2026 Writing Successes

Our Russley writers have been doing great things! You can read all about their latest successes here:

https://russleywritersclub.blogspot.com/p/2026-writing-successes.html

NZ Poetry Society Anthology

We were super excited to learn that some of our students had their writing accepted for publication in the New Zealand Poetry Society Te Rōpū Toikupu o Aotearoa 2026 anthology, along with runner-up Chithralie Herath and Highly Commended entrant Lachlan Hogan.

Their poems will be published alongside poetry by youth and adults from Aotearoa and all around the world. The anthology will be launched on 25 November nationwide. More details to come!

The students selected for publication are:

Dwayne Sangkop, 'My Sister'

Denzel Sangkop, 'proud'

Divisha Kharola, 'This is Me'

Carter Aitchison, 'We Might Have'

Lachlan Hogan, 'at christmas we go to castle hill' - Highly Commended (Youth Under 18)

Chithralie Herath, 'Sri Lankan New Year' - Runner-up (Youth Under 18)

TOITOI news! Students to be Published in Print!

We sent so many stories and poems to Toitoi to be considered for their upcoming 2026 printed Journal, edition 35. Over 120, in fact! Toitoi said they received over 1,000 submissions from students in years 1 through to 13 from all around Aotearoa - and the standard was very high.

We are so excited to announce that two of our writers have had their work selected to be published. Congratulations to Year 7 student, Agatha H and Year 5 student, Jacob B! Their writing will be published in Toitoi 35, which is to be printed later this term and will be delivered in term four. We can't wait!

As Toitoi said, "Please tell your other young writers and artists not to be disappointed. Being a writer or artist takes determination and perseverance. We would love to hear from them again."

We will keep a lookout for the next submission date for 2027!

POETRY BOX Winter Poem Challenge - published poets!

The fabulous poet Paula Green challenged us to write some poems for her 'Winter Poem Challenge' on Poetry Box. We had fun thinking of all the things (good and bad) about winter. 

Congratulations to Rongo and Tyler, who both had their poems picked to be published on the Poetry Box website. You can read them on Poetry Box here or below.

Tyler’s Winter Poem

frost on the grass,
satisfying to step on

snow on the mountains
like a frozen waterfall

I sit on the living room floor
by the heater
and drink hot chocolate
with my cat, Poppy

Tyler, age 11, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Rongo’s Frozen Wonderland

blizzard as cold as ice
red fingers
fluffy puffy jacket

snow on the mountains
like gorgeous white chocolate

can see my breath like
a fire-breathing dragon

I sit at the kitchen bench eating
pancakes and waffles with syrup
like a golden waterfall

Rongo, age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

NZ Poetry Society Competition Success!

 Some of our writers entered the recent NZ Poetry Society International Competition. We are incredibly excited and proud to annouce two of our students were acknowledged.

Congratulations to:

Chithralie Herath who was the Runnuer-up in the Open Junior category for her poem, Sri Lankan New Year! This was an awesome achievement, especially considering Chithralie is 10 years old!

Chithralie has won NZ$50 in prizemoney and automatic publication in the NZPS anthology, to be published later this year.

In addition, Lachlan Hogan was awarded Highly Commended for his poem, At Christmas we go to Castle Hill.

How fantastic to have two students from TPK Russley awarded places! 

You can read Chithralie's poem at the link below:

https://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/open-junior-results-nzps-international-poetry-competition-2026/

Poetry Box authors - place poems

Congratulations to the following writers, who had their poems published on Paula Green's Poetry Box website. Special shoutout to Keanu, who Paula picked to send a poetry book to!

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2026/07/03/poetry-box-shares-some-favourite-place-poems/

Mimi L
Nora Y
Denzel S
Emily S
Keanu
Max C
Harrison E
Ava K
Hannah C

Summer holiday

Glistening ocean thunders
onto burning sand

Scorching sun streams
down through the salty air

Shiny grey rocks as slippery as ice
make me fall into the ocean
grandpa chuckles

Sweet strawberry ice cream
definitely makes up for the fall

“Don’t dawdle
while eating your ice cream
or your ice cream will melt,”
says dad

Mimi L, Age: 10, Year: 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Tian Jin Market

blue and green birds chirp
at the park next door

large dogs bark
strong winds howl

a man wearing a brown apron
sells juicy mango pulp

sakura shaped ice cream
tastes sweet and tangy

Nora Y, Age:9, Year: 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

A Day at New Brighton Beach

As the gulls screech as loud as mega-phones
and the waves crash into the sand
I race into the water and lose to my brother

