Takutai Waiomio-Cassidy wins best senior Māori speech at Ngā Manu Kōrero

Takutai Waiomio-Cassidy with Pei Te Hurinui Jones Trophy for best senior Māori speech in this year's regional Ngā Manu Kōrero contest.

A Year 13 Bay of Islands College student has won the senior Māori section of Northland's top te reo speech contest despite being a first-time entrant who says public speaking isn't her cup of tea.

Takutai Waiomio-Cassidy, 17, who collected the coveted Pei Te Hurinui Jones Trophy in the Ngā Manu Kōrero regional speech contest at Opononi Area School, said she had watched the contest almost every year, but had always been too nervous to enter herself.

"But this year I was forced to do it by my parents and teachers. Standing up in front of people isn't my cup of tea," she said.

The lead-up was especially stressful because she only finished writing the speech a week earlier, giving her limited time to memorise it.

"When they gave me the mic my nerves really set in, but when I got on stage I took a deep breath and gave it my all," she added.

Contestants in the senior Māori section had to deliver a three-minute impromptu speech and a 12-minute prepared speech. Takutai's prepared speech, 'Kei ngā mātanga o te reo he aha i hē ai te reo o te rangatahi', was aimed at persuading fluent speakers of te reo that teenagers should be encouraged to speak the language at their own level, even if it wasn't perfect. They could gradually perfect their reo as they grew older.

If young people were corrected too harshly they could be discouraged from speaking te reo at all.

Five BOI College students competed, with 60 fellow students and teachers, and MP Willow-Jean Prime there to tautoko them.

Takutai (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa), from Matawaia, said she had learnt much of her reo from her mother and grandparents. Teacher Dion Prime helped with her speech and presentation. She attended kohanga reo and kura kaupapa in Moerewa before starting college.

The win had made her proud and happy, but she was determined to stay humble.
"I was surprised I won. When I watched the other speakers I thought I'd come third at best," she said.

BOI College principal John Paitai said it was "quite a feat" for a student from a mainstream school to win, especially at their first attempt.

"A lot of students at mainstream schools are afraid to enter the Pei Te Hurinui Jones Trophy because they're up against students from kura kaupapa who live and breathe te reo," he said.

Takutai is considering a career in journalism, possibly with Māori TV or iwi radio. She will join the other category winners at the national finals in Gisborne in September.

The other top prize, the Tā Hemi Henare Trophy, for best bilingual speaker, which is awarded only in Northland, was won by Tamika Smith, from Whangarei Girls' High School.

The Korimako Trophy for senior English went to Peeni Wynyard-Devogue, of Kamo High School.

In the junior section Wairere Whangapirita Sarich, of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hokianga ki te Tonga, won the Te Rawhiti Ihaka Trophy for Māori, while Rehutai Kingi, Kerikeri High School, won the Tā Turi Kara Trophy for English.

Students from 22 schools around Te Tai Tokerau took part.