Girls from Ōtāhuhu College getting ready for their sasa dance item. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)
Girls from Ōtāhuhu College getting ready for their sasa dance item. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

SocietyMarch 11, 2023

Highlights from day three at ASB Polyfest 2023

Pacific communities editor
Girls from Ōtāhuhu College getting ready for their sasa dance item. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)
Girls from Ōtāhuhu College getting ready for their sasa dance item. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

The prime minister performs at his first Polyfest, while the Sāmoan stage gets off to an amazing start.

Read day two’s highlights here

A few showers didn’t stop hundreds of spectators attending the first day of performances for the Cook Islands, Sāmoan and Tongan stages at ASB Polyfest, while Diversity stage reached its final day in competition.

Prime minister Chris Hipkins made his first official outing to the event in the new role, speaking at the Sāmoan stage after Papatoetoe High School’s performance. “Celebrating your culture is a big part of your identity,” he emphasised to the students present. Deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni received a warm welcome from the crowd as she declared no bias as to who she was supporting, but reminded everyone “I am the MP for Kelston.”

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

Before Hipkins, Sepuloni and other Labour MPs left the stage, the MC of the Sāmoan stage requested that the prime minister grace the crowd with a Sāmoan siva to mark his first appearance at Polyfest, which he proudly accepted backed up closely by Sepuloni and minister for Pacific peoples Barbara Edmonds.

Here is a recap of Friday and what to expect today.

Cook Islands stage

Tamaki College was the last school to perform on this stage and brought a sea of blue with their uniform reflecting the Cook Islands flag. Their performance included the kapa rima or action songs using hands, which was beautifully in sync. Their standout moment was hoisting a few students in the air creating a triangle formation on stage, which sent the audience wild.

Tamaki College’s Cook Islands group wearing the traditional ‘ei katu or flower crown. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

Sāmoan stage

Ōtāhuhu College spent hours rehearsing, with Fridays starting at 6pm and going right up until midnight and their hard work paid off with their pese o le aso section sung with such passion. This was impressive given it was the first time performing at Polyfest for many in the group. Tutor Itagia Faavaoga says their performance highlights the journey each of the students have had embracing their culture.

Marcellin College took a similar approach with grounding yourself in the Sāmoan culture as one of their tutors Natalie Toevai explained: “It is a competition, but the important take away for the students is to be proud of who they are and showcase their heritage proudly to everyone.” Toevai confirms that the lead up to Polyfest was short compared to previous years. “Usually, we have eight or nine weeks to prepare, but this year we had five weeks.” 

Marcellin College Sāmoan group before they went on stage. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

Tongan stage

St Cuthbert’s College saw its largest Tongan group enter this year for the mā’ulu’ulu category. Student leader Alina Taumoepeau says their performance focused on sharing the Tongan culture. The mā’ulu’ulu section has the most participating schools this year and it’s a dance where the performers are seated in staggered rows, with a mix of singing and dance gestures.

St Cuthberts College Tongan group have entered in the mā‘ulu’ulu and tau’olunga categories. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

Highlight of the day: Hearing the brass band accompanying De La Salle’s Tongan group sample songs such as Lil Nas X’s ‘Industry Baby’, Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’ and The Merrymen ‘Feeling hot hot hot’ in their taufakaniua dance. Their overall performance is a perfect example of how taufakaniua should be executed.

Lowlight of the day: Walking between stages and seeing rubbish on the ground when there are plenty of rubbish bins around the place.

Food recommendation: If you’re a sweet tooth and are wanting to try Sāmoan and Tongan desserts, head to 76ers food stall in the H1 block on the venue map, between the VIP lounge and the entrance to the Tongan stage.

On the menu is the classic fruit beverage from Tonga, mango ‘otai, German cake from Sāmoa and puteni or pudding with homemade custard. The Tongan ladies serving attendees with their own recipes of the dishes are former students at Tonga High School, class of 1976. This is their first time bringing their flavour to Polyfest and their general secretary of THS ex-students association Aotearoa chapter says they’re fundraising for their class reunion this year celebrating 75 years. “The event was supposed to happen last year, but we had to postpone it due to Covid-19 restrictions,” Katalina Hala’unga says.

76ers not only sold Pacific desserts, but also chop suey and hot dogs. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

General vibe: Overall, a colourful day of language, song and dance with crowds from all stages cheering all the students equally and getting into the spirit of Polyfest.

Onehunga High School opening the Sāmoan stage as the first school to perform. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

What’s on today?

Saturday is the finale of the four-day festival and that guarantees the largest crowd. The Cook Islands stage continues with their division two and one schools including Manurewa High School and Māngere College who are not strangers to this stage. Catch the two South Auckland schools performing after midday.

There are seven schools performing today on the Niuean stage and no doubt 2021’s overall winners Auckland Girls Grammar will be looking to retain that spot having won 1st place previously in categories such as the meke (a story based item that requires movements like the hopo, which is when the performers are jumping, kicking their feet up mid-air to a fast paced, kamataaga or entrance item and the fakaotiaga or exit).

Boys from Aorere College’s Sāmoan group 2023. (Photo: Sela Jane Hopgood)

At the Sāmoan stage, the all-girls and all-boys schools are participating starting with Dilworth School at around 9am. McAuley High School, the mana kura helpers of the Sāmoan stage, return this year as they only perform biannually and they are always delivering a show-stopping, enthusiastic, synchronised sasa (meaning “to strike”) group dance. The girls are the last to perform around 1.35pm.

Just like Friday’s jam-packed schedule on the Tongan stage seeing a total of 28 performances take place, Saturday has some exhilarating dances to check out such as the sōkē performed by Auckland Girls Grammar around 9.30am and Māngere College around 1.30pm. This is a dance item performed with sticks to the beat of the drum, very similar to the English Morris dance. However, if you’re wanting to experience the graceful movements of Tongan dancing performed by girls, the tau’olunga is a must-see and previous winner James Cook High School will demonstrate an excellent example of this after 2pm.

