Let’s get writing!
Have you ever lifted a stone on the river? Have you watched a bird dive into the water? Have you read books about river birds? Do you know what a ‘braided’ river is?
Competition details
Download the following details as a PDF
Theme: “The Ashley-Rakahuri River is a taonga in our community. All life on the river is connected. How can we help the river thrive for future generations to enjoy?”
Eligibility: Open to primary school pupils in the Waimakariri District up to 13 years old
- Section One: Essays from students aged 10 to 13
- Section Two: Essays from students aged 9 and under
- Section Three: Poems from students aged 10 to 13
- Section Four: Poems from students aged 9 and under
Word count: Maximum 800 words essay or poem. No minimum word count.
Entry Dates: Entries open 16 March and close midnight 01 May 2026. Any entries submitted before or after these dates will not be considered.
Entries: Must include the following:
- Name
- Age
- Section number
- Contact details (phone or email)
- Signed permissions from an adult
- Signed declaration that it’s your own work
- Signed declaration that AI was not used to generate any or all of the work
- Be submitted as a Word document (*docx) attached to an email to: secretaryarrg@gmail.com
Additional terms and conditions:
- Author’s own original work; use of editing software such as Microsoft Word (editing only, not co-pilot) or Grammarly is okay but use of AI is not
- May include up to 3 images, drawings, or figures
- Information must be factual, not fictional
- Judging will be by a team of three people
- All entrants will be notified of results by email
- By entering you agree that the Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group has the right to publish, reproduce and copy the entries
- The winners’ works will be on the group’s official website and may be in other publications
Great Prizes:
Overall Supreme winner: two nights accommodation for a family of four in the Piwakwaka Suite at Ashley-Rakahuri Gorge Holiday Park plus a two-night stay in the Viking Barrell pod for 1-2 adults, kindly donated by the owners, Jean-Pierre Derveaux and Michelle Tamaki.
The Supreme winner also receives the book Up The River: Explore and Discover New Zealand’s Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands, by Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud.
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Winner of Section One: Essays from students aged 10 to 13 receives: Wildlife:An Animal History of Aotearoa, by Philippa Werry.
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Winner of Section Two: Essays from students aged 9 and under receives: Backyard Birds by Ned Barraud.
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Winner of Section Three: Poems from students aged 10 to 13 receives: Up The River: Explore and Discover New Zealand’s Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands, by Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud.
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Winner of Section Four: Poems from students aged 9 and under receives: Words about Birds by G.F. Fuller.
