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Mormon Teenager Wins National Speech Competition

New Zealand teenager Te Hurutea a Rangi won a national Manu Korero oratory competition recently. This involved her speaking in Maori on a subject of her choice. 

She chose to speak on environmental threats associated with hydraulic fracking, the process of fracturing a rock layer through the action of a pressurized fluid. 

“The Te Karaka Area School student returned home from the national competition in Nelson last week with the coveted Taikohine Toa - Dame Whina Cooper trophy for the best junior female speaker in the te reo Maori section,” according to a report in The Gisborne Herald.

Te Hurutea a Rangi Tahuri

The Year 10 student told The Gisborne Herald that she would like to attend Brigham Young University in Hawaii and serve a (LDS) Mormon mission. Her career dreams include being an author, part-time teacher and presenter on Maori Television.

Read the full article in The Gisborne Herald.

“Latter-day Saint children and youth are given many opportunities to participate in church activities by offering prayers, delivering sermons and otherwise developing their oral talents,” says Church leader, Elder David Thomson. “These experiences add to learning opportunities at home and at school.  

Read more about Latter-day Saint programs for children and teenagers.

Photograph courtesy of The Gisborne Herald. Used with permission.

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