When asked what makes the ASB Polyfest so special, event director Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu doesn’t hesitate.

“It’s the generations of people who have come through it.”

Leo-Mauu would know.

After performing at the event while at high school, she had 15 years in the tertiary sector as a sponsor of Polyfest before serving as the event director for the past nine years.

“It’s nice to see people come together, and it’s always been so community driven,” said Leo-Mauu in a statement,

“It’s stressful pulling an event like this together, but the reward is seeing the students take to the stage and the celebration of culture and self-expression.”

In 2025, Polyfest will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

It has come a long way since the humble beginnings back in 1976 when it was first staged at Hillary College.

Four schools - Hillary College (now Sir Edmund Hillary College), Māngere College, Aorere College and Seddon College (now Western Springs) – attended and performed. It cost 50 cents to attend.

In 2025, they are anticipating close to 75 schools and 280 groups will perform. More than 10,000 Pasifika youth will take to the stage and around 100,000 people will attend with 200 stallholders.

Since Covid-19, there has been a surge in online engagement with Polyfest with 1.4 million views annually on the live stream and 2.8 million views on TikTok.

It’s now heralded as the biggest secondary school cultural dance festival in the world.

Leo-Mauu said the festival has played a key role in developing cultural identity and community cohesion.

ASB Polyfest event director Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu. Photo / Ben Campbell / BC Photography

She’s proud of the resilience the Polyfest team has shown through crises like Covid-19, the Christchurch shooting (which happened during their event in 2019) and the Auckland floods.

“Despite everything Polyfest has been through in recent years, this event and the people who come around it, have shown resilience and strength.”

Leo-Mauu said Polyfest was more than a four-day festival.

“We provide the platform for our young people to be creative and celebrate who they are.”

ACC is sponsoring Polyfest again. In 2025 they will be there alongside NZ Rugby League to engage with the community about concussion and with South Seas Healthcare on the ACC Sportsmart warm-up.

In 2023, ACC accepted 10,648 claims for sports-related concussion. These injuries came at a cost of $64 million to help people recover.

ACC research shows that concussion is an underreported injury.

“We’re there to help,” said ACC injury prevention partner Nat Hardaker.

“We know good early management of concussion can improve long term outcomes.”

Hardaker said community events like Polyfest are important as they provide an opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of ACC services.

“They are also important for ACC to learn what is important to communities and how we can support them. We know that sport is important in the lives of Māori and Pacific peoples.”

Research shows Māori and Pacific players have higher rates of concussion and lower rates of reporting.

Hardaker said managing concussion in sport is everyone’s responsibility.

“We want to understand more about how we can create a culture where brain health is prioritised over playing on or trying to get back on the field before you’re fully recovered.”

In 2024, ACC introduced the new National Concussion Guidelines for youth and community sport.

In partnership with seven national sporting organisations, the key element of the guidelines is the consistent approach across sport for return to play following concussion.

“We need to continue changing the culture and help everyone to understand that reporting concussion is the smart thing to do,” says Hardaker.

“We are looking forward to being part of the 50th anniversary of Polyfest and making a difference for our communities in this area.”

ASB Polyfest - The Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival

- April 2-5, 2025 - celebrating 50 Years

- Manukau Sports Bowl, Auckland

- Six stages: Māori, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, Diversity.

- For more information: www.asbpolyfest.co.nz

The Four Rs of Concussion Management for are

-Recognise, Remove, Recover and Return.

-Sport Concussion in New Zealand - National Guidelines