OTAMATEA HIGH SCHOOL

Olla Podriga took place on the 5th of September this year. Parents, students and staff enjoyed the high caliber performances from students of all ages. The intention for this year was to focus on the root meaning of Olla Podriga, which is “a little bit of everything”. Not only did we have musical performances ranging from rock to classical, but also dance, cultural items, and a spoken word. 

Performances in the first half of the show included the OHS staff band, year 13 band The Patient People, Carla and Miah Fraser singing a duet, Tammy Foster, Oscar Curtin’s original song, Aliyah Connelly-Richards poi performance, Chloe Millard, and Riley French. 

John and Anahera were fantastic MC’s throughout the evening who boosted morale and helped the show run smoothly. 

The second half had strong performances from Kapa Haka, Kaylan Hodgson on the piano, the Siva group, Tyler Lorenzen, Lars Leu on the french horn, Melanie Turner-Bennett, newly formed band I.O.U, and Carla Fraser returning to sing “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal. 

The competition this year had two categories; singers competed in the first category and the second was for groups and diversity items. We also had Jon Clist grace us with a wonderful guest performance while the judges deliberated. They decided on the top three acts from each category and a monetary prize was awarded to each. 

Singing Competition:
Melanie Turner-Bennett
Oscar Curtin
Riley French

Groups and Diversity Items:
Aliyah Connelly-Richards
The Patient People
I.O.U.

Students who performed this year should be encouraged by their efforts and commitment to the performing arts. These events bring us together as a school community and I look forward to seeing what students bring to the stage in 2024. 

Ngā manaakitanga,

Jordan Stevenson