Duff brings books on school visits

Alan Duff.

Duffy Books in Homes founder Alan Duff will visit eight Far North schools next week.

Back in the country for a meeting of the Alan Duff Charitable Foundation in Kaitaia, the Once Were Warriors author will spend three days touring the Far North, speaking to children and parents.

In 1993, when visiting Camberley School in Hastings, Duff found most pupils had no books in their homes. This realisation was the moment that sparked the creation of a charitable foundation which now reaches more than 100,000 children in almost 750 schools and early childhood centres.

Duff, now living in France, still plays an active part in the organisation which bears his name.

He regularly visits schools when in New Zealand and delights in being able to gift books to pupils who ask him interesting questions - or provide interesting answers to his.

Each child receives a minimum of five new books of their choice to take home and keep every year, and the chance to earn reward books on a weekly basis. The programme also offers numerous special awards and a travelling theatre group that tours the length of the country annually.

Since it was founded in 1994, the Duffy Books in Homes programme has grown to encompass 519 schools and 227 early childhood centres with more than 100,000 students and 200 sponsors in 2014.

Duff will be at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Pukemiro, Kaitaia, on Monday at 11.30am and Kaitaia Intermediate School the same day at 1.30pm.

He will be at Pompallier Catholic School, Kaitaia, on Tuesday at 9.30am, then Waiharara School at 11.30am and Pukenui School at 1.30pm.

The author will visit Ngataki School on Wednesday at 9.30am then Te Kao School at 11.30am and Te Hapua School " the country's northernmost school - at 1.30pm.