Congratulations to Tamara Livingstone who took out the Regional Heat in the Race Unity Speech Awards last week.

Tamara Livingstone, who was a National Finalist in last year's competition, sees the Race Unity Speech Awards as an extremely rewarding experience and opportunity for the youth of New Zealand. 

She noted that this year’s theme, Ngā Matimati nō te Ringa Kotahi – The Fingers of One Hand, provided a fantastic opportunity to hear and discuss young people’s thoughts on race relations in New Zealand, saying:

“It has been very exciting to write about and I am very excited to hear others’ takes on it ... The Awards are not about winning or getting through to the finals but being given the opportunity to hear others’ passionate voices and positive solutions, which is extremely rewarding.”

Following her win Tamara will be flying to Auckland as one of 21 National semi-finalists for the second year in a row. 

The semi final is held on Saturday the 25th June as part of a National Race Unity Hui. The finals are held on Sunday the 26th June. 

The Awards are now in their 22nd year and are organised by the New Zealand Bahá’í Community. They are supported by the NZ Police, along with the Human Rights Commission, the Ministry for Ethnic Communities and many other sponsors.