2023 New Zealand & South Pacific Pipe Band Champions: Canterbury Caledonian Society

Christchurch, New Zealand – March 11, 2023 – Canterbury Caledonian Society successfully defended their New Zealand & South Pacific Pipe Band Champions title against four other Grade 1 bands in a full day of competition at North Hagley Park in the heart of the country’s picturesque city.

The band won both the Medley and MSR events, with all-firsts from the judges in ensemble and drumming, while runners-up Manawatu Scottish took four firsts in piping. Both bands will be competing at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow in August.

In Grade 2, Australia’s Hawthorn took the overall prize, winning both the Medley and MSR with all eight judges placing the band Melbourne-based first.

The name of the bi-annual New Zealand Championships was expanded to include “South Pacific” to be more descriptively accurate and inclusive of and attractive to non-Kiwi pipe bands. A total of 46 bands competed, and the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Association has made a video of the entire livestream of the event on its YouTube Channel.

Grade 1
Overall
1st Canterbury Caledonian Society
2nd Manawatu Scottish
3rd Auckland & District
4th ILT City of Invercargill Highland
5th New Zealand Police

Medley
1st Canterbury Caledonian Society (3,2,1,1)
2nd Auckland & District (2,3,2,2)
3rd Manawatu Scottish (1,1,5,3)
4th New Zealand Police (5,5,3,4)
5th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (4,4,4,5)
Judges: Ian Lyons, Stuart Easton (piping); Harold Gillespie (ensemble); Ross Levy (drumming)

MSR
1st Canterbury Caledonian Society (2,2,1,1)
2nd Manawatu Scottish (1,1,2,3)
3rd Auckland & District (3,3,3,2)
4th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (4,4,4,5)
5th New Zealand Police (5,5,5,4)
Judges: Greg Wilson, Liam Kernaghan (piping); Ian Ferguson (ensemble); Andrew Wormesley (drumming)

Grade 2
Overall
1st Hawthorn
2nd St Andrew’s College
3rd Celtic (Nelson)
4th Wellington Red Hackle
5th Metro Scottish
Drumming: Hawthorn

Medley
1st Hawthorn (1,1,1,1)
2nd St. Andrew’s College (2,2,2,2)
3rd Wellington Red Hackle (3,3,3,4)
4th Metro Scottish (4,5,5,3)
5th Celtic (Nelson) (5,4,4,5)
Judges: Ian Lyons, Stuart Easton (piping); Harold Gillespie (ensemble); Ross Levy (drumming)

MSR
1st Hawthorn (1,1,1,1)
2nd Celtic (Nelson) (3,2,2,4)
3rd St. Andrew’s College (4,3,3,2)
4th Wellington Red Hackle (2,5,4,5)
5th Metro Scottish (5,4,5,3)
Judges: Greg Wilson, Liam Kernaghan (piping); Ian Ferguson (ensemble); Andrew Wormesley (drumming)

Grade 3
Overall
1st City of Tauranga
2nd Canterbury Caledonian Society (Gr3)
3rd Auckland & District (Gr3)
4th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (Gr3)
5th Manawatu Scottish (Gr3)
6th Hawke’s Bay Caledonian
7th Northland Caledonian
8th Auckland Police
Drumming: City of Tauranga
Bass Section: City of Tauranga

Medley
1st City of Tauranga (1,1,2,1)
2nd Canterbury Caledonian Society (3,4,1,2)
3rd Auckland & District (2,2,8,3)
4th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (4,7,5,4)
5th Manawatu Scottish (6,6,4,5)
6th Hawke’s Bay Caledonian (5,5,6,8)
7th Northland Caledonian (7,3,7,7)
8th Auckland Police (8,8,3,6)
Judges: Greg Wilson, Liam Kernaghan (piping); Ian Ferguson (ensemble); Andrew Wormesley (drumming)

MSR
1st City of Tauranga (3,3,1,1)
2nd Canterbury Caledonian Society (2,2,2,2)
3rd Auckland & District (1,1,4,3)
4th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (5,4,3,6)
5th Hawke’s Bay Caledonian (4,6,5,8)
6th Manawatu Scottish (8,7,6,4)
7th Northland Caledonian (6,5,8,7)
8th Auckland Police (7,8,7,5)
Judges: Ian Lyons, Stuart Easton (piping); Harold Gillespie (ensemble); Ross Levy (drumming)

