About Us

Reading together for a fairer, kinder, more connected Aotearoa New Zealand

Books are a gateway to compassion, hope, love, understanding, epiphany and empowerment. They let us live a thousand lives not our own, walk in the shoes of strangers, and allow us as individuals to tap into the vastness of human experience and discovery — all from the comfort of a favourite chair.

But when does reading move from a personal pastime to a shared experience with the power to create real-world change?

At Book Discussion Scheme, we believe book groups can be places of learning, inspiration, connection and personal growth. Since we started this journey in 1973, we’ve been flooded with stories from people describing the special place book group holds in their lives; they’ve gone deeper in their learning, been enriched by the perspectives of others, and enjoyed making reading a social activity. There are currently around 13,000 Kiwis experiencing the benefits of book group, but we’re not stopping there…

1,150

Book titles to choose from our catalogue

60+

Book titles added to the catalogue each year

116,050+

Books dispatched to groups every year

Social agenda

Encouraging book group participation in harder-to-reach people and places

Our social agenda is about promoting literacy and a love of books within sectors of the community currently under-represented within book groups. In order to do this we prioritise and subsidise book group initiatives for the following groups:

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Libraries
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Prisons
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Schools
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ESOL and migrant communities
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Māori
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Rural communities
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Men

Find out more about our social agenda groups and how you can be involved.

View our social agenda groups

Support us

Help us spread the benefits of book groups

Book Discussion Scheme is a registered charitable trust. Our NZ Charities number is CC56730. If you would like to make a donation in support of our work you can give quickly and easily via our Givealittle page. You will automatically be sent a receipt for tax purposes.

Find out more about donations, bequests, and how to sponsor a set of books.

Support BDS

Our People

Meet the team behind BDS

We are a small but mighty team delivering our service to approximately 1,300 book groups across the country. From the Board to the dispatch team, volunteers and administrators, we’re a varied bunch with a love of reading in common.

Meet the team

Our history

Unique in New Zealand since 1973

Book Discussion Scheme got its start thanks to members of the Canterbury WEA. From humble beginnings in a garage behind the CWEA offices, BDS has grown from just a handful of groups in its first year to more than 1,300 across the country today.

View key moments in BDS history

About us