Manu Kōrero - Te Tauihu

Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō once again sponsored the regional Te Tauihu Manu Kōrero competition, held in Richmond last month, and it was great to see so many of our rangatahi take to the stage, both as competitors and vocal supporters (how good was that haka ngeri!).

Congratulations to Te Ao Marama Nepia who came first in the Rawhiti Ihaka Junior Māori section, marking the first time this taonga - the Willie Luke Memorial Trophy - has been won by a Marlborough Girls’’ College student.  A huge well done also to Ngāti Apa rangatahi Pharaoh de Thierry, who came second in his section, and Lucas Baker who came third in Senior English.

Following a moving pōhiri at Omaka Marae to welcome the Manu Kōrero taonga home, Marlborough Girls’ College te Reo kaiako Whaea Louisa King said the students had done their whānau, schools and iwi proud. “E poho kererū ana tēnei whaea i tā rātou mahi rangatira.”

Te Ao Marama will now go on to represent Te Tauihu at the National Ngā Manu Kōrero competition to be held in Houhoupiko, Gisborne from September 18 to 20.

Te Ao Marama’s achievements were also well covered in the media, with stories appearing in Marlborough Midweek, The Blenheim Sun and the Marlborough App.  Click here to see the story on Stuff.

 

Iwi member Lucas Baker, centre, and fellow Marlborough Boys’ College students prepare to return the taonga Lucas won in 2017 during a pōwhiri at the regional Ngā Manu Kōrero competition in Richmond last month. Lucas was the 2017 winner of the Sir Tui Carroll-Junior English section and also received the Te Riu Toto Louisa Stafford Trophy for total aggregate in both te reo Māori and English.