‘Best readers in the world': Meet the NZer behind the international Kids' Lit Quiz

The Spinoff

31-07-2025

Wayne Mills held the first Kids' Lit Quiz in New Zealand in 1991. More than three decades years and seven countries later, he's preparing to hand over his quizmaster's top hat.
Wayne Mills walks his laptop around to show me his library and reading room. 'No technology in here!' he grins through the screen. 'Only a La-Z-Boy and books.' The bookshelves are stacked. On top of the shelves stand figurines – I spy other knick knacks tucked in among the books. It's the kind of sight that makes the heart glad. Mills' reading room is put to great use: he's getting through a book every two days, mostly children's books from all over the world, because he is the founder and quizmaster of the Kids' Lit Quiz that has been running annually for 34 years and now spans seven countries. In less than two weeks the world final is taking place in South Africa – and Mills is setting the questions.
The annual competition for kids ages 10-13 (intermediate level) starts with regional heats in which teams are asked 100 questions over ten rounds. Regional winners then take part in the national competition, in which a buzzer is added and points are lost for incorrect answers. National winners then quiz off against winners from the rest of the participating countries in an effort to win the title of Kids' Lit Quiz world champions.
Prize money is raised through sponsorship – the $12,000 prize for the winning team at the New Zealand nationals is sponsored by the Wright Family Foundation and is used for subsidising the team's international travel costs for the world final. The Kids' Lit Quiz at large is supported by a $115 fee that each team pays to enter the competition – those funds help support the administration of the international website, quiz spot prizes, and helps cover accommodation, meals, rental cars, per diems and other expenses related to participating in the world finals. Mills has never been remunerated for the thousands of hours spent wrangling, reading and setting quiz questions – it's a passion for the project that drives him.
When Mills first set up the Kids' Lit Quiz in 1991, it was partly in response to concern that boys in particular weren't reading. The hype around that year's Rugby World Cup had placed an emphasis on sport and competition and he saw a glimmer of an idea in that. The Kids' Lit Quiz is competitive and Mills thinks that having a sense of competition as well as male role model (himself – the OG quizmaster) helped intrigue the boys in those early days.
The quiz took off and gathered a life of its own. This year, 530 teams from across the motu took part in Aotearoa's regional heats. Mills says that today getting boys into books isn't so much of a worry – it's the worldwide decline in reading for pleasure that's of most concern.
Lynette Collis is the librarian at Palmerston North Intermediate School and the coach of the winning team in this year's New Zealnd Kids' Lit Quiz. Next week she and her team of four intermediate-aged whizz-kid readers will fly to Johannesburg for the world competition, where they'll quiz-off against teams from six other countries – Canada, USA, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and South Africa. 'They really want to win,' says Collis with a nervous laugh. Training is daily in the lead-up and consists of reading as widely as possible, and watching literary quizzes on YouTube to stock up on general knowledge. They know there will be 10 categories at the worlds, but they they won't know what they are until the day.
Collis thinks your average adult would struggle at the worlds. 'Once we get to South Africa we're up against the best of the best,' she says.
Both Mills and Collis agree that the Kids' Lit Quiz isn't just about competition. It's about community and conversation. Mills argues that we tend to forget that reading isn't the solitary activity we often perceive it to be. 'Reading needs social interaction!' he says. 'Adults have book clubs and get to talk about books – kids need that too! We should be talking to them about everything – what's in the news, what they're interested in.' Mills is concerned that we've entered an age where reading in-depth is on the decline: we're reading summaries and short bites, and not spending enough time in long-form discovery. Mills cites this as well as Covid as a major factor in the recently reported literacy crisis among New Zealand's teenagers. The lack of access to books and a reliance on screens he says was a huge interruption in children's lives.
Collis agrees – as a full-time librarian and the only intermediate school librarian in her region, she knows only too well how important deep reading and conversation is. Students will come to her during library time and bet that she won't have anything for them. That's when Collis will chat to them about their interests and then steer them towards books that meet them where their curiosities are. This work is unfortunately a rare occurrence in New Zealand today, where approximately two out of three schools don't have a library and there are very few full-time librarians at the schools that do have one. School libraries are not mandatory in Aotearoa.
'What food did Paddington have with him when he arrived in England?'
'What revolting couple played nasty jokes on one another?'
'What would happen to Pinocchio's nose when he told lies?'
These are sample questions from Mill's extensive 'question bank'. He never approaches a book with a mission to find a question – rather the questions tend to pop out at him as he reads. Myths, legends, fairytales, and nonfiction behemoths like Horrible Histories are useful given how broadly they can be understood. For the more specific questions, Mills is always trying to craft a question that will make the kids want to read the book from which it derives.
While Mills is busily reading a book every two days in preparation for quizmastering, Collis and her team are eagerly anticipating the journey to Johannesburg, meeting the other teams and coaches, and taking part in a week-long programme of events including workshops and museum visits. Part of their quiz preparation involves a range of fundraising activities: their nationals winnings went a long way to covering flights and accommodation but they need a bit more to cover the rest of their costs.
Next year the world final will be in New Zealand, possibly held in Northland. It'll be Mills' last stint as quizmaster – there's going to be an 'official and ancient ceremony known as the passing of the top hat' whereby Mills will hand the quizmaster title to Alan Dingley, a passionate librarian, reader and educator who has most recently filled the position of Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador (Kate De Goldi took over from Dingley last month).
Mills won't be far, though: he intends to keep writing the quiz questions until 2027 and will be a regular attendee at the national and international events. His eyes light up when he explains how the finals work: the winners are announced at a deliberately formal dinner. Students wear their best clothes and one member of each team has to stand up and tell the crowd all about their favourite book. After that, the winning team is announced and the trophies and prize money handed out.
'They get treated with the utmost dignity and maturity,' explains Mills. 'That's so that the kids get a taste of what it means to be in the adult world and that they know that what they've achieved is a big deal. Those kids will be spoiled and treated and interviewed – they're the best readers in the world.'