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Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Speech contest winner gets ‘heart-warming' response from peers
Receiving a roaring haka was a "heart-warming" moment for a Dunedin secondary student who took top honours in a Māori speech competition. King's High School student Zane Rakete-Gray, 16, won the Korimako senior English contest at the Ōtākou and Murihiku Ngā Manu Kōrero regional speech competition at the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday. Zane placed first in both impromptu and prepared speeches categories. For his prepared speech, Zane spoke about what the world could look like in 2085 if the present coalition government got its way. "There won't be a competition like this in 2085, our language will be dead, the land will be destroyed beyond repair and our environment will not be good enough to live in." The competition was a good way to express his culture to the rest of the country, if not the world, he said. "It just shows that there is still people who can speak Māori." When he was announced the winner, a haka erupted in the town hall from his peers in the King's and Queen's High Schools' kapa haka group, He Waka Kōtuia. "It was a bit heart-warming." For the Ta Turi Kara junior English contest winner Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Otepoti student Ngaki Kiore, 14, speaking was about showing her peers they could stand on a stage and speak their minds. "There is a place for you here, whether you speak te reo Maori or not." Ngaki's sister Matoia Wilson won the senior English competition in 2009 and Ngaki was proud to follow in her sister's footsteps. Her speech was about connection to her ancestors and why her Māori correspondence school's curriculum offered the best opportunity for students to succeed, Ngaki said. "At Kura Kaupapa we are not just based off learning, we are based off how we can grow in ourselves." About 40 speakers from 23 schools across Otago and Southland took part n over two days. Zane and Ngaki will be joined by Pei Te Hurinui Jones senior Māori contest winner Hana Davis and Rawhiti Ihaka junior Māori contest winner Kyra Bachelor-Tata at the national finals in Whanganui this September.
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Finding the right balance in mind, body and spirit
Otago Boys' High School student Gus Attenborough delivers an impassioned speech about racist micro-aggressions at the Ōtākou and Murihiku Ngā Manu Kōrero regional speech competition in the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN Strength, fitness and delivering big tackles are all secondary to having a balanced mindset, a young rugby player told a packed Dunedin Town Hall during a Maori speech competition. Mount Aspiring College student Ryan Tuki Enoka, 17, took part in the Pei Te Hurinui Jones senior Maori contest at the Ōtākou and Murihiku Ngā Manu Kōrero regional speech competition yesterday. He said he wanted take part in the competition to push the kaupapa (purpose) of his speech rather than to win. Ryan felt it was important to have Maori representation and influence in all areas of sport because it was beneficial for the athletes. His approach to playing rugby changed when he trialled for the New Zealand Maori under-18 team. ''Their main focus is on your wairua [spirit or soul] and how you are as a person more than focusing on you as an athlete. ''When I started [playing] it was all about how strong I am, how fit I am and how big my tackles are. ''But as I spent time in that space, I kind of learnt there's more to being a good athlete than just being the best on the physical side.'' He found that if his wairua was balanced and he was in a good space mentally, his performance was better on the field. ''I find my performances are more consistent when I'm looking after myself, not just physically but mentally too. ''I love it, I find more enjoyment in it and it makes me connect more with people I play sport with, which to me is now so important.'' Ryan always wanted to take part in the competition to honour his culture and whanau. He did not speak te reo Maori growing up in Wanaka - a ''pretty Pakeha'' town. He had spent the past two years becoming proficient in speaking the language and growing a deeper understanding of his culture. ''I'm loving [the journey],'' he said. ''It connects me with so many awesome people, whether it's through Māori sport or Māori competitions like this.'' About 40 speakers from 23 schools across Otago and Southland were taking part in the competition. Ngā Manu Kōrero organiser Cherie Ford said she had been organising the competition for about 20 years and the level of presentation and messages being conveyed improved every year. There were a record number of entries across the event, particularly in the te reo Maori section. She said seeing students such as Ryan on their te reo journey was inspiring to the adults present at the event as well. The competition will conclude today with the junior speeches.
