Porirua Has Talent Finalists’ Wow The Crowd!

Fire dancing, piano aficionados, contemporary dancers, crowd pleasing bands, soaring vocalists and singer songwriters set the stage alight at Porirua Has Talent held on Saturday 16 August.
Event Manager, Tania Carr, says the show exceeded every single expectation. “The performances were phenomenal; it was really hard for the judges because of the exceptional talent on show.”
The sold-out show demonstrated the love and support the Porirua community has for its rangatahi and tamariki, says Tania.
“And just when you think you’ve seen it all there’s a truly unique act like this year’s Samoan war dance – by Malakai Asiata (winner of the 5-12 year dance category) which absolutely ignited the audience.”
“It was awesome to see these new acts along with some of the favourites from last year perform. Special mention goes to Kōtuku as Supreme Winner with their reggae band. Their stage presence was amazing – they worked the crowd, and as well as their obvious talent, they impressed with their charisma and confidence.”
We also welcomed back our awesome judges from last year Ainslie Allen, Aroha Davidson and Fredwyn Kisona who had the unenviable task of making the hard decisions, says Tania.
“Like any community event, Porirua Has Talent relies heavily on sponsorship and community support. We feel so much aroha for everyone who helped us bring this to fruition for the second year running. Without them there would be no show, no fabulous prizes for our performers and no spot prizes for our audience. It takes a village to create a top-class talent show and we are so grateful to everyone who backed us.”
Results from Porirua Has Talent 2025:
Supreme Winner – Kōtuku – Sponsored by Black Grace
Vocals/Musician 5-12 years
- Willow Hunkin
- Hexyle Cram Rivera
- Caleb Jackson
Runners Up: Alina Babko, Tania Tipuna
Vocals/Musician 13-25 years
- Cortearz Howell
- Carmelle Cohen-Ronen
- Sophie Taylor-Edwards
Runners Up: Helmy Esera, Zung Lahtaw
Dance 5-12 years
- Malakai Asiata
- Danielle Gracie
- Celeste Richards
Dance 13-25 years
- Sage Ngātai Skipper
- Emily Love
- Olivia Murphy
Group 5-12 years
- SWIS
- The Blue Roses
Group 13-25 years
- Kōtuku
- Riot Boyz
- Chelsea & Sophie
Runners up: White Widow, Pandora & Arahia
Early Childhood New Zealand: Budget 2026 Must Protect The Future Of Quality Early Childhood Education
Creative New Zealand: Aotearoa Manu Take World Art Stage As 61st Venice Biennale Opens
Country Music Honours: 2026 Country Music Honours Finalists Announced
Mana Mokopuna: Children’s Commissioner Welcomes New Youth Mental Health And Suicide Prevention Services In Te Tai Tokerau
New Zealand Kindergartens: 100-Years On - Investing In Teacher-Led, Quality Early Childhood Education Is Investing In Aotearoa’s Future
Dry July: Thousands Set To Go Alcohol Free This July As Cancer Diagnoses Continue To Rise Across Aotearoa