Glenda Northey with Liv Haysom

Local Piha folk came out with the honours at the “Capturing the West” 2012 Essay Competition in honour of Jack Diamond, the original researcher of the West.

Glenda Northey won the “Adult Semi-Pro Research” section with an essay on libraries, while young Liv Haysom won the Primary School Category and the supreme Diamond Prize for best essay overall with her essay “The School in the Swamp”. See here The School in the Swamp

This essay was a well-researched and well-written story about the old Piha School, its beginnings and its future as a wetland education area for schools in the West, organised by the Piha Education Trust.

Liv was commended for her writing sytle and also for her use of a variety of sources, including published and primary sources and also an interview with Bruce Byers, one of the pupils at the school when it was open. Liv’s school, Oratia Primary, which won the schools section of the JT Diamond competition, is participating in the wetland project and is growing flaxes and grasses to plant in the wetland.

One of Liv’s prizes was a diamond bracelet, donated by Franich family, who have a jewellers in Henderson

Liv Haysom with her prize certificate