Tongan teen makes history with Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest win

A young Tongan singer has taken out one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s biggest opera competitions.

Samuel Mataele’s historic win at the prestigious Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest over the weekend is proof Pacific voices continue to make their mark on the country’s biggest stages,

The 19-year-old countertenor won $50,000 to beat five other contestants at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington.

He also became the second youngest winner in the competition’s 70-year history.

Mataele told John Pulu on PMN Tonga that the competition was about more than the prizemoney.

He said it was an opportunity to grow as an artist and gain recognition.

“There is a prestige that comes with being part of the competition that I think expands our careers, maybe even further than the financial side does,” he says.

“I think something that's even more important than the financial support is the exposure that it offers us.”

Mataele’s achievement adds another chapter to a growing list of Pacific success stories in opera and classical music.

The former Sacred Heart College student has already built an impressive record, winning prizes at competitions across the North Island.

He has also performed with groups like the Manukau and Auckland Symphony Orchestras, the Auckland Boys Choir, the Auckland Handel Consort, as well as at Tongan community events.

He is currently completing Music and Psychology studies at the University of Auckland. He plans to travel to Europe and continue developing his opera career on the international stage.

The competition’s namesake, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, congratulated Mataele and praised the standard of this year’s finalists.

“From the very beginning, Song Quest has been the gold standard, the stage on which tomorrow’s stars shine brightly,” she says.

“Tonight, our winner, Samuel, and indeed every finalist, did exactly that.”

Since its beginning, the biennial Song Quest has helped launch the careers of some of New Zealand’s leading singers including Pacific artists such as Jonathan Lemalu, Filipe Manu and Sol3 Mio’s Amitai Pati.

Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest Finalists 2026 from left: Cecily Shaw, Samuel Downs, Samuel Mataele, Sarah Mileham, Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono, and Faamanu Fonoti-Fuimaono. Photo/RNZ/Hagen Hopkins

This year’s runner-up was Sarah Mileham, a 23-year-old soprano, who received $20,000 while Samuel Downes, a 29-year-old tenor, came third and won $15,000.

Sāmoan brothers Faamanu and Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono were also recognised as finalists, receiving $3500 each.

Mataele says the win represents not only a personal achievement but another proud moment for the Tongan community and Pacific artists continuing to break through in Aotearoa’s arts scene.

The next Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest will be held in 2028.

Maeva Moelagi Becerra-Jackson is completing a journalism internship at PMN as part of her studies at Auckland University of Technology.