I have always believed we should enhance the literary skills of our young people and while our literary heroes may never challenge the glory and respect given to our All Blacks, we still need role models to inspire us.
This Literary Heritage Trail celebrates writers, poets and playwrights who have contributed to this young country’s cultural and historical life.
I hope you will take the opportunity to be part of this journey.
- Hon. John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand.
What an overture to literature! What a resounding tribute! You'll never quite make it to the heady heights of kicking a ball around a field, writers - but cheer yourself on the hope that maybe you can be ... a role model?Honestly?
I don't think I've ever thought of the great authors as role models - have you? Actually, I'm not sure I'd want any of my kids to view them in that light. "Maybe someday I can be a great writer, Mummy, and smoke too much, notice everything that's wrong with society, behave unsociably, feel overwhelmed by my failures and probably fail to gain recognition until I'm dead!"
Sometimes, people should just not try very hard to talk up something they're obviously not very interested in. Let that be a lesson to you, John Key.
