Guidelines

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.