Easton goes three-for-four at North Island Championships

Turakina, New Zealand – January 30, 2021 – The 157th Turakina Highland Games, billed as “New Zealand’s oldest festival of sports, music and dance,” saw 13 pipe bands and a host of solo competitors compete at Turakina Domain in good weather at the end of the Kiwi summer.

Stuart Easton of Palmerston North, New Zealand, won three of the four Open solo piping prizes to win the North Island Championship. Manawatu Scottish and Wellington Red Hackle were the only contestants in the Grade 1 and Grade 2 band contests, and Manawatu’s Grade 3 band took both events, while Scots College won both the Medley and MSR in the well-contested Grade 4 competition.

While the country is on close watch for COVID-19 outbreaks, New Zealand continues to operate as normal.

Bands
Grade 1 (one played in two events)
1st Manawatu Scottish

Grade 2 (one played in two events)
1st Wellington Red Hackle

Grade 3 (two competed)
Medley
1st Manawatu Scottish No.2
2nd Hawkes Bay Caledonian
Judges: Colin Caddick, Alasdair MacKenzie (piping); Graham Bilsland (ensemble); Adam Alexander (drumming)

MSR
1st Manawatu Scottish No.2 (2,1,1,1)
2nd Hawkes Bay Caledonian (1,2,2,2)
Judges: Ben McLaughlin, Callum Gilchrist (piping); Bain MacGregor (ensemble); Glen Rodgers (drumming)

Grade 4 (six competed)
Medley
1st Scots College
2nd City of Rotorua
3rd Wellington Red Hackle (Gr4)
4th City of Wellington
5th Marton & District
6th Wairarapa Fern & Thistle
Judges: Colin Caddick, Alasdair MacKenzie (piping); Graham Bilsland (ensemble); Adam Alexander (drumming)

MSR
1st Scots College (1,2,1,3)
2nd City of Rotorua (2,1,3,1)
3rd Wellington Red Hackle (Gr4) (4,3,2,2)
4th City of Wellington (3,4,4,4)
5th Marton & District (5,6,5,5)
6th Wairarapa Fern & Thistle (6,5,6,6)
Judges: Ben McLaughlin, Callum Gilchrist (piping); Bain MacGregor (ensemble); Glen Rodgers (drumming)

Youth
1st Lewis Turrell Memorial Juvenile
2nd Manawatu Scottish Youth
3rd Scots College
Judges: Ben McLaughlin (piping); Glen Rodgers (drumming)

Open North Island Championship Solo Piping
Piobaireachd
1st Stuart Easton
2nd Brendon Eade
3rd Scott Armstrong
4th Willie Rowe

March
1st Stuart Easton
2nd Willie Rowe
3rd George Mason
4th Brendon Eade

Strathspey & Reel
1st Stuart Easton
2nd Scott Armstrong
3rd Willie Rowe
4th Brendon Eade

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Willie Rowe
2nd Stuart Easton
3rd Lewis MacDonald
4th Martin McPhee

Open Solo Snare Drumming
MSR
1st Rebekah Weir
2nd Georgia Eagle
3rd Kairau Armstrong

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Rebekah Weir
2nd Georgia Eagle
3rd Kairau Armstrong

6/8 Marches
1st Rebekah Weir
2nd Georgia Eagle
3rd Kairau Armstrong