A young east Aucklander is taking a strong stand against racism and cultural ignorance and receiving national acknowledgement for her courageous efforts.

A WANAKA student was one of six finalists for national race unity speech awards held in Auckland on May 3 and 4.

Teen speech award winner lays down challenge

Western Heights High School’s head girl Maya Blackman has won a national speaking award.

Nicole Kexin Ni admits she is often mistaken for a foreign exchange student. The Rangiora High School year 12 student was one of two Canterbury regional winners selected for the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards held in Auckland earlier this month.

We were proud to once again support the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards National Semi-finals, Finals, and Race Unity Hui, held at the beautiful Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae, MIT, Ōtara Campus on May 3rd and 4th.

Jordyn Joy Pillay uses the Race Unity Speech Awards to send a message to our leaders: Make diversity a daily practice, not just a token gesture.

Palmerston North teenager Maia Moss impressed the judges at the national Race Unity speech competition finals in Auckland.

A Year 12 student South African Indian origin from Ormiston Senior College in Auckland has been named national champion of the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards.

Jordyn Joy Pillay from Ormiston Senior College in Auckland has been named the National Champion of the Race Unity Speech Awards for 2025.

The winner of the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards is Jordyn Joy Pillay, from Ormiston Senior College, Auckland.

New Zealand Police have announced the winner of the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards is Jordyn Joy Pillay, of Ormiston Senior College in east Auckland.

The Race Unity Speech Awards are on this weekend in Auckland.

Students’ heartfelt plea for Aotearoa to be racist-free.

“In our personal journeys, we must develop empathy, humility, and openness”, a Wairarapa College student implored his peers at the Race Unity Speech Awards.

A young speech maker has highlighted how people’s differences can bring people together.

A powerful speech about overcoming racism has won Gisborne Girls’ High School student Estella Hepburn-Van Zyl the regional heat of the Race Unity Speech Awards.

Northland rangatahi will have their say on race relations when the Race Unity Speech Awards regional final is held this weekend.

More than 150 students from Northland to Southland will share their perspectives on issues of race relations in Aotearoa at the regional heats of the annual Race Unity Speech Awards from Thursday 20 March through to Thursday 27 March.

Rangatahi speak out on race relations in Aotearoa.

Entries are now open for the prestigious Race Unity Speech Awards 2025, inviting senior students from schools across New Zealand to share their perspectives on improving race relations in the country.

Pacific student challenges MPs to change racist laws

Jessica Tupa’I is the winner of the 2024 Race Unity Speech Awards, a national competition organised by the New Zealand Baha’I Community.

The words of a Rangitāne rangatira rang out across the crowd as Palmerston North Boys’ High School Race Unity Speech Awards finalist Leo Mwape shared his kōrero for how Aotearoa can unite.

The winner of the New Zealand 2024 Race Unity Speech Awards is Jessica Tupai, year 12, from St Mary’s College, Wellington.

Jessica's speech highlighted the value of social cohesion and community collaboration.

Rangatahi across Taranaki have spoken up against racism as part of an annual speech competition.

Calls for unity and practical ideas on how to challenge and end racism were heard all late last month as senior high school students participated in the annual Race Unity Speech Awards.

South Asian high school students are increasingly standing up to champion better race relations in New Zealand, if the recent Race Unity Speech Awards are anything to go by.

The Year 13 student from Auckland’s Selwyn College was one of six finalists who poured their hearts out on the issue of racism and discrimination in Aotearoa.

"There are many race-related issues New Zealand still needs to address and the Race Unity Speeches are one small part of that journey we need to be undertaking" - Māori cultural advocate Aperahama Hurihanganui.

For the first time in Race Unity Speech Awards, two people have been named joint national champions.

A Kerikeri High School student has been crowned the joint national winner of the Race Unity Speech Awards.

For the first time in the Race Unity Speech Awards history, two young speakers have been named joint national champions.

For the first time in 22 years, two speakers have been named joint national champions in the annual Race Unity Speech Awards.

Chief judge NZ Police Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha says it was impossible to choose a single national champion.

"Every time we poison the river, we poison ourselves." In a stirring speech in Gisborne on Thursday night, Horouta Waka Hoe club paddler Mairangi Campbell described the impact of pollution on young people using the Waimatā River.

"Should I tick Māori or New Zealand European? If I tick Māori, I am denying my mum and her ancestry, and if I tick NZ European, I am denying my dad and his whakapapa."

At the age of seven, Takunda Muzondiwa moved from Zimbabwe to New Zealand with her family. Seamlessly blending poetry and spoken word, Takunda shares her experiences as an ethnic-minority growing up in New Zealand. In this powerful and emotional talk, Takunda will make you think twice about how identity and racism intersect.

A 15-year-old Pākehā boy is helping make an "aggressive" change in race equality at his Taranaki high school. New Plymouth Boys' High School student Robbie White won the Race Unity Speech competition in May and has begun to integrate race unity into school life with the support of teachers and students. 

An Auckland student's speech on the struggles of trying to stay connected to her former home, Zimbabwe, while trying to fit in in New Zealand, has been heard around the world.

Zimbabwean born Takunda Muzondiwa poetically took people down memory lane as she reminisced about old African memories during a speech at the National Race Unity speech awards contest in New Zealand.

For nearly two decades, New Zealand’s Baha’is have been promoting a discourse on race unity through an annual process that brings together high school students from across the country.

The annual national Race Unity Speech Awards happened in Auckland on Saturday, where six of New Zealand’s best high school speakers addressed how we can improve race relations. Year 13 Mount Albert Grammar School student Takunda Muzondiwa spoke about struggling to stay connected to her home in Zimbabwe, while trying to create a new home in Aotearoa. 

A Wairarapa pupil with the gift of the gab has been named runner-up at the 2019 Race Unity Speech Awards – with a speech she left to the last minute. Nina Gelashvili spoke in front of a crowd of around 150 people in Te Mānuherehere Marae in Auckland on Saturday.