VHS archive material! Here is one of the first ever TV reports on the early singing career of Hayley Westenra, it's a 13 minute excerpt from the 6 June 2001 edition of "60 Minutes" by TVNZ, broadcast when Hayley was just 14 years and 2 months old as her first commercially released CD hit no. 1 in the NZ charts. We think this 13 minute report was not previously available online in full, or perhaps at all, before.
The recording is from an old VHS tape kindly provided by "Hayley's oldest fan" Belinda Hutchison of Christchurch NZ, many thanks to Belinda. Digitisation and editing by Dave Ludlow for HWI. Much credit to Paige ('devoted fan') who first prompted us to search the HWI archives for this unique insight into Hayley's early career and for the other members who helped to track down the details.
Here is the published TVNZ programme information from 2001:
"Centre Stage - She's just another fourth former at Burnside High School, but many in the music industry is predicting she will become an international super star. Her name is Hayley Westenra. Her new CD has sold so many copies to record stores that it was guaranteed to go gold even before the official release." Interviews: Gray Bartlett; Gerald and Gill Westenra, parents."
You can discuss this video on the HWI Forum at: hwi.proboards.com/thread/7020/...