Home crowd for Tui, James

Ōtaki singers Tui Tahere Katene (stage name Miss Tui Soul) and James Kereama Stent are returning to the kite festival after wowing the crowds in 2019.

Video recordings of the teenage strars’ performance then led to thousands of Facebook views within days, and invitations poured in for them to sing at other big events.

Tui has since gone on to sign a recording contract and James is in demand for events throughout the country.

They even had a song written for them by Kāpiti author and songwriter Avril McDonald. It came about after Tui and James’s involvement in an international children’s book music project, Feel Brave.

The entertainment co-ordinator for the 2019 kite festival, Graham Rikihana said at the time: “They’re both talented and they didn’t disappoint the thousands of people who heard them sing.”

Now performing individually, Tui and James are on-stage at the 2023 kite festival at 1pm and 3pm respectively on the Sunday.

James and Tui in 2019.

Big dig, big prizes

The kite festival weekend kicks off with the hugely successful Big Dig for the kids from 11am on Saturday, February 18.

It’s sponsored by real estate company Kelly & Co, which is offering four bikes from the local DecoBikes, as well as 200 colour print T-shirts and 500 Paekakariki Pops to the diggers who retrieve a token from the sand in the designated area on Ōtaki Beach. Declan Cox at DecoBikes is also providing a helmet for each of the bikes.

“We’re honoured to be able to be a part of this amazing Ōtaki event, and really excited about meeting new and old friends over the weekend,” says Kelly & Co director Derek Kelly. “We love the fact that so many folks make the trip from all over the country to the coolest town in Aotearoa.”