Unitec hosted the Tāmaki Makaurau Finals of Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō at Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae on Thursday.
It was the third time this annual te reo Māori speech competition has been hosted at Te Whare Wananga o Wairaka.
Sixteen rangatahi from Kura kaupapa Māori across Tāmaki Makaurau took part in this year’s competition ranging in age from ten to eighteen years old. They were supported by close to two hundred manuhiri from the participating kura, as well as friends and whānau.
The winners of the six categories will represent Tāmaki Makaurau at the Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō National Finals in Te Tai Tokerau, Kaitaia in October 2025.
The Māori Women’s Welfare League (Te Ropu Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora) has been running Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō since 1977, with a clear mission to help Māori reclaim their tino rangatiratanga as a people and take control of their destiny.
Tuia te Waiora, the Māori Women’s Welfare League branch based at our marae, has hosted Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō since 2022.
“This kaupapa brings kura from across Tāmaki Makaurau to stand in te reo Māori and celebrate the voices of rangatahi,” says Kaitiaki Taiao, Hinewaimarama Reihana-White (Ngāti Hineamaru, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Whātua), who is the president of Tuia te Waiora.
Whaea Hinewaimarama says hosting this event reflects Unitec’s commitment to kaupapa Māori and to uplifting Māori student voices within the wider community.
“Through this kaupapa, connections with kura continue to grow, and relationships are strengthened year by year. This kaupapa is supported by the ongoing manaakitanga of the marae whānau, the Unitec Events Team, and the wider Unitec community who help create a welcoming space where reo, tikanga, and rangatahi can thrive.”
Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō supports the growth of fluent te reo Māori speakers and increasing the confidence of tamariki and rangatahi to speak te reo Māori in a public forum. The competition also aims to revive, preserve and maintain te reo Māori through supporting whānau to increase their use of the language by building and strengthening relationships within our communities.
With four of the six national winners coming from Tāmaki Makaurau in 2024, the quality of this year’s competition was again of a high standard.
“That can be attributed to the movement of Kura kaupapa Māori, total immersion and the pedagogy we teach in kura,” says Rehia Hanara (Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Tūhoe, Tūwharetoa), a judge for the Tāmaki Makaurau finals who also sits on Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa.
She says the growing number of Kura kaupapa Māori – nine in Tāmaki Makaurau and 69 across Aotearoa – is also helping.
“The biggest outcome for us is to see tamariki flourish and be confident and stand in front of an audience and express their whakaaro. The topics are not easy, but they are very aware.”
Of the list of topics, kaikōrero had to choose from, the two most popular were: Whakamomori/kaiwhakaweti – Kāti te noho puku (Suicide/bullying – “Enough of the silence”) and Toitū te Tiriti – Kei te wāhi tō Hawaiki hou (Honour the Treaty – Your future is grounded in place).
Whaea Hinewaimarama is impressed by the standard each year adding: “What we are seeing is our rangatahi reaching new heights in the quality of their reo and breaking boundaries. This is a forum for them to express who they are in their own reo and it is empowering for them. They are our future.”
Former regional and national winner, Uenuku Papuni Abbott, was the MC for this year’s event and he says Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō has been hugely influential in his te reo journey and is a platform which “fosters leadership, courage, and the growth of our future kaikōrero”.
Ms Hanara is confident Ngā Pū Kōrero o Āpōpō will continue to flourish as more rangatahi embrace te reo and enrol in Kura Kaupapa.
“Our NCEA pass rates (for Kura Kaupapa Māori) are through the roof and I think that comes down to tamariki knowing who they are, where they’re from, their identity, and being able to express their whakairo,” she explains.
“They are all intelligent in their own ways and that’s what kura does, we nurture tamariki into what they want to be according to their traits and attributes, that contributes to the revitalisation of Matauranga Maori and te reo.”
Whaea Hinewaimarama acknowledged this year’s participating Kura; TKKM o Hoani Waititi, TKKM o Te Kotuku, TKKM o Manurewa and judges: Eruera Morgan, Rehia Hanara, Peata Leef, Raniera Kingi (Convenor).
She also thanked Uenuku Papuni and scrutineers Lynne Webb and Marama Haines-Te Whare for their mahi, and the support of kaimanaaki Tuia te Waiora Branch; MWWL Tāmaki Makaurau Region members; the Unitec Events Team; and Te Noho Kotahitanga marae whānau.
2025 Tāmaki Makaurau Regional Winners
Senior Kōtiro
Ngahiriwa Tai Tin (Ngāti Kahungunu/ Ngāti Hine) – TKKM o Te Kotuku
Kaupapa kōrero: Toitū te Tiriti – Kei te wāhi tō Hawaiki hou.
Senior Tama
Te Rei Whangapirita-Mulligan (Ngāti Porou) – TKKM o Hoani Waititi
Kaupapa kōrero: Ko te reo kia Māori, ko te reo kia Tamariki.
Intermediate Kōtiro
Puhinga-i-te-Rangi Tai Tin (Ngāti Kahungunu/ Ngāti Hine) – TKKM o Te Kotuku
Kaupapa kōrero: Toitū te Tiriti – Kei te wāhi tō Hawaiki hou.
Intermediate Tama
Hawaiki Pirini (Ngāti Pikiao/ Te Whakatōhea/ Apanui) – TKKM o Hoani Waititi
Kaupapa kōrero: Tātou tātou (kia mau tonu ki ngā paerewa me ngā aratohu)
Junior Kōtiro
Te Huinga Purewa (Ngai Tūhoe) – TKKM o Hoani Waititi
Kaupapa kōrero: Whakamomori/kaiwhakaweti – “Kati te nohopuku”.
Junior Tama
Rākeihikuroa Tai Tin (Ngāti Awa/ Ngāti Kahungunu/ Ngāti Hine) – TKKM o Te Kotuku
Kaupapa kōrero: Pai mai, kino mai, weriweri mai o ngā pānga pae pāpāho pāpori.
