More than 8,000 students from across New Zealand gathered in Dunedin for the Big Sing Finale 2025, a national choir competition that brought together the country’s top 24 secondary school choirs.
The groups were chosen from over 250 choirs that competed in regional festivals earlier this year. From Auckland to Invercargill, students traveled long distances to perform in the highly anticipated event.
This year’s competition has gained extra attention thanks to the success of Tinā, a New Zealand film partly inspired by a Big Sing performance. The movie, now one of the country’s highest-grossing films, has sparked fresh interest in choral singing and encouraged more schools to take part.
Some students even saw themselves on the big screen. James Oandasan from Westlake Boys’ High School performed in the group featured in Tinā and was excited to now compete in Dunedin.
Organisers noted that the film’s influence was clear. Christine Argyle from the New Zealand Choral Federation said there were record numbers of Pasifika songs performed this year. Choirs also sang in multiple languages, including Latin, and incorporated instruments into their performances.
Students shared their feelings about the big stage. “It’s fun working with different dialects and vowels… it’s really hard,” said a singer from St Cecilia’s. Another admitted to being both nervous and excited, saying, “Mixed emotions all over the place.”
