New Zealand is preparing for Cyclone Pam as it heads south towards the North island. |
Polyfest is booming 40 years after 'one-off' event |
10pm update: Cyclone Pam, currently 500km northeast of Northland, is forecast to track southeastwards tonight and pass east of New Zealand during Monday and Tuesday.
Strong southeast winds and rain are expected over much of the North Island tonight and Monday, along with extremely large seas about the east coast. Around 200mm of rain is expected to accumulate about the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Rivers and streams will rise rapidly, and localised surface flooding and slips are likely as well as hazardous driving conditions. In addition, severe southeast gales are likely about the Bay of Plenty for much of Monday, with gusts of 120 km/h in exposed places, but 160 km/h or possibly more about the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Winds of this strength are likely to cause damage to trees and powerlines and could lift roofs and make for hazardous driving conditions. Heavy rain is expected to ease Monday evening. In the 24 hours from 9pm tonight (Sunday) until 9pm Monday, expect 120 to 140mm to accumulate The category 4 cyclone is expected to track south-east of the North Island early tomorrow with a severe weather warning issued for the Bay of Plenty, especially east of Edgecumbe. MetService has forecast possible gales in excess of 160km/h and heavy rain of 120mm-140mm, with 180mm-20mm about the ranges. Opotiki mayor John Forbes said they were doing everything they reasonably could to prepare for the predicted foul weather. "We hope this thing moves out further to the east but you just don't know what will happen, so we are preparing for the worst case scenario," Mr Forbes said. "We're doing everything we can do, we have been meeting with civil defence and have been in touch with our 14 coastal radio stations to make sure our communities are aware. We have been in contact with the old peoples homes and fortunately schools are not in at the moment, but overall we are pretty prepared," he said. Whakatane mayor Tony Bonne said council contractors had been busy clearing drains and gutters. "I think we're as organised as we can be. Just before the weekend we made sure gutters were cleared out and sprayed in areas where we've had problems. Our council staff have done as much as they can and we've asked residents to check their own drains in their street. "Where we've had surface flooding before like in Douglas St and the Wainui Te Whare stream area, we've set a digger up in preparation," Mr Bonne said. "This afternoon we will also be having a briefing of emergency services." A contractor's yard is open where sand bags are available for purchase, with some businesses already stocking up for their shopfronts. "Quite a few [bought them] ... the word is now that it will be more wind than rain but with any tropical cyclone things change by the hour so you have to be prepared." Mr Bonne said there was no signs yet of the expected severe weather. "It's just overcast, there's no real winds but its the lull period." Firefighters and appliances are also moving into the vulnerable coastal areas as Cyclone Pam approaches. Fire service deputy national commander Paul McGill said deploying resources now would provide extra support for local crews and allow personnel to get into position in areas likely to be cut off by flooding. "Getting in early will enable us to respond more effectively when the cyclone hits," he said. A Hamilton and Rotorua-based taskforce was moving into the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. Mr McGill said the Fire Service had activated three of its regional and five of its local co-ordination centres to ensure crews and equipment were used to best effect. He said firefighters would provide as much assistance as possible to local communities. This was likely to include helping people isolated by flooding and slips or stuck in vehicles, pumping out flooded buildings, salvage work and securing damaged buildings. Regular updates will be provided on Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management's website www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz and on www.facebook.com/BOPCivilDefence. |
In 1976 two sixth-form students at Hillary College in Otara challenged to three other Auckland schools to a performance competition - a celebration of their different cultures.
It was small but a big success - the competition, held on a makeshift stage on Hillary's sports field, was won by Mangere College. Boaz Raela, one of those organisers, thought it was just a one-off. Yet in 10 days' time, the 40th ASB Polyfest will feature more than 60 schools in a four-day festival - with around 10,000 students performing on six stages before an audience of up to 100,000. It's become the largest Pacific Island cultural performance festival in the world - and a symbol of the growing diversity of Auckland, the largest Pacific city on the globe. The event's original purpose was to maintain dance and other traditions among young Polynesian and Maori. This year's festival at the Manukau Sports Bowl will feature Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island, Niuean and Maori performances, as well as a diversity stage with cultural groups from Fiji, Tokelau, China, Korea and India. "The whole idea is students coming together, enjoying one's culture and appreciating other cultures These [festivals] are the sorts of things that unite us," Cook Island-born Raela said, when he returned to the festival three decades later, tutoring Takapuna Grammar School's Maori performance group. Next weekend is the 23rd birthday of the first Pasifika Festival - which calls itself the biggest celebration of Pacific Island culture and heritage in the world. It began in 1992 when the South Pacific Island Nations Development Association joined forces with the Auckland City Council to put on a festival aimed at bringing the city's Pacific communities closer. Within a decade, the crowds at Western Springs Park had swelled to 50,000; last year over 80,000 people wandered between 10 authentic Pacific Island "villages" and 11 performance stages. - NZ Herald |