Regional winner promoting racial harmony

Year 13 Whangarei Girls’ High School student Jess Edmonds-Saunders won first place in the 2009 NZ Race Unity regional speech award competition held at Whangarei Central Library.

Jess will now travel to Auckland to compete against other regional winners at a national semi-final to be held this month. If successful at that level Jess will speak in the finals and have the opportunity to participate in the National Race Unity Conference.

She and students from throughout Northland spoke on the topic ‘Good neighbours come from all races and cultures’. Contestants considered the concept of their neighbourhood, their experiences of being neighbourly with other races and cultures and practical steps to becoming more neighbourly.

The judging panel included Karla Clink from the Human Rights Commission, Peter Bruce representing the Baha’i Community, and Paul Dimery from the NZ Police. Te Warahi Hetaraka, a tohunga whakairo for this area and pou whakahaere for Te Puni Kokiri, was among the guests.

Head judge Karla Clink said the quality of speeches was very high and it was a great challenge for the judges to choose a winner.

The contest, which supports the annual Race Relations Day (March 21), aims to celebrate the diversity of cultures and races.