub, firstly we farewell Myron Simpson who has been an awesome member of our Duffy hub team particularly, his role in project managing a very successful Stage of Origin fundraiser. Safe travels Myron on your OE and we hope you will re-join our Duffy Family when you return. Secondly, congratulations to Rachael Vagana on maternity leave, with the new addition to their family – a cute baby boy.

Lastly, thanks to all our fantastic Duffy schools, principals, teachers, students and parents for supporting a love of reading in our communities. Also, our wonderful sponsors, supporters and our role models – Thank You for your commitment and continued partnership throughout our Duffy communities.

I hope you enjoy this month’s edition of our e-news.

Happy reading!