Calling all tamariki aged 5–12 to celebrate 125 years since Cornwall Park was gifted to the people of Aotearoa by Sir John Logan Campbell. Write us a poem inspired by Cornwall Park.

Sir John saw tamariki enjoying the park after it opened in 1903. He loved to write and often included snippets of his favourite poems in letters to friends and whānau. He shared this joy in a letter:

“I had the pleasure to see with my own eyes to what great use Cornwall Park could be put to the people of Auckland, or at least its rising generation. For there I looked upon thousands of children in the full enjoyment of the sunshine in bright green fields disporting themselves to their heart’s content.”

Now it’s your turn.

Think about your own experiences in the park and create a poem inspired by what Cornwall Park means to you.

Your poem must be your own work and no longer than 25 lines (it can be shorter).

Judges
The competition will be judged by Elena de Roo, an award-winning children’s poet from Tāmaki Makaurau. She is the author of Ring Ting Tūī! and Wizardry to Wētā Verse, and a member of The Poets XYZ (alongside Melinda Szymanik and Kathryn Dove), whose mission is to encourage children’s poetry writing in Aotearoa.

Prizes
The winning poem will be displayed at Huia Lodge Discovery Hub in from 28 August to 20 September 2026 and published on our website. The winner and two highly commended poems will also receive a Cornwall Park theme prize pack, which must be collected from Huia Lodge Discovery Hub by 31 October 2026.

How to enter
Entries open July 4 to August 9 2026 and must include the entrant's full name, contact email, phone number, age and poem.

All entries must be submitted via our online survey form. Please let us know if you need assistance or an alternative method to submit your entry. 

The winner will be notified by email or phone on Friday 28 August 2026. The winning poem will be published online, on our website and social media on this date. 

By entering, you give permission for Cornwall Park to use your poem on social media, in-person displays, online and to add it to our archive.

You may enter poems written in other languages, but an English translation must be provided.

If you have any questions you can contact Huia Lodge info@cornwallpark.co.nz

Enter your poem