Twenty-six schools were represented at Te Tai Tokerau regional Nga Manu Korero speech competition, hosted by Te Rangi Aniwaniwa Kura last week, and as always the standard was impressive.
Originally scheduled for three days, the competition was squeezed into two, thanks to flooding that prevented some contenders from travelling, topics ranging from 'YOLO - You Only Live Once,' to 'Graffiti - a crime or art?' and 'Being Maori is an asset, plan to achieve!'
Each student had a support team from their school who, once their speech concluded, performed a waiata or haka. The prizegiving prompted numerous rousing haka, the one performed for Arama Wikaira reducing the Te Kura Kaupapa Mori o Te Tonga o Hokianga student to tears.
Meanwhile, Te Rangi Aniwaniwa principal Hilda Halkyard-Harawira thanked all those involved with the organisation of the event and the students themselves.
"It has been a pleasure to host everybody, and I must say, the standard was very high," she said, while her husband, Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira, who presented the trophies, had some advice.
