The nearly 40 research studies carried out in New Zealand during the last decade have resulted in some very important ideas. In the area of children and texts, research focused on how children learn from texts, and the resulting data suggest that children can and do teach themselves to read, learning from their mistakes. The complexity of the classroom environment and the effects of stressful situations were factors in research on teacher involvement in learning to read. The high proportion of non-European students with reading difficulties in New Zealand was the subject of research on language and cultural influences on learning to read. Research in the area of reading programs designed to intervene in the learning process varied from the effects of progress rewards in reading to massive book experiences to parent training. Field research on approaches to teaching reading has been very limited in New Zealand, but there has been considerable effort in survey testing. These data indicate that the reading achievement of New Zealand students ranks highly in comparison with that of other developed nations. There is a need, however, for a radical reassessment of evaluation procedures and objectives. Although some very good reading research has been done in New Zealand, there are gaps at the secondary and preschool levels and in the area of adult reading. (HTH)