Media Story by Ilona Hanne - News director Lower North Island communities, Stratford Press

Participants in the Hawera heat of the Race Uunity Speech Awards pictured with the judges and, far right, regional coordinator Ainslie Duncan. Photo / Ilona Hanne

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

Regional heats for the 2024 Race Unity Speech Awards took place across the motu in late March, with hundreds of senior high school students putting forward their own ideas on how to challenge and stand up against racism.

In Taranaki, two regional heats took place, with five speakers at each event. This year’s theme for the speeches was Te Taura Tangata – The Rope of Unity, an urge for more collaboration from the wider community on racial unity.

National programme manager, Sandra Paymani, said every year the standard of speeches gets higher.

“The personal stories and experiences that are shared are both heart-breaking and heart-warming,” she said, reflecting on the fact many student included their own experiences of racism in their speeches.

“The courage our rangatahi show in speaking out against racism is astounding.”

Particpants in the New Plymouth heat of the Race Unity Speech Awards, pictured with this year's judges.

The New Plymouth event took place at New Plymouth District Council chambers, with judges Saba Afzal (Ministry of Ethnic Communities), Ming Yin (a member of the Bahá'í community) and Sgt Kayanna Holley (NZ Police) tasked with selecting the winner and runner up.

Alfie Healion, a year 12 New Plymouth Boys’ High School student was named winner, and Lukas Stronhmeier, a year 11 student from Francis Douglas, named runner-up.

In Hāwera the speech competition took place in the South Taranaki District Council chambers, with Diana Reid (South Taranaki District councillor), Russell Hockley (Tui Ora) and Sergeant Olivia Neustroski (NZ Police) in the judge’s seats.

Evita Morellan, a year 11 Te Paepae o Aotea student was named winner, and Pagan Hira, a year 13 Te Paepae o Aotea student was runner-up.

Evita Morellan, a year 11 student and Paga Hira, a year 13 student, both from Te Paepae o Aotea were named winner and runner-up respectively in the South Taranaki Race Unity Speech Awards regional heat. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Alfie and Evita are two of the 21 rangatahi selected from across the motu to attend the national semifinals and national race uity hui in Auckland in early May.

The Race Unity Speech Awards were established by the New Zealand Bahá'í community in 2001, after the 1998 death of race relations advocate and member of the Auckland Bahá'í community, Hediayatulah Moani,

Moani, who was born in Iran and had lived in the US, Australia and the Pacific before moving to New Zealand, was passionate about learning about the indigenous peoples of each place. After a series of racially motivated incidents towards non-Europeans in New Zealand in 1997, Moani organised a Unity In Diversity Rally in Auckland’s Aotea Square. The rally took place on Human Rights Day, December 10, 1997, and the success of the event led to discussions between Moani and the Race Relations Office regarding the potential establishment of a Race Unity Day in New Zealand.

That idea became a reality in 1999, and set for March 21, as a day already set by the United Nations as being the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 2002, Race Unity Day was renamed Race Relations Day and remains an annual event in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Taranaki heats of the Race Unity Speech Awards were organised by regional co-ordinators Ainslie Duncan and Mervyn Chivers, and Duncan said while only two students would be going on to Auckland to the national hui, all students, their whānau and their friends are able to share their ideas about race unity at an upcoming regional hui in Taranaki.

Duncan said she hoped all the Taranaki speech entrants would attend the hui, and bring their friends and peers with them.

“The more people who come and share their ideas the better. Parents, caregivers, teachers and students are all welcome.”

Duncan said the purpose of the hui is to promote the idea of individual responsibility for action and “strengthening participants understanding of the oneness of humanity, as well as creating plans of action that can be implemented immediately”.

The details:

What: Taranaki race unity hui

When: Wednesday, May 8. 9.30am - 2.45pm.

Where: Stratford High School, Swansea Rd, Stratford.

Info: Registrations close on May 2. Register online: https://forms.gle/8DWwKoFLeWQzbjzR9