We’re nearly halfway through term one of the school year and it’s a good time to remind the young people we live and work with, and ourselves, that being successful isn’t about talent or gifts. It’s about learning, working with … Read More
My youngest daughter enrolled in Auckland Libraries’ summer reading program back in early December. We started off well, reading every day for 20 minutes as a whole family 🙂 But then Christmas came and New Years and holidays away and … Read More
Hey guys sorry about that last post – I thought I found a snazzy way to share a link but it came out all wrong! Anyway, happy new year to everyone. I started an open group on Facebook called The … Read More
Do you guys sometimes get Impostor Syndrome? That’s that feeling you get when you start doubting yourself, about whether you can really do something and you’re just waiting for someone to catch you out and say “Faker!” To be honest, I … Read More
I visited Papakura Intermediate today and it was so awesome sharing stories with these talented young people, showing them that reading can change people’s lives … even a book about rocks! And then to hear that the kids took books … Read More
Today I visited Wesley College and spoke to the students about dreaming big and how reading helps us discover amazing things about ourselves we never knew before.
Hey guys today I want to talk about something important we can learn from Goosebumps, Lani Wendt Young and the Tongan rugby league team. I went with my family to see the film Goosebumps 2 today. The effects were cool, … Read More
Some people think the only place you’ll see women at a racetrack is dressed in bikinis, waving start flags and spraying champagne on the winners. You won’t find Jodie Donovan doing any of that. She’s been drifting for more than … Read More
I had an incredible week in Raro this week. The Cook Islands Ministry of Education invited me to come and share in their literacy week celebrations. I visited lots of schools on Raro, talking to young people, and being inspired … Read More
This week I launched a new book Fanene Peter Maivia: Son of Samoa. It’s the first in a new series called Reading Legends. These are picture biographies of legendary Kiwi and Pasifika heroes.
Have you heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the Level Up Challenge and the Kiki Challenge? Today I helped Kedgley Intermediate launch the Reading Chain Challenge. Children who sign up for it receive spot prizes along the way and special … Read More
I’m working on a new book in the Pasifika Heroes series – Tokelau Heroes. Today my students performed a play about Lata, a legendary Tokelau hero. It was a show for children and was performed at Vodafone Events Centre in … Read More
It’s Cook Islands Language Week and we’re celebrating by sharing a little about some of the inspirational people featured in my book Cook Islands Heroes. The aim of this book is to inspire Kuki Airani young people and anyone else who loves … Read More
It’s Cook Islands Language Week and we’re celebrating by sharing a little about some of the inspirational people featured in my book Cook Islands Heroes. The aim of this book is to inspire Kuki Airani young people and anyone else who loves … Read More
It’s Cook Islands Language Week and we’re celebrating by sharing a little about some of the inspirational Cook Islanders featured in my book Cook Islands Heroes. The aim of this book is to inspire Kuki Airani young people and anyone else who … Read More
It’s Cook Islands Language Week and we’re celebrating by sharing a little about some of the inspirational Cook Islanders featured in my book Cook Islands Heroes. The aim of this book is to inspire Kuki Airani young people and anyone else … Read More
It’s Kuki Airani (Cook Island) Language Week and to celebrate I’m going to share some stories with you from my book Cook Islands Heroes. To start our week, have you heard about the awesome conservation work of former Cook Islands … Read More
Cool evening being interviewed by Fatima Lui as one of her “Live Talk” subjects. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/livetalksnz/videos/1096004440555461/
Today I shared about how reading changes people’s lives with children at Grey Lynn Primary School.
I was invited to attend the World Final of the Kids Lit Quiz today. Canberra Grammar (Australia) won the final. In the evening we had a dinner and I sat with one of the Australian families. The dad went … Read More
So awesome today that I got to speak to children at Our Lady Star of the Sea School. This week is the school’s Book Week and they have lots of activities happening to promote reading. That’s a great school man!
Today I spent a morning at Manurewa High School with Michel Mulipola, talking about the power of storytelling.
This week I spent time with Year 6 students at Southern Cross Junior Campus in Mangere. We worked on a project called Pasifika Heroes in Homes, set up by school social worker, Tupou Evans. The children chose heroes from the … Read More
I spent today at a Boys and Reading workshop at the National Library. It was awesome to see boys inspired by books and to share exciting ideas with like minded friends: Linda, Henry and Dave from Books in Homes and … Read More
In the NBA there are a few megastar players like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. The kinds of players that every team wants and will do all that they can to keep. And then there are … Read More
Hey everyone, we’re well into 2018 and I wonder how we are all doing with the goals and dreams we have for this year. I read, saw and heard lots of inspiring stories of achievement during the summer and I … Read More
“When I play for New Zealand I play for my country of birth. But when I play for Tonga, I play for my heritage and my family.” (Tongan captain, Sika Manu.) Tonga was introduced to rugby league through the 1986 Pacific … Read More
Everyone knows how great Fiji are at rugby union, especially the sevens game. But Fiji have also made their mark in the world of rugby league. Players like Josefa Levula were stars in English rugby league in the 1960s. A … Read More
