Waha Kōrero is an opportunity for native and highly proficient speakers of te reo Māori. This unique speech competition welcomes competitors to prepare their voices and minds to soar in a nationwide, celebratory event for people aged 18 and over.
Te reo Māori is a language rich in wit, allegory and human experience spanning centuries. Once, the language soared up the mountains and across the waterways of this landscape, as loud as a cacophony of bird song at dusk.
After deliberate and sustained effort, te reo Māori is now a symbol of pride, a vehicle to unify all people of Aotearoa New Zealand and a taonga that places us uniquely on the world stage.
In 2024 Te Taura Whiri has brought a new kaupapa to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Waha Kōrero.
The final for Waha Kōrero will be held on Saturday the 21st of September 2024 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Dive into a night of vibrant reo Māori excellence as our twelve esteemed finalists from across Aotearoa showcase humour, intellect and eloquence through impromptu speech-making!
Competition criteria
Waha Kōrero 2024 is open to everyone who meets the following criteria;
- Aged 18 years and over at the time of registering your application
- Based in New Zealand OR if not living in New Zealand, you will cover the cost of flights if selected for the final in Te Whanganui-a-Tara
- Has a high level of reo Māori proficiency as described in the fluency criteria.
- Available to compete in the online preliminary round (12th-23rd August 2024) and in person at the national final in Te Whanganui-a-Tara on the 21st September 2024.
- Please note: The final 12 entrants who make it to the final round must consent to undergo police vetting in order to participate.
To be eligible for Waha Kōrero you must also be able to;
- Communicate easily, confidently and spontaneously or ‘off the cuff’ in Māori in everyday situations
- Show you have a wide vocabulary, and a good command of grammar, reo Māori phrases, sayings and kīwaha (idiomatic language)
- Talk ‘back and forth’ with other Māori speakers for a long time without the need to shift into English
- Be widely understood by other proficient speakers of te reo Māori
- Discuss complex issues when it comes to topics you know about.
Measuring language in any fluency is complicated. You do not need to have sat the Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Level Finder Examination (LFE), but for a useful benchmark to describe attributes of fluency the Whakamātauria Tō Reo Framework from the (LFE) has been used to inform Waha Kōrero eligibility criteria. Level 4 is the minimum entry level.
Please use the above description to assess your own eligibility and get in touch if you have any questions.
Waha Kōrero is made up of three rounds, below is a high-level break down of each round. For all the specific details refer to our Entrant Handbook below.
Round One:
- This round is open to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria.
- You will choose a topic from a list of pre-determined prompts and record your speech – 2 minutes is the time limit.
- Your speech will be judged against a set of criteria.
Round Two:
- The top scoring 40 entries from Round One will advance to this round.
- Round Two will take place online, in a series of competitive sessions over the month of August.
- During the online session, you will be given two random prompts and will have 15 minutes to prepare your speech.
- You will then move into a virtual room with two judges and give a five-minute speech.
Round Three:
- The top 12 entries from Round Two will advance into this final round.
- This round is an in-person event that will take place in Te Whanganui-a-Tara during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
- Finalists will take the stage in front of our panel of four judges.
- The winner will take home the ultimate prize of $10,000 and the mana of placing first, out of the whole of Aotearoa.
Taonga to embellish your kōrero are allowed i.e. tewhatewha, mere, poi etc. But not necessary and do not correspond to additional marks.
Waha Kōrero is a celebration of proficient speakers of te reo and their skills in impromptu kōrero, debate and quick thinking. It is not a demonstration of expertise in whaikōrero, karakia and whakapapa recitation.
Though mihi, whakapapa or other formal Māori speech making tikanga are not discouraged, please note NO extra time is given for these things, and they are not included in the judging marksheet.
NO use of cue cards
There is no time allocated for waiata tautoko at the conclusion of the speech.
NO use or profanity or extremely offensive sexual innuendo.
NO hate speech.
All conflicts of interests among participants must be declared at the point of registration or as soon as the person becomes aware of the conflict. For information about how conflicts of interest will be managed by judges, please see Judging Section.
Judges’ decisions are final.