Grade 4A
Overall
1st Scotch College (Melbourne)
2nd Hamilton Caledonian Society
3rd St. Andrew’s College
4th Hokonui Celtic
5th Brisbane Boys’ College Old Collegians
6th Papakura
7th Canterbury Caledonian Society
8th Wellington Red Hackle
9th Celtic (Nelson)
10th City of Rotorua Highland
11th Metro Scottish
12th Waimatuku Southern Scenic Highland
Drumming: Brisbane Boys’ College
Bass Section: Scotch College Melbourne

Medley
1st Hokonui Celtic (3,3,1,1)
2nd Scotch College (Melbourne) (2,5,3,2)
3rd Brisbane Boys College Old Collegians (5,4,2,3)
4th St. Andrew’s College (4,2,4,6)
5th Hamilton Caledonian Society (1,1,7,8)
6th Papakura (8,8,5,5)
7th City of Rotorua Highland (9,11,6,4)
8th Canterbury Caledonian Society (7,6,8,9)
9th Metro Scottish (6,7,11,7)
10th Wellington Red Hackle (10,10,9,11)
11th Celtic (Nelson) (11,9,10,10)
12th Waimatuku Southern Scenic Highland (12,12,12,12)
Judges: Ian Lyons, Stuart Easton (piping); Harold Gillespie (ensemble); Ross Levy (drumming)

MSR
1st Hamilton Caledonian Society (1,1,2,8)
2nd St. Andrew’s College (2,2,6,4)
3rd Scotch College (Melbourne) (5,8,1,2)
4th Papakura (4,4,5,7)
5th Brisbane Boys College Old Collegians (10,9,3,1)
6th Wellington Red Hackle (3,3,7,11)
7th Celtic (Nelson) (6,5,8,5)
8th Hokonui Celtic (9,7,4,6)
9th Canterbury Caledonian Society (7,6,10,3)
10th City of Rotorua Highland (11,10,9,10)
11th Waimatuku Southern Scenic Highland (8,11,12,9)
12th Metro Scottish (12,12,11,12)
Judges: Greg Wilson, Liam Kernaghan (piping); Ian Ferguson (ensemble); Andrew Wormesley (drumming)

Grade 4B (nine competed)
Overall
1st South Canterbury Highland
2nd ILT City of Invercargill Highland
3rd City of Dunedin
4th Hokonui Celtic
5th John McGlashan College
6th City of Sails
7th Asburton
8th McAlpines North Canterbury
Drumming: City of Sails
Bass Section: City of Dunedin

Medley
1st South Canterbury Highland (2,1,2,2)
2nd Hokonui Celtic (1,2,4,4)
3rd City of Dunedin (6,6,1,1)
4th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (4,3,3,5)
5th John McGlashan College (3,4,6,7)
6th Asburton (5,5,5,6)
7th City of Sails (7,7,7,3)
8th McAlpines North Canterbury (8,8,8,8)
Judges: Greg Wilson, Liam Kernaghan (piping); Ian Ferguson (ensemble); Andrew Wormesley (drumming)

MSR
1st South Canterbury Highland (2,3,1,2)
2nd ILT City of Invercargill Highland (1,1,4,4)
3rd City of Sails (6,7,2,1)
4th City of Dunedin (5,5,3,3)
5th John McGlashan College (3,4,6,6)
6th Hokonui Celtic (4,2,8,5)
7th Asburton (7,6,5,7)
8th McAlpines North Canterbury (8,8,7,8)
Judges: Ian Lyons, Stuart Easton (piping); Harold Gillespie (ensemble); Ross Levy (drumming)

Juvenile (eight competed)

1st St. Andrew’s College (A) (1,1,1,1)
2nd Scotch College (Melbourne) (2,2,2,3)
3rd ILT City of Invercargill Highland (A) (4,4,3 4)
4th Lewis Turrell Memorial Trust (3,3,4,6)
5th Canterbury Caledonian Society (6,6,5,2)
6th St. Andrews College (B) (5,5,6,7)
7th John McGlashan College (8,8,7,5)
8th ILT City of Invercargill Highland (B) (7,7,8,8)
Judges: Greg Wilson, Liam Kernaghan (piping); Ian Ferguson (ensemble); Andrew Wormesley (drumming)
Bass Section: St. Andrew’s College (A)