Pupils to celebrate Pasifika festival

Te Akau ki Papamoa will host today's primary school Pasifika festival. From left, Jaea Bartlett, 7, playing on a pate, Tahatai Coast School teachers Mike Douglas and teacher Annette Layban and student Marques Bartlett, 9. Photo / George Novak

Bay youngsters will get a taste of Island culture as they gather to celebrate their own Pasifika festival today.

The festival will be the first of its kind for the Bay of Plenty and 12 primary schools from around the Western Bay have put their hands up to celebrate all things Pasifika at Te Akau ki Papamoa.

The Papamoa school will host the festival and teacher Annette Layban said the event aimed to acknowledge the strong Pacific Island culture in the Bay.

"People can expect lots of colour, lots of Pasifika food, performances -- it's about celebrating Pasifika culture and acknowledging them because there's not a lot of that here in the Bay," Mrs Layban said.

The festival will also support Pacific Island students and ultimately build recognition towards Pasifika student achievements.

She said it was about time an event like this happened in the Bay. "Something like this is well overdue.

"We've laid the foundation and it's now or never to run a festival like this."

She believed it was important to ignite Pasifika knowledge in children as they grew.

"It's building that awareness from a young age so that they don't think, 'What's Pasifika?' And they already have a taste and knowledge of the culture."

As well as primary schools, nearby kindergartens would also attend the celebration.

Gate Pa teacher Annie Hill said the students were excited the day had finally arrived after months of planning.

The festival was also part of the Pasifika Education Plan which focuses on Pasifika learners in New Zealand.

Quick facts

* The 2013 Census recorded 295,941 individual Pacific people, comprising 7.4 per cent of the total New Zealand population.

* The percentage of Pasifika students in New Zealand schools is predicted to double over the next 40 years, according to Language Enhancing the Achievement of Pasifika.