United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNANZ) National Conference 2019

Speech Awards and Dame Laurie Salas Memorial Lecture in Wellington

As a part of the UNANZ National Conference 2019, our national office has partnered up with regional offices, especially those from Tauranga, Whanganui, Canterbury, Northern, Waikato and Wellington to bring to the public the Secondary School Speech Awards and also a presentation by Colin Keating in his Dame Laurie Salas Memorial Lecture.

Pioneered by life member, Clinton Johnson, the UNA Secondary School Speech Awards have been successfully run for over 30 years, spotlighting the youth’s finest minds up until today and for many more successful years to come. The list of past winners and title holders are home to some familiar names such as Paula Tesiora, Chris Bishop and our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. Championing these awards come with great prestige, and this year, applicants were asked to submit a 6-8-minute speech on their opinion on the following topic, “Does our concern for security compromise peace?”

The National Finals were held on the 21st of June in Wellington, where Dan Harward Jones blew the judges away with his opinions on New Zealand’s position in regard to international security and the aims, goals and aspirations that the United Nations have set out to achieve. These Speech Awards are a fantastic platform for young aspiring leaders to cultivate their skills in public speaking, research and are a great confidence boost. The United Nations Association of New Zealand is thankful to our branches in for their efforts and contributions in raising awareness of our organisation throughout New Zealand.

Also a special thank you to Colin Keating, who presented a Dame Laurie Salas Memorial Lecture following the speech awards, as a part of the UNANZ National Conference 2019. The honourable late Dame Laurie Salas was a pioneer in the field of activism where she dedicated her life to advocating for peace, justice and humanitarian assistance. These are all aspects that the United Nations, and its various national associations aim to uphold and have been in events such as the UNANZ National Conference 2019.

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