ASB Polyfest 2025

Come and visit us at the ASB Polyfest festival if you want to purchase Te Matatini merchandise.

The ASB Polyfest 2025 features traditional music, dance, costume and cultural speech competitions, and is one of the most recognised events on the Auckland calendar. It’s a showcase of New Zealand’s diverse cultures and a celebration of youth performance.

Students traditionally compete on six stages, performing traditional items from the following cultures – Cook Islands, Māori, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and Diversity stage featuring performances from a range of cultural groups including Fijian, Tokelau, Chinese, Korean and Indian.

The four-day festival typically opens with a flag raising ceremony conducted by Tainui Kaumatua, Stage Representatives, along with the Kura Matua Host Schools and the other Mana Kura Host Schools for each stage. This ceremony takes place at sunrise on the raised ground overlooking the Māori Stage. Following this is the pōwhiri (official welcome) which is the formal welcoming of guests (manuhiri) by the hosts (Tainui and Pacific Community Leaders). The ceremony progresses with the tapu (sacredness) surrounding manuhiri being removed, and all become 'one'. Once this is complete, the festival can begin with speeches and performances.

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