Summer Reading Challenge

Beanstack is back this Summer!

We're bringing back the summer reading fun this year, with all new challenges on the popular Beanstack app. Log your summer holiday reading and help us achieve our district-wide goal of 170,000 minutes! Earn reward badges on your digital bingo card to be in to win some awesome prizes. Join with your friends and whānau on the app, and follow each other’s progress on your leader board.

What's new?

This year's Summer Reading Challenge is just for tamariki and rangatahi aged 5-18 years (under 5s can join the separate '1,000 Books Before School' challenge on Beanstack). Grown-ups are very welcome to use the Beanstack app to log their reading and contribute to our goal of 170,000 reading minutes across Selwyn.

For some extra fun this year, we are also introducing Bingo Beads - earn beads for registering and completing Bingo badges on Beanstack, and use them to make your own bookmark or bracelet. To collect your beads, simply visit your local Selwyn Libraries branch (including our Edge Connector mobile service) and show one of our friendly team the badge(s) you have earned on the app.

What is Beanstack?

Beanstack is a digital platform, designed to encourage reading through easy tracking and gamified challenges. It can be accessed either through a free app, or on a desktop computer.

The app allows you to track and log your reading, join library challenges, work towards personal reading goals, earn badges, and read with friends and family.

How do I sign up?

1. Download the free 'Beanstack Tracker' app from the Google Play or Apple stores.
2. Open the app and tap 'Let's go'
3. Select 'At my library'
4. Tap 'Find a site' and enter 'Selwyn Libraries' in the search box
5. Select 'Sign up'
6. Follow the prompts to create your account
7. Add other family members (eg. children) to your account, if required.

Download the Beanstack app now.

How do I join the Summer Reading Challenge on Beanstack?

Challenges can be found on your Beanstack home page. Select 'View all' to display all the challenges on offer. Challenges can also be found via the 'Discover' tab in the bottom tool bar.

Simply select the challenge you wish to take part in and click 'Join Challenge'.

You can then view the challenge overview, description, bingo card and badges. You earn badges for completing each challenge, and these badges then go towards filling your bingo card.

How do I enter the prize draws?

When you earn badges for completing the challenges, you also earn tickets. The more tickets you earn, the more entries you have to enter in the prize draws (see below).

Log in to Beanstack and click on the Summer Reading Challenge on the home page. Scroll along the top menu and tap 'ticket drawings'. This will show you how many tickets you have earned for the prize draws. Place your tickets in the prize draws that you wish to enter by tapping on the thumbnail from the prize menu, then add your tickets (note that you can also remove tickets and add them to a different draw).

Please check that you are placing tickets in the prize draws appropriate for your age bracket.

How do I log my reading?

1. Select the '+' at the bottom of the screen
2. Tap 'Reading'
3. Log your reading by starting the timer, or manually entering your minutes.

How do I add friends?

On Beanstack, you can keep track of what your friends are reading, and by selecting 'Leaderboard', see how your reading compares!

1. Select the 'Community' tab on the bottom tool bar
2. Tap on 'Friends'
3. Tap 'Add friends' (a code will appear)
4. Send the code to your friends so they can add you to their account, or enter the code your friend has given you to add them to yours.

Prizes

$10 Selwyn Libraries 3D printing voucher (all ages)

Have you visited one of our Selwyn Libraries branches and seen our 3D printers at work? This prize entitles you to choose $10 worth of 3D printing at any of our branches. Let your imagination take flight!

10 winners will be drawn.

Find out more about 3D printing at Selwyn Libraries.

$10 Selwyn Libraries public programme voucher

Enjoy $10 off one of our popular public programmes. Redeemable on any Selwyn Libraries user-pays programme, as advertised in the What's On in Selwyn brochure or on our website.

10 winners will be drawn.

Selwyn Aquatic Centre family pool pass

Enjoy some time at the Selwyn Aquatic Centre with a family pool pass! Valid for 2 adults and 2 children.

10 winners will be drawn.

Selwyn Sports Centre admission and ball hire pass

Have some fun with a friend at the Selwyn Sports Centre, with two casual entry and ball hire passes.

10 winners will be drawn.

