221/366 - Winner of the Motueka Primary Schools Year 7/8 Speech Competition

Sonny Jim won the Speech Competition despite being one of the youngest competitors in his age group and never having taken part in a speech competition until winning the school comp this year! Go him!!

There were six set topics to choose from, and SJ worked his speech around the title "Pushing the Boundaries." Link to video of speech here.

Text of his speech below:

Pushing the Boundaries

Pushing the boundaries you say... What do you mean by that? Do you mean taking a world record and beating it, or pushing against a wall? I am not doing a speech on how to push walls or even push physical boundaries. No, I will be focusing on boundaries of attitude and how with a few brave people pushing the boundaries, attitudes can be changed and social justices achieved.

“Women getting the vote? Pshaw! Yeah right!” In 1892, that was the attitude of most of the public, even some women. . . In 1893, however, New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the basic human right of voting in a Parliamentary Election. To all the women in the room . . . how would you feel if you werenʼt allowed to vote in the next General Election simply because you were born female? By pushing social and political boundaries, suffragist Kate Shepherd and her supporters achieved this social justice for the women of New Zealand. Much of the world was soon to follow.

And to think that in New Zealand in1985, you could be put in jail, just for being gay. That seems ridiculous nowadays . . . well to most people, anyway! Thanks to MP Fran Wilde and her supporters, the Homosexual Law Reform Act was passed in 1986 and around 10% of New Zealandʼs population no longer had to live in fear of imprisonment.

Only the following year, in August 1987, did Te Reo Maori finally become an official language of Aotearoa-New Zealand. How can it possibly have taken so long to officially recognise this beautiful language? For so many years it was

the only language spoken in Aotearoa, and yet it nearly died! Isnʼt it a human right to be able to speak your own language in your own country?

Then in 1994 Apartheid (the hateful segregation against black people) ended in South Africa and the world rejoiced! Nelson Mandela pushed this social justice boundary every day of the 27 years he spent in prison. After all his struggles he became President of South Africa and is still an inspiration to millions.
All these things were radical in their time, truly seen as pushing the boundaries of life as we knew it. When we reflect on them now they seem regular and commonplace - but many of our basic human rights didnʼt just happen. . . they were bravely fought for.

There is still a lot of discrimination that exists in our world, and even in our own country.
What issue do YOU feel is worth pushing the boundaries for?
Will YOU be our next civil rights champion?
If you ARE, I truly hope you are successful because pushing the boundaries makes our world a better place.