This is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

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Image: Archi Banal
Image: Archi Banal

OPINIONSocietyMarch 11, 2023

It’s time for Air NZ to update its uniforms

Guest writer
Image: Archi Banal
Image: Archi Banal

The koru paisley print, the pussy-bow blouses and that questionable waistcoat have represented our national carrier for 12 long years. A refresh is long overdue – but what should it look like?

This story was first published on Stuff.

It has been a long time since I’ve properly looked at Air New Zealand’s crew uniforms. But last week, on a flight to Wellington, I was bored and people watching – and a crew member’s waistcoat caught my eye.

The waistcoat, with its checkerboard pattern on the back featuring various “NZ” motifs and the Australian saying “gidday”, is truly corny. It is the worst part of the Trelise Cooper uniforms that have been in rotation since 2011 – with their koru paisley print, pussy-bow blouses, sheath dresses with draping at the waist, pinstripe suit and pencil skirts and “twilight pink”, “godzone green” and “sky blue” colour palette.

That pink, and the instantly recognisable pattern, have now represented New Zealand and our national carrier for 12 extremely long years.

As I sat there eating my complimentary OSM bar and watching the crew make their way through the cabin, I became convinced that the current uniforms have done their job for over a decade, but it’s time to move on – to something that really does reflect Aotearoa today.

The current Air NZ uniforms came into rotation in 2011, following the Zambesi uniforms that staff had worn from 2005. Both have been described as “controversial”: Zambesi’s was considered drab by some, likened to the Thunderbirds and, according to reports, did not flatter fuller figures, while Cooper’s koru pattern was criticised as being disrespectful to Māori. Some took offence at its distinctive, and distinctly non-NZ, bright shade of pink.

‘Twilight pink’ pussy-bow blouses in that instantly recognisable pattern (Photo: Getty Images)

In 2018, plans were afoot for new uniforms. The airline planned to ask designers to submit proposals for a fresh take, and there were rumours within the industry of a collaborative approach featuring elements created by different designers with a focus on sustainability.

The following year, the decision had been delayed – and then the pandemic hit. Priorities rightly shifted due to closed borders and grounded flights.

The airline reported three years of losses (it’s since rebounded back to $213 million profitability), and like many businesses at the time, restructured due to the unprecedented times.

Today they’re facing the problem of too many passengers, and not enough planes or crew to fly them, so refreshing uniforms is probably not at the top of the priority list (yes, it would also be a huge cost, but so are the extravagant safety videos they’ve done over the years). But I’m here to plant the seed of change.

The main requirement of an airline uniform is in its function (and safety), but snazzy options have always been used as another marketing tool, ideal for branding and grabbing headlines – and attention while crew are actually at work. Working with a fashion designer is a way to get press, and to show pride in the country they’re representing in the air.

Since the 1960s high-fashion names like Dior, Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix (Air France), and Chanel and Pierre Cardin (Olympic Airlines) have designed uniforms for high-profile airlines. Pierre Balmain designed a uniform for Singapore Airlines in 1968 that’s still in use today; a rare example of a uniform with staying power.

Singapore Airlines’ Pierre Balmain-designed uniform dates back to 1968 (Photo: Getty Images)

Martin Grant created Qantas’s uniforms in 2018, replacing the famous boomerang dress designed by Peter Morrissey that had been in place for 11 years. Air NZ has had everyone from Nina Ricci to Thornton Hall and Barbara Lee design uniforms in the past.

More recently, contemporary designers have been tasked with creating uniforms that are in step with modern times.

The late Vivienne Westwood designed Virgin Atlantic’s vibrant uniforms, which offered a gender neutral update of their uniform policy last year to allow all staff to choose what they wanted to wear, “no matter their gender, gender identity or gender expression” (they also implemented optional pronoun badges).

In January, British Airways revealed their first new uniforms in 20 years, designed by Savile Row-trained designer Ozwald Boateng. “Designing this uniform was a vast and painstaking undertaking and it went far beyond clothes. It was about creating an energetic shift internally,” he said in a statement, also commenting on how they reflect “what it meant to be British today”.

British Airways’ new Ozwald Boateng-designed uniform (Photo: Supplied)

That may seem a lofty goal for a humble work uniform, but how we dress – day to day, and in our working lives – is a means of self-expression and showcase of identity. And whether we like it or not, national carriers are a showcase of us on a local and global stage – and that includes the uniforms.

In 2018 when Air NZ was set to update their look, then general manager global brand and content marketing Jodi Williams said that the customer-facing uniforms were “a visual representation of New Zealand on the world stage” and needed to “capture the New Zealand spirit”.

Post the worst of the pandemic, as Aotearoa has changed dramatically and reopens to the world, it’s time for our own to reflect who we are now – not who we were in 2011.

Finding the right name today will be tricky, and I’m not convinced that some of our “young” designers are up to the task of creating something that could flatter many bodies and complexions, but there are plenty of options to explore that would represent the best of us on the world stage.

Juliette Hogan, with her penchant for casual tailoring and painterly prints, and a broad customer base, would be an obvious and clever choice. Brands like Paris Georgia, Maggie Marilyn and Wynn Hamlyn would be wild cards, but interesting – and represent NZ fashion’s “new” generation. A cabin bag set from someone like Yu Mei or Deadly Ponies would be undeniably chic. Designer Kiri Nathan would bring an essential te ao Māori perspective.

It’s time for Air NZ to update its uniforms. And it’s time for us all to say goodbye to that hideous waistcoat.

Society