'For the kids': Prime Minister hears Polyfest funding plea — What happens next?

Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — Over the past four days, 11,000 student performers lit up the ASB Polyfest stage, rain or shine, while behind the scenes, a strong plea for government support resounded.

This time, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was there to hear it firsthand.

Luxon's visit to Polyfest 2025 was not just a photo opportunity. It provided a front-row seat to a heartfelt request for long-term support.

With leaders from education, culture, and the community uniting behind the call, the question now is not if Polyfest deserves more support but what the next steps will be.

Seiuli Terri Leo-Mauu, the festival director, seized the moment, welcoming Luxon to the Manukau Sports Bowl on Saturday with a speech celebrating Polyfest's scale and impact while outlining a bold vision for its future: sustainable funding, formal recognition, and a permanent home.

"Prime Minister, welcome to ASB Polyfest 2025," Seiuli said.

"We run this event and this ecosystem on half of what it costs to run it. But we continue to steer the waka because at the heart of it is our young people and their families, who want to see this happen every year."

Seiuli said the Māori Stage alone was bigger than Te Matatini, featuring 64 groups this year compared to 55 at the national kapa haka competition.

"50 years of bringing pride, indigenous radical joy, and educational excellence to the world stage. I say world because we are the biggest of its kind in the world," she said.

"We have 77 schools, 291 groups, of which 119 of those groups performed on our Diversity Stage on Wednesday and Thursday."

She emphasized the need for sustainable funding, a permanent cultural home, and dedicated NZQA-recognized Polyfest credits.

"We need Polyfest credits, and it won't just benefit us — it will benefit the other Polyfest and Pacific festivals around the country," Seiuli said.

"Use our festival as the catalyst for educational indigenous achievement. We'll show you how to achieve excellence in our young people, who, by the way, come back to school every year because of Polyfest being in Term One."

Her closing message to the prime minister was straightforward: “FTK - For The Kids.”