For the SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR, The Cathedral Grammar School has produced the national winner of the Warriors Community Foundation's League in Libraries Creative Writing Competition—this year selected from more than 700 entries nationwide.

A huge congratulations to Year 5 student Sanne Mitchell, who has been named the Years 4–6 Supreme Winner in the 2026 League in Libraries Creative Writing Competition—a national initiative that inspires literacy through the mana of the One New Zealand Warriors.

Sanne's winning story, The Travelling Pōro, follows a Warriors match ball that mysteriously goes missing before embarking on an unforgettable journey around the world and eventually finding its way back to the team. Her creativity, originality and storytelling impressed the judges, earning her the competition's highest honour in the Years 4–6 category.
To make the announcement even more memorable, One New Zealand Warriors player Ali Leiataua surprised Sanne with a special video revealing that she had won!

As the national winner, Sanne will travel to Auckland as a special guest of the One New Zealand Warriors, where she will attend an upcoming Warriors home game and enjoy an unforgettable prize experience. Her prize also includes having her story professionally published and illustrated, working with an editor to refine her writing, accommodation in Auckland, and a One New Zealand Warriors jersey.

Congratulations, Sanne! We are incredibly proud of you and can't wait to follow your exciting Warriors adventure.