Howick College’s Minimal Silence took out first place at the 2017 SmokeFree Rockquest on Saturday.
As winners they join the likes of Bic Runga, Opshop, Ladyhawke, The Broods, Anika Moa, Brooke Fraser and many more successful Kiwi musicians, who have won the competition before them.
Band members Sabastian Munro, Logan Anderson and Mark Tohovaka say they are shocked and humbled by their win.
The Rockquest is the largest and most well-known music competition in the country and one of the largest cultural competitions for NZ secondary schools involving about 800 students from over 300 secondary schools.
The boys walked away with $10,000 of musical equipment from the Rockshop and an $8000 recording and video grant from NZ On Air plus other prizes.
While the boys haven’t decided how they will use their prize money, they feel very privileged and say the new equipment will be help set them up for a future in the music industry.
The win will also help them gain valuable exposure, they say.
They will also spend a year with a mentor from the music industry to guide them through the next phase of their career.
Howick College’s Head of Music Mr O’Ryan and principal Mr Ropati were both present at the finals to see the boys perform and take the win.
This was the first time Howick College has had a band in the national finals.
