“You’re the very first children in New Zealand to receive your own copy of Tarore and Her Book by Joy Cowley.  Are you excited about that?” Stephen Opie, Bible Society Bible Engagement Advocate boisterously asks the 400 children gathered in the Matamata Primary school hall.
 
“Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaah!” They scream back.
 
With excited faces looking on, more than 400 free copies of the book were distributed in class sets in special kete bags to the teachers.  The children then followed their teacher back to their classroom where they were presented with the book.
 
This event at Matamata Primary School was part of a weekend of celebrations in Matamata, only a few minutes away from where Tarore once lived, and is now buried.  The celebrations drew large crowds as the story is an integral part of the regions Christian heritage.
 
Although Bible Society has been working on this project for nearly a year, this moment at the primary school encapsulated the entire vision.  As Joy presented one class with their books in person, the sight of 20 little pairs of eyes lighting up as students flicked through the pages was worth all the hard work.
 
The night before, 250 people gathered at Matamata Bible Church for the launch of the large format edition that will very soon be available in shops.  Sales were frantic and Joy was busy throughout the evening signing as many books and meeting as many people as she could.
 
“Tonight we are launching not just a book, but a vision.  A vision that hundreds of thousands of primary aged children will hear the story of Tarore and be inspired by this true Kiwi story of peace and forgiveness,” Stephen told the Bible Church gathering.
 
“This story has inspired many generations of Christians and others, but tonight we launch this vision to tell this story to the whole nation.  In this story, the transformation the Bible brings manifests itself in the act of true forgiveness.  And it’s this forgiveness that brings peace.  A life-changing concept for Maori living in the 19th century.  A life changing concept for Maori, Pakeha, Asian, Indian, Pacific Islanders, and everyone else in Aotearoa living in the 21st century,” he said.
 
With enough copies of the smaller format giveaway edition in English and Maori for nearly every single primary school child in the nation, the Tarore book project now enters its second phase, distribution.
 
The hope is that as many hundreds of thousands of children and families read about the forgiveness and peace brought to them through the words of the Gospel of Luke, that they too will become catalysts for change in their own communities through offering forgiveness and pursuing peace.
 
The giveaway books will be distributed to schools, including those with Christian Religious Education programmes from 1 October.  It will offered to all primary schools in New Zealand.