While the ocean gets colder and colder
the sand is warm and the
shells are as smooth as silk

I breathe in the fresh air
and it smells like salt
as the gulls get chased away
by my brother

Denzel Sangkop, age:12, Year: 7, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

A Whole World In My Room

tossing and turning in my blue sheets 
bright and tan fairy-lights twinkling in the dark night
my cozy blanket drips
down the side of my mattress
like pudding with oozing chocolate sauce 
making the most comfy nap in all of Canterbury

my bedroom is irresistible to visit, when walking past
it’s just a bedroom everyone might say
but to me it’s MY bedroom
to the world it’s a single bed
but it’s my world to a singular girl like me

Emily S, age 11, Year 7, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Wahio River

tiny stones shuffling
dragon-like birds chirping
the bright blue sky shines
more than ever before

flowing stream, cold like
a freezing winter day         
cool wind blowing
water pounding on the rocks

but suddenly,
i get pushed in
my dad laughs uncontrollably

Keanu R, age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

The amazing game

panicked players running
bright orange basketballs bouncing
clean shoes squeaking as they touch the floor
hearts pounding fast like a cheetah running
energetic subs cheering for teammates
furious coach yelling as loud as an elephant

Max C, Age 9, Year 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Hanmer Springs on a Warm Summer’s Day

I am going down the tall hydroslide
with my mum
zooming as fast as lighting
while my sisters eat at the cafe reading books,
or sit in the hot pools.

Bees fly near the sulphur pools
because
they are attracted
to the disgusting smell.

Harrison E, Age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Seaworld in Australia

Spongebob boat roller coaster spins
Busy playground, noisy kids screaming
Crowded food stand, customers chat
The roller coasters are as big as two bedrooms combined

Biggest plane flies
Small splashes
Holiday cruise ship cruises
Salty popcorn fills my mouth as the shows begins

Little kids popping bubbles
Performing dolphins wow the crowd

Ava K., Age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

The Room of Green

Warm sunlight shines on the smooth fur of
sleepy reindeer, like a heater
Pond like a bowl of water
filled with elegant ducks and tiny chicks

Black furry cats and orange kittens
cuddle under the trees
as if they’re in their comfy bed

Bunnies jump into bushes,
like kids playing hide-and-seek in the park
Pine tree dances, sparrows chirp
like a singing choir

The forest comes alive,
like a room full of life       

Hannah C, Age 11, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School                                

NZ Flash Fiction Day Competition - Longlisted Author

 We are so proud of Russley Writing Club author Kastubh, who has been longlisted for the prestigious New Zealand Flash Fiction Day Competition! The Youth Division is for writers 18 years of age and under, and open to students all over Aotearoa. To have made this list is an awesome achievement. Congratulations, Kastubh!

Kastubh's story is titled, 'A Cheeky Grandmother in the Himalayas'. You can read the names of the other long listed and shortlisted entrants at the NFFD website here.

Kastubh read his flash fiction at the NZFFD event on 22 June at Tūranga.

You can read Kastubh's writing on Flash Frontier at this link.

Given Words anthology

 Bhaarati S had some amazing success in the 2024 Given Words Poetry Competition, where she was awarded Special Mention in the Under 16s category.

Charles Olsen, the director of Given Words has selected Bhaarati's poem for inclusion in an anthology, which he hopes to have published in the near future.

Congratulations, Bhaarati!

https://nzgivenwords.blogspot.com/2024/09/given-poems-2024-winning-poems.html

Poetry Box - Bird Poem challenge - poets published!

 Our writers created "bird poems" for Paula Green's May Poetry Challenge. 

Congratulations to the following students who had their bird poems picked to be e-published on the Poetry Box website:

1. Emily Saleh-Barsoum (book prize winner)

2. Hayley Chen

3. Hannah Chiang

4. Lewis (Junwoo) Shin

5. Kastubh Khadka

6. Ammar Shoaib

7. Damon Wu

8. Mason Cox

In addition, Paula picked Emily's poem as one of her favourites and is sending her one of her Poetry books!

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2026/06/01/poetry-box-may-challenge-some-favourite-bird-poems/

Little Thoughts Press - poets picked to be published!

We are super excited to share the news that some of our students have had their poems accepted for publication in the children's literary magazine, Little Thoughts Press. The magazine is based in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Congratulations to:

Agatha H and Ryan JJ! 

