The Anau (house) teams of Tereora College made dazzling comeback to the national stage after a five-year absence and delivered captivating performances.

With vibrant performances that celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the nation, the talented students from the national college demonstrated their skills, captivating the audience with their creativity and passion.

Around 600 students from anau Ikurangi, Maungaroa, Te Ko’u and Te Manga performed at Te Are Karioi (National Auditorium) last week Thursday in front of a full house of family, friends and supporters.

Anau Maungaroa won the prestigious school culture competition with 1139 points, just three up from anau Te Manga on 1136 points.

Both anau Ikurangi and Te Ko’u also gathered over 1000 overall points in the Kapa Rima, Ura Pa’u and Ute categories, proving that the standard was high and fierce between the teams.

Tereora College principal Teremoana Ngaau expressed her pleasure and pride in the commitment, dedication, and hard work the students and teachers put into their rehearsals and costume making.

The last Anau Culture Competition was held in 2018. It was decided then that the event would be held biennially, however Covid-19 struck in 2020.

Last year, Tereora College participated in Te Maeva Nui – the country’s biggest and most coveted cultural event.

Whether the school will continue to hold Anau Culture Competition biennially has yet to be confirmed.

Judges on the night were George George, Henrianna Savage-Yagona, Junior Ruarau, Piritau Nga and Uirangi Bishop.

In the Kapa Rima section, Te Manga received the top score with 388, followed by Te Kou with 366 points.

Maungaroa took the top placing in the Ura Pa’u section with 407 points, followed by Te Manga with 396.

For the Ute section, Ikurangi top scored with 372 points followed closely by Maungaroa with 369 points.