Southland Girls' High School head girl Kheelan Thomson-Tonga used her speech at prize giving to educate her peers about the importance of her traditional Cook Islands headdress after a teacher asked her to remove it.
Thomson-Tonga had worn her 'ei katu to other school events, but was asked by one teacher to remove it before she stepped on stage on November 18.
But this made her uncomfortable and it felt like she was leaving a part of herself out, Thomson-Tonga told Breakfast, so she used her speech to address the incident.
"These things represent our cultures and who we are and it is appropriate in every manner to be wearing them wherever we go."
Watching a livestream of the senior prize giving, Thomson-Tonga's dad, Junior, recorded the "teachable moment" and posted it on TikTok.
It has received almost 50,000 likes and more than 790 comments as of 8.30am on Tuesday morning.
Junior told Breakfast it was a "good thing" his daughter had addressed the incident in that way and used it as an opportunity to educate others.
"I sat and listened and reckoned others would have to."
Thomson-Tonga said the teacher had later approached her and said they did not mean to cause any offence.
The school's principal, deputy principal and head of Māori had also reached out to the whānau after Thomson-Tonga's speech, Junior said.
When asked how she felt about empowering others to be themselves, Thomson-Tonga responded: "Honestly the amount of support I’ve got about it, hearing everyone’s different testimonies … it just assures me that I did the right thing and I wish that it would empower other people to continue to do the same thing."
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