Their poems on the theme of 'traditions and rituals' will appear in the next print edition of the magazine. 

In addition, the following students have had their poems picked to feature on the magazine's blog along with a written interview. Well done to:

Hania, Noah C, Kieran B, William H, Basti C, Ryan C, Jessica P.

https://www.littlethoughtspress.com/

Published Authors!

Congratulations to these talented writers, who all had poems selected for publication in the NZ Poetry Society's anthology.

Henry Peters

Kelvin Ma

Angela Zhao

Their work was selected from over 1500 submissions, so this is a fantastic achievement.

The book, There Are Rabbits Here will be in the public library and is available to purchase from the NZ Poetry Society and all good bookstores.

https://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/product/there-are-rabbits-here-2025-anthology/

Book prize awarded to Rongo

At the end of last year, some of our students had their 'inspiration poems' published on Poetry Box. Rongo was given special mention and picked to receive a copy of Paula Green's beautiful book, 'Roar Squeak Purr'. Thank you, Paula!

You can read more about the challenge and see our student's poems here: https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2025/12/

 

A collection of inspired poetry

 Enjoy reading these beautiful poems from our year 4, year 5 and year 6 students.

Inspiration Poems published

 Our writers took up Paula Green's November challenge, to write a poem about a person who inspires them.

Paula had written a poem about Margaret Mahy, who inspired Paula. She imagined all the things that were special about Margaret being in her pockets. We loved Paula's pocket poem so much, this inspired our own poems. 

Paula said,

"This was one of the most incredible challenges ever!

I so loved getting your poems, little poem delights, little poetry wonders, little pockets of inspiration. WOW!!

I loved how being inspired means we take the next step, even if it is very tiny."

Paula picked some of our poems to publish on the Poetry Box website. Congratulations to:

Aayat B

Aoife M

Rongo

Abigail O

Sterling

Tiana R

In addition, Paula chose Rongo to send a copy of her beautiful book, Roar Squeak Purr to! She said, Rongo's poem "touched my heart". 

Congratulations once again, to Rongo and our other poets.

Well done to everyone who wrote a poem for this challenge. They were all so good and Paula wished she could have published every single one. She received so many amazing entries from schools all over Aotearoa. Paula said,

"Just remember writing poems is something many of us love to do! Sometimes we get published and sometimes we don’t."

You can read the published poems on Poetry Box at this link:

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/poetry-box-november-challenge-some-favourite-poems/

Paula Green

Poetry by Year 5 and 6 Writers

Whirling Wind

By TayJe, age 10

The wind pulls my tortoiseshell cat’s tail tight and firm.

It throws the big, blank, blue hat across the yard and down the street

and yanks the old spruce tree’s leaves.

The Soothing Sea

By TayJe, age 10

The beautiful, stunning ocean hums in the golden sun.

It sweeps and swooshes against the solid silver rocks and stones

and hops along the edge of the yellow, sandy beach.

The wind’s whispers

By Shrisha Balaji

the wind wraps around me

as she whispers 

the secrets of the night

The wonders of the sea
By Shrisha Balaji

she sweeps along the beach
like a ballerina twirling
 across the stage on her 
first dance 

her elegance
 takes the audience’s 
breath away

The wicked wind

 wind destroys my golden sandcastle
 he yanks off the feathers
 and howls as he sprints away 

The stunning sea

the sea twirls around my feet
she sings to me like an opera singer
she dances like a ballerina 
I leap into the water 
and skip over the waves

by Harper Beckingham

The Evil Wizard Wind

by Alex

The wind quietly tickles the guards,

sprinting across a seemingly untouched fountain,

His parents watch furiously from the fluffy clouds,

The evil wind has dangerously demolished the city,

I wonder if the story’s true?

The Secret Sea

by Alex

The untouched sea whispers the secret to life,

He spends time spinning around,

A high pitched whistle enters the city,

Walking past a mossy crusty fountain,

Then returns to the sea,

I wish I could see the sea.

The wind

by Capri

The wind whistles in my ear
The wind tickles the back of my neck 
like a massage 
The wind steals my yellow sunhat 
at the beach.

The Hot Sun

by Capri

The sun makes 
me sweat 
all day long
The sun gives 
me sunburn
The sun makes
me drink lots of water


The girl who sings to me

by Capri

 
The sea swoops me
into the abyss
She sings in 
my eardrums 
She crashes 
into the 
pointy rocks 

All by Caprie Milosi age 11 year 6 

The Sassy Wind

by Emily

The wind blows and howls like a wolf. 

