This month on our World Literary Tour, we are visiting Auckland, New Zealand! With its volcanoes, black sand beaches, lush rainforests, whale-watching harbors, and exceptional stargazing, it’s no wonder New Zealand has such a rich literary landscape.  

Now, you can give your users a trip to Auckland without ever needing to leave home. Visit Marketplace to discover recommended lists and curated collections featuring Kiwi stories, Indigenous voices, and Māori language works from various Oceania publishers.  

Through June 30, you can also save on a selection of titles for readers of all ages. Shop the on-sale list here. 

New Zealand’s literary landscape 

The country has produced literary giants like classic short story writer Katherine Mansfield, trendy sci-fi author Tamsyn Muir, and Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton. Māori stories captivate international audiences with Witi Ihimaera’s The Whale Rider, an acclaimed novel and film, and Mat Tait’s Te Wehenga, a retelling of a Māori creation story that won New Zealand’s highest recognition in children’s literature.  

Celebrate Māori New Year June 28 

Every year, Māori culture celebrates the rising of the Matariki star cluster. Known in English as the Pleaides or Seven Sisters, its reappearance in the winter skies of the Southern Hemisphere heralds a time of remembrance, celebration, and renewal for the Māori people. 

As the Matariki stars rise, they bring with them the promise of new beginnings and the strengthening of communal ties, echoing the timeless values of the Māori people. Whether through feasting, storytelling, or planting, celebrating Matariki offers a meaningful way to connect with both the past and the future.  

With the Matariki ready to rise into the sky above New Zealand once again, now is the perfect time for you to build a collection of titles celebrating this event! Our World Literary Tour has lists of titles related to Māori language and Māori culture to help get you started.  

Looking for programming ideas for celebrating Matariki at your library? Learn more about the Māori New Year and suggestions for how to celebrate here. 

Lights, Camera, Kanopy! 

View Kanopy’s collection of New Zealand cinematic offerings including titles from acclaimed New Zealand director Taika Waititi like Eagle vs. Shark, Boy, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The collection also includes documentaries, romance titles, thrillers, dramas and more! Visit Kanopy to view all the titles included.

Don’t forget to visit the Resource Center to grab the free marketing kit to promote your New Zealand content to your community! On the Resource Center you can also explore the previous stops on our World Literary Tour, including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Argentina, and more! Be sure to follow along next month when we visit Krakow, Poland. 

About the author: Jill Grunenwald is a Marketing & Communications Specialist on the North America Public Library Marketing Team. A former librarian, she joined OverDrive in 2015. Outside of the office she can be found writing, hanging out with her cats, collecting more Tarot decks than she has room for, and playing competitive pinball. Her favorite genre is something she calls “Murder at an educational institution that involves a close-knit group of suspicious characters.”