Language immersion pays off in speech wins

Rakaia Trotman (left) and Te Kaiamo Rogers-Smith of Te Wharekura o Ngati Rongomai will compete in the national Nga Manu Korero competition. Photo / Stephen Parker

Te Wharekura o Ngati Rongomai's commitment to te reo Maori is clear, after its students won the junior and senior section of the regional Nga Manu Korero contest.

Rakaia Trotman and Te Kaiamo Rogers-Smith will compete in the national competition this year after claiming the Maori speaker titles at the Te Arawa competition at Waiariki Institute of Technology recently.

Rakaia, 13, said contestants had two days to prepare their speeches as they were being encouraged to write and deliver speeches that came naturally.

"It felt normal [during the contest]. I just pictured everyone as whanau and I felt pretty calm afterwards," he said.

"We do [speeches] every morning. We do karakia and have a speaker that stands up and after that there's a song. It's helped us a lot in the competition."

Te Kaiamo has previously won the the Te Arawa Nga Manu Korero Maori speech title twice and was this year's winner of the impromptu speeches.

"I really enjoy seeing all the other Maori speakers and going to the nationals and seeing our culture is rising. Te Wharekura o Ngati Rongomai has helped me with everything: the way I stand, the way I speak, the flash words I use," he said.

Principal Tuki Curtis said it was an honour for the school to have two students competing.

"I guess it's a huge credit to the commitment of the children and the commitment of the parents' belief in the philosophy of this school to continue with our school fully immersed in Maori. We do strands of public speaking in our delivery of the curriculum to motivate our children, to bring self-confidence to our children, but more importantly for our children to to develop a strategy in order for our children to have a standing place to speak." Mr Curtis said the wharekura planned to take a large contingent of supporters to Porirua, where the national contest would be held in September.

Anipatene Biddle of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Koutu and Te Mahara Swanson-Hall of John Paul College will also be competing, having won the junior and senior English section.