Compelling speech on Canterbury earthquake experience wins student international award

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“I am a child of my time.”

The opening line of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School year 9 student Violetta Dacre’s​ speech showing a level of self-awareness not commonly found in a 13-year-old in her first year of high school.

Her speech, He Moana Pukepuke Ekinga E Te Waka (A Choppy Sea Can Be Navigated), is about the Canterbury rebuild following the earthquakes, and her experience in the years that followed.

The speech won Dacre the 11 to 14 years’ speech category of the annual Never Such Innocence competition, themed “life after conflict”. The international competition attracted 3181 entrants from 96 countries, and was endorsed by British prime minister Boris Johnson.

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“It has never been more vital to listen to the voices of young people, wherever they are from or whatever their circumstances, to promote global peace and understanding amongst communities worldwide,” Johnson said in a message to the entrants.

Violetta’s account of the earthquakes, the ensuing trauma and shared experience of the people of Canterbury is a mature perspective on a deep complex issue.

Her passion for te reo Māori is also present throughout the speech.

“I could’ve written about World War II, or Ukraine, but I thought this story was special to me and my city.”

ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff

Violetta is a keen writer, public speaker, cyclist, hockey player and dancer.

Violetta, who was 2 at the time of the quakes, does not remember much about the events themselves.

“My first memory after the shaking was the broken palace which was my grandmother’s home,” her speech reads.

“She had lost her home of 40 years, a place of weddings, funerals and unwritten memories. A place where I used to run through the garden and giggle in the sun under the lights of a huge copper beech tree.”

The speech goes on to explore how the phrase kia kaha (stay strong) was a significant tool in unifying the city and helping people rebuild as a collective, both physically and emotionally.

It pays homage to the 185 lives lost, and touches on the city’s now infamous red zone.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff

The 13-year-old says she plans to continue entering speech competitions and writing into her later years.

When asked how she reacted to winning an international award and beating thousands of entrants in the process, Violetta said she “started crying”.

“As a 13-year-old from New Zealand, I didn’t think I’d have my voice heard. It meant a lot.”

Violetta submitted her speech at 1am on the day of the deadline in March as she had just recovered from Covid-19.

The keen writer and public speaker, who hopes one day to go to medical school, said her speech aimed at highlighting the “shared experience” between all Cantabrians, no matter their demographic.

She felt a sense of pride when telling people she was from Christchurch, and wanted others to feel the same.

“It’s a story about surviving a disaster.”

Violetta had her first written piece published at 8 years old. She hopes to write a novella before she finishes high school.

She described herself as outgoing, creative and confident, and when not writing or public speaking she likes to compete in road cycling, hockey and dance, and was “very motivated”, she said.

She had competed in the Canterbury championships and road nationals for cycling.

Writing tutor Kerrin Sharp, an English teacher and published author from Christchurch, was a key mentor and pillar of guidance in Violetta’s writing, she said.

Rangi Ruru Girls’ School assistant principal of curriculum Juliet Collins said Violetta’s speech provided a shared experience of a deeply personalized tragedy.

“I’m 60 and she’s 13, but the idea is that we have this shared experience and can relate, despite our differences.”

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