The St Brigid's Kapa Haka festival was started by Matuā Wayne Firmin back in 2001. It was started so that our rangatahi from the Northern Suburbs had a bigger audience to perform to as opposed to performing just in front of their own schools. The festival has and always will be a festival that is not judged on the performance but on the love of performing, along with giving the opportunity for other cultures to see and experience Māori culture. This festival is now an annual event, and all those who attend have an absolute blast, from the children performing, to the parents, family and friends, and awesome friendships being made amongst all who attend.
We have thirteen kura (schools) wishing to participate this year, therefore Onslow College has kindly provided their Hall. We will require as much help as we can get to make this event operate well because it will be a big one.
In association with this, we are hoping to commission someone to design and make pou for the new building at Amesbury School. Pou are commonly thought of as pillars, upright support poles, or posts. But in traditional Māori narratives of the origin of the universe, pou were pillars of light, used to keep sky and earth separated. This allowed the natural world to flourish and, in turn, people to prosper. As a verb, pou can also mean to establish and confirm, or to be a stalwart or mentor.
We will need to fundraise to make this possible, and the festival is the ideal setting for us to do this. We, therefore, will be operating a number of food stalls, and we really need your help. Additionally, we will require assistance with setting up and taking down at the venue.
So that we can make this event a success, kindly fill out this form.
Ngā mihi
Amesbury Team
