On Saturday 17th of March 2018, the Christchurch Girls' High/Te Kura o Hine Waiora Polyfest group set off to perform at the Canterbury Polyfest Festival.

The group had practised for about 80 hours in advance to make this an unforgettable performance. This year the group was led by Jayanna Tia, Ella-Rose Tanoa-Kell and Mete Peseta. We also had a new tutor who brought feistiness and creativity into the performance, so a massive thank you to our tutor Mel Leafa for helping us to make our school proud and Mrs and Ms Taylor for all the time you put in supporting our practices. Our performance turned all of the heads in the audience, with a new innovative style that still retained much of the traditional way of performing. I believe that we have made all of our Year 13 Polyfest leavers, leaders, families, and past performers proud. We were a tight group and I felt so happy with our performance. Our performance made other students want to join in to help us keep the Pasifika traditions alive. This year's Polyfest was a fantastic experience and I can't wait for next year.

By Shamia Ali