As a part of Anti-bullying Week earlier in the term, the Hauora Committee ran a poetry competition with the theme of tolerance, friendship, and anti-bullying.

The competition got some amazing entries and allowed students to think deeply about what these themes mean to them and express them creatively. It contributed to increasing conversations about bullying and well-being across the school. We are incredibly grateful to have an amazing external judge Laura Borrowdale, an experienced published writer, adjudicate and comment on the student's writing. 

It is the Hauora Committee's main goal to make Nayland a place where students feel safe and supported, so it was amazing to see so many people participate in a competition that uplifts the culture of our Kura.  

About Laura Borrowdale

Laura Borrowdale is short story writer, with a focus on the feminist. Her work has appeared in Landfall, Sport, takahē, Turbine, and Vice, among others, and her short story collection was published by Dead Bird Books in 2020. She is a Hagley Writers’ Institute graduate and current mentor, an English teacher, and has been the editor of the journal, English in Aotearoa.

Judge Laura Borrowdale’s comments:

Thank you so much for the opportunity to judge your students’ poetry. I was struck at the bravery of your students in confronting these issues, and in their direct understanding of it. A number of the poems showed a personal connection to the subject and this gave these poems a rawness that was striking. The poems that resonated the most with me were the ones that spoke to personal strength, solutions and hope.

• 1st place – Honey and Glass – Danielle Cobbald
• 2nd place  – Eternal Sunshine – Danielle Cobbald
• 3rd place – Friendship is an Unbroken Bond – Diksha Mahajan

Honey and Glass was my favourite of the poems as I loved the elegant language choices and the metaphors that encourage us to look beyond the surface. I also loved the idea of inner strength that came through here.

Second place is Eternal Sunshine. This poem evoked a strong sense of the warmth of friendship as a protection against the coldness of the world. Great vocabulary!

Third place is Friendship is an Unbroken Bond. I loved the celebration of good friends inherent in this poem.

The following entries also deserve to be commended for their vulnerability, honesty, authenticity, and strength. While some poems convey the often-agonising experience of being bullied directly, they still speak with a strength of self-conviction that is inspiring.

Commendations:

• Laughter - Thora Moffat
• Diary of a Victim - Fiona McLellan
• Watch me fly - Michaela Burley
• Anti bullying - Kayla White
• Friendship - Nikisha Singh
• Poem 1 (Friends can leave pain…) - Katie Wright
• Why do people do the things they do - Ryah Asi
• Feel, look, listen - Macey Yeo
• What If I Interfered? - Ciara McLellan
• Acceptance - Isla Galbraith
• Toxic Friends - Sylvie Brydon
• I am a bystander - Ella Scoggins
• What is a friend - Mattie Lang
• True Friends - Ruth Buckland
• Friends are Gold - Charlotte Hunger
• To Wear A Soul - Kaylee Douglas