Five secondary schools (division one and two) performed including defending champions Māngere College, but it was the students from Auckland Girls Grammar School who showcased the beautiful dance styles of the Cook Islands.

The girls first wore navy blue and pink Cook Islands’ dresses as they performed an action song dance while standing and then a brief intermission occurred where four students who supported the performance as backup singers and instrument players took the stage and performed a dance to Rex Atirai and the Heimana All Stars’ song ‘Kia Orana’. This surprise act allowed time for the group to leave the stage for a costume change into a red strapless top and skirt to perform the akaparu, where the hips sway side to side while staying synchronised.

A great spectacle that made many Cook Islanders proud in the crowd.

Results

Division three

2nd: Onehunga High School

1st: Aorere College

Division two

3rd: Tangaroa College

2nd: Tamaki College

1st: Auckland Girls Grammar School

Division one

3rd: Manurewa High School

2nd: Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate

1st: Māngere College

Sela Jane Hopgood

The Spinoff