Newcomers
Kia ora and welcome to Christchurch City Libraries. We have a good range of resources and services on offer for new residents. Christchurch City Libraries has a network of community libraries and a team of helpful librarians.
Join the library. It's free!
Kia ora and welcome to Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi - join online now.
Join the library: information in community languages
Information on joining the library in community languages.
Code of Conduct: information in community languages
Read the library Code of Conduct in community languages.
Read (and listen) in your language
Read books, newspapers and magazines in languages from all over the world, and watch movies too.
We have online resources as well as titles to borrow and take home. For a full list of languages available see our World Languages Collections page.
World Languages Collection
Including Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Polish, Rarotongan & more
Ciao and Welcome to the Italian Language collection!
Christchurch City Libraries is thrilled to welcome its latest World Languages Collection: Italian!
eResources
Read in your language with OverDrive
OverDrive has eBooks in a range of languages including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Italian.
PressReader: Newspapers from around the world
Use your library to access online newspapers and magazines in 60 different languages including Chinese, French, German, Arabic and more.
LOTE4Kids
Storytime in your language! Kids can enjoy a digital collection of books in Languages Other Than English, including NZSL and te reo Māori.
American National Book Awards
The winners for 2024 have been announced in Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated literature and Young people’s literature.
Streaming Video, DVDs, and Music
Beamafilm
Unlimited access to thousands of great movies, documentaries and series for free with your library card.
Enjoy world cinema with Kanopy
Watch films in 40 languages, including Spanish, German, French, Russian, Arabic and Japanese online with Kanopy.
Naxos Music Library World
Streaming over 10,000 world music albums, from legendary historical performances to contemporary world music.
Access Video - Simple English Series
Online video series of lessons in simple English. Topics covered include greetings, numbers, spelling, time, and language at work.
Events
Come along to events and activities at your library.
Events
Festivals, holidays, anniversaries, and special days
Annual festivals, holidays, anniversaries, and special days of the year in Christchurch.
English Conversation Clubs & ESOL Book Discussion Groups
Join in group sessions to practise conversations in English, or read a short book for ESOL learners & talk about it at the library.
Wā Pēpi: Babytimes and Wā Kōrero: Storytimes
Wā Pēpi: Babytimes (for tamariki under 2) & Wā Kōrero: Storytimes (for over 2s) are on in libraries - find out where and when.
Events: Find out what's on at the library
Storytimes, cultural celebrations, tech classes, book groups, exhibitions, author talks, hobbies and crafts, and more.
Services
Useful resources and information to help you get things done.
Services
Justices of the Peace (JPs)
Visit a Justice of the Peace at some of our libraries, now including a Wednesday session 5pm to 7pm at Tūranga. Find out where and when.
CINCH Community Information Christchurch
Visit the CINCH online directory to join and connect with community groups, organisations, activities, education, and hobbies.
Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizens Advice Bureau provides free and confidential advice to everyone. Talk to CAB for information, options and support.
Meeting rooms and bookable spaces in libraries
Looking for a meeting room or space for an event? Find out about rooms and bookable spaces in libraries.
Book clubs and reading groups
Want to talk about books and ideas? Join a book club or reading group!
Special interest book clubs and groups
Some book clubs and groups are tailored to a particular audience or subject. Check our events calendar for:
Book clubs in languages other than English
Learning English
Borrow English language courses, grammar titles, or books in simple English to help you learn or access online resources focused on improving your English skills.
Learning English eResources
Arrivals in English
Aimed at Beginner-level learners this resource provides practical English for newcomers adjusting to life in New Zealand.
Tense Buster
Improve your English with Tense Buster which helps learners with 33 key grammar areas at five levels.
Practical Writing
Practical Writing is for students who need to use written English both in their studies and in their personal life.
Active Reading
Improve your reading skills, Active Reading will help those learning English to read more efficiently and more confidently.
Clear Pronunciation 2 Speech
Learn to speak English clearly, after completing Clear Pronunciation 1 Sounds learn to put the sounds of English together for natural speech
Road to IELTS: General
Self-study preparation course to help you prepare for the globally recognised IELTS exam. Tests English proficiency at a general level.
Clear Pronunciation Sounds
Learn to speak English clearly, recognise and pronounce the 43 sounds of English through audio, video and interactive activities.
Mango Languages
Mango is an online language learning system that can help you learn the most popular languages in the world.
Road to IELTS: Academic
Self-study preparation course to help you prepare for the globally recognised IELTS exam. Tests English proficiency at an academic level.
In the catalogue: Learning English
English-Chinese Bilingual Family Literacy - School Starters
Chinese parents with school starters can use information and resources to build a bilingual literacy environment at home.
LinkedIn Learning for Libraries
All the content from Lynda.com, video library of courses and tutorials on software, creative and business skills taught by industry experts.
O'Reilly for Public Libraries
A vast collection of ebooks, videos, case studies, learning paths, expert playlists, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 other publishers.
Road to IELTS: Academic
Self-study preparation course to help you prepare for the globally recognised IELTS exam. Tests English proficiency at an academic level.
Mango Languages
Mango is an online language learning system that can help you learn the most popular languages in the world.
Local organisations working with newcomers
Search CINCH Community Information Christchurch for:
Learning to drive
The Road Code is the official guide for learning to drive in New Zealand. You can borrow a copy from the library, and most libraries have a copy available for reference. The Road Code is also available online for free.
