A “book battle” is about to debut in Tauranga this month after success last year in Auckland, Waikato and Manawatū.s

The Book Battle NZ will be hosted by Pyes Pā Primary School on September 15 with students from local 15 schools participating, New Zealand Literary Association (NZLA) president Todd Burton said.

Having witnessed the Waikato Book Battle enjoy three years of success, Burton – a teacher at Omokoroa No. 1 School – decided to bring the Book Battle over the Kaimai Ranges.

“We’ve had reports back from the schools saying that the kids loved it,” Burton said.

He put the word out for a Tauranga Book Battle at the start of this year, got interest from schools, and sourced a venue.

Book Battles encourage children to read widely, explore different genres and visit their local library, Burton said.

For the competition, children pre-select five or six books to read and study, then they team up to complete a quiz-style challenge on the day.

Convinced that “paper books aren’t going anywhere”, Burton said there are titles that would suit even the most reluctant readers.

“Scholastic put out plenty of awesome titles for kids to read. For boys [or those not keen on lots of words] there are graphic novels.”

Burton said the September 15 quiz would have multiple-choice answers to make it less threatening.

“It’s competitive, but everyone’s out there to have a good time as well.”

Year 5-6 students participate in seven rounds of questions, while Years 7-8 compete in 10. Each round focuses on a specific book the students have read.

“We want to create lifelong readers,” Burton said. “If children are engaged in reading and they love books, then teaching them the reading process becomes easier.”

Bayleys Tauranga is sponsoring the event and Scholastic provides the books to schools.

Sarah Campbell, real estate agent with Bayleys Tauranga, is sponsoring the Tauranga Book Battle. Photo / Bijou Johnson

Bayleys Tauranga Sarah Campbell said the more kids are encouraged to read, the more they’ll learn at school. The Book Battle harnesses their competitiveness as a trigger to get them reading, she said. “It’s an academic sport.”

With 15 schools involved this year, Campbell hoped to get 30-40 on board in 2026.

Campbell and her team will provide winners’ cups and prizes, ensuring the children feel rewarded for their effort, teamwork and enthusiasm.

She said it’s more than a competition, it’s about inspiring young people to connect with literacy in a fun and memorable way.

Book Battle NZ originated in 2015 as a free inter-school reading competition in Auckland, guided by Vicki Munro and Nova Gibson.

The fulltime librarians introduced the North Shore competition in 2019, followed by Waikato in 2023, and Manawatū in 2024.

Each event attracts about 200 students.

“This is not our day job,” Munro said. “We do this for the love of reading and the joy of seeing kids getting excited by reading.” “Scholastic offers huge support, and we couldn’t do this without them.”