Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Auckland's Pasifika Festival cancelled, PolyFest scaled back

Auckland's famous Pasifika Festival has been cancelled and the secondary schools' PolyFest scaled back as the number of Covid community cases hits a new high.

Organisers of Pasifika 2022 made the announcement this afternoon after ongoing discussions with stakeholders and members of the local Pacific community determined it was the best thing to do, given the current red alert level.

The announcement comes as 446 new Covid cases were identified in the community in today's update from health officials - a record high.

Pasifika was set to celebrate a significant milestone - its 30th birthday - during the annual three-day event starting on Friday, March 18.

Event producer Torise Flay told the Herald it was a tough call and hugely disappointing for all those involved - including performers, stall holders, stake holders, the organisers themselves and the tens of thousands of people who turn out to it every year.

"We've been here before. These decisions aren't made lightly and it's really heartbreaking," she said.

But the health and wellbeing of everyone involved and members of the public were "absolutely" the priority, she said.

"There is a sense that everyone is adapting to this new environment."

Pasifika Festival hybrid event

Pasifika has regularly been running since 1993 at Western Springs Park.

The festival features traditional food stalls, entertainment, performances and arts and crafts from Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Aotearoa.

Performers on the Tuvalu stage at the Pasifika Festival held at Mt Smart Stadium last year. Sylvie Whinray

In recent years, it has been cancelled because of the mosque terror attacks in 2019, postponed because of Covid outbreaks and restrictions, and moved to a South Auckland venue because of a fruit fly invasion in Grey Lynn a few years ago.

Despite the cancellation of the big event, a hybrid Pasifika is now being organised to run over two to three weekends in either May or June.

It will still encompass much of what the traditional festival has to offer - including entertainment and arts and crafts.

Flay said the hybrid events would be held at a different site and be indoors.

Organisers would work to put on a programme that could run in an orange or red light Covid setting.

Flay acknowledged the massive support stallholders, performers and stakeholders alike had shown for those behind the scenes and were happy to support the new-look Pasifika in the coming months.

ASB PolyFest scaled back this year

The other large-scale Pacific event set to look markedly different this year is the Auckland Secondary Schools' ASB Polyfest.

The festival sees hundreds of students from Auckland high schools take part in traditional dance and performance on six different stages - Samoan, Tongan, Māori, Cook Islands, Niuean and the diversity stage.

Students from The Manurewa High School pose with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at last year's PolyFest. Photo / Alex Burton

The event regularly attracts up to 90,000 spectators over four days and usually runs the week after the Pasifika Festival at Western Springs.

Like Pasifika, the PolyFest has also been cancelled, postponed or cut short in recent years because of the March 15 terror attacks in 2019, bad weather and Covid outbreaks in the community.

This year's PolyFest will instead be a closed event that will see only those students set to perform at any given time doing so in front of the judges at each respective stage.

Members of the public will not be able to enter the grounds - at the Manukau Sports Bowl - to watch, but will instead be invited to watch their children's performances via a livestream being set up by organisers.

A PolyFest spokesman said despite the scaled-back festival, it was a positive solution that was being welcomed by stakeholders and members of the community; as well as those schools involved.

He acknowledged there might be fewer schools involved this year, given the current Covid situation.

However, schools were being reassured that all rules and regulations would be adhered to - including making sure less than or only up to 100 people would be at any given stage or section of the grounds.

This year's PolyFest theme is: Family - Whānau.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said the cancellation would be disappointing for the Pasifika community and the tens of thousands of Aucklanders looking forward to attending the festival.

But it was the right call given the risks posed with Omicron spreading rapidly in the community.

"The Pasifika Festival is much-loved by Aucklanders and an important celebration of our city's vibrant and diverse cultures. The decision to cancel it would have been a tough one to make," he said.

"However, we must put the safety of our communities first and given the uncertainty around the impact of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, a cautious approach is the right one.

Auckland Unlimited director of arts, entertainment and events Richard Clarke said the organisers wanted to give themselves every opportunity to deliver the event.

"We remained hopeful that we would be able to deliver the event in person, especially given this year marks the festival's 30th anniversary," Clarke said.

"But while the full festival has been cancelled, the desire from the community for Pasifika to go ahead in some form and subject to current restrictions is strong."