On Saturday 16 May 2026, the freezing Auckland weather could not compare to the heated rivalry within Auckland Girls’ Grammar; the hosts of the intensely fought out Manukau heats of Smoke Free RockQuest competition. Rock bands assembled throughout the day accompanied by a heartwarming support crew.
Sancta Maria College had three bands who entered the competition: Chopstix, Chicken Burrito, and Klover, all playing their own original compositions:
- ‘On My Own’ written by Chopstix
- ‘Never Love Alone’ written by Chicken Burrito
- ‘Say !t’ written by Klover
Announced, the following Monday, we are pleased to hear Chopstix secured their place in the Manukau finals of RockQuest, scheduled to take place on Thursday 4 June 2026 from 7pm at Auckland Girls’ Grammar (The Dorothy Winstone Centre), Freemans Bay, Auckland. We wish Chopstix all the best with this event.
Prior to this competition, these bands performed at our first ever school-hosted Rock Concert, displaying our talented musicians.
The following bands that played were:
- Aura Grenade. A Year 13 band consisting of long-term best friends covering the “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden, alongside Xiao Cheng Xia Tian – Chinese artist.
- One of Sancta Maria College’s newest intermediate bands has created an original song. Opening their set with ‘Say !t’, and their own cover of ‘Duvet’ by Boa.
- Matcha Masters. A Year 8 student-led band also filled with friends and laughter covered the song “Perfect Pair” by Beabadoobee
- A Year 7 & 8 student-led band that performed “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay for their upcoming BandQuest competition – we wish them the best of luck!
- A senior band that has consistently reached high levels of rock; overall runner up in SUSO finals 2025. Their set consisted of all their original compositions ‘On My Own’, ‘Again and Again’, and ‘You’re the Reason I’m Miserable.’
Additionally, there were both solo acts and duets by Sweeny Cahilig and Devon Ma-Kwan. Both conveying technical skills of songwriting and singing. Thank you to Ms Shone, arts prefects, staff, and performers who supported these talented musicians to embrace their full potential within music, creating a new era of rock and roll!
