Police acknowledge Race Unity Speech Awards winner
Media Story by New Zealand Police.
Award winner Jordyn Joy Pillay with Police Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers and Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo MNZM.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers.
The winner of the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards is Jordyn Joy Pillay, from Ormiston Senior College, Auckland.
Jordyn’s speech highlighted that diversity must be more than a moment – it must be a movement.
“I am the ocean I cannot be read I am calm and soothing and so accepting. Come to me ...I'll bring you peace. I see no difference. I'm home to fins and feathers, skin and scales ...home to many, I freely give. I welcome you warmly. Abide in me.”
The awards were held at the Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae, Manukau Institute of Technology Ōtara Campus over the weekend and featured students from several schools across New Zealand.
This year's theme – ‘Te Moana Nui o te Kanorau - The Great Ocean of Diversity’ - highlights our need for the natural harmony that we see in the outdoors to be replicated in our society. The metaphor also talks to our strength being in our differences.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers is delighted to be the first Commissioner to attend the awards.
“Supporting initiatives like this represents our commitment to building trust and confidence with the diverse communities we serve,” Commissioner Chambers says.
Police Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers, the chief judge of the awards, stressed the importance of providing a platform for rangatahi to discuss and share their thoughts on important societal issues.
“I am astonished by the quality of the speeches from our young people over the weekend,” she says.
“As Police, we are proud to be supporting a platform for our young people to voice their aspirations and solutions.”
Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo MNZM - National Partnerships Manager Ethnic, acknowledged the history of the award the partnership.
“As Iwi and Community Partnerships, we are honoured to have been supporters of these awards for nearly two decades. These awards offer us a meaningful platform to be highly visible amongst our youth and positively engage with them on issues that are important to them and their communities. Each year, we are inspired by the voices of our young people - who are leading us now and into the future,” he says.