Cultural festival a fantastic celebration

Bush Telegraph

12 Jul, 2023 04:33 AMQuick Read

Students from Tararua College perform in the Cultural Festival held last month. Photo / Sunday Mornings Photography NZ

It was a “fantastic” day for those taking part in the Tararua Kāhui Ako Reap Schools Cultural Festival last month.

Ten schools in the Bush Cluster took part in the festival, which was part of Reap Wairarapa’s school programmes for the year.

The festival is part of Matariki: Te Tau Hou Māori/The Māori New Year.

Reap Wairarapa schools liaison Trudy Sears says the festival continues to be a fantastic day for all schools attending.

“It allows schools, no matter their size, to take the stage in a supportive and collegial environment which leads to them having pride in their performance.

“The quality of performances continues to grow each year, and it is fantastic seeing more and more of the community coming along to support the day.”

Matariki is a time of renewal and celebration in Aotearoa that begins with the rising of the Matariki star cluster (the Pleiades or Seven Sisters).

Hosted by Alfredton and Kumeroa schools, around 500 students from Kumeroa School, Mangatainoka School, Ballance School, Pahīatua School, Alfredton School, Woodville School, Eketāhuna School, Makuri School, St Anthony’s School and Tararua College performed at Bush Stadium in Pahīatua.

The photos below are some of the highlights.