Polyfest + Balloon Night NZ
New Zealand’s ASB Polyfest wrapped today in Auckland with over 10,000 secondary‑school students celebrating Pasifika music, dance and traditional food. ( ) Meanwhile Hamilton lights up tonight with a hot‑air‑balloon light‑up at Waikato University — a neat evening activity if you’re in the region. (home.nzcity.co.nz)
ASB Polyfest this year was staged as the festival’s 51st edition and, for the first time, organisers split the programme across two Auckland venues — the Manukau Sports Bowl and the Due Drop Events Centre — to handle growth and extended programming. (rnz.co.nz) Performances were organised across five dedicated cultural stages — Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and a Diversity stage — and the event ran in two blocks across the month to accommodate more groups. (pacific.scoop.co.nz) This year’s theme was “Ko au ko te Taiao! Ko te Taiao ko au!” and the site at Manukau hosted more than 100 food, arts and crafts stalls alongside the stage competitions. (ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz) Organisers and the festival director, Seiuli Terri Leo‑Mauu, reiterated that Polyfest still struggles to secure stable long‑term funding and depends on sponsors, funders and community support to continue running. (pmn.co.nz) Coverage and outreach included live streams and platformed content for stages such as the Māori stage, with MĀORI+ listing coverage of ASB Polyfest 2026 programming. (maoriplus.co.nz) In Hamilton, the ZURU Nightglow — the evening hot‑air‑balloon light‑up — returns to the University of Waikato on Saturday 21 March 2026 as a free ticketed event with choreographed balloon glows, live music and a SkyCity Hamilton fireworks finale; organisers are providing free park‑and‑ride services from three Hamilton hubs. (balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz)