Te Taura Whiri reserves the right to decline an entrants application, if that entry does not meet the full requirements and guidelines of the Waha Kōrero competition, or if any matter comes to light that may cause risk to Te Taura Whiri, its staff, or anyone else involved in the Waha Kōrero competition.
Te Taura Whiri reserves the right to offer a spot in Round 2 or 3 to the next highest-scoring participant if an individual isn’t reasonably able to make themselves available for that Round.
There are no exceptions to any of the declared rules in Waha Kōrero 2024. This is to ensure fairness for all entrants.
Book your tickets here
Our sponsors
This event is being delivered with the generous support of:
ATA
ATA is an indigenous social media agency that builds cutting edge platforms, and promotes kaupapa Māori to work towards a better future for our mokopuna.
Fonterra
Fonterra, Te Mātāpuna, is an Aotearoa-owned business whose shareholder-base includes tāngata whenua, and is also a significant employer of Māori. It is committed to ensuring the sincere integration and appreciation of te ao Māori and use of te reo Māori in its organisation.
Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council Te Kaunihera o Pōneke alongside its mana whenua partners is committed to its vision of Te Whanganui-a-Tara becoming a te reo Māori city by 2040 and continues to celebrate te reo as a taonga to protect, nurture and grow.
Finalists 2024
Tamati Waaka
I tipu mai a Tamati Waaka i te mātotorutanga o te reo, i te whārua o Ruātoki, ko te tūāpapa o taua reo rā, ko te whānau, ko ngā marae maha, ko te hāhi Ringatū me te Kura o Tāwera. He pouako reo, tikanga, tū marae, otirā he kaiwhakapāoho hoki; i te reo irirangi, pouaka whakaata me te ipurangi. Ko te kapa haka tāna e kaingākau ana, tatū noa ki ngā pūrākau a te Māori. He toa manu kōrero i roto i ngā tau, he toa whakaihuwaka kapa haka, he pū kōrero ki ngā tū kaupapa maha a te Māori.
Te Wairere Ngaia
He mangainga a Te Wairere o ngā kāwai whakaheke o ngā maunga o Taranaki i te uru me Hikurangi i te rāwhiti, o ngā waka o Tainui me Te Arawa. He uri hoki ia o ngā kaupapa o Te Kīngitanga, o Te Kōhanga Reo, o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Aho Matua, o Ngā Kura-ā-Iwi, o Te Pae Kaakaa o Waikato-Tainui, me Te Kaapunipuni Reo o Taranaki. I whakatupuria ia ki roto i te mātotorutanga o te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, hei painga mō tōna whānau, mō ōna hapū, mō ōna iwi. Ko tana aronga nui i tēnei ao ko te whāngai tonu i te reo me ngā tikanga ki āna tamariki kia tū rangatira ai rātou hei Māori. Pai mārire.
Regan Kupu Stokes
Ko Kupu tētahi pāpaka o Rangataua; he uri ia nō Ngāi Te Rangi, nō Ngā Pōtiki a Tamapahore, nō Ngāti Pūkenga, nō Ngāti Ranginui, nō Tūhourangi, nō Tūwharetoa, nō Ngātiwai hoki. Nō Tauranga tana matua, nō Ingarangi tana whaea. Kei Ōhinehou rātau ko tana whānau e noho ana. He pāpā, he kaiako, he kaiwhakamāori a Kupu; he pakihi tāna hei whakaako i te reo ki ngā tāngata o ngā tari kāwanatanga, o ngā whakahaere, o ngā kamupene, o ngā kura hoki, puta noa i te motu. He kaitito toikupu, he kaiwhakatangitangi hoki ia.
Watene Campbell
He Wīwī, he Naati, he Whanokē nō Porourangi, he uri nō te ure whakaparatī, e whai nei kia Tauakī te tū, kia Taiki te rere o ngā kōrero, pēnei me ōna tūtohu whenua o roto o Ngāti Awa, anei e mihi atu nei. He raukura a Watene nō Te Aho Matua, he tamaiti nō te Kura Kaupapa Māori, he tangata kaha ki te noho ki ngā rekereke o tōna kuia i te wā i a ia. I pakeke mai ia ki te reo Māori, ka mutu, i āta whakangungua ia ki ngā āhuatanga o tō tātau reo me ā tātau tikanga i te kura, i ngā kura reo, i te whare wānanga, me Te Whare Makatea o Te Pōkaitara anō hoki.
