Pasifika Fusion 2023

Pasifika Fusion is a community education initiative organised by the Pasifika Pride Educators. The event is held over two days at the Regent on Broadway and this year 14 secondary schools participated in the event.  This year, the event was held on the 21st and 22nd of June. The theme was “Heroes: Past, Present and Future”.

 The categories open to the students are wearable arts, visual arts, cinematography, drama, quiz, talent, English speech, Pasifika speech, Poetry, Science, Essay, debate and cultural performances.

 This year, I had a group of 20 students, from Years 9 to 13, who had put in numerous hours after school and during the weekends in preparation for the Pasifika Fusion. Prior to the competition, we had a dress rehearsal held during the Fiafia night at school, which was attended by the whānau of the students. At the Fusion, the WHS Pasifika Group took part in the quiz, talent, speech, poetry and cultural performance categories over the two days.  The students travelled with three teachers and their tutor. 

 Vivian Tofa and Bethell Tofa took part in the Wearable Arts category where they had to design a costume using materials from their culture. This masterpiece was a representation of the past and the future made by weaving mat from laupaono leaves, It also had hand painted malu and tatau symbols and was made from linen/cotton.

Tamelia submitted a poem titled “A Father’s Embrace” and also participated in the English speech, along with Jeide.

 Manila Malili-Malo-Lauano, Danica Baleinukulala, Jeide Tyrell, Payton McLaren and Kini Lavoa took part in the quiz which was a Kahoot on the theme, based on 12 different topics. 

 Manila, Danica, and Jeide also took part in the talent competition along with Jipsy Manuel-Joseph and Matia Vibote, singing solo and duets. 

 For the Cultural Performances, the group performed the cultural dances from Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and Cook Islands. The Samoan bracket consisted of a song and dance from when the Mau movement started and finished with a contemporary song and dance from the present. One of the brackets showcased a song and dance focusing on the Tongan hierarchy while another was a Cook Island dance style paired with a modern Cook Island song based on the ancestors and their connection to their land.  The last bracket was a Fijian praise song alongside an upbeat Fijian modern dance.

 This year, the background music for the brackets during the cultural performance was provided by current and former WHS students on the drums and piano, and the performers sang all their cultural songs for the performance.

 This took many hours of practice and the students displayed outstanding commitment towards this change.  Mrs. Hardcastle and Mr. Hall, along with some of the students, put in many hours to prepare the costumes for the students. And the students looked magnificent in their cultural attire. While all the students wore similar outfits, each island group wore some symbolic accessory from their country.

 For most of the students, this was the first time they had participated in the Pasifika Fusion and I am certain it was a memorable experience for them. The preparations for the competition and the trip would not have been possible without the support from our anonymous donor, the WHS staff, the tutor for the group, the students and their whānau, Faith City School, the Cook Islands community and the Pasifika community of Whanganui. A big vinaka vakalevu from the WHS Pasifika Fusion group, 2023!!

26/6/23