A heartfelt Christmas initiative in Whakatāne has delivered 120 new children’s books to the Whakatāne Whānau Awhina Women’s Refuge, thanks to the generosity of the community and the efforts of Paper Plus.

The collection, organised by Whakatāne Paper Plus owner Graham Dennis and his team, encouraged customers to donate extra books while shopping for the festive season.

“We read about Kiwi Christmas Books and thought it was something we wanted to do,” Mr Dennis said.

“We wanted a charity that supports local, so we chose to support kids in need here. People have really got behind it – some even bought two or three books to donate.”

Whānau Awhina Women’s Refuge kaimahi Stella Marr welcomed the donations, noting the meaningful impact for the children they assist.

“Lots of people use the refuge over the next couple of months, particularly families with kids,” she said.

“It’s really nice to have something like this for them.

“As a reader myself, I love that these books can be shared out. A big thank you to Paper Plus for thinking of us.”

The books range from picture books for younger children to young adult fiction, with books donated by New Zealand authors such as Donovan Bixley, as well as classic favourites such as Dr. Seuss.

“There was one adult book because one lady wanted to buy an extra book for a mother,” Mr Dennis said.

The initiative is part of Kiwi Christmas Books, a nationwide registered charity that began in Auckland in 2019.

Founder Sonia Wilson started the scheme with a simple idea: buy an extra book for a child in need at Christmas.

Since then, the organisation has donated over 50,000 books across New Zealand.

The charity’s board of trustees, made up of parents, teachers, writers, and creatives, believes passionately in the power of books to nurture young minds.

“Good books grow great kids,” the charity says on its website.

“We are passionate about making sure all young Kiwis, no matter their background, have access to quality literature.”