Te Piringa from Manawatu/Horowhenua has won the overall aggregate title for the National Secondary School Maori Performing Arts Competition 2008.
Te Piringa represents three high schools in the Manawatu/Horowhenua district; Freyberg High School, Palmerston North Boys' High School and Palmerston North Girls' High School.Second place went to Te Roopu Rangatahi o Rītana (Lytton High School) from Gisborne and the third place went to Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi from Auckland.
36 groups representing all regions in the country competed over the three days (17-19 June) at Wellington's TSB Bank Arena. Tickets for the event sold out a week before the competition began which meant most of the groups had capacity crowds.
The Chairperson of Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua Inc., Rahui Papa says the standard of competition since the start of the competition in 2000 has gone 'through the roof'. He congratulated all the groups for their fantastic performances.
The next national Secondary School Maori Performing Arts Competition will be held in Rotorua 2010.
The aggregate winners for the following sections are:
Whakaeke: Te Piringa (1st), Te Roopū o Rītana (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rūatoki - Mataatua/Bay of Plenty (3rd)
Mōteatea: Te Piringa (1st), Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga (3rd)
Waiata-a-ringa: Te Piringa (1st), Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi (2nd), Tūranga Tane/Tūranga Wahine - Te Tairawhiti/Gisborne (3rd)
Poi: Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ngati Kahungunu - Te Matau a Maui/Hawkes Bay (1st), Raukura - Te Arawa/Rotorua (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga - Tainui/Huntly (3rd)
Haka: Te Roopū o Rītana (1st), Tūranga Wahine, Tūranga Tane (2nd), Te Roopū Manaaki - Te Arawa/Rotorua (3rd =), Nga Taiohi a Hauiti - Te Tairawhiti (3rd =)
Whakawatea: Te Piringa (1st), Te Roopū o Rītana (2nd), Te Aute/Hukarere - Te Matau a Maui/Hawkes Bay (3rd)
Te Reo: Te Piringa (1st), Te Roopū o Rītana (2nd), Nga Taiohi a Hauiti (3rd)
The winners for the non-aggregate sections are:
Waiata Tira: Te Piringa (1st=), Te Roopū o Rītana (1st=), Te Wharekura o Rūatoki (3rd)
Kaitataki Tane: Tūranga Wahine/Tūranga Tane (1st), Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ngati Kahungunu, Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga (3rd)
Kaitataki Wahine: Te Kura Tuarua o Ngaruawahia (1st), Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi (2nd), Te Rangianiwaniwa - Te Taitokerau/Northland (3rd)
Kakahu: Te Roopū Kapahaka o Kahurangi ki Maungawhau/Auckland Girl's Grammar School - Tamaki makaurau (1st), Te Rourou Kura - Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui/Marlborough (2nd), Te Kura Tuarua o Ngaruawahia - Tainui/Waikato (3rd)