Te Ngaru Wehi
I heke iho mai rā a Te Ngaru i ngā niao o te waka o Tainui. Otirā, ko Ōkapu, ko Mōkai Kāinga ngā marae. Ka whānau mai nei ia ki tēnei ao, ka tukuna ia e ōna mātua kia noho ake ki te mātōtorutanga o te ao Māori. Ka haere nei ia ki Te Kōhanga Reo o ngā Kūaka, kātahi ki Tōku Māpihi Maurea ako ai. Ka tekau ōna tau, ka hūnuku rātou kotōna whānau ki Te Papaioea, ka tukuna anō ia ki tētehi kura kaupapa Māoriako ai. Ko te reo Māori te pou o tana ao, koia te pou o ana mahi katoa, wiki atu, wiki mai.Ka mutu, he mōkai anō hoki ia ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa e whakaako nei i te reo ki tōna taumata kairangi.
Te Kuru Dewes
He uri a Te Kuru o te Marama nō Te Arawa me Ngāti Porou. He raukura ia nō te Kōhanga Reo me te Kura Kaupapa Māori. I tutuki i a Te Kuru o te Marama te Tohu Paerua Reo Māori i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. He ika a Whiro hoki ia nō Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo. Kei a ia tāna tohu whakamāori mō te reo ā-tuhi me te reo ā-waha, he mea whakamana nā Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. He kaiārahi reo Māori a Te Kuru o te Marama i te ao pāpāho, he kaitohutohu kiriata, he kaitito waiata, he kaituhi anō hoki. E whakapono ana a Te Kuru o te Marama ki te reo Māori hei poutokomanawa e tū pakari ai te whare whakaaro Māori.
Jacob McGregor
He uri nō Ngāti Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga, Ngā Rauru Kītahi, me Te Whānau a Apanui. I tupu ake a Jacob ki ngā tahataha o te awa o Whanganui, nō reira tōna reo. Ahakoa he Māori ia, kāore ia i whakatupuria ki te reo Māori, i te ao Māori tūturu rānei. He mea whāngai te reo ki ia i te Kura Tuarua o Whanganui e ana kaiako reo Māori, pērā i a Marama Allen. Ka nui tana mihi ki a ia i tana whakatō i te kākano reo Māori ki roto i te ngākau. Nā ōna mātua me ōna whaene o tōna taha Rauru taua kākano i poipoi kia Taranaki ai te reo. Ka mutu, nā ōna kaiako ki Te Herenga Waka i whakapuāwai tōna reo kia tika ai, kia kounga ai, kia Māori ai. I ēnei rangi nei, he Pou Ārahi ia ki tētahi kamupene whakatairanga, he kaiwhakamāori hoki. Ka nanaiore atu ia ki te whakamahi i te reo Māori i ia rā, i roto i āna mahi, i te kāinga me tana tāne, i te taha hoki o āna irāmutu kōrero Māori.
Tayla Faddy
Ko Ranginui ki runga, ko Papatūānuku ki raro Ko te Tai Tokerau ki waenganui. Tihei mauri ora! Ki te taha o tōna tupuna matua, ko Ngāti Whātua te iwi, ko Te Uri o Hau te hapū. Ki te taha o tōna tupuna whaea, ko Te Rarawa te iwi, ko Ngāti Manawa te hapū. He mea whakatupu ia e ōna tūpuna. He tauira a Tayla ki Waipapa Taumata Rau, e whai ana i tana tohu kaiako. E ngākau nui ana ia ki te reo Māori, otirā ki te oranga tonutanga o tō tātou reo, ā haere ake nei. Nā ōna tūpuna i aroha ai ia ki te reo Māori, ā, ko tana tino hiahia kia rongo hoki ā tātou tamariki, mokopuna ki taua aroha anō.
