Te Wharekura o Mauao student off to national speech finals

Te Wharekura o Mauao student off to national speech finals

Te Wharekura o Mauao Year 10 student Olivia Mokomoko has achieved a proud first for her school and won one of the Māori language categories in the regional secondary speech contest, Mataatua Ngā Manu Kōrero. Her speech on the topic "ko māua ko taku hoe" was an examination of the impact that the lives and experiences of her ancestors and modern leaders have had on her. Olivia will now go on to the national speech contest finals and represent her school and region in Whangarei in September 2016.

This is the second time in the short six year history of the school that a student has made the national speech contest finals, but the first time for a speech delivered in the Māori language. The speech contests have four categories: junior Māori language; junior English language; senior Māori language; and senior English language. Thirteen schools from across the Bay of Plenty competed in the Mataatua regionals.

Olivia’s category, junior Māori, required her to deliver a twelve minute speech. All the categories are named to commemorate famous Māori leaders and orators, and the junior Māori category is named for Te Rāwhiti Ihaka, an orator known for his skills in both Maori and English.

Heywood Kuka, Assistant Principal of Te Wharekura o Mauao, commented, “Olivia’s victory and the second placing of Rangimarie Ormsby-Teki in Senior Māori reflect a dual focus at the wharekura on promoting excellence in te reo Māori amongst our students and demonstrating that in disciplines like oratory.”

Rangimarie, a Year 13 student, placed second against stiff competition, in the Pei Te Hurunui Jones (senior Māori) section. She spoke for twelve minutes about revitalising the Māori language for future generations and also had to stand and complete a three minute impromptu speech.

Te Wharekura o Mauao, located in Bethlehem, is a Māori medium language school for students from Years 7 to 13 established to educate young people with a focus on the knowledge and history of the three tribes of Tauranga Moana, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pukenga.

ENDS

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