Senior section: 286 haiku from 66 poets

harvest moon
the horizon between here
and hereafter

– Lorin Ford, Australia, First

heart failure
folding the sails
before nightfall

– Joanne Watcyn-Jones, Australia, Second

November darkness –
only the tick
of the engine cooling

– Earl R Keener, USA, Third equal

morning sun
a lone crow
scatters frost from the pine

– John Barlow, UK, Third equal

Highly Commended

noon
a quiet bell
reflects the sun

– Earl R Keener

her new wig
the fir trees
shed their snow

– Seren Fargo, USA

enamelled top
my son’s smile
spins around the floor

– Cynthia Rowe, Australia

sun-dried grasses
quietly, the sparrows
whirr as I pass

– John Barlow

Commended

almost dawn
a heron fluffs the stillness
into itself

– Jan Dobb, Australia

bushfire smoke…
yachts on the lagoon
have no masts

– Cynthia Rowe

heavy surf
too many moons
to count

– Pris Campbell, USA

carrying sunlight
the wings
of a dragonfly

– John Barlow

Special Mention

a calf born today
lies still
as a burlap bag

– Genie Joiner, USA

collecting …
for the dead miners
wild violets

– Ernest J. Berry, Picton, NZ

aftershock
across the tiles
peppercorns roll

– Barbara Strang, Christchurch, NZ

Best Local Haiku

the sound of running water
over pebbles
a bird calls his mate

– Gaye Hemsley, Katikati

Junior Section: 388 haiku from 281 young writers

Red poppies
   Battlefield
Blood red poppies

– Callum Reed, 12, Omokoroa Point School, First

waiting for the operation
          she dreams of swimming

– Harry Frentz, 16, Tauranga Boys’ College, Second

easter holiday
school of fish
brushes past my leg

– Ruby Robertson, 9, Matahui Road School, Third

Highly Commended:

drained swamp –
the landscape
turns to rust

– Harry Frentz

I exhale a cloud
it lingers for a second
I am a dragon

– Geena Williams, 12, Tauranga Intermediate

Commended:

early morning –
tui song
the colour of a camellia

– Harry Frentz

roaring night
in the bush
stags are challenging

– Kieran Lander, 11, Omokoroa Point School

my mother’s advice –
the cows
keep chewing

– Harry Frentz

breathtaking view
no door
sitting on the long drop

– Leah Godkin, 11, Omokoroa Point School

the sun chases me
the wave is roaring at me
my ice-cream runs off

– Oakley Dench, 12, Tauranga Intermediate

shells hit trenches
the death of soldiers
in no man’s land

– Sam Breen, 12 Omokoroa Point School

salty beach scene
sand blowing
tide on the run

– Zoe Nelson, 13 Omokoroa Point School

up above me
puffy clouds float by
taking the day with them

– Isabel Heasman, 12, Tauranga Intermediate

the shock of impact
streets filled with debris
no home, nowhere to go

– Tayla Fraser-Brown, 12, Tauranga Intermediate

Special mention:

And trees are like trees

– Olivier Hooper, 12, Aquinas College

tackling, fending
bursting, step-breaking the line
Try! Yay! Crowd goes wild

– Kingston Langilangi, 10, Gate Pa School