The secondary school's national speech competition Ngā Manu Kōrero has launched today with a pōwhiri to welcome schools and their speakers to Auckland.
Hundreds of students and their whānau were called on to Spark Arena, the venue for the competition, by Ngāti Whātua and event hosts Tāmaki Makaurau ki Te Waitematā.
Speaking to Te Karere, event organiser Chris Selwyn said the hosts were excited to welcome the masses to the region.
"Nā mātou o Waitematā te maringa nui te kawe i te kaupapa mō tēnei tau 59 (We across Waitematā are fortunate to host this event into its 59th year)."
Tāmaki Makaurau ki Te Waitematā is one of the two representative groups in Auckland, encompassing the city's central and western suburbs.
Mount Albert Grammar School, Ngā Puna o Waiōrea, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kōtuku and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi are the main host schools for the event. Despite this, Selwyn said many other kura within the city took part in making the event possible.
"Ehara i ahau anake e whakahaere ana. E mōhio ana kei muri i ahau tōku tīma o Tāmaki ki Waitematā, o Tāmaki whānui hoki (I'm not the only one organising this event. Behind me is our Tāmaki ki Waitematā team, but also supporters from across the Auckland region)."
The three-day event — made up of two days of competition — will see students stand and deliver a prepared speech on a range of topics from Te Tiriti o Waitangi and hapū rights to tips from rangatahi on how to live stress free.
Senior students also participate in a impromptu section, where they are given five minutes to prepare a three minute speech on a particular topic.
The students will be vying for the coveted titles in four categories: junior Māori and English sections (Rāwhiti Ihaka and Tā Turi Carroll), and senior Māori and English sections (Pei Te Hurinui and Korimako).
Junior and senior speakers will compete on separate days — Tuesday for seniors and Wednesday for juniors.
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