Ōhaupō musician Sahara Stanton’s reward at the 2025 Smokefree Rockquest National Finals for winning the Solo-Duo category comes with $11,000 worth of prizes.
Cambridge High School’s 2025 Ritchie Pickett Scholarship winner, Sahara Stanton. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
The year 13 Cambridge High School student is heading to Wellington next year to study.
“I feel like these past few months I’ve been given recognition for all the music I’ve been working on for years – it feels like such a breakthrough and a perfect first step into the industry I wasn’t sure I could crack. I’m so ecstatic.”
She is only the second Cambridge High School student in the competition’s 37-year-history to have won a national Rockquest title. The first was Harry Parson, who took out the Solo-Duo category in 2013, publicist Georgia Parker said.
Other past winners Marlon Williams, Fazerdaze, Aldous Harding, Troy Kingi, Drax Project, Six60, Brooke Fraser, Kimbra and Bic Runga.
This year’s event attracted over 3300 young people, entered in more than 1000 acts.
Sahara performed two original songs at the national final at Auckland’s Big Fan music venue, ‘Become You’ and ‘Just Like You’, both written this year.
“I actually just completed the ending of ‘Just Like You’ a week before the final,” she said.
Cambridge High School’s 2025 Ritchie Pickett Scholarship winner, Sahara Stanton. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
Musician and event judge Priya Sami described her guitar playing as “really impressive – flawless and tasteful”.
“She was doing her own thing and she really held it down…her performance was haunting and drew you in.”
Ōtūmoetai College act Aisha and Bebe came second in the Solo-Duo category, and Levol Y from Manurewa High School was third.
Sahara said the experience had generated exposure beyond anything she could achieve alone.
“It’s also really awesome because not only have I met musicians, but also journalists, which is what I want to do alongside music.”
The talented musician will head to Victoria University of Wellington next year to tackle a double degree in songwriting and journalism.
“I love, love, love Wellington,” she said. “That little crazy weathered city has my heart. If it couldn’t get any better, I’ve been offered residence at my first pick for halls…it’s going to be a good few years.”
She won $3000 worth of musical equipment and an $8000 grant from NZ On Air to record a single, film a music video and promote the release. She said she was grateful to her music teachers, Lisa Norman and Daniel Peters, who had pushed her to enter.
“They’ve provided me with so many opportunities and have been a constant support through my schooling.
“And my family has always believed I’d make it. I’m blessed they are the kind of people to never hold back telling me how proud they are.”
Sahara Stanton performs at the Smokefree Rockquest.
