I grew up in Kirikiriroa and went to Fairfield College for a year and a half. When my family moved out to Te Kowhai, I attended Fraser High School.
In the 1980s, most Hamilton high schools had only three to five different ethnicities represented. Some schools in Auckland had ten or fifteen.
Compare that to our kura today. We have students from 74 different ethnicities. That is an extraordinary gift—a richness of cultures, languages, traditions, and perspectives that make our community vibrant and strong.
When I was growing up, many of our parents and grandparents had lived through World War II. Their stories were still fresh. Our books, our movies, our conversations, they often focused on the horror of war, because it was recent history.
Today, we are again living in a world that feels dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of the past. Wars are being fought within and between countries. Political extremes are rising. Nationalism is growing. And some of our own students, sitting right here in this assembly, have come to Aotearoa to escape violence, civil war, or persecution.
Last assembly, I spoke about your generation needing to be the listeners, the bridge builders, the peace keepers. I’m really proud of the many acts of kindness, respect, and inclusion I see across our kura. But I also hear of racial bullying happening at our school. And when I do, I feel deeply disappointed. Because I know we can do better and we must.
You’re at an age now where you need to start thinking for yourself. You need to question the views you might hear at home, online, or from your friends. Ask yourself: Is this who I want to be?
Racial, ethnic, and religious hatred usually comes from one of two places: ignorance or blame, often passed down through generations. But when it comes down to it, life is about two things: who you love, and how you spend your time with the people you love.
What right does anyone have to make someone else’s precious life miserable—especially during their school years? What right does anyone have to make someone feel unsafe or unwelcome simply because of where they’re from, how they look, or what they believe?
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It is bullying to use offensive words about someone’s race or culture
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It is bullying to isolate or exclude people because they are different
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It is bullying to mock, pick on, or treat someone as less than you
And let me be very clear:
If you’re not yet ready to respect every student and staff member in this kura—no matter who they are—then you’ve got work to do.
Until you do that work, you are not living up to what this school stands for.
I repeat: you are the listeners, the bridge builders, the peace keepers. And that is your responsibility.
