Tahitian spirit shines through Manurewa High at 51st ASB Polyfest

Tahitian culture shone at the 51st ASB Polyfest with Manurewa High School proudly representing the island nation on this year’s Diversity Stage.

Benny Abela, a tutor and choreographer, said he’s proud of his students’ performance and the focus was simple: enjoy the moment.

“One thing that we said backstage was, ‘Have some fun’,” Abela told PMN News. “That’s what they had on stage, and some. They come out smiling, so I think that’s the best thing.”

ASB Polyfest is regarded as the world’s largest Māori and Pacific cultural festival, bringing together thousands of students each year. This year, a record 121 groups are performing on the Diversity Stage across the four-day event.

The 2026 theme - Ko au ko te Taiao! Ko te Taiao ko au! He Toa Taiao Taiohi nō te Moana nui a Kiwa, āke, ake, ake! The environment lives in me, as I live in it - a Pacific Youth Eco-Warrior for generations to come.

It also highlights the connection between people and the environment and encourages young Pacific people to act as guardians of their land and culture.

For the Tahitian group, that message was at the heart of their performance.

“Our performance was about the birds and the animals coming together with the humans and becoming eco warriors,” Troy Alec Varitama Makara-Moreland, one of the male leaders, said.

“Trying to take care of their land and their culture for future generations.”

The Manurewa High School Tahitian Group also highlighted the iereti, or Blue Lorikeet - a bird native to French Polynesia and the Cook Islands - as a symbol of that connection.

While many of the dancers have Cook Islands heritage, only a few have direct links to Tahiti.

But for Kura Strickland, another group leader, that did not make the performance any less meaningful.

“The realisation that not every culture is as big as the Tongans or Sāmoans,” Strickland says. “Don’t forget your own culture, ‘coz this one is slowly dying too.”

Leaving it all out on the stage. Photo/PMN News

The Tahitian group joins other small Pacific nations on the Diversity Stage, including Tuvalu, Fiji, and Kiribati. Global representation this year also includes Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Scotland, Spain, India, Filipino, Tibet, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

For many students, Polyfest is more than just a school event.

It is a space to build lifelong memories and connections.

Manurewa High School Tahitian Group Band. Photo/PMN News

Seventeen-year-olds Isis, Lex, and Jordyn are taking part in their final ASB Polyfest this year, performing in the Tahitian and Cook Islands groups.

Jordyn says the Tahitian dancers were “hand-picked” by their tutor, Aunty Caroline.

“I have so many memories of my high school years being at Polyfest. I actually met her at Polyfest and now we're really close.” Isis says, pointing to Lex. “I’m gonna miss it, but I’m not gonna miss the practices, those were so sore,” she laughs.

Yeah, the girls. Photo/PMN News

Lex says the festival plays an important role in keeping Pacific cultures alive.

“For us Pasifika, knowing that our languages are dying, our homes are sinking, it’s heartbreaking. But this is the place where you can come and showcase your culture,” Lex says.

“At the end of the day, it’s for our culture and it’s for generations to come.”

As the final beats of the performance ended, the group invited audience members to join them on stage - a fitting end to a performance grounded in community, culture, and connection.