Polyfest50: Historic first as students proudly showcase Filipino heritage

This year’s Diversity Stage at Polyfest is bigger and better than ever, featuring a record 118 performing groups and representing 28 different cultures.

The main highlights include performances from the Chinese, Indian, Fijian, and Filipino cultural groups.

The schools also showcase the unique cultures of Afghanistan, Colombia, Mongolia, Tahiti, Tibet, and Tuvalu, including a Roma group from Waitakere College, which is participating for the first time.

Joining this exciting lineup is the Filipino group from James Cook High School.

Rocel Baswel, a teacher at the school and tutor for the Filipino group, is honoured to present her culture at Polyfest.

“I’m very happy that I was given this opportunity to be the first Filipino group for James Cook High,” Baswel says.

In addition to this major milestone, Baswel is also the first Filipino teacher at the school.

Filipino student leaders expressed their pride and joy in representing their school.

“We’ve been practicing for a month,” Daniel Gambito says.

Filipino student leaders (left to right) Daniel Gambito, Rhain Ariella Copino, and Neil Herrish Santos. Photo/PMN News/Sariah Magaoa.

While this is an exciting time for them, Gambito acknowledges the challenges faced during their preparations for Polyfest.

“Preparations [have been] really pressuring and exhausting. It’s a bit of mixed emotions, and now we’re here, we’re going to perform, and I hope we perform our best,” he says.

Over 30 students are part of James Cook High School’s Filipino group.

Baswel says she appreciates and admires her students for their hard work leading up to this moment.

Rocel Baswel is the first Filipino teacher at James Cook High School. Photo/PMN News/Sariah Magaoa.

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to work with these wonderful kids who are very proud of our culture,” she says. “It’s nice to see the children - these kids working together, collaborating, and sharing their pride as one ethnicity, as Filipinos.

Reflecting on this year’s 50th anniversary of Polyfest, Baswel shares the importance of staying true to one’s identity and heritage

“It’s such an amazing opportunity for me to be proud of my identity, and it’s the message that this Polyfest is telling me,” she says.

“Not just to me as a teacher here in New Zealand, but I think to all teachers, whatever country or home countries they come from, is that we all enjoy the diversity of this beautiful country.”