Western Heights High School Head Girl Maya Blackman speaking at the Race Unity Speech Awards in Auckland. Photo / RUSA, Stella Scarlett
Western Heights High School Head Girl Maya Blackman speaking at the Race Unity Speech Awards in Auckland. Photo / RUSA, Stella Scarlett
Western Heights High School’s head girl Maya Blackman won the Tohu Aumangea - Hedi Moani Memorial Award for Advocacy at the Race Unity Speech Awards.
Blackman delivered her speech in te reo Māori, emphasising values for supporting the development of the Great Ocean of Diversity.
Police Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers praised the event, highlighting the importance of providing a platform for rangatahi to discuss societal issues.
Western Heights High School’s head girl Maya Blackman has won a national speaking award.
The Year 13 student was a national finalist in the Race Unity Speech Awards, held at Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae in Auckland on May 3 and 4.
Maya (Ngāti Maniapoto, Raukawa, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) won the Tohu Aumangea – Hedi Moani Memorial Award for Advocacy, a statement from event organisers said.
The awards give students a platform for expressing ideas about improving race relations.
Maya delivered her speech in te reo Māori and spoke about values for supporting the development of the Great Ocean of Diversity – the theme of this year’s event.
She received her Duke of Edinburgh Silver award this year, and was the first person from her school to complete the programme’s Te Ao Māori-centred He Aratūtahi pathway.
The high achiever was also a member of Rotorua Youth Council and competed in the Waka Ama National Secondary Schools Competition.
She said the “power of Te Ao Māori” had been a driving force in her life from a young age.
“I owe my tūpuna for every opportunity, for they paved the way for me to be staunch, proud and Māori.”
The speech competition was her first in te reo, and she said feedback from regional judges made her feel empowered to kōrero Māori without embarrassment or nervousness about making a mistake.
Maya Blackman gave her speech in te reo Māori. Photo / RUSA, Stella Scarlett
Jordyn Joy Pillay from Auckland’s Ormiston Senior College was named the national champion of the event.
Police Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers, the chief judge, said it was important to provide a platform for rangatahi to share their thoughts on important societal issues.
She was “astonished by the quality of the speeches” and police were proud to support the event.
“The reality is that we all need to be in one waka – he waka eke noa – and our speakers have shown us that we all need to play our part.”
The champion and award winners of the 2025 Race Unity Speech Awards in Auckland. Photo / RUSA, Stella Scarlett
Western Heights High School principal James Bracefield told the Rotorua Daily Post the school was very proud of Maya’s achievement, “and the level of thought, detail and commitment she put into her speech”.
“She is an outstanding student leader here at Western Heights and it is great to see her perform and be recognised at a national level.”
Maya Blackman’s speech
Read it in English below or scroll down for the original te reo.
It can be seen in religions, tribes, and types of music, too. But, how will we embrace the idea of diversity? That is the main discussion.
Acceptance is only the beginning; from there, you must broaden your knowledge and look below the surface.
Question one: What personal qualities, attitudes, values, and perspectives should we develop to better contribute to Te Moana Nui o te Kanorau – the Great Ocean of Diversity?
I am very proud to be Māori and of my heritage, which is why I look to those before me.
The mana they held in great esteem, the respect they shared, and the kindness they showed.
In my opinion, three values support the development of the Great Ocean of Diversity.
The third is unity, in the words of Kīngi Tāwhiao, “If there is but one reed it will break, but if it is bunched together it will not”.
In correlation to these words is a proverb from this competition, “In unity, there is strength”.
This is my final value, I truly believe these are a gift to diversity and would provide strength in growth.
Question two: If the principle of embracing our shared humanity was universally acknowledged, what changes would we observe in the behaviour and practices of our institutions, communities, and government?
Due to the events that are occurring in New Zealand at the moment, my answer lies with the government.
Our so-called “leaders” of the country would rather step on the prestige of the Treaty of Waitangi instead of finding homes for our people living on the streets.
This is wrong, they do not hold honourable values.
If the system were to change, we would see people smiling once more.
We would see the Māori names on the signs of our institutions. We would see the unity in our communities. And we would see the culture of our country flourishing.
My wish for the future would be for my children and grandchildren to speak the Māori language freely.
With no thought of being afraid or ashamed of their language, their customs, and of their culture.
These words are fuelled with great power. I dream of a world where everyone is accepted, and if this is our future, then I believe the well-being of our people would thrive.
“Governor, you are just a visitor to me.” But, you will never remove my powerful Māori selfidentity/sovereignty.
I will never fall to the systems of non-Māori, and for that reason, I deliver my speech in the language of my ancestors.
Here I am the face of my ancestors, here to shake the ground.
The Great Ocean of Diversity, whether you are a fish or a shark, stand tall and proud of who you are in everything you do.
