Stars align for Pukemiro with dual success

The stars aligned for Kaitaia's Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Pukemiro on Saturday, first at a kapa haka competition at the school, then at a fundraising banquet at Te Ahu in the evening.

The big attraction perhaps was JGeeks, household names since their stunning performances on New Zealand's Got Talent, but many people contributed to the weekend, and particularly to the banquet.

Jesse Graham, who is co-ordinating the fundraising effort to get 14 students to Europe, where they will visit sites of huge importance to the Maori Battalion of World War II, was not yet able to say how much the banquet had raised, but was deeply gratified by the support it received, and the professionalism with which all involved had played their part.

Just one of 30 tables remained unsold when the doors opened, she said, an extraordinary response given that, while the evening represented very good value for money, it was not a cheap night out by any standards. Yet many who bought tickets said they would be happy to do so again.

The meal, all seven courses of it, had been perfect, she added. Each table had its own waitress so no one had to wait, and the hot food was piping when it arrived.

"The timing was perfect, bang on," Ms Graham said.

"The team in the kitchen worked extremely hard and produced every course at exactly the time it was due."

No fewer than 15 VIP tables had been sold, at a premium, she added, five more than had been hoped for.

Planning of the evening had only begun two months before the doors opened, she said, which had increased the pressure significantly, but short notice had had a greater impact on the kapa haka competition. The teams that performed had been impressive, as always, but they had not had a lot of time to prepare, and lessons had been learned. (The competition was won jointly by Te Rangi Aniwaniwa and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whangaroa, both teams performing again at the banquet, along with students from Pukemiro).

MC Matai Smith (from Maori Television), the Auckland band NNC and JGeeks had also made special and memorable contributions, the latter, who spent much of the evening mingling with guests and posing for photos with a never-ending stream of 'nanas', saying they were delighted to have been invited and involved.

Meanwhile plans were now being made for more events, including a wartime ball in August. The music and ambience would be true to the era, Ms Graham said, and the kitchen crew would be busy once again, "but there won't be seven courses this time".

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