Scott Kara: Oz idols vs vocal locals

Last Friday night on the box, an intriguing inter-TV channel and transtasman battle was taking place. On Maori Television was the live final of karaoke show Homai Te Pakipaki, and over on TV2 the final 10 or so competitors on Australian Idol were hollering and bleating away to some of the 80s classic songs. And a few of them chose some of that decade's most awful anthems, like Bryan Adams' Heaven.

Over the course of the two hour-long shows, I flicked between them, pitting the likes of pregnant diva Ginnaye Morgan-Tahapehi against Australian cowgirl Kate Cook and flaky rocker Tim Johnston against the soul grunt of Dane Moeke. For pure entertainment, not to mention power of talent and voice, Homai Te Pakipaki took out the fight.

So while Ginnaye belted out Mercy, poor old Kate offered up an awful version of Billy Ocean's When the Going Gets Tough. I've seen Kate before, and when she's doing country rock she, well, rocks but, as the judges told her, song choice is everything. That's something Ginnaye has worked out. The Taumaruanui mum-of-four hardly moved from one spot during her performance. Hey, she's eight months pregnant. Then again, she didn't have to. The energy and power from her voice was enough to entertain.

What makes her story even cooler is the baby she is carrying will be presented to her sister and her fiance as part of the special Maori adoption custom of whangai. It sure is about whanau.

So Homai Te Pakipaki is a little hokey and bro-like; it doesn't have the production values of its reasonably classy, long-running Aussie cousin; nor does the set look as slick and glitzy as Idol's.

But that's part of its charm and the atmosphere in the Mt Wellington venue - with a capacity crowd of 3000 screaming and banner-waving fans showing no sign of let-up throughout show - is beyond comparison.

Then there's Homai host Te Hamua Nikora, who looks as though he's got enough energy to front a 24-hour telethon non-stop by himself. And no disrespect to his Australian counterpart Andrew G, but Te Hamua makes him look like a lifeless sack of spuds - albeit a pretty-looking sack of spuds. The winner of Homai Te Pakipaki was 18-year-old Fijian-born West Aucklander Roland Williams, who, it has to be said, is a handsome kid and a favourite with the ladies. He sang a silky, sweet and ever-so-soulful version of Me and Mrs Jones to take out the $10,000 prize. Second place went to powerhouse Moeke, who was a little flat on finals night, and third to the lovely Susan Tipuna of Wairoa.

Don't get me wrong, Australian Idol is great entertainment - and it has legions of loyal followers in this country - which makes you wonder why our own version isn't still running. It's just that I reckon we have it over the Aussies in terms of great voices. I'm sure Sir Howard, who met young Roland a while back and was impressed with his voice, would back up that bold claim.

And not to blow the national trumpet, but it seems we've got the best singer on Idol this year too. Well, at least 18-year-old NZ lad Stan Walker, who is now a resident of Coolangatta, was by far the stand-out the other night when he wowed all with his rendition of Prince's Purple Rain.

Walker was a bit of a rebel growing up by the sounds, and got suspended from school. "I was a little snot," he says on the Idol website. He sure doesn't sing like a snot. But he's a "good boy" now and credits music and God for getting him back on track. Oh, and he also wants to marry Beyonce and have her babies.

With ambition and a voice like that, the lad should go far. Suppose it's too late to claim him back then?