Beam a Kiwi author into your classroom

Looking for something different to wrap up this ‘challenging’ year with, while also promoting literacy learning among your primary pupils?

Perhaps having an exciting Kiwi author / illustrator beaming into your classroom via livestream for a chat could be one way to brighten up the remaining weeks of the 2021 school calendar.

With the cancellation of the kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) Northland Story Tour, Storylines presents the Northland Digital Story Tour, giving schoolchildren and teachers the chance to meet the people behind some of our beloved books, either from the classroom or on a device at home. 

On each day of the ‘tour’, a special guest author or illustrator presents via a live stream, making two presentations, at 11.00am and 1.30pm, so viewers can choose the time slot to suit them. Remaining dates of the tour are 24 November; 29 and 30, and 1 December. Each presentation will last 45 minutes and there will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Storylines host. 

Who is presenting?

Wednesday 24 November, author/illustrator Gavin Bishop, 11am or 1.30pm (suitable for Year 4+)

A graduate of Canterbury’s School of Fine Arts, Gavin Bishop is a writer/illustrator who has Waikato/Ngāti Pukeko affiliations and these show to advantage in his work, especially Kātarina, a story of his great-aunt’s life. Gavin won the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal in 2000 and in 2002 his plaque became part of Christchurch’s Writers’ Walkway. In 2009, Storylines launched the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award for Picture Book Illustration, in honour of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated children’s illustrators. 

Monday 29 November, comic artist and illustrator Michel Mulipola, 11am or 1.30pm (Year 5+)

Illustrator Michel Mulipola is an Auckland-based self-taught comic book artist and illustrator. He has been immersed in the world of comic books from the tender age of five and wanted to draw comic books from that moment on. He has illustrated comics for the WWE as well as Marvel Comics trading cards. He is currently working on the US comic book, Headlocked: The Last Territory.

Tuesday 30 November, author Heather Haylock, 11am or 1.30pm (suitable for preschool to Year 4)

Heather Haylock was born and grew up in Rotorua. As a child, she could often be found reading a book while sitting on her horse, or perched way up high in a tree. She was overjoyed to have her manuscript, ‘Granny McFlitter the Champion Knitter’, chosen for the 2017 Storylines Gavin Bishop Award text, and over the moon to see the wonderful illustrations done by the winner, Lael Chisholm. Heather loves the challenge of knitting words into stories. 

Wednesday 1 December, animator/ author/ illustrator Munro Te Whata, 11am or 1.30pm (Year 4+)

A creative artist with experience in several mediums Munro is of Māori (Ngā Puhi and Ngāti Porou) and Niuean (Makefu) descent. Munro moved around Auckland frequently growing up and had attended up to nine different schools by the end of secondary school, mostly around Avondale and the surrounding suburbs. He has a background in animation and a Bachelor of Creative Arts majoring in Creative Writing. He was one of the animators who brought the animated series Bro’ Town to our screens during its successful five season run. 

Book here to attend any, or all, of the presentations: https://www.storylines.org.nz/events-and-activities/storylines-national-story-tours/storylines-digital-story-tour-november-december-2021/.