Thursday, 18 August 2022
OpinionSportBusinessRuralLifestyleDriven Motoring
Residential Property Listings
PhotosClassifiedsVideoWhanganui Midweek
DannevirkePalmerston NorthWhanganuiLevin
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui duo Ata and Ngarimu win big at Smokefreerockquest

26 Jun, 2022 02:00 AM3 minutes to read
Solo-duo winners Ata and Ngarimu onstage at the Opera House on Thursday. Photo / Supplied

Solo-duo winners Ata and Ngarimu onstage at the Opera House on Thursday. Photo / Supplied

Mike Tweed
By
Mike Tweed

Multimedia Journalist

VIEW PROFILE

Ata and Ngarimu were the big winners at the regional heats of Smokefreerockquest.

The duo of Te Ata Hapara Rerekura (Whanganui Girls' College) and Ngarimu Te Utupoto Teki Rawiri (Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tupoho) took out the solo-duo category and the Smokefree Tangata Beats Award at the Royal Whanganui Opera House.

Competition founder Glenn Common said he was usually "retired from the road" but had dusted off his event management skills for the Thursday night event.

"There was a great audience in that room last night.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Getting students on stage in front of a real, live, in-your-face audience is about as good as you can get.

"Those are the memories you don't forget, and those are things that will spark you to carry on and move to another level."

Protagonist (Māori Scythe) from Whanganui High School came second in the solo/duo category and collected the Rockshop Best Use of Electronic Assistance award.

Thirteen bands also hit the stage.

First and second-placed solo-duo acts and the top 12 bands go through to the next stage of the competition - the regional final - which involves submitting a video performance of a second song.

The first song was captured during the regional heats on Thursday.

Related articles

Singer's chart-topper not so 'strange'

24 Jun 05:00 PM

Sarjeant Happenings: Poetry of brushwork shining through

20 Jun 05:00 PM

Choirs unite for Whanganui concert

20 Jun 05:00 PM

Maximus the speed merchant heads to karting nationals

24 Jun 05:00 PM

All bands from Whanganui went through to the regional final.

Covid-19 made it tough for musicians leading up to the event, Common said.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Some acts were forced to drop out while others called in last-minute replacements to fill gaps.

"This year has actually been one of the hardest because of the effect that isolations and stand-down periods had on bands and soloists.

"I feel for those kids. They've been doing the best they can to get prepped and ready to go."

Overall, the night was a great success, Common said.

"I think there were only seven empty seats in the bottom half (of the Opera House) and we almost opened the top level at one stage. That's a great turnout.

"Normally in the heats people come and go but virtually everybody stayed right through until the end. It's a three hour session as well, definitely not a short-haul.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Students were coming off stage with a real buzz."

The bands who will submit a second song for the regional finals are:

Canadian Tuxedo from Whanganui High School
The Zams from Whanganui High School
Copper Rose from Whanganui High School
The AMPS from Whanganui High School
Neon Deluxe from Whanganui High School
Just Peachy from Whanganui High School
The Picnic List from Whanganui High School
Monkfish from Whanganui High School
That Weird Orange from Ruapehu College
NYX from Ruapehu College
Out Of Order from Ruapehu College
VETO from Cullinane College
Strïthe from Whanganui City College

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Nga Tawa fashion students win big

17 Aug 05:00 PM
Premium
Whanganui Chronicle

Letters: Council stint made me part of the conversation

17 Aug 05:00 PM
Premium
Whanganui Chronicle

Pets set to be allowed in Whanganui pensioner housing

17 Aug 05:00 PM
Premium
Whanganui Chronicle

Local car dealers say they have seen demand for new vehicles wane

17 Aug 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Warm, wet and windy weather expected

17 Aug 02:30 AM

Most Popular

Premium
Whitebaiting season drops from 15 weeks to nine, concerns spots could be crowded
Whanganui Chronicle

Whitebaiting season drops from 15 weeks to nine, concerns spots could be crowded

15 Aug 05:00 PM
Tariana Turia's grandson attempted to rob service station
Whanganui Chronicle

Tariana Turia's grandson attempted to rob service station

11 Aug 05:00 PM
Premium
'It's like a grater on raw wounds': Mum, 35, says mesh implant cripples her
Whanganui Chronicle

'It's like a grater on raw wounds': Mum, 35, says mesh implant cripples her

09 Aug 05:00 PM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to Whanganui ChronicleHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionWhanganui Chronicle E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP