Auckland’s We Read Festival has launched another round of promoting local reads and authors across the city.
Kaituhi (authors) and their stories based in Tāmaki Makurau have been selected as part of the festival’s Bestie Collection for readers to pick up from their local library.
After the success of last year’s collection kaituhi Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) has returned with a sequel to his debut crime novel Better the Blood, with Return to Blood.
Bennett said the libraries were giving a “real push” for their books, making them accessible and available for readers.
“it is really is something because I know that with a lot of our books it takes a while because you have to go on a waitlist to get a book from the library normally.
“They’re really wanting Auckland readers to read Auckland books. They get a lot of books into the system and the waitlist disappears.”
The impact of the collection has caused some of the books to be the most borrowed across Auckland Libraries beating out the likes of James Patterson and Lee Child, he said.
“For us as authors it’s just amazing. I’m really honoured. This is the second year and I had another book in last year.”
He is most proud about his book Better than Blood making it into school curriculums all around the country for students studying NCEA.
“It’s so good that our books are entering the curriculum and are being taught to a generation of Māori, who are, hopefully, getting excited about the ideas we’re talking about.”
Bennett is also the co-curator Māori of the Auckland Writers Festival alongside his daughter Matariki Bennett.
“We’re all about giving Māori authors and Māori writers a voice, gving them a platform to talk about stuff that is important to us.”
Joining him is kaituhi Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) with her newly released book All that we know.
“Like Shilo’s book and the work that we Māori authors are doing is talking about where we are as people 200 years after colonialisation and the stuff we need to celebrate, get better at and fix.”