Cultural Celebration Adds Another Basket in the Kete

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi, with your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive. Principal Damon Emtage chose the whakataukī to describe this year’s Cultural Celebration, held on 20 August under the theme Whakamana te Ao, Empower the World. It offered a story that ran parallel to the celebration of cultures throughout the evening, one celebrating not just the return of long-loved items, but a new one added to the kete.

That new item was Tuvalu. Thanks to student Paulo Pedro and his extended family, the Pasifika section of the evening gained a Tuvaluan performance for the first time this year. A contemporary siva was followed by the traditional fatele Pula ake ou mata koai tena e tuu mai, with special guest Puava Puatua joining the group on stage.

The night opened as it always does, with a pōwhiri, before Te Rōpū Kapa Haka o Hato Kēneti performed a Whakaeke, Ko te Ara Hou, an Iwi Medley Waiata-ā-ringa, and the Haka Te Ngeri a Kawiti. Scotland’s Pipes and Drums followed with a tradition of their own that predates almost everything else on the programme. Our pipe band has paraded since 1958 and has represented the College at ceremonial occasions ever since.

Spain’s group drew on Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Spain itself for a set of cumbia, salsa and reggaetón. India’s performance, choreographed by Bollywood tutor Amisha Damania, brought colour and pace to the stage, and China’s item moved from a classical-inspired opening through a fan dance to a modern finale. Japan performed Hana no Kotobuki in yukata and sashes, sensu fans in hand, while Korea closed the Asia section with a K-pop medley. Thailand’s Ram Klong Yao, danced to long drums with roots in the late Ayutthaya period, is a fixture at festivals and weddings back home, and the group brought that same energy to the stage.

Our premier choir Kentoris, offered a change of pace with Tate le fia Manatua, a traditional Samoan piece arranged by Steven Rapana and Benson Wilson. This was ahead of the choir’s trip to the Big Sing National Finale in Christchurch where they won a silver award for their efforts.

The Pasifika groups closed the night. The Cook Islands’ girls performed I teia Po, a dance of longing and enduring love, alongside a drum-driven boys’ item. Samoa followed with the Fa’ataupati and Maulu’ulu, before Brooklyn Tuala, as Taupou, danced the sacred Taualuga. Tonga’s Mako and Tau’olunga, the latter danced solo by Caroline Kaifa, led into Tuvalu’s debut.

Teacher in Charge of Pasifika Amanda Raea has watched the group grow into what she calls a “big family” over weeks of shared food, fun and fellowship ahead of the show. This year, that family got one basket bigger.