By Susana Suisuiki of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission The world’s largest secondary school cultural festival, Polyfest returns this week to Tamaki Makaurau.
The 2026 ASB Polyfest will be held in two locations, over two weeks.
Photo: Abigail Dougherty / Stuff For the first time the event will be held across two locations.
ASB Polyfest officially launches on Wednesday, starting with a flag raising ceremony at the Manukau Sports Bowl.
The venue transforms into a cultural hub with five stages featuring the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga, as wellas a stage dedicated to Diversity.
Attendees can watch cultural performances on the Pacific and Diversity stages as well as speech competitions up until Saturday.
Meanwhile, Manukau’s Due Drop Event Centre will host the Maori stage with performances scheduled from 30 March – 2 April, reflecting the growing importance of this Polynesian cultural festival.
This year marks 51 years of Polyfest with the theme, ‘Ko au ko te Taiao! Ko te Taiao ko au! He Toa Taiao Taiohi no te Moana nui a Kiwa, ake, ake, ake! – The environment lives in me, as I live in it – a ‘Pacific Youth Eco-Warrior’ for generations to come”.
More than 80,000 people are expected to attend and while the event mainly showcases Pacific youth performances, organisers say it is a celebration of New Zealand’s diverse communities.
Speaking to Pacific Waves, the festival’s director Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu said 263 groups from 73 schools had registered to perform this year.
Gate one volunteers at Polyfest Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Behind the scenes, Seiuli said there were many volunteers and “unspoken heroes” that ensure the event is run smoothly.
“Within the stage areas alone, with six....
