Ngā Manu Kōrero win for Christ’s College student Kiniwai Morgan
24 Jun 2026
In a first for Christ’s College, Year 12 orator Kiniwai Morgan has been named the Overall Winner of the Senior Māori Section at the regional Ngā Manu Kōrero Māori speech competition in Christchurch.
He has also been awarded the Best Prepared Speech and the Best Impromptu Speech awards, acknowledging his outstanding mastery of te reo Māori and the power of his oratory skills.
In a speech titled ‘E kore toku puweru e maku i te pata ua!’ (I will not be affected by the ongoing changes in the world), his impassioned delivery has connected with a highly knowledgeable audience. The competition for secondary school students aims to nurture young leaders and empower their voices.
Head of Māori & Indigenous Studies Keri Campbell describes the win as “an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that Kiniwai put into his preparation and delivery and the amazing support of his whānau”.
In its 61st year, Ngā Manu Kōrero “is regarded as the most significant event on the Māori education calendar for nurturing oratory skills and providing the stage for young people to express their views and lay down their challenges” to an audience of “peers, parents, whānau, and judges”.
It marks the second year of speech success for College. In 2025, Christ’s College Head Prefect Ihaka Cate and Kiniwai’s brother, Pewhairangi Morgan, represented Waitaha (Canterbury) at the national final. In the regional event, Ihaka was named the overall Korimako Contest (English language) winner in both the senior impromptu and prepared speech sections while Pewhairangi won the Sir Turi Carroll Contest (Junior English) and finished 3rd in the Te Rāwhiti Ihaka Contest (Junior Māori).
