Whakatou mai, Whakatou mai
Mai ki o matou manuhiri kua haere mai nei i tawhiti.
Whakawhetai tatou i te ariki mo te kawe mai ia koutou ki a matou. Whakawhetai ki a koutou, no- mai, piki mai, make mai. Tena Koutou, Tena Koutou,Tena Koutou Katoa.
Greetings to you all. My name is Mele and today I am here to tell you a number of reasons, as to why the land at Ihumatao should be kept unchanged. I may not have the requirements that you expect in a person to make these statements, but I do have the voice to speak the truth. I come from a different background, but my lifetime began here in New Zealand, meaning I am honored to stand in the position of a proud New Zealander.
In between Manukau Harbour and Auckland International Airport, lays the small Papakainga Ihumatao. The Papakainga is Auckland's earliest settlement. Some people believe that Ihumatoa should be filled with a number of apartments, but in my opinion that is that is the wrong thing to do, because a large Maori community have remained at this site for around 1000 years. When Maori first entered Aotearoa, they had to adapt to a new environment. Their move here was to create a settlement where people could find the food they needed and live safely surrounded by their whanau. Poor helpless families would suffer if Ihumatoa was taken away. Imagine if this happened to you? What would you do? How would you feel? Now you tell me!
We have listened. We have learned. We have lived. Memories have passed by every moment, meaning every step we take is something new. Ken Lotu Liga AKA- Residential- general manager will present his case to the Auckland Council Commissioners just to create 480 new homes, but in my opinion this sounds extreme.Many people have been protesting around NZ to shower their support. If I were you I would get off my bottom and start supporting the tangata whenua of Ihumatoa. We all live here, so why not? How would you feel if something special was taken from you? What would you do if someone came hammering on your door, not being nice saying '' Sorry, but we will be dismantling your house down, so start packing and get out!''Start thinking about families and friends that are going through this?
At the end you may disagree with me, but all I can say is that '' I have the right to stand up for what I believe''. Most people say that '' a young person can't change a SINGLE mind'', but in my beliefs '' A young voice CAN change anything''!
Nga mihi mo te whakarongo ki aku korero. Noa'tu e aha tupu. Kia mahara he whenua ahurea o Niu Tireni, na '' piri tonu ki a raatau ano, na te mea ka whakahokia. No matter what happens. Remember that New Zealand is a multicultural country, so
'' stick up for each other, because one day it will be given back!
#Protect Ihumatoa
On Thursday Panmure Bridge School held a school speech competition. To get into this competition each student presented their speeches to their class and teacher. At the same time they were listening and scoring points. The 3 students with the highest scores, were then chosen to be in this competition. Mr Stevenson from Tamaki College came to our school to judge the finalists speech and poems. Jack talked about Playdurasim, while Marieta and I referred back to the Tangata Whenua of Ihumatoa. I believe that I was a confident speaker, because not only did I present in front of the class, but I did present in front of the whole school. The hand gestures that I used was good, especially the voice tone that I used. Next time I need to show more eye contact, because I kept on looking at my cue cards.
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