Smokefreerockquest (SFRQ) is an annual music competition for intermediate and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

bands throughout New Zealand. The first Rockquest was held in 1988, and was organised by

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

radio station

C93FM C93FM was a New Zealand radio station based in Christchurch. C93FM broadcast on 92.9 FM and, after it merged with Radio Avon, also broadcast on 1260 AM. C93FM has had several music formats during its time on the air. In 1989 the station was re ...

as a local event. The following year, school teachers Glenn Common and Pete Rainey formed Rockquest Promotions and by 1990 had made Rockquest a national event, with five regional finals and a national final. In 1991, Smokefree became a major sponsor, and the name became the Smokefreerockquest. Glenn Common and Pete Rainey now run Rockquest Promotions full-time out of Nelson. Smokefreerockquest is the only nationwide, live, all original, youth music event. Now into its third decade, Smokefreerockquest reaches audience numbers in excess of 24,000 every year. Its aim is to motivate young musicians to prove their musical ability and to encourage their peers to support original

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including b ...

. Initially bands played covers, but very early in the evolution of the event (and running parallel with the evolution of music in New Zealand) there was a shift to original music. Musical successes from Smokefreerockquest over its 33-year history include Arlo Mac, Park Rd, There's A Tuesday,

Midnight Youth Midnight Youth were a New Zealand rock band formed in 2006. Their debut album, ''The Brave Don't Run'', was released in 2009 in New Zealand and Australia. The band subsequently toured and played festivals across Australasia, the United States ...

Opshop Opshop is a New Zealand rock band who formed in 2002. They released their first album, '' You Are Here'' in 2004, their second album ''Second Hand Planet'' in 2007, and their third album '' Until The End of Time'', which debuted at number one on ...

, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Minuit, Marina Davis, Jeremy Lawrence,

Kids of 88 Kids of 88 were a New Zealand new wave duo based in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy. They are best known for their 2009 single, " My House". They have since signed through Dryden Street to Sony Music and rel ...

, Die!Die!Die!, Pistol Youth, Bang!Bang!Eche!, Ivy Lies,

Cairo Knife Fight Cairo Knife Fight (CKF) is a rock band originating from New Zealand, founded in 2007 by musical artist Nick Gaffaney, featuring a drum and guitar duo incorporating real-time layered loops. History Cairo Knife Fight (CKF) began as Nick Gaffaney' ...

Cut Off Your Hands Cut Off Your Hands (COYH) was a post-punk band from New Zealand. Formed from the ashes of Auckland post-punk act Nova Echo, Cut Off Your Hands have since released a number of recordings on the labels Speak N Spell, SIXSEVENINE and French Kiss R ...

, Luke Thompson,

the Datsuns The Datsuns are a hard rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, formed in 1998. Founding mainstays are Rudolf "Dolf" de Borst on vocals and bass guitar, and Christian Livingstone and Phil Somervell, both on guitar. They have released seven albu ...

Zed Zed is the pronunciation of the letter ''Z'' in Commonwealth English ("zee" in American English). Zed or ZED may also refer to: Entertainment Characters *Zed (comics), a character from the ''Hellblazer'' comic series *Zed (Kiba), the main chara ...

, Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa,

Anna Coddington Anna Coddington (born 14 June 1981) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. She has released four albums. Her previous band 'Duchess', for whom Coddington was songwriter, singer and guitarist, also released a 6 track EP in 2005. In 2015, Coddington ...

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Steriogram Steriogram were a rock band from New Zealand that formed in Auckland in 1999. The band consisted of frontman Tyson Kennedy (lead vocals and drums), Brad Carter (vocals, lead guitar and lead vocals), Tim Youngson (rhythm guitar and backing vocal ...

Aaradhna Aaradhna Jayantilal Patel (born 20 December 1983), better known by her stage name Aaradhna, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musical recording artist. She made her musical debut in 2004 featuring on the single "Getting Stronger" with the g ...

Spacifix Spacifix is a New Zealand funk/soul/ R&B and reggae boy group from West Auckland, New Zealand. They formed in April 2003 with the view of entering the Smokefree Pacifica Beats national competition. Aged between 13 and 18 years they won the co ...

The Phoenix Foundation The Phoenix Foundation is a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Wellington in 1997. History Early years and ''China Cove'' The band was founded by Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott, and Luke Buda in 1994 while students at Wellington High ...

The Feelers The Feelers is a New Zealand pop rock band formed in the early 1990s in Christchurch by James Reid (singer/guitarist) and Hamish Gee (drums/guitar). History The Feelers was signed by Warner Music and released their first album, '' Supersyste ...

The Black Seeds The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, ''Jamaica Observer'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 Their rocksteady song "One ...

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Bic Runga Briolette Kah Bic Runga (born 13 January 1976), recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the Recording Industry Association of New Ze ...

The Checks "The Checks" is the 141st episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the seventh episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on November 7, 1996. In this episode, the last to feature the writing team of Tom Gammill and Max Pross, El ...

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, Pine,

King Kapisi Bill Rangi Urale is a New Zealand-Samoan hip-hop artist. Music career He was signed up as an artist with Festival Mushroom Records (NZ). In 2000 he released his critically acclaimed debut album ''Savage Thoughts'', followed by a second album, ...

