In Grade 2, Morrabin made a clean sweep of the contest – winning straight firsts. City of Invercargill settled for second, whilst St Andrews College – winners of the Juvenile event – took third.

Grade 3 was won by Wynnum RSL, with South Canterbury and Canterbury Caledonian Royal Stewarts taking 2nd and third. Celtic Pipe Band from Stoke won Grade 4 A, and Otahahu Pipe Band took out 4B.

Medley

Grade 4 and 3 begins on Friday morning, with the first contest that Grade 4 will be split into “G4A” and “G4B”, after the cancellation of the 2011 contest. West Highland Pipe Band and Te Kuiti and Districts start off 4B and 4A respectively at 9am and 10:50am. Grade 3 begins after lunch at 1:50pm, and the hotly contested Juvenile contest begins at 3:20 where St Andrews College Pipe Band will go for their 6th consecutive juvenile title.

Saturday morning has the Street March beginning at 9am, and it is this morning where the public will get their first look at the Grade 2 and Grade 1 bands. The afternoon sees Grade 2 and Grade 1 bands go head to head from 12:30pm. There will be the usual displays, followed by the final massed bands and the announcements of the championship bands.

For a full timetable of bands, check out http://nzpipebands.org.nz/Tauranga.htm , or get your official program from the nationals on the day.

From PBNews, we wish the best of luck to all bands heading to the championships.

Christchurch was a beautiful city. It was filled with gardens, tree-lined streets, an elegant Cathedral and historic facades. Trams nudged gently through city streets and largely peaceful suburbs stretched to the Port Hills and sweeping Brighton beach.

At 12:51pm, one year ago, Christchurch experienced the greatest natural disaster in New Zealand’s history. Hundreds of victims were unfairly taken from their families, tens of thousands left either without a roof or a home, and hundreds of thousands left affected. We were very fortunate that all we lost were the bricks and mortar of the elegant Caledonian Hall on Kilmore Street. We were also very thankful that no one from the immediate band had perished, but we are very aware of the effects this event has had on our band members. In particular, we remember the grandparents of band member George Stick – Earl and Beverley Stick – who lost their lives on the 22nd.

One year on, houses are still being rebuilt, people’s lives are still being reclaimed, and businesses are still assessing the impact the earthquakes have had; however, the resilience of the Canterbury people is strong and the rebuild is on track. We were determined to attend the 2011 World Pipe Band Championships, and despite the hardship the band faced, we attended and came within 1 point of qualifying. The band was extremely lucky to have support from various groups and individuals in the United Kingdom who helped us with our trip there, as well as phenomenal support from our local base through fundraising and organising. As well as this, since February 22nd, Richard Hawke has been honoured with an MNZM for services to Piping and Pipe Band, the band gained second at Palmerston North Square Day 2011, the drum corps received a Premier endorsement, our solo pipers have accumulated the most prizes out of any other band in the country put together, and the band has grown in numbers and standard.

We as a band are greatly appreciative to all those from New Zealand and around the world who so generously offered us support – financial and moral – at the time. We still greatly appreciate the efforts which people from around the world went to to help the band even from remote locations. One we would like to thank in particular is the generous support that Pipes|Drums editor Andrew Berthoff offered through a Paypal donation account, which contributed an overwhelming $2500 to our cause. The incredible support we received through other mediums should not be forgotten too – so to all those who did anything for the band during that time, we thank you. To name all of you would just be too greater task.

So, while we remember those who have left us and pay tribute to the hard work still being done, we look to the future with optimism and strength. We are nearing 130 years old as a society, and we are stronger than we have ever been. The band too is in a strong position, and looks set to grow in strength in the near future. We are still committed to the vision we begun with 3 years ago, and the goals we set ourselves every year.

We are so looking forward to competing at Tauranga on the 9th and 10th of March, to honour the lives lost in our city, and to remember those who have given so much to us.

We will rebuild our city, but we will never forget.

