Three Porirua College students have produced a stunning rendition of the New Zealand national anthem. Photo / Le Art / Facebook
Three Porirua College students have produced a stunning rendition of the New Zealand national anthem. Photo / Le Art / Facebook
Three Porirua College students' rendition of the New Zealand national anthem has gone viral after they put a call out to the Kiwis Rugby League side and the All Blacks.
US singer Crystal Collins apologised for butchering the national anthem during the Kiwis' league test against England in Denver on the weekend, prompting the three students to put their best voices forward for a call-up to international duty.
Tiresa Foma'i, Rosetta Lopa and Anastasia Sirila, posted their video to Le Art Facebook page, receiving more than 376,000 views and 6700 shares since Sunday.
"Hi!!! Its been a while but we're working on originals so bear with us. With our anthem being in the news recently we'd like everyone to know we're available!!!" they wrote.
Three Porirua College students have produced a stunning rendition of the New Zealand national anthem. Photo / Le Art / Facebook
The girls took turns singing the Māori version of the anthem before harmonising for the English verse.
The girls' performance has been praised not only by Kiwis, but by many around the world.
"I'm from England and I've heard the NZ anthem a few times. This one, and I genuinely mean this tops it. Sung with passion as all anthems should. You should be very proud of that rendition as I'm proud of you," one viewer wrote.
"Should of got these girls to go sing the anthem for the Kiwis v England game," another commented.
One person wrote: "Someone MUST send this to the poor soul who mangled our anthem at the Kiwi game... just so she can understand how passionate and proud we are as a people of our anthem, and how wrong she got it so damn wrong."
Collins, the singer of what some have called the worst version of the New Zealand national anthem spoke to Radio Sport to apologise for her performance before nailing the Māori version live on air in a second attempt.
Collins told Radio Sport she felt "horrible" about the performance.
"I would like to apologise to you and the citizens of New Zealand."
She had sung the England anthem God Save the Queen a cappella, and when the New Zealand anthem came on with a backing track, she could not hear the monitor.
"I didn't have a chance to hear what the monitor would be like before the New Zealand anthem started. I could hear nothing at all."
Crystal Collins butchered the national anthem prior to the rugby league international between New Zealand and England. Photo / One News
Collins can sing in five languages, and had practised the English and te reo versions "over and over again", but with a different backing track.
"I was waiting for the introduction, but there was none."
The Radio Sport hosts then asked her if she would like to redeem herself.
She accepted, and belted out the version in Māori.
