Backing the Otago Polyfest
21 Aug 2014
The Otago Polyfest goes from strength to strength, last year attracting over 4000 Otago performers.
The Otago Early Childhood & Schools /Maori and Pacific Island Festival showcases Maori and Pacific Island music and dance from early childhood to secondary schools. What started as an afternoon concert at the Teachers' College auditorium 20 years ago, has grown into one of Dunedin’s major events run over four days at the Edgar Centre.
The Festival attracted 98 groups in 2013, 33 of them from the early childhood sector, and an audience of over 4,500. Groups come from across Otago, including Oamaru, Palmerston, the Catlins, and South Otago, with some schools registering up to four different Kapa Haka and Pacific Island performances.
The on-going support from the Otago Community Trust provides sustainability, and the impetus and integrity required for other funding organisations to also invest.