Polyfest is celebrating its 50th anniversary at Manukau Sports Bowl with Unitec and MIT there as co-sponsors of the Tonga stage.
More than 11,000 ākonga from sixty Auckland secondary schools will be performing across six stages – including Niue, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Māori, and Diversity at the world’s largest Pacific dance festival running this year from Wednesday 2 April to Saturday 5 April.
With crowds expected to top 100,000 during the week, our kaimahi will be among forty-five volunteers from both institutions who will be busy manning our two stands at the Tonga stage.
This year’s theme ‘Legacy’ reflects the ongoing impact this iconic event has had on empowering youth and their communities from across Tāmaki Makaurau to celebrate their cultural identities and language.
Unitec and MIT have chosen the phrase Tauhi Vā: nurturing Pacific cultures in Tāmaki Makaurau to reflect the strong relationship our institutions have had with this event and the diverse communities we serve. Unitec was the first tertiary provider to sponsor Polyfest in 2003 with MIT coming onboard in 2010.
Since the birth of the event in 1976, a large number of Unitec kaimahi and ākonga have participated and the experience has often been life changing.
Two with long associations with Polyfest have encouraged others to attend this year’s event.
Helena Finau-Hakalo speaks at the Polyfest Cultural Workshop for MIT and Unitec kaimahi
Helena Finau-Hakalo, Team Leader, Mentoring & Scholarships is looking forward to attending Polyfest this week as a volunteer and has fond memories of performing on the Tonga stage at Polyfest when she was a student at Mt Roskill Grammar School from 2003-2007.
“I was proud to represent my culture,” says Helena, who traces her Tongan heritage to Vava’u (father) and Fua’amotu (mother). “Polyfest really helped with understanding my language especially with the pronunciation of words and learning the songs and dances drew me closer to my culture.
“Polyfest is such an awesome event and I encourage others to experience for themselves, the impact it has had in our communities by providing opportunities for our young people to embrace their cultural roots, and connect with their identity, even outside the classroom,” she remarks.
Helena remembers many hours of practice in the school hall after school and in the weekends, from the start of the school year in January right up until Polyfest.
“There is a lot of hard work that goes into the preparation and it’s really great that students can now gain NCEA credits for participating.”
Ioane Aleke-Faavae performs at Hologa Niue Festival
Ioane Aleke Fa’avae, Academic Development Lecturer, Pacific, has been associated with Polyfest for over 30 years as a student, tutor, MC and judge. This week, he will take his place as one of the judges on the Niuean stage.
“I first attended Polyfest in 1995 as a student performing in Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate’s Niuean group,” he explains.
“I have been a tutor for over 20 years as well as an MC. For the past seven years I’ve been a judge on the Niuean stage.”
Outside his work with Unitec, Ioane is a prominent leader in the Niuean community who helped stage the inaugural Hologa Niue Festival, a coming together of Auckland’s Niuean community representing the thirteen villages on stage in February.
“The event was such a huge success with over 5,000 people in attendance, that it will now become an annual event.
Ioane has also been at the forefront of community efforts to preserve the Niuean language, teaching at MIT and also the Pacific Education Centre (now called the Centre of Pacific Languages) in Manukau.
He is also a former radio presenter for Pacific Media Network, where his role was actively promoting Pacific languages and culture.
Ioane says Polyfest is a vital platform to maintain Vagahau Niue (Niuean language), but also one to develop new ideas and concepts in creating new movement and composing new songs which incorporate the language and culture and helps to take the culture forward.
“I had a strong grounding in my Niuean culture learning performing arts right from the time I was born in Mutalau, Niue, Mutalau,” Ioane shared. “That’s where I learned most of the chants, the songs, dances, from just being around family.”
Ioane came to New Zealand when he was seven but continued to maintain his language and connection with culture, something missing among many New Zealand-born Niueans today.
“After finishing school, I continued to be a consultant in Niuean culture and language in other schools, because at the time, there simply wasn’t enough people out there who knew the old traditional songs and dance which need to be carried on.”
“That is why Polyfest is important to encourage the next generations to carry on these traditions, so our cultures and language don’t die.”
To find out more about attending Polyfest and the programme for this year’s events go to their website https://www.asbpolyfest.co.nz/
MIT-Unitec Executive Director Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga with Polyfest director, Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu, who is a former kaimahi of MIT and Unitec