Backstage buzz: Students prepare for their moment in the spotlight. Photo: PMN News / Sariah Magaoa
At ASB Polyfest, Pacific students wear vibrant costumes, move to rhythmic drumbeats, and perform with pride.
But behind the spectacle, they are also building confidence, sharpening academic skills, and finding a sense of belonging often missing in traditional classrooms.
"When I started, I started as an insecure teenager. I couldn't speak any of my languages. You know, I couldn't speak Niuean, I couldn't speak Samoan, I couldn't speak Tongan," Leki Jackson-Bourke, a Pacific creative, Polyfest tutor, and former performer who first took the stage as a high school student, said.
"Polyfest was my window of opportunity to engage and connect with my culture."
Leki Jackson-Bourke says Polyfest helped him find his identity - now he's helping others do the same. Photo: LDR / Supplied
Now tutoring two groups, Jackson-Bourke said the educational benefits were significant.
"All my students who were in the Polyfest group passed all their English assessments in Term One and actually achieved higher because of Polyfest ... they were able to connect and write back about Polyfest."
Despite its cultural and educational value, Polyfest was facing financial uncertainty. Organisers had warned that the festival was under severe financial strain, a concern raised at a recent dignitaries' meeting attended by the Governor-General, Deputy Prime Minister, MPs, councillors, and local board members.
"My understanding is that the Polyfest or Polyfest Trust is going through some really, really challenging times financially. In fact, it might be dire," Topou Folau, a local board member for Ōtara-Papatoetoe, said.
"I guess my concern is that ... I probably share this with many other local elders in our Pacific world, is that we don't want the festival to end."
Folau reflected on the speech by Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu, Polyfest director, at Friday's VIP event, where she emphasised that the festival's value goes beyond culture. It was generational.
"It's not just the legacy ... which connects us to the past, but it's something that connects us to the now and also to the future," Folau said.
"Many of our children and our families ... we intermarry now into different parts, into Māori, Pacific and other cultures. And so ... this festival helps to foster and keep and maintain our celebration of those unique links ... not only in the past, but the now and also looking into the future when our kids grow up."
Topou Folau says Polyfest connects generations and must be protected. Photo: Facebook / OurOtara-Topou Folau
Li'amanaia Lorenzo Kaisara, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board member, said continued investment in Polyfest is vital.
"It would be very silly to not support it ... this is in Ōtara and Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board is proud to support that and to sponsor Polyfest," he said.
"Look, you know, one of the priorities for Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board is our people, our community, our cultures ... this is the biggest festival in the whole of the Pacific that brings people together."
Reflecting on the weather earlier in the week, Li'amanaia said the community's resilience stood out.
"It's been raining over the last couple of days but ... us as Pacific, we conquered the biggest ocean in the world and we can still do it ... Our kids still turned up."
Li'amanaia Lorenzo Kaisara says investing in Polyfest is a no-brainer for Ōtara. Photo: LDR / Mary Afemata
The numbers tell the story:
Participation - In 2024, the festival featured 239 performing groups from 69 schools across Aotearoa, with a record 8000 secondary school students performing.
Attendance: The event attracts up to 100,000 visitors annually.
Educational impact: Schools like Ōtāhuhu College offer NCEA dance and performance credits through their Polyfest groups, and these achievements count towards university entrance.
Funding challenges: The government contributed $55,000 in 2024, promising to increase this to $60,000 in 2025. The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board also allocated $64,500 to help keep the event in South Auckland.
From bold chants to intricate choreography, the essence of Pacific pride shines on stage at ASB Polyfest. Photo: PMN News / Sariah Magaoa
Polyfest remained one of the few spaces where Pacific learning styles were genuinely embraced, Jackson-Bourke said.
"We use platforms like Polyfest to teach the kids song lyrics, which is also a history lesson, which is how we teach them writing and language techniques like metaphors [and] similes.
"I was just watching a school today ... there's a mathematical pattern in it. And that requires ... that's how we learn our maths and stuff as well."
The arts should not be dismissed in education, he said. "Arts are so important ... crucial for young people's identity ... for mental health, for spiritual health, for health and well-being overall.
"This is where we reconnect and learn our history ... where we groom the future leaders of our country."
Pacific youth proudly showcase their cultural heritage at the world's largest Polynesian schools festival. Photo: PMN News / Sariah Magaoa
Polyfest was also deeply emotional, as it provided a space where generations connected through preparation, performance, and shared pride.
"My favourite thing about Polyfest is the intergenerational connectedness, seeing all the mamas, the papas, the little kids," Jackson-Bourke said.
Beyond the performances, he enjoyed the backstage moments as well.
"The backstage dramas that go on with the hair, the flowers, who took the baby oil, all of that kind of stuff. Then you see parents get emotional backstage when they have to dress their daughters and sons.
"You see them out in the crowd, then you see the little kids singing and cheering. It's just an amazing feeling that you can't get anywhere else but here at Polyfest."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
