This year, the largest Māori and Pacific Islands festival of its kind in the world is celebrating a special milestone with its 50th anniversary.
The Manukau Sports Bowl is set to come alive in April with vibrant performances showcasing Polynesian identity and culture with the return of ASB Polyfest.
From April 2-5, 77 schools from the greater Auckland region will take part with 291 groups signed up, a new record for the festival.
More than 11,000 secondary school students will perform this year, with a crowd of over 75,000 people expected over the festival’s four-day duration.
Students compete in speech, song and dance across six cultural stages - Cook Islands, Māori, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and a Diversity stage which comprises other cultures including Chinese, Fijian, Tokelau, Indian, Korean and Sri Lankan. Students perform on these stages with pride and passion, and the honour of being the top school in their respective culture.
This year’s theme is “He oha nō tua, he taonga tuku iho!” which translates to “Legacy - a treasure handed down”.
Festival director Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu said students want to give back to their communities and their families in honour of the theme.
Many of the participating schools had been involved with the festival for a long time, she said.
“So we’re quite excited to see some fresh ones and some old ones come to the party with the legacy theme.”
The festival has evolved through the decades - from its humble beginnings in 1976 when just four schools took part, to now being the largest secondary school cultural competition.
One constant throughout the years has been the pride students carry when performing in their traditional costumes. From vibrant colours to the use of traditional materials, this representation of culture has been a highlight for spectators.
For students competing, the ASB Polyfest has become a rite of passage — an opportunity to learn the music and dance of their cultures, and a form of dialogue between generations.
For the first time in 30 years, St Mary’s College will be performing, on the University of Auckland Samoan Stage.
Several schools who perform every two years are back this year - De La Salle College, McAuley Girls School, St Dominic’s Catholic College.
St Cuthbert’s College has the largest number of groups entered this year with 16, closely followed by Manurewa High School, which has entered 15 performing groups.
Visiting schools are Te Pūmanawa o Ngaru Pou and Keebra Park State High School from Australia, performing on a non-competitive basis on the Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi Māori Stage. Joining them will be three schools from Northland - Te Kamo, Taonga O Te Moana and Whangārei High School.
A record 118 groups will perform on the Diversity Stage on April 2 and 3 - an increase which means two stages will be needed to accommodate them all on the Thursday.
There are 28 different cultures represented on the Diversity Stage, including Filipino, Afghani, Colombian, Mongolian, Tahitian, Tibetan and Tuvaluan. Also there is a Roma Group entered for the first time from Waitākere College.
The ASB Polyfest is a celebration of youth performance, and a showcase of New Zealand’s diverse cultures, which also extends to an array of different food and crafts, with each stage surrounded by stalls from the respective culture.
The festival will begin with a pōwhiri on April 2 before speech competitions and cultural performances begin. A special Schools Day programme will also take place on the Wednesday with a dedicated programme for primary and intermediate students.
Tickets can be purchased online through iTICKET or the official ASB Polyfest website, www.asbpolyfest.co.nz.
- Stuff
