City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band delighted with results at national championships

The City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band in the competition's Grade 4B Street March. Photo / Supplied

It has been an exciting weekend with impressive results for the City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band at a national competition.

The City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band won their grade (4B) at the 2019 NZ Pipe Band Championships.

The championships were held in Dunedin on Friday and Saturday.

Willy Clark, City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band drummer and vice president, said the bands competed in musical events on Friday and street march on Saturday. The musical events are split up into two - MSR (set) and medley.

City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band came first in the MSR (set) and second in the medley, which gave them the aggregate to win the music section for their grade.

The Rotorua band also won the Grade 4B street march, and the Grade 4B drumming aggregate.

The band's tenor and bass came ninth out of 26 in the Westpac Cup section and young band member Crawford Johnson-Ronald came first place in the Mace Flourishing Finals.

Clark said this was Crawford's first year attending a national competition, and the smile on his face was huge.

He said it was a successful weekend for the band.

"They were absolutely ecstatic because we weren't really expecting it. We had high hopes, but weren't really expecting it.

"We have 16 members under the age of 20, it's a very youthful band, so to do that well with many young people is quite special."

Clark said the band appreciated the funding it had received from the One Foundation for accommodation.