Five ways Aotearoa thrives when people read

In April 2025, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura published an article titled 'Five ways Aotearoa thrives when people read', available here. Excerpts from the article:

Reading for pleasure seems like such a simple pursuit: but it’s also a game changer for our intellects, well-being, and even economically!

1. Improved mental wellbeing and stress reduction

Studies have proven that a thirty minute stint reading for pleasure can help decrease physical symptoms of acute stress. This comes across in our own research, too: in 2021, 64% of you identified that you read because it helps you relax and unwind.

2. Greater opportunities

The OECD found in 2002 that reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child's future success - even more powerful than socio-economic background.

3. Keeping us curious

Reading for pleasure keeps us primed for lifelong learning. It helps keeps us curious about new sources of information or using our imaginations: and likewise, is said to stimulate our cognitive performance.

4. Diversifying Aotearoa’s offerings to the world

It might not be the first export we think of, but in 2024, the GDP of the New Zealand arts and creative sector was estimated at $16.3 billion. Books and literature are a significant part of our cultural capital, and we support the whole ecosystem by reading.

5. Learning about others, and about ourselves

People who read literary fiction have been proven to have heightened empathy. Books help us to become a kinder, empathetic nation: and to explore perspectives and worldviews of all Aotearoa’s people.