Future leaders of Ngāti Kahungunu had their turn on the stage at the region's Manu Kōrero competition this week.
Henrietta Hillman says, “It's a huge day today, we've got over 15 schools here from Wairoa down to Wairarapa, so that's about 300 students.”
Ngā Manu Kōrero is a competition that encourages secondary school students to develop their public speaking skills both in Māori and English.
Te Aranga Hakiwai says, “For me, it's a chance for the region of Ngāti Kahungunu to hear what's important to all the young people of Ngāti Kahungunu.”
Teachers say the competition continues to go from strength to strength. The competition has been running for 50 years since it was established in 1965.