
Elvis Presley, you may not have realised, has a
Ngati Raukawa whakapapa.
Not the old dead Elvis, but this sequined,
gyrating, very-much-alive 12-year-old
He's Drew Neemia of Paraparaumu. And along with
his Raukawa and Pakeha (Irish, Scottish, English) genes from his mum, Colleen,
he has Samoan and Chinese heritage from his dad, Noel.
There's any amount of music in that mixture.
Colleen, as a singer, and Noel, on the guitar, operate as a two-piece combo, or
as part of a five part band.
And Drew and his 16-year-old sister, Carly,
who's at Kapiti Collage, have both been live-wire kapa haka performers.
Drew's show biz talents have given him a break from
Paraparaumu Primary this year. He's been in Wellington playing one of the lead
roles in a 16 episode TV series that has been filmed on The Legend of William
Tell.
That's destined for broadcast in Europe
and the USA. Nothing's tied up yet for its New Zealand release