Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Freezing mornings didn’t stop Whangārei booklovers flocking to popular book fair

Jenny Ling
Jenny Ling
Multimedia Journalist·Northern Advocate·
30 Jul, 2023 09:33 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Book Fair project committee member Barbara Macdonald said the Zonta book fair was going well despite chilly weekend mornings. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Book Fair project committee member Barbara Macdonald said the Zonta book fair was going well despite chilly weekend mornings. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A couple of chilly mornings didn’t stop booklovers from flocking to the annual Zonta book fair in Whangārei over the weekend which raised about $43,000.

Book Fair project committee member Barbara Macdonald said Zonta’s Great New Zealand Book Fair sale at the Badminton Centre went well on Saturday and Sunday.

That’s despite temperatures plummeting to 3.2deg C in Whangārei on Saturday morning and 5.4deg C on Sunday.

Mangakahia Lions and Zonta members at the book fair, this year held at the Badminton Centre on Porowini Ave. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Mangakahia Lions and Zonta members at the book fair, this year held at the Badminton Centre on Porowini Ave. Photo / Michael Cunningham

“We’re quite happy,” she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“I’m not sure our foot traffic has been quite what it usually is, but we had quite a good opening; the queue was from the door of the hall to the Z service station.

“We’ve had the coldest two mornings of the winter, so people haven’t come out that early.

“We’re grateful for the people who did come out and were prepared to spend money.”

Thousands of books were snapped up by the district’s avid readers over the weekend. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Thousands of books were snapped up by the district’s avid readers over the weekend. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Macdonald said thousands of books – from 50 cent children’s books through to treasured collectables like a $200 Pickmere Atlas - had been snapped up by the district’s avid readers. About $43,000 that was raised will be distributed among various local charities.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Any “leftovers” would be given to charities including the SPCA and some were headed to Cambridge for their week-long book sale, Macdonald said.

Macdonald thanked the event’s many supporters.

“We’re grateful that people came out in the freezing cold to restock their bookshelves.”

Shayne Dunseath from Activ8 was one of many volunteers who helped set up the event.  Photo / Michael Cunningham
Shayne Dunseath from Activ8 was one of many volunteers who helped set up the event. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The event is now in its 30th year and has been gaining momentum since it was first started by the Hatea Zonta Club.

As the event has grown, the club sought help from the Whangārei Zonta club and in 2021 teamed up with Mangakahia Lions.


Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Biodiversity crisis: Call grows to add wasps to Predator Free list

22 Sep 05:00 PM
Northern Advocate

Invasive wasps attacking a live weta in Northland

Watch
22 Sep 05:00 PM
Northern Advocate

New Ōpononi Area School building opens

Watch
22 Sep 05:00 PM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Biodiversity crisis: Call grows to add wasps to Predator Free list
Northern Advocate

Biodiversity crisis: Call grows to add wasps to Predator Free list

Wasps cost New Zealand over $130m a year in damage and control.

22 Sep 05:00 PM
Invasive wasps attacking a live weta in Northland
Northern Advocate

Invasive wasps attacking a live weta in Northland

Watch
22 Sep 05:00 PM
New Ōpononi Area School building opens
Northern Advocate

New Ōpononi Area School building opens

Watch
22 Sep 05:00 PM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP