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Speaking their native tongues and donning cultural garments, Pasifika pupils recently made their ancestors proud at the Franklin Schools’ Pasifika Speech Competition.
Late last month, St Joseph’s Catholic School welcomed 32 contestants from Years 5–8 to share their heritage with friends, family and judges.
Many participants from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati and the Cook Islands took home winning trophies and a celebratory lei.
Waiuku Primary’s Henry Taufa won the Tongan Bilingual Award (Year 7 and 8) with a speech about connecting culture and language.
“The competition was tough, but I felt so proud to speak in Lea faka Tonga (Tongan). It was even more special to represent my family especially my dad,” he says.
Photos supplied “I thought they said the wrong name [announcing the winner] and then I realised it was me and I was really surprised!” Taufa says.
Dating back to the early 2000s, the contest was born as a shared initiative between Pukekohe’s St Joseph’s Catholic School and Pukekohe Intermediate School to give bilingual students a platform to represent their people, says Pukekohe Intermediate principal Rebekah Pearson.
“This competition is about our young people being proud of their culture, heritage and language and having the courage to stand up and share that pride with others,” she says.
With teary-eyed parents in the crowd, St Joseph’s principal Ursula Hall says the event is a highlight for Pasifika families in the region.
“Events such as these are vital in welcoming our Pasifika families into our schools and providing a platform for their whanau to shine.”
