Steve and Alex from Minecraft are teaming up with President Obama and Auckland Libraries to get kids writing code.
The Hour of Code uses the digital universe familiar to millions of children across the world to get them taking 60-minute tutorials on the basics.
Auckland Libraries want as many of those young people as possible to be Aucklanders during Computer Science Education Week, December 7-13.
“It’s like learning another language so the earlier you start the easier it is,” says Sophie Annan of Digital Services.
US President Barack Obama is a big supporter of the event. Last year, he became the first president to write a line of computer code when he programmed Elsa from Frozen with the JavaScript command “moveforward(100);”.
“Don’t just play with your phone, programme it,” is his challenge to kids.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has also added her voice to the cause calling for girls in particular to log on for the Hour of Code.
Check your local libraries for details.