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Fuzhun - My Heart Is Crying Out
 
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FUZHUN takes out Rockquest Regionals

Temuera Hay —

Winning the Christchurch Regional Rockquest heats was a massive achievement for me and the boys who make up the Shirley Boy’s band, FUZHUN. The dedication and commitment that we put into our practices is what helped us reach the level that we needed to do well and it also refined our combined skills as a band. The regular practices cemented our group bond and the special vibe we have now created. As a Māori boy working alongside my Polynesian brothers it was awesome to be a part of such a unique opportunity and group, but to make it through the heats together was the most unbelievable part of the journey so far.

Regionals had finally come, and all of us were overwhelmed with nerves hoping that we'd make it through. During our performance we amped the crowd with our island vibe, reggae music and natural charm and walked away with a win. As the judge called out the top 3, we thought mistakenly that we wouldn’t get 2nd let alone 1st. But when he said, “In first place... FUZHUN from Shirley Boys'!” our hearts soared! We all screamed with excitement knowing how far we had come and what we had just achieved.

As Fuzhun we represent Māori, Samoan and Tongan - fusing together to create something uniquely Polynesian. We are very proud to represent our school, Shirley Boys’ High School, who have been extremely supportive of the group and our goals from the outset.

After taking out the regional competition and also the Pacifica Beats Award, a highlight was celebrating with the boys and teachers who supported us through this endeavour. From there we had a couple of radio interviews and local performances and are now looking forward to representing Christchurch in the National Finals.

Temuera Hay - Year 11