Condolences - Ngā Whakaaro ki te wahi ngāro
The festival has lost some influential people, in 2021 we share our aroha to the whānau of Piwai Tuhua, you would see him ushering the kids in and out every night since the festival started.
In 2018 our Kahurangi, each molded and shaped the festival to what it is today. Aunty Bea, Nanny Hiro and Whaea Louise e kore mātau e wareware i a koutou katoa.
The festival would also like to share our condolences to the whānau of our Lawyer Mr Louis Te Kani, Who sponsored his role to the festival for many years. Thank you Mr Te Kani for your service to the festival and the schools we represent, e au to moe e te rangatira.
The festival started in the 1970s with four schools. They were Rotorua Primary, Whakarewarewa, Lynmore and Rotokawa. Beatrice Piatarihi Tui Yates aka Aunty Bea and few others including Syd Yates instigated running a festival as They felt the children needed to learn about the local history. Aunty Bea decided to teach the four schools plays about Hinemoa and Tutanekai, Ihenga and many other stories from Rotorua. She also taught them simple action songs and from that the festival evolved into what it is today. From this a committee was formed and since then the committee of teachers, tutors and community personnel’s have been running the festival every year. Normally held at the Sir Howard Morrison Civic Centre while this venue is being renovated we are now based at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre, with 32 to 40 groups performing yearly for a week long festival. We have support from all the schools and have invited schools from out of our region to participate in our festival. We look forward to continue the service for the next generation. Over the 40 plus years the festival was able to financially support it self but due to the increase cost of venue and staging the festival has had to look at alternative and creative ways in maintaining the kids get to experience the generational success of such a festival.
We have over 40 volunteers over the week and they return each year to help because they were in the same position as the next generation of kids and they too know the value of such an event.
"Te hunga mate ki a rātou, te hunga ora ki a tātou
Tēnā tātou katoa"
The original logo was designed by Syd Yates, then it had a revamp in 2010 to modernise it into the twentieth century by Taumata Soloman, former performer of the stage.
