Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate Rogers , 12, is performing with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra this weekend.
Everyone went to school with that one child who was amazing at everything.
Rotorua's Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate Rogers is that pupil.
But this 12-year-old achieves to the highest degree with a special slice of humility and good old-fashioned hard work that is already winning her credit.
Te Pumanawao Toku Ate will walk out on to the stage todayand perform with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
She is becoming quite the regular performer with the prestigious orchestra, with this being the third year in a row the youngster has been asked to perform at its annual concerts.
This weekend's shows are at the Auckland Town Hall for a concert devoted to young New Zealanders that will retell the stories from New Zealand's most beloved authors.
There will be two more shows next weekend, on April 6, at the Bruce Mason Centre also in Auckland.
Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate will perform Pokarekare Ana.
Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate Rogers with the late Barry Smith. Photo / Supplied
But it's not just on the stage where the Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu pupil shines.
You name it, she plays or does it - and to the highest possible degree.
She was the Bay of Plenty U12 touch captain, was the Waikite Rugby Junior Player of the Year last year, broke school records in athletics last year for 400m, 800m and long jump, has won her age group's Bay of Plenty cross country for the past two years, plays basketball at representative level, does waka ama, dance and speech and drama.
Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate said when she left school she wanted to be a professional 7s player at Olympic level as well as a vet.
But she intends to keep up her singing.
"I like singing because it makes me feel good. I like singing to other people and from the heart."
Two weeks ago, she performed at the inaugural Rotorua Youth Festival and dedicated her performance to the victims of the Christchurch shootings.
Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate Rogers is to perform with the Auckland Philharmonica Orchestra this weekend. Photo / Supplied
Her singing teacher, Rotorua's Elisha Hulton, said she has had the pleasure of working with Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate for about four years.
"It's such a joy to see the development of her singing, growing from strength to strength. Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate doesn't take her God-gifted talents for granted, and through great humility, she works very hard towards her goals."
Hulton said she was focused and eager to learn and she would go home and practise after every lesson "ready to add more to her singing kete in the next lesson".
"That's a work ethic of success in my books. The potential I see in Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate is huge and this is no doubt what the organisers and music professionals of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra see in her as well.
"Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate has very bright future ahead her, no matter what field she chooses to do."
