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Amy Wharakura        2003



















































         RIDING HIGH:  Ngaruawahia High School’s Amy Wharakura took out the Pei Te Hurinui Jones Manu Korero senior
         Maori speech competition with a korero based on the movie The Whale Rider.                                PICTURE: Carolyn Elliot
           Amy blows them all away with whale of a speech



               A Ngaruawahia teenager thought her speech,          “I  said  I  will  do  it,  -  but  I’m  not  going  to
         based on the movie The Whale Rider wasn’t good  win.”
         enough  to  win  Waikato’s  senior  Maori  speech         Her  speech  began  with  a  waiata  singing  of
         competition. She was wrong.                          Paikea’s ancestor’s fight against the elements as he
               Ngaruawahia  High  School  student  Amy        rode to Aotearoa on the back of a whale.
         Wharakura  is  the  only  non  kura  Kaupapa  school      She then applauded the actions of Paikea for
         student to win, and the second female since 1996.    challenging  beliefs  of  a  woman’s  place  in  Maori
               Amy based her korero on the tale of a young    society.
         Maori girl, Paikea,  and the pursuit of her dream to      The  Ngati  Mahuta  youngster  said  she  was
         lead her people.                                     inspired by the movie’s theme.
               The  year  12  student  swept  aside  all           “Do not let men dominate. There is a lot of
         competition  at  the  Pei  Te  Hurinui  Jones  Manu   opportunity for women. We should always follow
         Korero senior speech competition at Hauraki Plains   our dream  -  she (Paikea) knew what was right for
         College on Saturday.                                 her and persisted.”
               Not  bad  for  the  16-year-old  who  was           Amy will now compete in the national final
         reluctant to enter.                                  in Palmerston North in September.
               “I  didn’t  want  to  do  it,  but  my  mum                  John Stokes, Waikato Times Reporter
         encouraged me,” Amy said.


                     Manu Korero Nationals           2003


               Well, another year of Manu Korero has hit us    was held.
         again. As we all know Amy Wharakura, who spoke             However,  it  wasn’t  possible  without  going
         in  the  senior  Maori  section,  made  us  proud  by   through the regional competition which was held at
         leading our school to Manawatu Arena, Palmerston      Hauraki Plains College earlier this year.
         North,  where  the  Manu  Korero-a-Motu  for  2003         Her  speech  was  on  “The  Whale  Rider”,  a
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