Summer Reading Challenge 2026-27 terms and conditions

1. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these conditions of entry. Entry into the competition is deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions.
2. In these terms and conditions:
   1. the "Promoter" is Selwyn District Council ("SDC"), 2 Norman Kirk Drive, Rolleston, New Zealand.
   2. the "entrant" is an  individual who signs up to the Selwyn Libraries Winter Holidays Reading Challenge on the Beanstack platform.
3. The promotion is open to New Zealand residents. Employees of the Promoter and any agency involved with this promotion, are not eligible to enter. All draws will be conducted, and winners randomly selected, by the external Beanstack platform.
4. The promotion commences at 9am on Tuesday 1 December 2026 and closes at 6pm on Sunday 31 January 2027. (“promotional period”).
5. To enter the promotion, during the promotional period the entrant must register on Beanstack and join the Selwyn Libraries Summer Reading Challenge. They must earn badges within the challenge and place tickets earned into the appropriate prize draws.
6. Draws will take place on Monday 1 February, and consist of the following:
   • 10x draws - $10 3D Selwyn Libraries Printing voucher
   • 10x $10 Selwyn Libraries public programme vouchers (redeemable on any of our
   • 10x draws - Selwyn Aquatic Centre Family Pool pass (valid for 2 adults and 2 children)
   • 10x draws -  2x Selwyn Sports Centre single admission (casual entry and ball hire) vouchers
7. The prize winners will be advised by registered email on Monday 1 February.
8. The prizes will be as stated for the above draws. The prize is not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash.
9. In the event that the prize is not collected within 10 days of the winner being contacted, the Promoter reserves the right to redraw the prize under the original terms of the prize draw.
10. Once awarded, the Promoter is not liable for any part of the prize that has been lost, stolen, forged, damaged or tampered with in anyway.
11. In the event that the prize becomes unavailable for any reason beyond the Promoter’s control, the Promoter may in its sole discretion decide to provide an alternative prize.
12. Neither the Promoter nor any other entity associated with this promotion will be responsible for any late, lost, misdirected, corrupted, incomplete or incorrectly submitted entries, including but not limited to entries not received due to technical problems or human error. The time entries are deemed to be made will be the time the entry is received, not the time the entry is submitted by an entrant.
13. The Promoter reserves the right to disallow entries in its absolute discretion and without giving reasons.
14. The Promoter may share entrant information, including name and contact details, with other persons or entities that assist in running the promotion.
15. The Promoter reserves the right, at any time, to verify the validity of entries and determine the eligibility of entrants (including an entrant’s identity and age) and to disqualify an entry or refuse to award a prize where false or misleading details have been given by an entrant, or where an entrant has behaved in a fraudulent or dishonest manner, or otherwise than in accordance with these terms and conditions or the spirit of the promotion.
16. By entering this Promotion, entrants agree to the use of their names, photographs, and likeness for promotional/advertising purposes without charge, and agree to make themselves reasonably available for this purpose. The ensuing copyright will rest with the Promotor, without any claim to compensation from the entrants.
17. The prize will be presented at a time and place arranged by the Promoter. Arrangement may, at the discretion of the Promoter, be made to deliver the prize to an address in New Zealand.
18. Entrants acknowledge and agree that they will comply with all instructions given by employees of the Promoter and other agencies associated with this promotion and agree not to do anything that may bring the Promotor into disrepute.
19. Entrants agree that as a condition of receiving the prize, they may be required to execute a waiver and indemnity in the form provided by the Promoter.
20. If an entrant cannot accept the prize for any reason, that prize will be void and no compensation will be payable.
21. Failure by the Promoter, to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
22. All decisions made by the Promoter, its employees or agents are final, and no correspondence will be entered into with any individual or organisation querying that decision.
23. The Promotor may amend, suspend or cancel any aspect of the promotion (including any prize/gift) at any time at its sole discretion.
24. Except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law, the Promotor (including its officers, directors, shareholders, employees, advisors, assignees, agents, licensees, representatives, advertising and promotional agencies), excludes all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity), whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of the Promotion, including, but not limited to, where attributable to any of the following: (a) any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction (whether or not under the Promoter’s control); (b) any theft, unauthorised access or third party interference; (c) any entry or prize claim that is late, lost, altered, damaged or misdirected; (d) any variation in the prize; any tax liability incurred by a claimant or entrant; or (f) use of a prize.
25. As a condition of participating in the promotion, the entrants indemnify the Promoter, all organisers, sponsors and all other persons and organisations associated in any way with the promotion against all claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including legal fees on a solicitor and client basis) which an entrant may incur arising out of their participation in the promotion and/or the travel and tour associated with it, howsoever caused.
26. By entering the draw, the entrant agrees to the Promoter collecting and holding personal information provided by the Entrant themselves, for the purposes of this promotion only.