2024 ASB Polyfest Gets Underway Next Week

The Manukau Sports Bowl will burst into life in a week’s time with the 49th staging of the ASB Polyfest. From Wednesday, 20 March to Saturday, 23 March the Sports Bowl will reverberate with traditional song and dance from Auckland’s youth.

ASB Polyfest 2024 will see more than 8000 secondary school students from across the Auckland region perform on stage, with 239 performing groups entered from 69 schools.

Students will perform and compete in speech, song and dance across six cultural stages - Cook Islands, Maori, Niue, Samoan, Tongan, and a Diversity stage comprising cultures such as Chinese, Fijian, Tokelau, Indian, Korean and Sri Lankan.

ASB Polyfest Director Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu is looking forward to next week’s festival saying “all our stages are back this year at the Manukau Sports Bowl with entries returning to pre-Covid numbers with 69 schools registered for this year’s event and 239 groups.”

The theme for this year’s festival is – “Me anga whakamuri kia kohe whakamua - looking to our past to determine our future”. In discussing the theme, Leo-Mauu said – “it is our hope that our young people and schools will continue to draw on the stories of our ancestors to help them navigate their futures with a sense of self, a sense of belonging to something bigger and a sense of empowerment, knowing that the future is in their hands.”

ASB Executive Manager Commercial Partnerships Mark Graham said ASB is proud to be involved in ASB Polyfest, this year celebrating 39 years of support. Graham said - “ASB Polyfest brings many cultures together, creating one community. It’s been amazing to be part of this event over so many years and to see it progress into the festival it is today. We look forward to supporting the students as they proudly perform for their families and their schools in a week’s time.”

Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi returns as major sponsors of the Maori Stage, with Creative New Zealand getting behind both the Niuean and Diversity stages. The University of Auckland continues their long sponsorship of the Samoan stage, with the Ministry of Education sponsoring the Tonga stage, and ASB associated with the Cook Island is addition to being the festival naming rights sponsor.

This year’s festival gets underway next Wednesday, 20 March with a special flag-raising ceremony at 7am, followed by a powhiri at 8am which includes a mass haka from Kura Matua School – Nga Puna o Waiorea – Western Springs College.

ASB Polyfest continues to be the largest secondary school’s cultural festival of its kind and organisers are expecting huge crowds next week. People are encouraged to purchase tickets online at iTICKET to avoid long queues.

Key Details

Dates: 20-23 March 2024

Website: www.asbpolyfest.co.nz

Venue: Manukau Sports Bowl, Te Irirangi Drive, Manukau

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