Homai Te Pakipaki Hits the Home Straight!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 8 2010
PRESS RELEASE

Homai Te Pakipaki Hits the Home Straight!

Maori Television’s popular live karaoke show, HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI is just one semi-final away from the Grand Final!

The heats have uncovered some wonderful talent over the winter months, as hundreds of wannabe singers fronted up, from May to September, to audition at Maori Television’s Auckland studios.

For many of them, getting to sing on national television was a dream, and Homai Te Pakipaki the least intimidating way to realise it.

The best of them made it through, text voters decided their fate, and now the singers are coming back to do it all again – and throw themselves on the mercy of voters at home - in the semi-finals.

The next semi-final will be held at Maori Television on Friday October 8 at 8.30 PM, and the following singers will sing for whanau, iwi and regional pride:

Eddie Biddle – Levin
Monica Hughes – Kaitaia
Gin Rangitaawa – Otorohanga
Nephi Fepulea’I – Auckland
Murray Walters – Auckland
Cilla Peihopa – Hamilton
Sala-Marlene Tyler – Auckland
Eruera Tamanui – Auckland
Rachel Tamapolu – Auckland
Andrew Kingi - Hastings

The first of the semi-finals was held on Friday October 1. The following singers made it through to the top 10:

Warena Pomana – Wairarapa
Raniera Rakena – Hamilton
Stevie Reweti – Tauranga
Denise Keelan – Napier
Roman Nicholas – Tauranga

Five from each semi go forward to sing at the Grand Final, to be held at Auckland’s Logan Campbell Centre on Friday October 15 at 8.30 PM. The final will be a two-hour extravaganza.

Come join in the fun as HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI hits finals fever! Friday October 8 and 15 at 8.30 PM.

BACKGROUND
For those who are yet to discover this gem of show, HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI is a live competition, based on audience text votes. Singers perform every week for the chance to win $1000, and heat winners carry on to the semi-finals. If they come through that, then it’s all on, and they’ll get to sing their hearts out in the grand final, with the chance to win $10,000.

While the sing-and-win formula is familiar from other entertainment shows, there’s no question things are done differently on this show. The kaupapa of the show is supportive, not critical, and the kaiwaiata are noted for their generosity to other singers.

Family ties, and community networks are encouraged – in order to win, singers need to be connected, preferably to people with cell phones.

The presenters are Matai Smith, Te Hamua Nikora and Pikiteora Mura-Hita.

Nobody is prepped. Our singers know it’s all about the skill they’ve brought with them that night,” says Nikora, who has been on the show since it began. “It’s the realness, and I’m pretty sure that’s what the viewers like about the show.”

Previous competition winners were Gisborne’s Jasmine Taare in 2007, Pikiteora Mura-Hita (Pukekohe) in 2008 and Roland Williams (Kelston) in 2009.

ENDS

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