Nā Hora Nicholas tēnei atikara.
Today 61 students from kura across Waitaha will take to the Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitaha stage at Te Puna Wai o Waipapa (Hagley College) for Day 2 of the whakataetae, where taiohi hope to impress judges with their prepared speeches.
“Kua mahia te reo pōwhiri, kua rite ngā kaikōrero, ngā kaiwhakawā,” regional coordinator Detroit Stirling said.
Day 1 began yesterday morning at Hagley College in Ōtautahi, where kura auraki, kura kaupapa Māori and kura ā iwi filled the gym courtyard. Indoors, kaiwhakawā, representatives from the host school,and kaimahi lined the haukāinga side.
The pōwhiri opened with an emotional karanga ki ngā mate o te wā as kura made their way into the gym. The ope was led by the 2025 competition winners, including Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi, Christ’s College and Te Kura Whakapūmau i Te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha, each returning the taonga they won last year.
This year, however, two of those kura will not take home taonga or qualify for the national competition.
“Ānei Te Aho Matua te whakahoki mai nei i ēnei taonga, hei nanaiore mā te ringa ko ngā kākā haetara o tēnei kaupapa… Ka noho māwehe i te kaupapa nei a mōhoa noa nei.” Te Whānau Tahi Tumuaki Tuarua Kahu Roberts was the final speaker to deliver a whaikōrero during the pōwhiri.
The two kura kaupapa Māori, both of which have a long history of representing Waitaha at Ngā Manu Kōrero, will not participate in this year’s competition. Instead, they are concentrating on developing strategies to cultivate the growth of their pā harakeke, with a focus on te reo Māori.
“Ko ta matou e hoki atu ki a matauranga, e kimi i ētahi rautaki hei whakamārohirohi o ngā Pūua o nga Tāua,” Roberts added.
Stirling says these kura kaupapa are planning an exciting reo-focused initiative and he looks forward to hearing more about it.
“They are supporting the development of our students in those types of reo environments that this generation are engaging with, whether it’s taupatupatu, whakaari… I wish them all the best.”
This year’s competition also introduces a new category, Te Puawaitanga, with 10 ākonga taking part.
“This is Waitaha, Te Tai Poutini, Aoraki’s opportunity to acknowledge those who may not be able to stand in an impromptu, but still have the kaha to stand.” Stirling said the category was introduced to foster rangatahi growth and confidence in speaking te reo Māori within Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitaha and beyond.
“Mēnā ka toa, kaore rātou ka haere atu ki te whakataetae ā motu.” Stirling emphasised the category is a regional initiative unique to Waitaha, meaning participants will not progress to the national competition.
Day 1 also saw competitors take to the stage for kōrero tēne (impromptu speeches), a component of the senior competition. Topics included whakapapa and connection to whenua, the place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in schools, and what the future holds for Māori.
With the opening day complete, speakers now turn their attention to prepared speeches across the senior and junior stages. From 9am today, students will compete in the following contests:
• Pei Te Hurinui Jones Contest (Senior Māori)
• Korimako Contest (Senior English)
• Rāwhiti Ihaka Contest (Junior Māori)
• Sir Turi Carroll Contest (Junior English)
Winners are expected to be announced from 7pm at the prizegiving, where all Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitaha champions will be named. Qualifiers will then advance to the national competition, hosted at Papa Hawaiki in Kaikohe from 22-24 September 2026.
|
|
|
E tohu ana a Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitaha i te tīmatanga o tētahi wā hou mō tēnei whakataetae reo rangatira o te motu.
Nō tēnei rā, e 61 ngā ākonga mai i ngā kura puta noa i Waitaha ka tū ki te atamira o Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Te Puna Wai o Waipapa (Hagley College) mō te rā tuarua o te whakataetae, e tūmanako ana kia whakamīharo i ngā kaiwhakawā mā ā rātou whaikōrero kua whakaritea.
