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Kaupapa award for Whangaparāoa students

April 7, 2026 11:19am

Hibiscus Matters


Apr 7, 2026 11:19am

Polyfest for 2026 has wrapped up for the year, with Whangaparāoa College taking home the Kaupapa award for the Te Paparewa Maori stage.

This year’s festival Kaupapa (theme) was “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”).

Their set was inspired by the recent challenges of the Whangaparāoa coastline’s rockpools, which saw the seabeds overharvested and stripped bare of the ocean’s taonga (treasure).

The group of 50 students was led by Manukura (leaders) Mels Redpath Davis and Rico Brown through their set of six disciplines to celebrate a day of culture and storytelling.

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