Raniera Proctor
Mai i Hikurangi ki Ōraki, he uri tēnei nō Te Tai Rāwhiti. Ko Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, ko Ngāti Uepōhatu, rātou ko Ngāti Porou ngā iwi. Ko Rāniera Procter tēnei, he manu pīrere nō Te Kōhanga Reo, he Raukura nō Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, he morimoringa nā Ian rāua ko Kerry Procter. Ōna mātua i ako i te reo nei hei reo tuarua, ka pono rāua ki tā rāua whakatau kia reo māori ā rāua uri. Tokowhā ana tamariki, ko Malea, ko Waimea, ko Makaia, ā, ka whā ai ki tā rāua ko Kāwaiwhakaheke tamāhine mate tahe i ngā marama tata nei, i a Hinepūororangi. Mō rātou ana mahi me tana tū. Ko te whakarauora reo, whakarauora ahurea, whakamāui ake i ō tātou whānau āna mahi. E mau nei ia ki ngā pōtae o te heamana i ngā kaupapa o Te Poari Matua o Te Kōhanga Reo, o Te Matakahuki, o Te Taumata - Ihi Aotearoa, o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui anō hoki.
Tauawhi Bonilla
Ko Tauawhi Bonilla tēnei, ko Ngāpuhi, ko Ngāti Porou ngā iwi. He Māori ki te taha o tana māmā, he Latino ki te taha o tana pāpā. He raukura ia nō Te Aho Matua, nō Ngā Mokopuna, nō Maungārongo, he tama ō mua nō Te Aute Kāreti anō hoki. Mohoa nei, he tauira ture ki Waipapa Taumata Rau. Kei Waikato ia e noho ana. He nui tonu ngā mea e ngākaunui ana ki a ia. Te taha ki tōna Māoritanga, ko tōna reo, ko ngā kōrero tuku iho, ko ngā karakia, ngā ariā o ngā tūpuna, kapa haka, whaikōrero, ngā pūoro me ngā rākau o te riri. Te taha ki ana whāinga ā-mahi, kia whai wāhi atu ki te rāngai ahumoni me te ratonga whakahaere pūtea haumi, i te putanga o tana ihu i tana tohu ture me tana tohu paerua ahumoni.
Te Rangimonoa Tahi-Rangihau
Ka whai pānga a Te Rangimonoa ki ngā hapū maha o roto o Ngai Tūhoe, me ngā iwi maha hoki o te takere o te waka o Te Arawa. I whānau mai ia ki runga o Pukeroa i Rotorua. He mokopuna nā te kōhanga reo o Te Rongopai, rāua ko te kohanga reo o Pukeroa Oruawhata. I whakapakekehia mai ia i te kōhanga o Tuhoe, i te mārua o Ruatāhuna "paku kore". I waimarie ia ki te tipu mai ki ngā rekereke o wōna karawa i ngā rā Tekaumārua o te haahi Ringatū, me ngā hui nui o te iwi. I kuraina hoki ia ki Te Wharekura o Huirau, nō reira i tino aro ai ia ki ngā ahuatanga o tō tātou reo. Kai Te Rotoruanui tonu rātau ko tana hoa rangatira me tana whānau e noho ana, toko rima a rāua tamariki kai te Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata rātau e ako ana. He kaikirimana tana mahi i tēnei wā, he whai i te oranga o tana whānau te mahinga nui.
James (Hēmi) Akuhata
He mokopuna ia a Ihaka rāua ko Hine Rua, a Te Hiko o te rangi rāua ko Hāriata Akuhata. Ko Te Taahe rāua ko Hine Akuhata ōna mātua. Ko Sharron Handscomb tōna hoa rangatira, ā, tokotoru ā rāua tamariki. Ko Te Purewa rātou ko Rīria, ko Te Miringa ō rātou ingoa. Ko ngā mea mīharo ki a ia, ko te whai wāhi atu ki ana tamariki i roto i wā rātou kaupapa. He kaha nō tāna tama a Te Purewa ki te tākaro kī-o-rahi, pā whutupōro, tae atu ki te mahi kapa haka. He tino ringa toi, he kaituhituhi anō hoki tāna tamāhine a Rīria. Ko te pōtiki ko Te Miringa, ā, he rata hoki ia ki ngā mahi toi, mahi hākina, ā, he pai ki a rātou tahi te waiata mōteatea me te takitaki karakia. Ko tā Hēmi he tuku i ngā kōrero, me ngā mahi a ōna kuia, koroua, a ōna mātua hoki, ki āna tamariki, kia kore ai te kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea e ngaro, engari kia tipu, ohi, whanake hoki.
