Buller High School Bollywood Group Gets Set to Represent Buller District at the Trustpower National Community Awards

Buller High School Bollywood Group is about to go head to head with the country’s best and brightest voluntary groups and organisations at the Trustpower National Community Awards.

The 2016 Trustpower National Community Awards take place in the Rotorua Lakes region from 24-26 March 2017.

Buller High School Bollywood Group is representing Buller District at the National Community Awards – an honour they won after being named Supreme Winner at the Trustpower Buller District Community Awards last year.

Joining Buller High School Bollywood Group at the National Awards will be representatives from 24 other voluntary groups or organisations from around the country that were named Supreme Winner at their regional Trustpower Community Awards.

Muni and Jayshri Ratnam will attend the Trustpower National Community Awards to represent Buller High School Bollywood Group along with Buller District Mayor Garry Howard.

Muni and Jayshri will give an eight minute presentation on what the group has achieved and why they deserve the title of Trustpower National Community Awards Supreme Winner. Buller High School Bollywood Group will be judged on that presentation, along with a 1,000 word summary of the organisation.

The presentations will take place on Saturday 25 March in the BayTrust Forum at Rotorua Energy Events Centre. The Winner, Runner-Up and recipient of the Whetū Mātaiata Award will be announced at an Awards dinner that evening at Blue Baths.

Trustpower Community Relations Representative Abbie Siely says the group has helped its region celebrate and embrace diversity.

“The Buller High School Bollywood Group is a wonderful example of what can happen when a community is open to diversity and newcomers are encouraged to share what makes them unique.

When Jayshri’s family moved from Auckland to Westport, she thought her opportunity to practice Bollywood dancing was over. Instead, Buller High School invited her to perform for her classmates. The novel style wowed students and when her father invited anyone to give it a go, the Buller High School Bollywood Group was born.

Now, the group is in hot demand to perform at various community events. They’ve introduced Buller to Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. And they were the only South Island representatives at New Zealand’s biggest Bollywood dance competition in Auckland last year.

The Buller District can feel incredibly proud to be represented by Buller High School Bollywood Group,” says Miss Siely.

The Trustpower National Community Awards Supreme Winner will take home a custom-made trophy, $4,000 in prize money, a framed certificate and a $1,000 consultancy voucher from one of New Zealand’s leading training providers for the community sector, Exult. The Runner Up will receive $2,500 in prize money, a $500 Exult voucher and a framed certificate. The Whetū Mātaiata Award recipient receives a framed certificate and a consultancy service package from award sponsor, Exult.

ENDS

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