Heartfelt storytelling tops Toastmasters

Hamish Brown is Pūkenga Manaaki with the Adult Mental Health team in Whakatū / Nelson.

He is delighted to share the story of a whānau member’s (service user) success with Toastmasters – a non-profit organisation that helps people improve their public speaking and leadership skills through supportive local clubs across the motu.

Nā Hamish Brown – Pūkenga Manaaki, Mental Health

Mark with his Toastmasters awards

With his skill, humour and heartfelt storytelling, Mark Delft Klootwyk won first place in the Humorous Speech category of the Top of the South New Zealand Toastmasters competition in 2025.

This regional contest drew participants from Levin in the North Island to Kaikōura in the South – the wide field making Mark’s win truly outstanding.

The humourous speech category is highly competitive and requires tremendous skill to balance storytelling, pace, emotional intelligence and comedic rhythm.

Mark delivered all of this with charm and precision. His win is well-deserved and widely celebrated.

As the regional champion, Mark then advanced to the District-level Toastmasters competition held in Timaru in mid-May. This was a significant step up, and although Mark didn’t take home an award, it was an opportunity for him to showcase his craft on a larger platform and to challenge himself alongside some of New Zealand’s finest communicators.

As Mark’s support person, I could not be more proud. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing his dedication behind the scenes – the rehearsals, revisions, breakthroughs and moments of self-reflection that are essential to personal growth.

His courage, commitment, perseverance, and genuine passion for storytelling shone through in every performance.

Here’s to the next chapter for Mark as he continues with Toastmasters, using his voice and humour to light the way forward.