Grade 1 MSR

1st NZ Police (2,2,1,1)

2nd Manawatu Scottish (1,1,2,2)

Judges – Ross Wilson, Ian Fergusson (Piping), John Hanning (Ensemble), Lepper (Drumming)

Grade 1 Medley

1st – Manwatu Scottish (1,1,1,1)

2nd NZ Police (2,2,2,2)

Judges – Phil Mair, Nigel Foster (Piping), Mark Weir (Ensemble), Prebensen (Drumming)

Grade 2 MSR

1st ILT City of Invercargill (2,1,1,1)

2nd Temuka (1,2,2,2)

Judges – David Burrows, Liam Kernaghan (Piping), Geoff Hallberg (Ensemble), Gavin Manson (Drumming)

Grade 2 Medley

1st ILT City of Invercargill (1,1,1,1)

2nd Temuka (2,2,2,2)

Judges – Iain Blakely, Blair Ellis (Piping), Ian Mowat (Ensemble), Scott Mitchell (Drumming)

Grade 3 MSR

1st Canterbury Caledonian Society Royal Stewarts (1,1,1,1)

2nd South Canterbury Highland (2,2,2,2)

3rd John McGlashan College (3,3,3,3)

Judges – David Burrows, Liam Kernaghan (Piping), Geoff Hallberg (Ensemble), Gavin Manson (Drumming)

Grade 3 Medley

1st Canterbury Caledonian Royal Stewarts (1,2,1,2)

2nd South Canterbury Highland (2,1,3,1)

3rd John McGlashan College (3,3,2,3)

Judges – Iain Blakely, Blair Ellis (Piping), Ian Mowat (Ensemble), Scott Mitchell (Drumming)

Grade 4 MSR

1st Mataura Kilties (2,1,1,1)

2nd ILT City of Invercargill #2 (1,3,2,4)

3rd Waimatuku (3,6,5,3)

4th Riccarton and Scottish Society (4,2,7,7)

5th City of Dunedin (5,5,4,2, penalty of 6)

6th Canterbury Caledonian Balmorals (7,8,3,6)

Judges – Iain Blakely, Blair Ellis (Piping), Ian Mowat (Ensemble), Scott Mitchell (Drumming)

Grade 4 Medley

1st Mataura Kilties (1,1,1,1)

2nd City of Dunedin Mathieson (2,3,3,2)

3rd Riccarton and Scottish Society (4,2,2,6)

4th ILT City of Invercargill (3,4,4,3, penalty of 1)

5th Waimatuku (5,6,5,5)

6th Canterbury Caledonian Balmorals (7,5,6,7)

Judges – David Burrows, Liam Kernaghan (Piping), Geoff Hallberg (Ensemble), Gavin Manson (Drumming)

Juvenile Marches

1st ILT City of Invercargill (1,1,1,1)

2nd John McGlashan College (3,2,2,2)

3rd City of Dunedin (2,3,3,3)

4th Waimatuku (5,4,4,4)

5th Waitaki District Schools (4,5,5,5)

Judges – David Burrows, Liam Kernaghan (Piping), Geoff Hallberg (Ensemble), Gavin Manson (Drumming)

Manawatu started the weekend with wins in all sections, apart from one, tying with the New Zealand Police Pipe Band for best drum corp. Canterbury Caledonian spent Sunday in Ashburton in overcast, cool conditions, winning both the Set and Medley.

Full results available soon.

Music Judges

Piping:              Brendan Eade, Nigel Foster, Brian Niven, Brian Switalla

Drumming:  Stuart Eeles, Robert Turner

Ensemble:     William Livingstone, Craig Meinsmith

Other non music judges have also been appointed for the event and they are :

Drum Major’s competition Robert Buckton

Dress                                                    John Agnew

Mace Flourishing                       Rod Millar

Marching                                          Peter Eeles, Rod Millar, Jill Vincent

Display                 Ensemble          tba

     Non-Music       Malcolm Irving

     Guest                  Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby

Kitto Trophy:                                 tba

Numbers this year are reportedly down, and as a result fewer tutors than usual have been employed. This is not taking away from the experience this week, with several interesting workshops and evening activities planned.

The Foundation Youth Pipe Band is attending the week, and will be spending the afternoons working on their intensive competition and concert repertoire. On Wednesday night they will be practicing under the direction of Jack Lee, Reid Maxwell and Tyler Fry.

Tonight is the annual Tutors Recital, with special appearances from groups and soloists. This is $10 and begins at 7pm at Christchurch Boys “Big Room”.

The week will culminate with a Students Recital on Thursday, where all students will perform; including the Youth Band.

PBNews will be on hand all week, taking photos and videos and will be uploading them as available. Stay tuned for more news from the 2012 National Summer School.

It is a voluntary position which has very few demands; the only one being that you deliver the news fast, efficiently, and to the best of your ability. Occasionally you may be asked to write specific articles for specific purposes, but most often it will be up to you.

We want people with a passion for piping and drumming and who have a bit of a way with words.

If you’re interested, contact either the Owner or Editor with expressions of interest.