Te Piringa, from Manawatu/Horowhenua, has won the overall aggregate title at the National Secondary Schools’ Māori Performing Arts Competition 2008. Te Piringa represents four high schools’ in the Manawatu/Horowhenua district: Freyberg High School, Palmerston North Boys’ High School and Palmerston North Girls’ High School, and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Mana Tamariki. Second place went to Te Roopū Rangatahi o Rītana (Lytton High School), from Gisborne, and third place went to Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi from Auckland. Thirty-six groups representing all regions in the country competed over the three days (17-19 June) at Wellington’s TSB Bank Arena. Tickets for the event sold out a week before the competition began, which meant most of the groups had capacity crowds. The chairperson of Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua Inc, Rahui Papa, says that since the start of the competition in 2000 the standard has gone “through the roof”. He congratulated all the groups for their fantastic performances. The next National Secondary Schools’ Māori Performing Arts Competition will be held in Rotorua in 2010. The aggregate winners for the following sections are: Whakaeke: Te Piringa (1st), Te Roopū Rangatahi o Rītana (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rūātoki (3rd) Mōteatea: Te Piringa (1st), Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga (3rd) Waiata-ā-ringa: Te Piringa (1st), Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi (2nd), Tūranga Tāne/Tūranga Wāhine (3rd) Poi: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu (1st), Raukura (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga (3rd) Haka: Te Roopū Rangatahi o Rītana (1st), Tūranga Wāhine Tūranga Tāne (2nd), Te Roopū Manaaki (3rd=), Ngā Taiohi a Hauiti (3rd=) Whakawātea: Te Piringa (1st), Te Roopū Rangatahi o Rītana (2nd), Te Aute/Hukarere (3rd) Te Reo: Te Piringa (1st), Te Roopū Rangatahi o Rītana (2nd), Ngā Taiohi a Hauiti (3rd) The winners of the non-aggregate sections are: Waiata Tira: Te Piringa (1st=), Te Roopū Rangatahi o Rītana (1st=), Te Wharekura o Rūātoki (3rd) Kaitātaki Tane: Tūranga Wāhine/Tūranga Tāne (1st), Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu (2nd), Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga (3rd) Kaitātaki Wahine: Te Kura Tuarua o Ngāruawāhia (1st), Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi (2nd), Te Rangianiwaniwa (3rd) Kākahu: Te Roopū Kapahaka o Kahurangi ki Maungawhau (1st), Te Rourou Kura (2nd), Te Kura Tuarua o Ngāruawāhia (3rd)