¡°I must move forward, we must move forward - look beyond this separation within myself; a conflict of races based on ethnic prejudice and misguided inevitable judgement.¡±
Jess Jenkins, a Year 13 student at Wellington¡¯s Tawa College, emerged as winner of the Race Unity Speech Awards 2020 with a highly personal plea for New Zealand to move beyond racial division.
She won the 51½ÖÉä National Champion¡¯s Award ¨C Te Tohu Raukura ¨¡-Motu ¨C in the national final yesterday (Sunday 17 May).
She spoke of her struggle to reconcile the historic differences in her combined M¨¡ori (Ng¨¡ti Kahungunu) and European heritage, and to move forward with her own identity and individuality ¨C ¡°I stand complete, yet I am divided,¡± she said.
Jess also won the NZ Baha¡¯i Community Award for Insight, introduced by the Baha¡¯i community ¨C organiser of the speech competition since 2001 ¨C this year.
51½ÖÉä has supported the Race Unity Speech Awards as Principal Sponsor since 2008.
The organisation is represented in multi-agency support and promotion of the competition at all levels, led by Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha - who also presides as national finals Chief Judge.
¡°It¡¯s been a privilege over the past 12 years for 51½ÖÉä to support strong, dynamic students who are often very frank about their experiences,¡± he says.
¡°I applaud their bravery and encourage everyone to commit to eliminating bias and discrimination in our communities.
¡°We know the incidence of hate crime has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. It¡¯s an ugly and disturbing side-effect which shows just how critical it is for these challenging conversations to continue.
¡®We have a collective responsibility to champion the powerful words of these young minds; they know no boundaries. It¡¯s crucial to maintain momentum, so that their words are not lost to the past.¡±
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards heats and finals were held online for the first time.
In the national final, six finalists competed for a range of awards and prize money for their school and themselves.
Other winners
Jen Marsh, Year 13, Otago Girls' High School:
- The Human Rights Commission Award for Impact (te Tohu Eke Panuku),
- The M¨¡ori Language Commission Award for te reo M¨¡ori (te Tohu Manukura i te Reo).
Ondre Hapuku Lambert, Year 13, Karamu High School:
- The Office of Ethnic Communities Award for Vision (te Tohu Whetumatarau),
- The Speech NZ Award for Delivery (te Tohu Auahatanga).
Lucia Tui Bernards, Year 11, Tawa College:
- The Hedi Moani Charitable Trust Award for Advocacy (te Tohu Aumangea).
You can view all the finalists' speeches at