Kiwi Kids - One Month To Produce The Write Stuff

June 12, 2002

Kiwi Kids Have One Month To Produce The Write Stuff

Young students around the country are busy putting pen to paper as the 2002 Nestlé Write Around New Zealand: Nestlé Tuhi Amio Whenua competition deadline draws nearer.

Nestlé Write Around New Zealand is a national writing competition for year seven and eight children. The programme, into its second year, is specially designed to stimulate originality and creativity. It involves regional writing competitions, a series of author workshops and an overall national competition.

Finishing touches are being made to stories before the competition closes on 5 July, 2002.

National coordinator Kaye Lally says the programme is a fantastic way of encouraging children to tell their own stories and keep the art of story writing alive.

"Writing is one of the most important skills you can have and reading is one of the greatest joys in life. It is very important to nurture these skills in children and the competition provides a wonderful platform for this," says Kaye.

This year Nestlé Write Around New Zealand has enlisted the expertise of some of New Zealand's top writers and authors including Gavin Bishop and Apirana Taylor who have been educating and entertaining children in author workshop sessions at more than 110 workshops held in 76 libraries around the country during May and June.

Last year more than 5000 entries were received from the Far North to Stewart Island. We had school children entering from high country sheep stations, special needs children and city kids all keen to share their stories.

Nestlé New Zealand manager corporate services, Maurice Gunnell, says the workshops are an integral element of the Nestlé Write Around New Zealand programme.

"In order to develop the creative writing skills of young New Zealanders we need to teach and motivate them, as well as pass on the wealth of experience from New Zealand's top writers," says Mr Gunnell.

The Nestlé funded community programme is coordinated by Auckland City Libraries and supported by libraries in 10 competition zones around New Zealand.

Children can win a collection of great Kiwi books worth $500 for themselves and $500 worth of books for their school libraries, backpacks full of Nestlé products - and a computer if they are a national winner - by writing a 500 word story and sending it in.

The programme will select 150 finalists nationally and 30 zone winners from whom two national winners will be chosen in November. Last year Prime Minister Helen Clark presented awards to zone winners and overall national winners at a national ceremony held in Auckland.

Entries will be accepted in both English and Te Reo Maori and competition entry forms are available from schools with year seven and eight children, public libraries and on the Internet at http://www.writearound.co.nz.

Released by Porter Novelli New Zealand (Auckland) Ltd.

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