About Us

The Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand supports and promotes children’s literature in New Zealand. 

Writers Joy Cowley and Margaret Mahy are patrons and active supporters of Storylines.

The Storylines Trust was established and is supported by the Storylines Children’s Literature Foundation, a membership organisation comprised of dedicated professionals in the fields of reading, writing, publishing and literacy. Many members work in a voluntary capacity on Trust activities and the various committees which undertake Storylines’ work for children’s literature in New Zealand. 

Together, the Trust and Foundation members work nationally to promote the value of books and reading for children and young adults, and to support the development of New Zealand children’s literature.

Storylines is known for its advocacy for children’s literature, and for the Storylines awards offered to writers and illustrators of, and advocates for, children’s books.  

Storylines also publishes a newsletter, What’s the Story?, and themed booklists (available to members only) providing an invaluable up-to-date resource on the best recently published fiction and non-fiction works by New Zealand and international authors and illustrators. It also publishes The Inside Story, a year book which contains lectures by award winners, lists of New Zealand and international awards, and papers of note about children’s literature.

Since 2001, Storylines has led New Zealand’s membership of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), thus providing a voice – and presence – for New Zealand children’s books and authors in an international forum.

Storylines also runs a series of events centred on children’s literature – the Storylines Festival, plus seminars and other events during the year. These feature New Zealand authors, illustrators, storytellers and performers, and one or two international guests.

Through these events, Storylines promotes reading to children and their families through interaction with writers and illustrators, and through offering a range of activities and opportunities to engage with books though storytelling, crafts, illustration, book readings and drama performances.

Other Storylines activities include events arranged in association with publishers, New Zealand Book Council and other literature organisations and libraries, and Bookchat groups which provide members with an opportunity to learn more about recent publications and to debate the merits (or otherwise) of recently reviewed books.

There are affiliated children’s literature associations and/or individuals active on the organisation’s behalf in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty (Bookrapt: The Bay of Plenty Children's Literature Association), Hawke’s Bay, New Plymouth, Wellington (The Wellington Children's Book Association) and Christchurch (Te Tai Tamariki).

Good working relationships are established with the New Zealand Book Council, Te Tai Tamariki in Christchurch, New Zealand Book Month, Booksellers New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors, the Kiwi Write4Kids group, and many others. 

In 2007 and 2008, Storylines developed reading guides for parents and teachers: Reading with Joy (a guide to good New Zealand books for children from birth to 8) and Reading on Up (for 8-12 year olds). These were published with support from the SkyCity Auckland Community Trust. 

We received Digital Strategy Fund funding in 2008 to develop 10 short videos featuring interviews with New Zealand authors and illustrators – published as Literature Live.

We continue to explore, and where possible find funding for, innovative ways to engage children, parents and teachers with reading, and in particular with reading quality New Zealand children’s literature.