Ngā Manu Kōrero Regional Speech Competition was held at the Convention Centre on Friday. We were represented by Kaea Taylor in the Korimako -Senior English section and Piripi Pinfold-Whanga in the Sir Tui Carroll - Junior English section. There were a total of 31 speakers from many schools across the Manawatū/Horowhenua region.
Piripi presented his six-minute prepared speech on the topic, ‘My Essential Guide to Achievement’. In his speech Piripi spoke about – keeping it simple, setting goals, having ambition and maintaining a growth mindset. The judges awarded him second place and commented that Piripi was “able to capture the audience through strong and commanding language.” The future certainly looks bright for Piripi in the realm of public speaking. This was an amazing accomplishment for someone competing in this prestigious competition for the first time.
Kaea Taylor presented an outstanding speech which included creative ideas and a bit of poetry slam. Then in the afternoon he presented his prepared speech “Education Opens Many Doors”. Unfortunately, there were some technical sound issues and Kaea had to be stopped mid–way through his speech, and then minutes later, he had to start all over again. Impressively, he remained composed and did not let this upset him.
Comments made by the judges included “Great controversial discussion and challenging of government actions and school curricula”. Kaea’s commitment to succeeding in this competition certainly paid off and he was awarded 1st place in both sections, therefore, wining the Korimako trophy. A special thanks to Mrs Kendal for her mentoring and support.
