A ten year old boy from Waitakere Primary School has beaten thousands of other entries to take out first place in a Commonwealth story writing competition.
James Balston says he is still shocked with his win. Photo: RNZ / Sally Murphy
James Balston wrote about his sense of belonging in New Zealand through our native animals - a story the competition's judges described as wonderfully vibrant and vividly described.
Our reporter Sally Murphy met the competition winner from West Auckland
James drew this picture to accompany his story. Photo: Supplied
James' winning story
My parents often tell me that I belong in a monkey cage at the zoo.
I, most certainly, do not agree! I don't believe that I have much in common with your average monkey.
If someone said to me, "oh you little monkey", I would think, "why on earth would it cross their mind that I have any affinity with a monkey!"
As I was thinking of this, I wondered where I would belong in the unique animal kingdom of Aotearoa/New Zealand and which environment I feel most at home in.
I could be the graceful Fantail that perches on the rim of my trampoline as I bounce, defying the laws of gravity. He hovers just above me chittering away like there's no tomorrow, and I wish I could fly like him, but I don't think air is the environment in which I belong.
Alternatively I could be a Tuatara, the ancient reptile of Aotearoa. Each movement is precise and they are voracious carnivores, just like me.
But the thing with Tuataras is they live in burrows under the ground. I don't belong in a subterranean home.
I may be a human, adapted to live on land, but the environment I feel I have the greatest sense of belonging to, is the water.
I love the sensation of gliding through it and its coolness refreshes me. I feel exhilarated when I high dive into the deep blue water at my local swimming pool, or when I power through the waves at Orewa Beach. I become weightless and graceful, just like Hector's dolphin, known to Māori as Tutumairekurai, or 'special ocean dweller'.
That's me, not a monkey in a zoo, a bird in the air, or an ancient reptile, but a special ocean dweller. I belong in the waters of Aotearoa.
