Homai Te Pakipaki is Back

Friday 20 April 2012

Homai Te Pakipaki is Back

HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI, Maori Television’s original grassroots talent show, returns to air in May, giving the country’s singing hopefuls their shot at the big time.

The 2012 series starts Friday 4 May at 8.30pm with a one-off special that will take viewers behind the scenes of last year’s grand final - won by Chad Chambers, the enigmatic gumboot man from Marton.

The live shows kick off from Friday 11 May, with registrations opening at 3.30pm that day at Maori Television’s Newmarket studios.

Auditions are open to anyone aged 16 or older and whanau come from far and wide to sing their hearts out on HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI.

The show’s host, Matai Smith is back for the new season with special guests, including crowd favourite and 2008 grand final winner Pikiteora Mura-Hita, as co-pilot.

Now in its sixth series, the interactive and unpredictable HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI has become a must-see Friday night show.

Smith says the strength of the show’s success is that every week there is the chance to discover a diamond in the rough.

Another is the “vocal and energetic support of the studio audiences, encouraging the pakis at every turn”, he says.

HOMAI TE PAKIAKI producer Erina Tamepo says the format of the karaoke-style series has undergone a slight revamp, with the main change being the selection process.

“We are always looking at ways to keep the show fresh and edgy,” she says.

“We want the experience of being part of HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI to be positive. To be ready to go at just a moment’s notice and to put on a performance of a lifetime is where HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI really is magical”.

Another new feature for 2012 is a special duets round that will take place every fifth episode. The singing duos, called Paki Pairs, will compete to perform at the HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI Grand Final at Auckland’s Logan Campbell Centre on 12 October.

Paki wardens Jason Fa’afoi and Brent Mio will join Matai Smith to watch over the duets part of the competition and keep everyone on their toes.

After being selected to sing, pakis (contestants) go straight through to stand in front of the cameras, where it’s up to them to show the text-voting audience at home what they’ve got.

The winner of each of the 20 heats receives $1000 and the chance to compete for prizes in the two semi-finals, then $10,000 in the grand final on 12 October.

Come join in the fun as the show broadcasts live from Maori Television’s Newmarket studios every Friday at 8.30pm.

For information on how to enter, visit the HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI webpage at www.maoritelevision.com

ENDS

HOMAI TE PAKIPAKI starts 4 May at 8.30pm with a special behind-the-scenes look at last year’s Grand Final. Contestants should hold off until the following week to come and audition.

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