Judges and MC 2024
Stacey Morrison (MC)
Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu
Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) is a radio and TV broadcaster, writer, māmā, and staunch supporter of te reo Māori mai rā anō. She has co-written Māori at Home and Māori Made Fun with her husband Scotty Morrison, and Kia Kaha: A storybook of Māori who changed the world with Jeremy Sherlock. The latter winning the NZ Booklover's Best Children's Book and a Storylines Notable Non-fiction Award. While Stacey didn’t grow up speaking te reo Māori, she went on to become a graduate of the prestigious Te Panekiretanga o te Reo programme, and share te reo Māori with thousands of New Zealanders. Stacey has won several awards for her advocacy and loves encouraging the learning and use of the first language of Aotearoa.
Hinurewa Poutu
Ngāti Rangi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Maniapoto
Dr. Hinurewa Poutu has a distinguished career dedicated to the revitalisation and promotion of the Māori language. She is from Ngāti Rangi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, and Ngāti Maniapoto, and is a graduate of kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, and wharekura. In 2000, she won both the Pei Te Hurinui (Senior Māori) and Korimako (Senior English) sections at the national Manu Kōrero secondary school speech competition. A qualified translator and interpreter, television presenter, language consultant, and experienced teacher, Dr. Poutu has also served as a Māori Language Commissioner with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Dr. Poutu is a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o te Reo (Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language). She earned her PhD in Education from Massey University, focusing on Māori language use among youth. Her current role is Kaiurungi Reo (Director of Reo) at Whakaata Māori.
Robert Pouwhare
Ngāti Haka, Tūhoe
Robert (Ngāti Haka, Tūhoe) is a television director/producer and app developer with 43 years of production experience in broadcasting. He has produced, researched and directed numerous documentaries, children's programmes, and 2D/3D animation series. He has also composed music and lyricist for over 50 original songs aimed at kōhanga reo (Māori language immersion pre-school) children for television, in a concerted effort at language revitilisation. He was one of the members of the Māori Language Society who presented the Māori Language Petition to parliament in 1972. This paved the way for introducing language into schools, on radio and television – he was part of the first Māori programme series Koha in 1980. The Māori Language Act was introduced in 1987 and Māori Television established in 2004. He is a licensed translator and interpreter for The Māori Language Commission.
Oriini Kaipara
Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa
Oriini Kaipara (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa) has been a prominent media champion for te reo Māori for many years. Kaipara began a 20+ year career at Mai FM in Tāmaki Makaurau, then in 2004 she joined Waka Huia as a reporter. She worked on Te Karere as a presenter, producer and reporter, and went on to front Native Affairs. In 2019 she moved into a new role as a news anchor with 1 News. She made international news as the first woman with a moko kauae to present in a prime time news show. In 2023 she was appointed as Pouwhiringa - Māori Cultural lead on the New Zealand Olympic Committee, a role that allows her to continue to uphold te reo Māori on local screens, and on the world stage.
Kingi Kiriona
Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Apa
Kingi Kiriona is an orator, a kapahaka exponent, composer, educator, and broadcaster. His observation of te reo Māori and te ao Māori led him to see that this is a tool for improving the health and well-being of iwi and Māori communities. This has driven Kingi to realise opportunities for Māori language and culture to be shared, embedded, and recognised across multiple sectors, in particular business, broadcasting, infrastructure, education, and health. In 2023, Kingi was appointed Deputy Chief Executive, Mātauranga Māori at Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. His role was predicated on promoting hauora Māori solutions based on mātauranga Māori, which includes te reo and tikanga Māori. Kingi has produced close to 100 waiata and haka. Some of his pieces have been used as a learning resource for children in schools throughout Aotearoa. Recently, Kingi was reappointed to the board of Whakaata Māori for a third term.
Waha Kōrero in the media
$10k up for grabs as Waha Kōrero celebrates reo Māori excellence
01 Jul 2024
Waha Kōrero: New speech competition for proficient reo Māori speakers | Te Ao Māori News
01 Jul 2024
Waha Kōrero Celebrates Toa Reo Māori
01 Jul 2024
Take Reo | He whakataetae kōrero ā-waha te haere ake nei ki te hunga matatau
09 Sep 2024