Speech AWARDS TOPIC 2026:
Listening to Understand
Whakarongo kia mārama
Speak your mind on race relations in Aotearoa
| When Registrations for the 2026 Speech Awards for year 11 to 13 students opens 28th January. |
SPEECH TOPIC 2026
Listening to Understand
Whakarongo Kia Mārama
A recurring theme in the Youth Statements from the Race Unity Speech Awards and Hui is that listening to understand can foster empathy, respect and trust across diverse racial and ethnic groups. Listening to unfamiliar histories and perspectives enlightens us, building appreciation of the diversity in culture, experience and thought. Listening to understand allows us to recognise shared values and question the prejudices and biases in ourselves, our institutions and communities. This kind of deep listening also builds rapport and opens the way for a dialogue where perspectives and beliefs can shift.
The connections and inclusion offered by deep listening and dialogue are becoming even more vital as we see more New Zealanders becoming socially disconnected or even hopeless. What do you think is the way forward? What can we do to build an inclusive society characterised by racial equality and appreciation of diversity?
Ngā pātai / Questions
You must address at least two of the following questions in your speech:
How can ‘Listening to Understand’ help individuals respond to the challenges of diversity and isolation in our society?
How can leaders demonstrate what ‘Listening to Understand’ looks like in schools, workplaces, community organisations, government or elsewhere?
What have you learned from elders, leaders, or role models about the actions, attitudes and values we can spread to replace racism? How do you intend to apply what you have learned?
Listening to understand is distinctly different to listening to rebut or criticise. How can genuine listening lead to improved racial harmony in Aotearoa New Zealand? What actions need to follow listening to improve racial harmony?
How do we create and sustain anti-racism practices that prioritise building connections, inclusion and dispelling prejudices over confronting or fighting racism?
Ngā Whakatauākī me ngā Whakataukī / Quotations and Proverbs
You must incorporate in your speech at least one of the following proverbs or quotations:
Mā te rongo, ka mōhio
Mā te mōhio, ka mātau
Mā te mātau, ka mārama
Mā te mārama, ka ora.Through listening comes awareness;
through awareness, knowledge;
through knowledge, enlightenment; and
through enlightenment, wellbeing.When you meet those whose opinions differ from your own, do not turn away your face from them. All are seeking truth, and there are many roads leading thereto. Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever one. - Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’i writings
A relevant whakatauāki, whakataukī, quotation, or proverb from your own faith or cultural background.
Ngā Ture Kōrero – Speech Requirements
Language – Speeches can be delivered in English and/or te reo Māori. Speakers are welcome to speak in other languages as well, so long as this content is repeated in either English or te reo Māori.
Length – Speeches should be around 8 minutes long. Timing signals will be given at 7 and 8 minutes. The judges may take the length of a speech into account if it is very long or very short.
Equipment – Handheld microphones and lecterns are not used. Speeches will be amplified at the national final using a lapel microphone.
Thoughts on the 2026 theme from the 2025 Race Unity National Champion
For me, a metaphor that can capture and amplify the theme is the key to crafting my speech. I am sharing my initial thoughts on a metaphor to spark your creativity.
Listening is vital. It is at the heart of human connection. And, like our heartbeat, listening is soft and steady. The heart sustains everything we are and everything we do. Listening plays that exact same role in our communities. It is commonly overlooked, but that is where all human connection stems from, right?
We often celebrate the big things, the loud, revolutionary things, but change, unity, true harmony can start with listening. That is like the role our heart has in our body. Replenishing all the amazing parts of our body is the heart - quiet, and steady. Behind the scenes, listening is that quiet act that keeps our communities alive. Just like our heartbeat, let's be honest, we only truly notice its importance when it's no longer there.
Just like us, without our hearts, we cannot sustain ourselves; we will not be alive. Just like that, listening keeps our connections and communities alive.
Another possible metaphor is rhythm and harmony. Listening starts with a pause, turning down my volume to hear your voice. When you really listen, you are letting someone know they matter; they are special, and that their story has a place to belong.
– Jordan Joy Pillay