It huffs a layer of cold breath on me

grabs my shirt and and yanks 

me with her.

A Terrorist Called “Ocean”

by Emily

The ocean sprints into the rocks

 with salt shakers bombing salt everywhere.

 

The ocean calls me to play with her.

The Mysterious Wind

by Maia S

The wind whistles at me, 

she pulls my dress and

my towel flies away with her 

like a tornado.

The Vast Sea

by Maia S

The ocean hums and whispers,

she twirls like a graceful ballerina and

sprints like an athlete.  

Aotearoa Tree Poems

 Our latest crop of Russley Writers took up Paula Green's October Poetry Challenge... to write a poem about a native tree, inspired by Ned Barraud's wonderful book, Rākau. 

We were delighted to read this morning, that Paula picked some of our poems to post on the Poetry Box website. In addition, poet Nathaniel will be the lucky recipient of a copy of Ned's book, Rākau! You can read them on Poetry Box at this link, or scroll down to read all seven fabulous poems on our blog.

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2025/11/03/poetry-box-october-challenge-favourite-native-tree-poems/

The life cycle of a kōwhai tree

the morning breeze shakes the kōwhai tree 

as zigzagging branches wiri wiri

coin-gold petals droop from sepals 

stamen sick out like porcupine's quills

crinkly brown seed pods hang down 

spreading seeds through the soil

another kōwhai tree grows 

and starts again

By Nathaniel Wade, Year 6

Gleaming Kōwhai Family 

bumby rumpy textured bark

branches reach to the sun

busy buzzing bumble bee

collects nectar with glee

tūī sings its songs of joy while

snuggling with her speckled eggs

drooping flowers, golden 

like the coins you hold so dear

careful wind sweeps seeds

across the grassy floor

at night,  

the moon shines

ruru passes

hunting for mice

glimmering raindrops

fall from the sky 

then, the crash of

lightning

the kōwhai has stood

through every single day

the tree grows tall

making homes for bugs and birds

a hazel-haired girl stands

there looking at the tree

that girl is me,

the kōwhai is like family.

 

by Libby Greenall, age 10, year 5

My Kōwhai Tree

You are the seeds that jitter across the forest floor

like little dancers in the breeze 

You are seed pods swinging like poi

slowly swaying to an invisible beat

You are the poi tassel leaves 

pale and soft in clumped leaflets

You are the petals in small clumps

of golden coins hanging downwards 

You are the gnarled branches reaching up

towards the sun, swishing happily

You are the rough bark that crumbles

to pieces in the wind 

You are the feather cloak of fallen flowers

coating the grassy ground

You are my kōwhai tree

Isabelle Holmes, Year 6 

New Zealand Beauty

tiny yellow tears scatter in the wind

knobbly seed pods gather on the ground below

little leaflets drift in the gentle breeze

every petal gleams like treasure in the sun

each sunny flower is like a pixie’s flowing skirt

spindly branches sway like dancers to a silent rhythm

long arms stretch, reaching for the clouds

rough brown bark home to moss and lichen

silky golden cloak envelops deep brown trunk

firm roots burrow deep into damp earth 

creating hidden tunnels

lemon coloured tree stands out against cerulean sky

this is my kōwhai 

Katherine Lord, Year 5

The Bright Kōwhai Tree

the kōwhai tree sways like 

a boat in the sapphire sea

silky leaves wiggle

through the wind

prickly brown seedpods dance 

through the sunlight

swaying like ballerinas

yellow flowers shine

like the ginormous sun

zig-zag branches perform tricks

like artistic sky-swimmers

Nico Meek, Year 5

Dancing Kōwhai Tree

crumpled tree skin like nana’s arms

bumpy branches twist like rattle snakes

silky smooth petals sway back and forth

crinkly brown seedpods twitch 

like dancing peanuts

they dangle and fall to the ground 

like rain drops

Evie Planicka, Year 5

The Sunny Sight of the Kōwhai Tree

sunny smooth yellow flowers

bright like shiny bow ties

tentacle-like stamen sway about

like swing chairs at the carnival

in the wind, seedpods judder  

like washing machines       

bumpy brown branches

zigzagging in the breeze

hard yellow seeds

tucked safely in their cosy pods

bright green-as tiny leaflets 

holding on tight like caterpillars

the kōwhai tree is as gold as 

the sun, it reaches up to the sky 

greeting the warm

morning

Theo Planicka, Year 5