The wordsmiths of Queen's had further reason to celebrate this term, with ongoing success in local and national competitions.

A huge congratulations to Maia Scott (Year 9) whose poem 'Moeraki' was awarded the runner-up prize in the Dunedin 'What's That Sound?' poetry competition. As a special event for National Poetry Day, Maia attended the prize-giving at Dunedin Public Library and read her poem aloud to the crowd of poetry lovers, including a number of New Zealand's beloved poets such as Vincent O'Sullivan and Emma Neale. Her poem received high praise from the judge, writer Barbara Else, who commended Maia on her strong imagery and engaging content.
Ambah Robinson, also in Year 9, also had her poem 'Kaiapoi' accepted for publication in the New Zealand Poetry Society anthology, due to be printed at the end of the year. Brooklyn Taylor (Year 13) was also successful in having a second poem selected for publication in this collection.  Keep up the wonderful writing and congratulations on the acknowledgment of your creative efforts. 

Moeraki

Moeraki was as it’s always been -

a never-ending ocean view, bunches of little cottages,

a playground, a camping ground, and even a big

fish n’ chip shop we’d always go to.

My siblings, cousins and I did what family do -

searched for shells in the golden sand,

squabbled and complained about the heat,

hunted for seals like pirates searching for treasure,

played hide and seek until late afternoon,

walked the lighthouse track,

ate fish and chips while watching

the colour of the sea collide with the sky.

Doing nothing important.

Maia Scott