Patrick Gower has hit out at New Zealand literacy rates, saying Kiwis "suck at reading" and promising a new investigation will shock many.
As part of his new series Paddy Gower Has Issues, which launches on Wednesday on Three and ThreeNow, Gower said the problem we had with reading was "the first thing I thought about" when looking at plans for his show.
Talking to AM hosts Ryan Bridge and Laura Tupou, Gower said it is an endemic problem that's just "holding us back as a country.".
"We actually suck at reading," Gower said.
"When I started to think about this show, the first thing I thought about was actually why we can't read properly in this country. We have plummeted down the international rankings.
"I talk to people all the time that can't read properly and I talk to mums in particular that are concerned about what we're teaching in our schools," Gower said.
"It is holding us back as a country, that's disgusting," he said.
Paddy Gower Has Issues begins on Wednesday on Three and can be streamed in full on ThreeNow from 7.30pm.
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