On Tuesday evening, the 2nd of May, Letisha Perumal (Year 11) and Gloria Kaur (Year 12) travelled to Dunedin to participate in the Otago regional heats of the Race Unity Speech Awards.

The Race Unity Speech Awards were established in 2001 and have become a high-profile national event, inviting high school students to ‘speak their mind on race relations in Aotearoa’. The New Zealand Bahá’í Community coordinates the event with support from the New Zealand Police, the Human Rights Commission, Speech New Zealand and the Office of Ethnic Communities, alongside other major sponsors. The event is promoted as an opportunity for ‘eloquent and thoughtful young people a chance to speak their minds and give the rest of New Zealand a chance to listen to the leaders of tomorrow’.

Participants were required to prepare an eight-minute speech addressing the topic of ‘Awhihia Te Rito - Nurture the Young’. Letisha and Gloria took up the challenge with dedication, courage, and commitment. They both prepared engaging and well-researched speeches, addressing the topic with passion and conviction.

Seven students from the wider Otago and Southland region competed in the regional heats and the calibre of speeches was exceptionally high. Regional Co-ordinator Murray Skeaff congratulated Letisha and Gloria, saying, “Arising to voice their views publicly is no simple task, but the calibre and thoughtfulness of their speeches, impossible without a tremendous personal effort, honours the purpose of the Awards to help improve race relations in Aotearoa.”

Letisha and Gloria are already eager to start planning their next speech for the 2024 awards. We hope to bring even more representatives from Waitaki Girls’ High School along with us next year. It was an invaluable experience for all involved.

Further information about the Race Unity Awards is available on their website, raceunity.nz.