Rangatahi and tamariki from schools and preschools across Cromwell gathered at Anderson Park on Tuesday night (November 4) for an evening of kapa haka performances - the culmination of months of preparation and practice. 

The showcase followed recent performances by many of the young people at Polyfest in Tāhuna/Queenstown and marked the first time the event had been held outdoors. 

Cromwell College principal Mason Stretch said the move to Anderson Park reflected how much the event had grown. 

The Goldfields School kapa haka group perform a waiata-ā-ringa. Image: The Central App

Cromwell College students perform a haka. Image: The Central App  

“A big part of it is what’s called whakawhanaungatanga - us coming together to celebrate as a community,” he said.  

“Cromwell is an amazing place. We can do this here. We can have all of our kura, our whānau here, really celebrating them but also te ao Māori. I think that’s a really special thing.” 

Among the performers was Year 13 student Lizzie Engstrom, taking part in one of her final shows with the Cromwell College kapa haka group. 

Lizzie has been involved with the group for close to seven years and said preparations had stepped up heading towards their appearance at Polyfest. 

“We were meeting pretty much every lunchtime,” she said. 

Performing in front of a home crowd made Tuesday night particularly meaningful. 

“It’s really special,” Lizzie said.  

The turnout was ‘exceptional’. Image: The Central App 

“It’s really nice to get to share our culture with everyone in the community.” 

Goldfields School teacher Josie McPhail, who played guitar and helped guide the children in their kapa haka performance, said it was rewarding to watch their confidence grow. 

“You can see this whole sense of pride develop from the start to the end,” she said. 

“Performing at Polyfest is a real peak for them. They have so much mana built inside them when they’re up on that stage.” 

Josie said the turnout at the Anderson Park showcase was exceptional. 

“It means so much to the families - especially those who couldn’t make it to Polyfest - to have a local community event where te ao Māori and te reo Māori and tikanga Māori is shown,” she said.  

“Having everyone together, celebrating the culture, it’s amazing.” 

It was a warm spring evening, with the sun shining on families gathered across the park.  

Parents tended barbecues donated by Lions and Mainfreight, serving up free sausages provided by Contact Energy, with Mr Whippy there too. 

Mason thanked parents and other whānau for their “tāutoko” - their support and backing of the young performers.