Crowd of people with different coloured speech bubbles with the word Hello in various languages. The largest speech bubble says English Learners' Corner.

Practice your English in this fun social group! Grab a coffee from a nearby café, meet new friends and build your confidence.

See times and locations.

Gold and white mountains and clouds pattern, with the text Want to learn Mandarin or Cantonese? and the same question below in Chinese.

You will be surprised how easy it is to kick start your Mandarin or Cantonese learning journey!

Bring your questions so we can explore your curiosity and potential together through this free entry-level class.

Suitable for teens and adults.

See times and locations.

Librarian Nikki signing New Zealand in New Zealand Sign Language.

Come and learn New Zealand’s official language for the Deaf Community with free weekly sign language classes at Central Library.

Suitable for adults.

See times and locations.

Russian Language and Culture

Come along and spend an hour each week learning about the language and culture of Russia. This is a beginner level class, run in collaboration with the New Zealand Russian Community Trust.

Suitable for adults.

See times and locations.

Te Reo Tupu offers you a FREE opportunity to grasp the basic skills of te reo Maaori to understand and speak confidently at ANY given space. 

Over eight weeks you will be given teachings, resources and opportunities to use and  improve your reo, while also getting an insight into the Maaori worldview.

See times and locations, and register.

Mandarin Storytelling

Mandarin Storytelling is a fun-filled programme tailored for children and families. Stories will be presented in Mandarin with English interpretation. Come along - read, dance, and have fun!

Suitable for all ages.

See times and locations.

Practice your speaking and communication skills in a fun, welcoming and friendly environment. Suitable for both fluent and new English speakers - all levels of ability are welcome.

Suitable for adults.

See times and locations.

Occasional Language Programmes

Bilingual Storytimes

Storytime at Chartwell Library

 

Occasionally we run Storytime Sessions in other languages spoken within our community, such as New Zealand Sign Language, Arabic, or Afrikaans. Check our Event Calendar to see if there's one coming soon.

If you are interested in hosting a Storytime event in your own language, please get in touch with us.

Reading Buddies

A green background with the wording Reading Buddies, next to a child reading a picture book next to an adult and a therapy dog.

 

Reading Buddies involves reading to therapy dogs to build confidence with reading. This programme is designed specifically for school-aged children/young people who have print disabilities, dyslexia, or other disabilities which impact upon their reading; children who are very frightened of dogs and would like to improve their confidence around dogs through reading; and children who are learning to read in English as their second language, or children who are learning to read in Te Reo.

Reading Buddies sometimes has public intakes, taking place in our libraries; at other times Hamilton City Libraries works with local schools to bring this programme to pupils in the classroom.

To find out where and when the next public intake for Reading Buddies is open, keep an eye on our Event CalendarFacebook page, or sign up to our newsletter, ePaanui. To enquire about running the Reading Buddies programme at your school, please contact the Whakaahu/Innovation Librarians.