TuTagata celebrates 40th Anniversary

TuTagata Poly Festival
MEDIA RELEASE

25 July 2018

TuTagata celebrates 40th Anniversary

Nine schools in the Wellington region are taking part in this year’s special 40th anniversary for the annual TuTagata Secondary Poly Festival Wellington which will be held at the Michael Fowler Centre this Friday 27 July, an event that has celebrated cultural diversity in Wellington Secondary Schools for decades.

The festival has taken place since 1978, making it one of Wellington's longest-lasting multicultural Pacific events.

“It is a specialised Pacific event where students perform their choice of Pacific performance to their parents, family and school community as the audience” says TuTagata Komiti Chair 2018 Halina McDonald from St Catherine’s College.

“The festival is an incredibly popular event due to its history and tradition. We are expecting this year to be extra special, as it marks 40 years since the festival was initiated.”

“We are celebrating a great milestone for TuTagata tradition and we also pay tribute to those that started the Poly Festival, the commitment by the Wellington schools, and the support from the Capital’s Pacific community who have invested their time and effort in the festival to sustain its place, retain its roots and ensure it grows.”

TuTagata has been a great Pacific platform for the Capital to showcase the cultural and linguistic diversity of participating schools. It also foster leadership roles for Pacific students, building on a growing momentum of Pacific academic success, strong Pacific identities, languages and culture and the importance of recognising Pacific people’s history and place in New Zealand.

“TuTagata has a long history and many of the region's children, now parents, have been involved. These strong TuTagata alumni ensure it continues to showcase Pacific tradition but also innovation.”

"It's been 40 years running and it’s good for the Pacific community, and a huge milestone for Wellington as a historical event.”

Schools will take part in the 2018 TuTagata Poly Festival of dance, songs, and a variety of Pacific performances, consisting of 7 original TuTagata schools (St Catherine’s College, Rongotai College, Wellington East Girls College, Wellington Girls College, Wellington Boys College, St Patricks Wellington, and St Marys), with the addition of 2 Hutt Valley schools (Taita College and St Bernard’s College) as Included schools.

Over 2000 spectators are expected at Friday night's performances, involving about 800 students.

The festival is run by a TuTagata komiti made up of participating schools, students and teachers, which brings together students, teachers and the wider public in an exploration of a Pacific Youth Wellington.

The TuTagata komiti acknowledges Pasifika Futures, Ministry of Social Development Pasefika Proud, Wellington City Council, Connect Global, USO Ministry of Education, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Victoria University Wellington, Ministry for Pacific Peoples, and Pacific Collective for their support. Fa’afetai le lagolago mai.

For more information visit https://www.tutagatapolyfest.org/

ENDS.

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