But when you put the Otago Girls’ High School pupil in front of a crowded room to give a speech, she becomes a powerful, authoritative and slightly "scary" orator.
"Even if things hurt me, I generally don’t speak my mind.
"So I love public speaking.
"I see speeches as a way for me to tell people how I really feel about things."
The Samoan-born 16-year-old recently won the Otago Race Unity Speech Competition with a speech about the trauma caused by the Christchurch mosque shootings, the dawn raids, the Samoan independence march and the recent abuse of a Maori elder at an anti-co-governance meeting.
She also spoke about educating young people about the incidents, and how it could help avoid future racism.
"People should listen to our stories. And we should nurture and educate our children to be more inclusive and more accepting of other people, because the youth are the future of Aotearoa."
She had been on the receiving end of racism in New Zealand, and being Samoan had helped her relate to the incidents she spoke about, she said.
"I was told by the judges that my speech was powerful and scary," she said.
"They said it was my voice — because I was authoritative and they felt like I was telling them off."
Tanya will now represent the region at the national semifinals and finals, which are being held in Auckland on June 16.
The competition is a platform for senior secondary school pupils to express their ideas on how New Zealand could improve race relations in the country.
"I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m also excited because I get a really big opportunity to speak about race unity in New Zealand," she said.