Te Reo:
Tēnā tātou e te whare Ko Maya Blackman tōku ingoa He uri tēnei nō Ngāti Maniapoto me Raukawa ki Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere Otirā ki te nōtā he uri nō Ngāti Wai me Ngā Puhi nui tonu
Te Moana nui o te Kanorau, koinei te kaupapa matua o tō mātou nei kōrero. Ka kitea e koutou i ngā rerekētanga o te tangata i ngā wāhi puta noa. Ehara i te mea ko te kanorau tētahi mea e whātuturi atu ana. E rere ana mai te hītori o tō mātou motu ki ngā rā onaianei. Ki au nei, kaore te kanorau kua raungaiti. Ka kitea kei ngā hāhi, nga mātāwaka, i ngā momo puoro anō hoki. Engari, me pēwhea e whakahiapo ana i te whakaaro o te kanorau koinā te take matua. Ko te whakaaetanga te timatanga anahe, mai tērā me whakawhānuitia tō mātauranga, ā, ka kitea e koe i raro i te karetai.
Ko te pātai tuatahi: He aha ngā āhuatanga whaiaro, ngā waiaro, ngā uara, ā, ngā whakaaro me whakawhanake kia pai ake ai te whai wāhi ki Te Moana Nui o te Kanorau? He tino whakahī Māori au o tōku whakapapa koinā te take ka kitea e au ki ōku tūpuna. I mau rātou te mana, i tohatoha rātou te whakapono, me te manaaki i whakaatu ai. Ki ōku nei whakaaro, e toru ngā mātāpono e awhi ana i te whakawhanaketanga i Te Moana Nui o te Kanorau.
Ko Manaakitanga te mea tuatahi. I roto au i Te Akoranga Reo Rua kei toku kura. Anei te kōrero nā ngā mātāpono o te whare “Me manaaki tētahi ki tētahi i roto i ngā mahi katoa”. Ahakoa ko wai ka tūtaki koe me whakaatu i te mākoha me te tauwhirotanga ki a rātou.
Whai muri i tēnā ko te Whakapono, he mea nui ki te ako me pēwhea ka whakarite koe ki ngā pūāhua hou. Mā te whakapono, ka taea e tātou ki te kimi i te kaupapa kotahi. Ahakoa kaore mātou i whakaae ki ētahi whakaaro ka taea e tātou ki te whakamihi ki a rātou me ka whakautu i roto i tētahi āhuatanga ngāwari.
Tuatoru ko te kotahitanga, e ai ki taku Kīngi Tāwhiao “Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati ki te kāpuia e kore e whati”. E hāngai ana ki tēnei kōrero ko te whakataukī o tēnei whakataetae “Mā te kotahitanga e whai kaha ai tātau”. Koinei taku mātāpono whakamutunga, e whakapono ana au he tākoha nui ki te kanorau e ngaruru ai.
Ko te pātai tuarua: Mēnā ka mohio whānuitia te mātāpono o te awhi i tō tātau tangata tahi, he aha ngā rerekētanga ka kitea e mātou i roto i ngā whanonga me ngā mahi o ā mātou whakahaere, hapori, me te kāwanatanga?
Ko ngā kaupapa e haere ana kei Aotearoa i tenei wā, ko taku whakautu matua ki tenei pātai me aro ki te kāwanatanga. He pai kē atu o tātou kaiārahi o te motu ki te takahi i te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi i te kimi kāinga mo o tātou tāngata e noho ana i ngā tiriti. Kei te hē tēnei a kaore rātou i mau nga mātāpono honore.
Menā ka panoni te punaha, ka kitea e mātou i ngā tāngata e menemene ana. Ka tirohia e mātou i ngā ingoa Māori o runga i ngā tohu o ngā whakahaere. Ka tirohia e mātou i te kotahitanga o tō mātou hapori. Me ka tirohia e mātou i te ahurea o te motu e whakapuāwai ana.
Ko tōku wawata mō te anamata, ka kōrero ōku tamariki mokopuna i roto i te Reo Māori. Ehara i te mea e whakamā ana i ō rātou reo, ō rātou tikanga, me ō rātou ahurea. I te rangi tonu nei kua mana aku kupu. E pīrangi ana au mō tētahi ao e whakaae ana i ngā tāngata katoa. Mēnā ko tēnei te anamata, e pai ake ai te oranga o tō tātou iwi.
Kāwana ka whakamanuwhiritia koe e au. Engari, kaore koe i tangohia i taku mana Māori motuhake. E kore au e pore ana i ngā āhuatanga Pākehā, nā kona, e kōrero ana au i roto i te reo ā kui mā, ā koro mā. Anei au te kanohi o ōku tupuna e rū ana te whenua. Te Moana Nui o te Kanorau, ahakoa he ika koe, he ururoa ranei. Me tū hei rangatira i roto i ngā mahi katoa.
No reira tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, huri noa i te whare. Tēnā rā tātou katoa.
