Edgecumbe pair edge out competition - Eastern BoP Song Quest

MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Edgecumbe pair edge out competition in Eastern Bay of Plenty’s Song Quest

The 'Yeah, Nah It's Not Ok' Eastern Bay of Plenty song quest was bigger than ever in 2015 and the community turned out on Saturday 8 August to enjoy the music and take a stance against violence.

The song quest featured some of the Eastern Bay of Plenty’s most talented young adults (13 to 19 year-olds) who wrote and performed original songs with a positive anti-violence message.

Edgecumbe duo Harmonics, made up of Edgecumbe College year 10 students Aneska Marks and Te Arahina Webster, won the overall grand prize with their song “Say NO to violence.”

The prize includes studio time sponsored by Outlet Productions, where their song will be recorded onto a CD and played on Eastern Bay of Plenty radio stations. They also collected $400 worth of music vouchers from Outlet Productions.

Family Works delivers social services for children, young people and their families in the Bay of Plenty. Family Works, Family Violence Response Coordinator, Helen Holt, one of the organisers of the song quest, says the event was a massive success.

“This year’s event had more entrants than ever and is really growing. The event is a combined anti-bullying and anti-violence campaign and allows teenagers to help inform their community about these issues in a creative way,” she says.

Songs were performed live before an audience and a panel of judges who selected the winning act. The judges included the courageous Arihana Ututaonga-White, an X Factor New Zealand second season contestant who performed despite having suffered a brutal attack which left her legally blind.

Other judges were the 2014 Song Quest winner Reon Mahalia; Julian Rewiti from Whakatane District Council; local musician Jeff Lee; Peter Waru, Regional Manager for the Ministry of Social Development; and Janice Belgrave from Family Works Northern.

Other prizes were awarded for strong performance, strong lyrics and strong musical arrangement. See the list of winners and prizes below.

Sponsors for this year’s song quest are Family Works Northern, Youth Activities Fund, Eastern Bay Energy Trust, Creative Communities Scheme, Knox Presbyterian Church, the It’s Not Ok Campaign and Outlet Productions.

Family Works Northern builds strong families that learn, grow and thrive. Our social services include counselling, social workers in schools, budgeting advice, emergency food parcels, family dispute resolution and group programmes for women and children affected by family violence. As part of Presbyterian Support Northern, we’re committed to creating a better life for everyone in communities across the upper North Island.

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