New Zealand's newest music, dance and drama showcase for schools, Showquest, has been staged at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua last week marking the fifth regional event nationwide.

The Raukura Kapa Haka team, made up of Rotorua Boys and Girls High Schools, opened the evening, presenting the piece that won them the Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Competition.

The other performances featured on the night were St. Mary's Primary School in Putaruru, the Rotorua Lakes Performing Arts Company, St. Mary's Primary School in Rotorua, and a guest performance from the Brylee Mills Creative Team.

The teams choreographed their pieces around themes that are important to them, such as resilience and the poaching of endangered animals.

Brylee Mills, who brought the Brylee Mills Creative Team from Auckland for a guest performance, says her team was very proud of their performance on the night.

'They are super passionate about dancing and performing, and they love any chance they get to do that,” she says. 'To come to the Energy Events Centre and be a part of Showquest was really amazing. Everyone was so welcoming and the team absolutely loved being on stage.”

The S.T.A.R Award for overall spirit, as voted by Showquest crew on the night, went to John Paul College, whose high school students had helped prepare the pieces for both St. Mary's Primary School in Putaruru and St. Mary's Primary School in Rotorua.

Showquest is being staged in Northland, Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Rotorua, Hamilton, New Plymouth and Auckland.

A national online final will name the top entry nationwide in September.

Rockquest Promotions, which has 30 years of success with the country's only live, nationwide school music contest, won the contract from the Ministry of Education earlier this year for a dance and music performance event for schools.

Showquest lines up with the curriculum and with NCEA standards across several subject areas, inspiring students to put what they've learnt into practice in a professional stage setting, with a live audience.