It takes a small village to put together the world’s largest Polynesian cultural festival. We met a few of the people who make it happen.

Yes there’s six stages, a tonne of kai trucks and stalls, but it’s all the people at ASB Polyfest that you notice first. They’re thronged around the stages, sitting, standing, walking or skipping around. Children the height of my knees follow their teachers in a long line, all wearing matching sunglasses and holding drink bottles. Older kids stand in groups of 60 or so to the side of one stage, all matching in bright costumes with their hair carefully brushed up and decorated with flowers.

Twenty minutes later, they’ve performed and they’re jumping up and down, screaming and hugging each other backstage. Nearby, teenage boys in school uniforms sit on beanbags outside a marquee. They’re waiting for a free fade, and linked up to the free wifi. Volunteers in yellow, pink and purple t-shirts direct parents to the different stages. Outside the food stalls, people queue patiently, while inside big floury lumps of dough are deftly shaped into Cook Island doughnuts then deep fried. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend ASB Polyfest this year which runs through to Saturday evening at Manukau Sports Bowl. 

This year marks 50 years of the festival which is centred around dance and cultural performances by Auckland’s secondary schools. Starting with just four schools in 1976, Polyfest is now the world’s largest Polynesian cultural festival. Last year, over 8,000 students performed on the Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands and Diversity stages. This year, Polyfest organisers are expecting 100,000 visitors to attend over the four days. Fittingly, the theme for this year’s event is legacy, with the tagline “He oha nō tua, he taonga tuku iho!” meaning a treasure that is handed down.

Though it’s a beloved date on Auckland’s calendar, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Polyfest. The past six years have been especially challenging – the tragic Christchurch mosque shootings, the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions have all meant that the festival had to be cancelled or delivered online, the sports bowl empty. Through these years, one of the festival’s longest and most significant partners has remained steadfast. ASB first came on board in 1985, and so while the festival at large celebrates 50 years, ASB celebrates 40 years of support.

The volunteers are just the beginning of the many hands that build the festival. The Spinoff went along to the first day of Polyfest to meet the people who make this event happen and find out what it means to them. Here are just a few.

Arotia, Jennifer, Maryanne – performers

Arotia Timoti-Honaia and Jennifer Dahl have been trying to take a kapa haka group to Polyfest since year nine. Now that they are year 13, it’s finally happened. “It feels so surreal,” says Dahl. Their performance was a “bittersweet moment” for Timoti-Honaia. “It was our last year. But it was empowering. It was beautiful. And yeah, I’m really proud of our girls.” The other members of their group are younger, so for them it’s a beginning.

Tina and Isabel – performers

Tina and Isabel from McAuley High School are performing in the school’s Tokelauan group. Their dresses were bought in Ōtāhuhu, but are originally from Tokelau. Tina holds a titi, a tokelauan skirt worn for dancing, which she will wrap over her dress. Traditionally, the moving strips are made of fau (hibiscus) fibre and the waistband is woven from kie (pandanus). 

Luisa – tutor and supporter

Behind every group that performs is another group of supporters. In the lead up they’ve taught dances, organised practices, made or sourced costumes and countless other invisible tasks. On the day, they’ll help with costumes, make-up, transport, water bottles and calming nerves. Luisa Ineleo is a tutor and part of the support group for McAuley High School’s Tokelauan group. Because she’s recently moved from Australia, it’s her first Polyfest. Ineleo is excited to see “everyone smiling on stage” and to sip on some ‘otai.

Lani – volunteer

Lani Punatai, usually an assistant product manager at ASB, is a volunteer today. She says “it’s been really fun, connecting and interacting with the little kids that’ve come through.” Being in the “cracking” atmosphere is also bringing up memories from 2007, when she had just moved from Samoa and performed for her school, Manurewa High. “I think the preparation around it was definitely hard. But once you’re done performing, it makes it all worth it.” Now it’s her fourth year volunteering through ASB and “it’s been so awesome just coming back here and serving the community”.

Mele – supporter

Mele Moliteugua is at Polyfest for the very first time. She somewhat knew what to expect from hearing about the festival in the media. Moliteugua is from Tonga, and is here to support her granddaughter who is performing at the Samoan stage. When we meet Moliteugua she is sitting near the back of the crowd at the Niue / Diversity stage, watching performances. Moliteugua is wearing a special dress – one she got for her sister’s funeral last year, so while she watches her granddaughter, she will hold other family members close.

Steven – school principal and Polyfest Trust chair

Steven Hargreaves is principal of Maclean’s College and the chair of the Polyfest Trust. The Trust takes care of “boring things” like allocating funding, auditing books, considering risks and making sure health and safety procedures are in place. He says that ASB is “more than just a provider of funds. They really get into the whole spirit of the festival. They believe in what Polyfest is about, which is celebrating youth, celebrating culture, dance, language and the engagement of young people that then helps them to be successful in other aspects of their life.” He is looking forward to his school’s performances of course, but also getting “something tasty” from a food stall. Some schools, he told us, have earned a reputation over the years and pull packed crowds for their performances.

Anna and Josie – kai vendors, volunteers

Anna and Josie Fruean are sisters who volunteer for their church’s catering business, Fale Aiga. It’s the stall’s second year at Polyfest, and while helping hands were a bit short this year, they “wanted to keep our spot”. When we visit, they are serving up succulent lamb buns and ‘otai, but on Friday and Saturday, the menu will also include chop suey, curry and rice. 

Teresa – volunteer

Teresa Tubu performed at Polyfest “many moons ago” and has been with ASB since 1995. This year she’s a volunteer lead and is organising the biggest ever contingent of ASB volunteers – almost 100 staff. It’s not all about making sure people have water, shade and directions, she says. ASB is also providing services they hope will be useful to school leavers. This year students can get their hair done for a boost of confidence, get a professional headshot for their LinkedIn profile and get help with their CV – all right here at Polyfest. It’s a bit different to when Tubu first started volunteering, when they would give out stickers and play games with the students. “We’ve evolved as a sponsor to really help the community and help young people start their journey, support their dreams and their cultural identity”.

Papatoetoe High School Indian Classical Dance Group – performers

The Papatoetoe High School Indian Classical Dance Group performed bharatanatyam, a dance from southern India, and kathak, a dance from the north, both with a modern twist. The style of their saris and jewellery is from the Maharashtra region, and while they’ve kept it traditional, there is still space for self expression in the details, says Shaegrita [far left] – particularly in the jewelry. Shaegrita, Eleam, Samrath, Jannatpreet and Vaishali have performed before but not to so many people. “Our culture is something we are proud of. We’re trying to show that,” says Shaegrita