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, The Fresh Prints, The Naked and Famous, Rival State,

Autozamm Autozamm is a New Zealand rock band from Auckland, that has supported international acts such as the Black Crowes, INXS and Silverchair. The band has appeared at events such as the Big Day Out, Homegrown and Southern Amp. Band members *Ollie Go ...

, Taste Nasa, Kimbra,

Elemeno P Elemeno P is a New Zealand rock band. The band's first album, '' Love & Disrespect'' was released on 4 July 2003, and reached number one on the RIANZ albums chart. Their second album, '' Trouble in Paradise'' was released on 24 November 2005 ...

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and Joe's Van.

Competition format

The SFRQ consists of around 40 regional competitions across New Zealand with the top regional bands progressing to the national final. Each region holds both heats and a regional final. Acts that place first or second in each category (Solo-duo or Band) at their regional event have the opportunity to submit a 12-minute performance video which is judged by a panel of industry professionals. From these video submissions, 10 acts are chosen to compete at the national final. At the national final, the competing bands have 8 minutes to perform on stage before the overall winner is announced. The regional areas are: Northland, North Shore, Auckland Central,

Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, so ...

, Waikato, Bay of Plenty,

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Wairarapa,

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, Nelson,

Malborough Malborough is a village located in the South Hams region of Devon. The village is located on the A381 road, A381 between Kingsbridge and Salcombe, and is a popular village for tourists, with many holiday homes located around the village. Malbo ...

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West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, Timaru,

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

and Southland.

Prize package

The overall national winners (Band and Solo-duo) receive a prizepack which includes the opportunity to record a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, musical gear from NZ Rockshops, a New Music Single grant funded by

NZ On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

which allows the act for have a music video created and released professionally, and mentoring with a music industry professional. Second and third placed finishers also receive Rockshop vouchers and the opportunity to record a single. Other awards at regional events include second and third placings, ZM Best Song Award, APRA Lyric Award, ZM People's Choice Award, Musicianship Award, and Best Vocals Award.

Past winners

Post-event successes

* 1989/1990 — Bobby Kennedy and Clint Harris, members from the 1989 winning band Outer Control, formed the popular New Zealand rock band

with Jason Kerrison, whose band De Funk Express won the Rockquest in 1990. * 1991 — 1991 winners, Auntie Beatrice, featured brothers Bradley, Laughton and Francis Kora who later formed Reggae/dub band

Kora Kora may refer to: Places India * Kora, Bardhaman, West Bengal * Kora, Bharuch, Gujarat * Korha, Katihar, also known as Kora, in Bihar * Kora, Kendrapara, Odisha * Kora, Wardha, Maharastra * Kora, Tumakuru, Karnataka * Toyaguda, Adilabad, Telan ...

. Kora’s debut EP ''Volume'' was released in 2004 and achieved platinum status with over 10,000 copies sold. * 1993 — Pagan Records signed

directly after her Rockquest national final performance, and she was subsequently signed to Sony for international release. Runga's first solo album, ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...

'', debuted at number one on the New Zealand

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists, also finding success internationally in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the UK.

* 1998 — In 1998,

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

signed Anika Moa directly after her national final performance. Moa's 2001 debut album, ''

Thinking Room ''Thinking Room'' is the debut album by New Zealand Pop recording artist Anika Moa, released on 28 September 2001 by Warner, Atlantic Records. It reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and was certified double platinum selling over ...

'', reached the top of the Official New Zealand Top 40 Albums Chart and was a commercial success. She has released a total of four studio albums and has received numerous

APRA APRA or Apra may refer to: Places *Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India * Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam Acronyms * American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...

and New Zealand Music Award nominations. * 2000 — Evermore have gone on to international success since winning the competition in 2000. The band used their Rockquest prize money to build their own recording facility, Red Sky Studio. They have since released four popular albums and have been nominated for numerous ARIA Awards and New Zealand Music Awards. * 2001 — Andrew Wilson and Michael Prain of

Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! (sometimes styled Die!Die!Die!) is a three-piece New Zealand noise pop/punk/post-punk band. Formed in late 2003, they have released seven albums, all backed with extensive international touring. A number of different bassists hav ...

originally played in the band Carriage H who won the SFRQ in 2001. As well as releasing five studio albums, Die! Die! Die! have toured with Franz Ferdinand, Wolfmother and

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

. * 2004 —

Sam McCarthy Sam McCarthy is a New Zealand songwriter and pop vocalist. He is best known for his work in Kids of 88 and Goodnight Nurse. Early life McCarthy was brought up in Auckland in the suburb of Weymouth. He was educated at Weymouth Primary School ...

and

Jordan Arts Kids of 88 were a New Zealand new wave duo based in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of Jordan Arts and Sam McCarthy. They are best known for their 2009 single, " My House". They have since signed through Dryden Street to Sony Music and rele ...

, members of the 2004 winning band Insurca, formed the new wave duo,

who released two albums. McCarthy also played in pop punk band

Goodnight Nurse Goodnight Nurse was a New Zealand pop punk band formed in Auckland in 2001. The group originally began as a trio, but later changed to a four-piece prior to the release of their second album. It consisted of lead vocalist Joel Little, guitaris ...

who released several top 40 singles. * 2014 — Georgia and Caleb Nott, members of The Peasants (2011 SFRQ winners), splintered off to form the duo Broods. They have released two albums and have enjoyed some success in the United States.

References

{{Reflist

External links