17 March 2018

MEDIA STATEMENT

ASB Polyfest celebrates 43 years of talent

The 2018 ASB Polyfest continues to highlight the raw talent of our young people, with this year marking 43 years of successful festivals, Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio says.

“I had the privilege of introducing the Prime Minister and a number of my parliamentary colleagues on the stages we visited, and we were so impressed of how gifted and talented our young people are in their performances.

The ASB Polyfest has grown in 43 years to become the largest Maori and Pacific students’ cultural festival in the world. More than 10,000 secondary school students attended, with 242 performing groups entered by 69 schools.

“I see the festival as a symbol for New Zealand that we can celebrate the strength of our youth and their diversity of languages and cultures. That this diversity of languages & cultures is a strength we need to all fully embrace.

“When our young people display their awesome talents at the ASB Polyfest they reflect for our enjoyment a richness of Maori & Pasifika languages and cultures, a historic heritage, a love for our people and their mana as something we should all value and protect for future generations.

“I am so proud of our young people and I wish them every success beyond the festival and their performances. Winning at the ASB Polyfest is a fantastic achievement, but learning from your participation and using it as a stepping stone to succeed beyond high school with your goals for further education will enable you to achieve great things.

“Congratulations to all the winning schools and students. Thank you also to all the schools and teachers who took part and supported your students. You are truly all excellent ambassadors for your schools and a credit to the success of the ASB Polyfest,” Aupito William Sio said.

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