Tauraroa Student Wins Northland Race Unity Speech Awards Regional Title

Media Story by Mike Dinsdale, Editor – Northland Age.
Northern Advocate.

*The 2026 Race Unity Speech Awards Northland Regional Heat Champion Jordan Petrie with judging panel member Detective Inspector Geoff McCarthy, from NZ Police.*

A Tauraroa Area School student was crowned Northland champion at the Race Unity Speech Awards regional heat in Whangārei last week.

Year 13 student Jordan Petrie won with her speech about listening being a way to overcome prejudice.

Her speech focused on this year’s theme Listening to Understand - Whakarongo kia Mārama.

“ ... In a world of loud, angry voices, the most constructive thing you can do is listen,” she said.

Listening to Understand - Whakarongo kia Mārama is a statement that is fundamental as a beginning when creating an environment where people can foster respect and trust across our diverse cultural and ethnic groups - in our schools, neighbourhoods, communities, and workplaces.

Petrie called on her audience to abandon fears of racial difference and to realise that listening to understand requires sacrifice.

Petrie said by doing so people are able to “repaint” perspectives and “reevaluate our own truths as we listen to the truths of others”.

Petrie was excited and humble about representing Northland in the speech competition.

Northland regional coordinator Nancy Rishworth said creating a space where young people can express their views in a manner that fosters respect, and trust among people of diverse cultures and backgrounds was wonderful.

Champions from the regional heats will attend the semi-finals, final and national hui in Auckland on May 9 and 10.

The Race Unity Speech Awards are held in support of Race Relations Day, run by the Baha’i community for 26 years.

Race Relations Day came about after a series of racially motivated attacks in 1997 in New Zealand.

The Baha’i community and the then Race Relations Office organised a Unity in Diversity Rally. This led to the creation of Race Unity Day in 1999, now known as Race Relations Day.