New $700,000 Partnership Backs Auckland Youth Through Polyfest

More than 350 young Aucklanders will receive mentoring, leadership training and help planning their next steps in education or employment through a new $700,000 partnership centred around ASB Polyfest and its Māori stage.

The Government is contributing $350,000 through the Youth Development Partnership and Innovation Fund to support The Polyfest Trust's three-month programme for young people aged between 12 and 24 who may be at risk of losing connection with education, training or employment.

Private co-funding will double the overall investment, with Rangitāmiro Limited providing $250,000 and One Foundation Limited contributing another $100,000, bringing total funding for the initiative to $700,000.

Mentoring will connect culture with practical life skills

Youth Minister James Meager announced the programme as part of International Youth Day celebrations, saying it will operate alongside the ASB Polyfest Māori stage and use the festival environment to help participants strengthen their confidence, cultural connections and plans for the future.

Young people will take part in four sessions covering areas such as leadership, goal-setting and decision-making while preparing for the Secondary School Kapa Haka Nationals and ASB Polyfest 2027. The programme is designed to connect the discipline and teamwork involved in cultural performance with skills participants can carry into school, further study and the workplace.

Youth mentors will work directly with participants to develop personalised attendance and engagement plans, giving each young person an opportunity to identify challenges, consider their ambitions and map out realistic options for education, training or employment.

Polyfest offers a platform for confidence and belonging

ASB Polyfest has developed into one of the world's largest Pacific cultural festivals, bringing students and communities together to celebrate language, identity, music and traditional performance while giving young performers a highly visible platform to represent their schools and cultures.

Meager said the festival can also play a wider role in youth development because participation gives young people opportunities to build confidence, practise leadership and develop a stronger sense of belonging within their communities.

The new programme will use those existing connections to reach young people in an environment where culture is already central to their experience, while adding structured mentoring that focuses on decisions they will face beyond performances and competitions.

Programme focuses on pathways beyond the festival

The three-month initiative is intended to produce benefits that extend past preparations for the 2027 festival season, with mentors helping participants explore what education, vocational training and employment opportunities could match their interests and longer-term goals.

For young people who are struggling with attendance or engagement, individual plans will provide a clearer framework for reconnecting with learning and considering future opportunities rather than relying on a single approach for every participant.

Meager said culture and community can have an important influence on young people's success, with programmes of this kind providing a way to combine cultural participation with practical support.

By bringing government funding, private contributions, mentoring and the established Polyfest community together, the partnership is expected to give hundreds of Auckland young people additional support to turn cultural participation and emerging leadership skills into stronger education and employment pathways.