by Beckie Howie

Library visit with Maria Gill

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In week four of this term, we were privileged to have Maria Gill, an award-winning New Zealand author, with us at the library.

Maria was the recipient of the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for Services to Children’s Literature in 2020. 

She is currently an artist in residence at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora under the Arts Four Creative Residency programme and has published over 60 children’s non-fiction books, many of which we use on a regular basis with our ākonga.

Maria spoke to six of our English classes from different year levels. 

She shared her story of how she became a writer, and showed us her creative process from conception to final product. She talked about working with others, and the importance of advocating for yourself in the writing industry.

Thank you Maria for sharing your time and wisdom with us. We look forward to seeing what else you create! And a big thank you to Read NZ Te Pou Muramura who made this happen with their Writers in Schools programme.


- Becky Howie, Library Assistant