Congratulations to Year 11 poet Sahara Hutchesson who won this year’s Battle of Te Ranga poetry competition and a write-up in the BOP Times!

Sahara’s 15-verse Te Ranga Gate Pa conveys the harrowing human toll of the 1864 battle which occurred just metres from the site of Aquinas College.

“I tried to show that people died and fought for the land and that it’s really important to remember them and what their family went through,” Sahara said.

She won a $100 book voucher, presented recently by historian Buddy Mikaere who has personally sponsored the prize for several years. He is the project director for the Pukehinahina Charitable Trust which oversees key local historic sites including Te Ranga. The poetry competition for Aquinas students seeks to raise awareness of the battle and its historical importance.

Sahara was asked to recite her poem at the Te Ranga Commemoration in June. The 15-year-old has been writing poetry for two years but this is the first competition she has entered. Amazing work Sahara!

Her BOP article can be viewed here: https://shorturl.at/hJPRT