| When The 2024 Speech Awards heats, for year 11 to 13 students, took place between Thursday 21 and Thursday 28 March with the national final on Sunday 5 May. |
Prize: $2000 – $1000 for the speaker, $1000 for their school
Raukura: feather plume, treasure. Recognising leadership, talent & achievement ā-Motu: national
Jessica Tupai
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Jessica Tupai ★
St Mary's College, Wellington
Prize: $500
Eke panuku: to hit home, win, gain victory, successfully overcome, to succeed, achieve, can be related to working through issues to achieve the appropriate solution.
Leo Mwape
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Leo Mwape ★
Palmerston North Boys' High School
Prize: $500
Rau: hundreds or many. Ahurea: culture – carries connotations of coming together.
Caleb Jenkins
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Caleb Jenkins ★
Selwyn College, Auckland
Prize: $500
Whetumatarau: many-pointed star – carries connotations of being aspirational for the future, doing or achieving great things.
Tanya Moeono
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Tanya Moeono ★
Otago Girls' High School, Dunedin
Prize: $500
Auaha: Creativity, to shape, create, form, fashion, innovate
Jessica Tupai
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Jessica Tupai ★
St Mary's College, Wellington
Prize: $500
Māramatanga: enlightenment, insight, understanding, light, meaning, significance, brainwave
Jessica Tupai
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Jessica Tupai ★
St Mary's College, Wellington
Prize: $500
Aumangea: advocate, campaigner, champion, promoter, proponent, upholder, supporter
Tanyn Wood
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Tanyn Wood ★
St Peter's School, Cambridge
Prize: $500
Manaakitanga: a broad Māori concept about the process of showing respect, generosity and caring for people.
Ansh Dhot
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Ansh Dhot ★
Tauranga Girls' College
Prize: $500
Manukura: person held in high esteem, leader in council, leader.
Rewi Te Kani-Nankivell
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Rewi Te Kani-Nankivell ★
Campion College, Gisborne
The speech topic this year is Te Taura Tangata – The Rope of Unity. We are wonderfully diverse, yet there is only one race: the human race. This is not just a biological fact. The wellbeing and progress of all parts of humanity are inextricably linked, like the fingers of one hand. Conflict holds back the progress of our species; cooperation and reciprocity are the true basis of human civilisation. Mutual support and cooperation is needed, not just among different groups of people, but between the individual, the community, and the institutions of society. In this vision of the human race, everyone has their own role to play in the eradication of racial prejudice and injustice, and the establishment of true unity.
For 23 years the Race Unity Speech Awards have opened the way for students to share their vision for race unity, and for 23 years the youth of Aotearoa have taken up this challenge with eloquence and courage. So, what will you do to move the waka of humanity forward towards race unity?
Race Unity Hui are spaces where young people advance the conversation about race relations in Aotearoa. This year we’re inviting all young people aged 15-30 to deepen their understanding of race issues and speak their mindson how we can become more just and unified as a society.
We’ve developed a pack of resources to help teachers support students interested in the Race Unity Speech Awards and Hui. These resources can also be used for any class or group of students interested in exploring contemporary race relations issues.
The Speech Awards provide an opportunity for students to develop the key competencies outlined in the curriculum:
Thinking skills – learning to use creative, critical, and meta-cognitive processes to make sense of information, experiences and ideas.
Managing self – self-motivation, a “can-do” attitude, and with students seeing themselves as capable learners.
Relating to others – the ability to listen actively, recognise different points of view, negotiate, and share ideas.
Participating and contributing – developing the capacity to contribute appropriately as a group member, to make connections with others in the group.
The Race Unity Hui is also a great opportunity for students to learn about race relations issues. In past years a number of teachers have brought whole classes of students to the Hui, with great benefits for the students and the others attending the Hui.
Participation in the Speech Awards and Hui can be used as the basis for assessments and classroom activities in a range of subject areas, such as English, te reo Māori and Social Studies.
