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LARISSA: RACE UNITY SPEECH AWARDS HAWKE'S BAY 2023

LARISSA: RACE UNITY SPEECH AWARDS HAWKE'S BAY 2023

00:00-07:35

Race Unity Speech Awards, Hawke's Bay Region, May 2023

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The speaker discusses the importance of teaching history in a way that promotes understanding and inclusivity. They emphasize the need to acknowledge and learn from the dark parts of New Zealand's past, particularly regarding racism. They suggest three ways to create a more inclusive country: inclusive education, creating a safe environment for children to express their feelings, and having open conversations about racism. The speaker also highlights the role of parents and teachers in shaping children's beliefs and values. They argue that history education should be unbiased and teach both the good and bad aspects of history. The speaker mentions the misconception about Captain James Cook discovering New Zealand and the importance of correcting such historical inaccuracies. They stress the need to educate future generations about equality and human rights, and to continue the conversation about racism. Finally, the speaker calls for teaching history in a way that brings balance and ho How can we teach history without bringing hate to the story? How can we teach history and keep the thirst for revenge out of the story? How can we teach history and keep them and us out of the story? How can we teach history and forget to explain the story? How can we teach history without making our worth? How can we teach history and keep fairness in the story? How can we teach history and make it a hopeful story? How can we teach history and bring balance to the story? The right teachers we can? The ones who put the right questions to their students. The ones who highlight the sacrifices made. The ones who highlight the importance of forgiveness. The ones who highlight the bonds of friendship and times of strife. The ones who highlight the times of war, war and hell. The ones who highlight the means of timing. Teaching History by David Smith. Like every country, New Zealand has a dark past. Ours is a lot closer than we think it is. But unlike some countries, we realise we have to face our dark past to make a brighter future. That we can no longer ignore the problem of racism looking us dead in the eyes. So with a goal in mind, what do we do? Well, we nurture the young, we all agree, that's why we're all here tonight. But we need to figure out a way, the best way to do this. Three ways I feel would be a good start to make a more inclusive country is one, allowing for more inclusive educational systems, meaning we teach the good, the bad and the ugly. Two, we provide a safe environment at home for kids to grow up and express their own feelings and opinions. And three, have those regular conversations, not make it feel like a taboo subject. We need to make every generation educated on what's happening in our own backyard. It's always easier said than done. And some of our kaumatua and even some of our tamariki's values come from within them, how they were raised, their religion or where they're from. We need to make new values and beliefs that we are all one, it's not shame just because of difference, one's not control. Parents are the first and primary influence on their children. And this is the first place where we're exposed to the world. It is in those first three years where we subconsciously grab these ideas, these beliefs, these values that our family hold and may have been holding for many generations. Learning these ideas and how you should view people from the moment you were born are very hard habits to break, but some need to be broken if we want to see the country united. We need to be the generation that breaks the habit of viewing people differently just because they may be slightly different to you or me. To help us nurture the young, we need to create a safe environment both at home and at school, allowing the education system to not be biased towards one side, but to teach the good, the bad, the ugly. Because we're not going to be able to progress if we do not. Teachers and school is where we learn law, that's what it's for, isn't it? We go there to learn our modifications, our science, how to write and deliver a speech. But it's also where we learn the mistakes of our past. History, in my eyes, is a very important subject as we need to be able to learn from the past to avoid it happening again in the future. I can guarantee that almost everyone in this room would have heard or learned about Captain James Cook, how he was a hero and a saviour to many, labelled one of the greatest navigators and explorers of all time. While he may have been a great navigator and explorer, there was always one fact about him that was wrong. That he discovered altered oil in New Zealand. And that's what most of us learn, believe, and what most of the world is taught as well. If you research, get a book, or even ask someone, who discovered altered oil in New Zealand? You might get an answer. You won't find Polynesians or Maori. But one name will show up for the majority of the time. Captain James Cook. But saying that, there are some sites now, there are some books, there are some people, and learning that are now correcting this mistake, saying how he was the first European and the country to the best. We're now correcting our mistakes of the past, slowly but surely. Now, whilst my education has looked at both sides of the story, more from intermediate onwards, many people have not had the resources or the teachers to do this. Most of these people being parents, older siblings, grandparents, most of our older whanau. Meaning, when we learn this, it allows us to pass down, or pass up, the knowledge learnt about the history of our beautiful country. Because children are as even as a bright-faced fish in green. They will grow up in whatever way you train them. Take the utmost care to get them high IELTS and goals, so once they're of age, they will cast their beams like brilliant candles in the world. We need more bright and brilliant candles in the world that are able to believe in equality for all and break the cycle that they may be trapped in. 21 years, where the country have got the need to hold this competition in order to make us think and talk about racism and equality, is quite upsetting. In such a widely diverse country, the fact that we're still having to compete to get our voices heard about equality for all is something I and many people can't seem to wrap their heads around, seeing as they are basic human rights. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other human status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights. Without discrimination. Here we are, for another year, trying to get these simple words on a piece of paper for everyone, for a racist-free Aotearoa. We need to make our conversations heard and heard by the ones in charge. Now, there have been a few successes over the years, but still more could be done, which is why we cannot drop this conversation. Which is why we cannot drop this conversation. However, if we look at the 21 years, on the other hand, we can take it as positive. We can take it as our tamariki are still wanting to keep the conversation alive and well. They're wanting to make their voices heard. They're wanting to educate everyone on the problems happening in our country. This is why I face our generation to educate our kaumatua and other tamariki. Which is why teaching the truth behind our history helps different ages and generations of Aotearoa, as we are all learning the truth many were held from. We need to learn the good, the bad, the ugly. History is supposed to make us feel uncomfortable and make us feel the need for change and to learn from the bad to make a brighter future. So we can teach history without bringing hate to the story. We can teach history and keep them and us out of the story. We can teach history and know who is to blame in the story. We can teach history without making our words. We can teach history and keep fairness in the story to make it a hopeful story, to bring balance to the story. With the right teachers, with the right minds, the ones willing to unlearn to learn, the ones who highlight the sacrifices made, the ones who highlight the importance of forgiveness, the ones who highlight the bonds of friendship and time to shine, the ones who highlight the times war was avoided and how, the ones who highlight the meaning of atonement, and the ones who highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thank you.

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