Cultural - Rotorua Boys' High School

CULTURAL

Rotorua Boys' High School offers a wide range of performing arts opportunities and encourages all students to get involved. Through school, community, regional, and international performances, students build confidence, creativity, and pride in representing the school.

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Kapa Haka

Rotorua Boys' High School and Rotorua Girls' High School combine to form Raukura Kapa Haka, recognised as one of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading secondary school kapa haka groups. Raukura has a proud tradition of excellence, achieving success at regional, national and international levels. The group consistently performs at the highest standard and continues to earn recognition among the top kapa haka teams in the country. Raukura has also represented Aotearoa on the world stage, sharing Māori culture through performances in Japan, China, Portugal, and Australia. Rotorua Boys' High School also continues to achieve outstanding results at the NZ Super 8 Schools Cultural Festival, reflecting the strength, pride, and commitment of its kapa haka group.

Tama Pasifika

Established in 2020, Tama Pasifika is a programme that helps to empower and connect our Pasifika students to their cultural identity. It also helps increase their participation and engagement in academic achievement during their years at Raukura. Students are able to be part of events such as the Super 8 Cultural Festival, Big Sing Regional Festival, Pasifika In The Bay and the Rotorua Pasifika Festival. Taking Pasifika studies throughout their senior secondary education can lead into tertiary level training and provide you with skills which generally relate to the Performing Arts, Literature, Anthropology and History. While this subject is open to all cultures and ethnicities, it can especially help students of Pacific Island descent connect with their cultural heritage and roots, throughout their schooling years.

Music and Performing Arts

Rotorua Boys' High School has a proud history of staging high-quality musical productions in partnership with Rotorua Girls' High School. Recent shows have included Saturday Night Fever, In The Heights and Jersey Boys, offering students the change to experience professional-level performance both onstage and behind the scenes. We are home to the award-winning Raukura Choir competing in the Super 8 and Big Sing competitions and a number of talented bands who regularly compete in Rockquest and Tangata Beats - earning national recongnition as recent Tangata Beats National Champions. Students are provided with a wide range of opportunities to showcase their music and dance skills through school events, regional competitions, and community performances. At Rotorua Boys' High School, the performing arts continue to thrive, inspiring creativity, confidence, and teamwork in every student involved.

Oratory

Students from Rotorua Boys' High School have traditionally performed well at various oratory competitions, including Manu Korero, Rotary Club of Rotorua Speech Competition, RSA Speech Competition, Lions Speech Competition and the Māori Women's Welfare League Oratory Competition.

New Zealand Super 8 Schools Cultural Festival

Every year Rotorua Boys' High School competes at the New Zealand Super 8 Schools' Cultural Festival in kapa haka, Drama, Oratory, Debating, Theatre Sports, Music Performance and Art.

Cultural Achievements:

Raukura Kapa Haka team (RBHS and RGHS) - National Champions in 2016 and 2018
Raukura Kapa Haka team - 1st at the New Zealand Super Eight Schools Cultural Festival 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025 and 2026.
Raukura Choir - Big Sing Best Audience Impact 2025
Rockquest - 3rd place in Rotorua Regionals 2025
Tangata Beats - Kotahi Te Rā - Rotorua Regional Champions and National Champions 2025