A celebration of Maori and Pasifika culture
‘‘It provides a great opportunity for schools to come together to celebrate and embrace their cultures.’’
From tots to teens, hundreds of students will take to the stage in Lower Hutt next week to celebrate Pasifika and Maori culture.
The annual Polyfest Hutt Valley is being held at the Walter Nash Centre from July 3 to 7 and thousands of people are expected through the doors.
For Pomare School, that means a frantic few last rehearsals to bring everything together.
Principal Katrina Day said both Pasifika and Maori cultures played a big part in their school and the students could connect to them, no matter their background.
‘‘There’s a real range [of students]. There’s two girls that have just come from Samoa and one of them is a beautiful dancer. Then there’s also a little palangi girl who absolutely loves it.’’
Participating schools can decide whether to do a kapa haka performance, a purely Pasifika one or a mix.
The entire school started learning the songs in the first term, before being whittled down to a performance group of around 30.
The students, aged from five to 11, were to take the stage on opening night, July 3.
Day said the students had been excited ahead of their live performance and had spent the last few days practising in their costumes.
Polyfest organiser and Koraunui School teacher Luana Leuluai said Polyfest Hutt Valley had increased in size every year, since it began six years ago.
‘‘It provides a great opportunity for schools to come together to celebrate and embrace their cultures,’’ she said.
Hutt Valley’s Polyfest originally came from an initiative led by Koraunui School. Over the week, there will be 46 performances from 43 schools and early childhood centres across the Hutt Valley.
This year also marks the first year the festival is officially prowater, with no sugary drinks allowed.
‘‘It is great to see our young performers choosing to drink water and making good choices for their health,’’ Leuluai said.