February 28, 2018
Polyfest set to be biggest yet
A record 252 groups from 69 schools have signed up for this year’s ASB Polyfest.
That means more than 10,000 secondary school students from across the Auckland region will take to one of six stages at the Manukau Sports Bowl from March 14 to 17 to perform traditional song, dance and speech.
The Maori stage will this year be co-hosted by Kia Aroha College and James Cook High School.
There are also stages for Cook Islands, Maori, Niue, Samoan, and Tongan groups, as well as the diversity stage which features cultures such as Chinese, Fijian, Tokelau, Indian, Korean and Sri Lankan.
Launching the event Carmel Sepuloni, the Associate Minister for Pacific Peoples and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, urged principals and teachers to encourage and support students to see value in embracing their culture.
She says it’s important youth are confident in their cultural identity, as this will serve as a platform for future success.
The theme for this year’s festival is:
Tuia te muka tangata
Tuia te muka wairua
Whiria te ahurea tuakirikiri
Whiria te ahurea tuamanomano
Thread the fibres of humanity
Thread the fibres of spiritual well being
Bind together the essence of cultural identity
Weave together the diverseness of cultural awareness
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