“Kua oti te wāhanga pōwhiri, kua rite ngā kaikōrero me ngā kaiwhakawā.” E ai ki te kairuruku ā-rohe a Detroit Stirling,
I tīmata te rā tuatahi i te ata o nanahi ki Te Puna Wai o Waipapa i Ōtautahi, i kī ai te kauhanga ki waho o te whare kori tīnana i ngā ākonga o ngā kura auraki me ngā kura kaupapa Māori. I roto i te whare nei, i tū ngā kaiwhakawā, ngā māngai o te kura manaaki, me ngā kaimahi ki te taha o te haukāinga.
I whakatuwhera te pōwhiri mā te karanga ki ngā mate o te wā, i te urunga mai o ngā kura ki te whare. I ārahi te ope i ngā toa o te whakataetae 2025, ko Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi, ko Christ’s College, me Te Kura Whakapūmau i te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha, e whakahoki ana i ā rātou taonga i riro i te tau kua hipa.
Heoi anō, i tēnei tau, kāore e hoki atu ana ētahi o aua kura ki te kawe taonga, kāore hoki e whai wāhi ki te whakataetae ā-motu.
I kī te Tumuaki Tuarua o Te Whānau Tahi, a Kahu Roberts: “Ānei Te Aho Matua e whakahoki nei i ēnei taonga… hei taonga mā te hunga ka mau i tēnei kaupapa… ā, mō tēnei wā ka wehe atu mātou i te whakataetae.”
Ko Kahu Roberts te kaikōrero whakamutunga o te pōwhiri i te taha o Te Whānau Tahi.
Ko ēnei kura kaupapa Māori e rua, he roa tō rāua hītori ki te tū hei māngai mō Waitaha ki Ngā Manu Kōrero, kāore e whai wāhi ki te whakataetae o tēnei tau. Engari, e aro ana rāua ki te whakawhanake rautaki hei whakatipu i te pā harakeke o te reo Māori.
“Ko tā mātou he hoki anō ki te mātauranga, he kimi i ētahi rautaki hei whakapakari i ngā pou o te toa,” I kī a Roberts.
E ai ki a Stirling, e whakarite ana ēnei kura i tētahi kaupapa reo hou, ā, e tatari ana ia ki te rongo atu mō aua mahere.
“They are supporting the development of our students in those types of reo environments that this generation are engaging with, whether it’s taupatupatu, whakaari… I wish them all the best.”
I whakamārama ia, he kaupapa ā-rohe tēnei kāore e ahu atu ki te whakataetae ā-motu.
I te rā tuatahi hoki, i tū ngā kōrero tēnei (impromptu speeches), e hāngai ana ki te whakapapa, te whenua, Te Tiriti o Waitangi i ngā kura, me te anamata o te ao Māori.
Inaianei kua aro ngā kaiwhaikōrero ki ngā whaikōrero kua whakaritea, puta noa i ngā wāhanga matua o te whakataetae. Mai i te 9 karaka i tēnei ata, ka whakataetae ngā ākonga i ngā wāhanga e whā:
I tēnei tau anō, kua whakaurua he wāhanga hou, ko Te Puawaitanga, e 10 ngā ākonga e uru ana.
I te rā tuatahi hoki, i tū ngā kōrero tēnei (impromptu speeches), e hāngai ana ki te whakapapa, te whenua, Te Tiriti o Waitangi i ngā kura, me te anamata o te ao Māori.
Inaianei kua aro ngā kaiwhaikōrero ki ngā whaikōrero kua whakaritea, puta noa i ngā wāhanga matua o te whakataetae. Mai i te 9 karaka i tēnei ata, ka whakataetae ngā ākonga i ngā wāhanga e whā:
• Pei Te Hurinui Jones (Māori Tuarua)
• Korimako (Pākehā Tuarua)
• Rāwhiti Ihaka (Māori Teina)
• Sir Turi Carroll (Pākehā Teina)
Ka pānuitia ngā toa ā te 7 karaka i te pō i te whakawhiwhinga taonga, ā, ka whakaingoatia ngā toa katoa o Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitaha. Ka haere ngā toa ki te whakataetae ā-motu ki Papa Hawaiki i Kaikohe, hei te 22–24 o Mahuru 2026.