Week 11 Term 1 - ASB Polyfest 2025 - Samoan Group 2025 (April 07 - April 11)

Tamaki College Samoan Group 2025

E faatalofa atu i le soifuamaua ma le soifua laulelei. Ona le alofa i le Atua.

Tamaki College Samoan Group 2025 @ Polyfest 2025

We celebrate and acknowledge the Tamaki College Samoan Group and their preparation for the ASB Polyfest 2025 Competition. Tonight’s performance is a result of 7 weeks of rehearsals, learning Gagana Samoa, working, growing and refining together as a team. The road to Polyfest has been a long journey and behind the Tamaki College Samoan Group is a team of people who have dedicated their time, talent, creativity, energy and love to our young people. I would like to acknowledge firstly our Samoan Group staff, Samoan Group tutorship team, Samoan Group band, Samoan Group Leaders and our Samoan Group parent support for 2025.

Tamaki College Samoan Group 2025

I would like to acknowledge and honour the staff who have helped to run the Samoan Group both in front and behind the scenes. From the rehearsals, to feeding the students, organizing the uniforms, running the supper fundraiser to all of the administrative responsibilities - our Samoan Group staff are an integral part of our team. I would like to acknowledge:

• Ms Dorothy Apelu - Teacher in Charge of the Samoan Group, uniform and fundraising
• Mrs Taua Matavao
• Mr Utufiu Niko
• Mrs Makerita Lote-Fepuleai
• Mr Olive Fa’alavaau

Thank you for your commitment and your time in making sure that tonight was a success for our young people. Thank you for your service, leadership and mentorship over our students in the Samoan Group this year.

I would like to bring attention to another integral part of our Samoan Group - our tutorship team. Our tutorship team is a special group of creatives who are former students, friends and family members who have tutored our Samoan Group over the years. Since 2010, our tutorship team have been working and collaborating together every year to create the beautiful siva Samoa, pese and sets that we see our young people perform every year. Ms Apelu and I are very proud and protective of our tutorship team and we are so grateful that they come on board every year to share their gift with our young people. I would like to acknowledge our tutorship team and thank them for their contribution, their love and their gifts that they have shared and blessed us with for Samoan Group this year.

Samoan Group @ Live In 2025

• Mr Pene Ueta - He is our Head tutor and composed our Ulufale (Entrance), Mauluulu (Group dance), Pese o le Aso, Sasa, Taualuga and Ulufafo (Exit).
• Ms Alofa Vaifale - She is our female choreographer, who taught the choreography for Ulufale, Mauluulu and Ulufafo.
• Mr Roni Wright Kamu - He is our male choreographer, who taught our ,choreography for Ulufale, Mauluulu and Ulufafo
• Ms Lani Filemoni - She is our female choreographer, who taught the choreography for Ulufale, Mauluulu and Ulufafo.

We would like to acknowledge our band. Led by Mr Pene Ueta, our band has worked hard this season alongside our students. We are blessed to have a band who have committed their time to our Samoan Group and who have helped bring the music to life. We would like to celebrate and thank:

• Mr Senetenari Filemoni- Drums
• Mr Sione Kamoto (current student in Year 13) - Guitar
• Mr Sebastian Wayne (current student in Year 12) - Guitar

TC Samoan Group Rehearsal 2025

It is a blessing to have a tutorship team and band who are dedicated to supporting our young people. Our tutorship team are talented creatives who are also tutoring other schools and who have performed on various stages and platforms around the country. From drama, music and to leading their own Siva Samoa Academy - we are thankful and grateful for our tutorship team for their gifts that have imparted to us for our Polyfest 2025 season. Thank you team!

We are blessed to have an awesome support network of parents. Our parents provide a sense of aiga and moral support and this has been an important part of the Samoan Group journey this year. We want to acknowledge and thank Mr and Mrs Tukuafu for the love, support, time and food that you have blessed us with. We also want to acknowledge and thank Mrs Tangi Tawa for your time, love, food, support and for organizing our travelling uniform (our Samoan Group T Shirts) for our group this year. Thank you to all of our parents and families who contributed to our fundraising and who have been so supportive and patient with us. Thank you for entrusting us with your children.

Samoan Group last rehearsal before Fia Fia Night

Finally I want to acknowledge and thank our young people, your children and our Samoan Group for 2025. We have 52 strong team of students who will be representing Tamaki College on the Samoan Stage at the ASB Polyfest at 12:20pm. To our students, thank you for your commitment, your service, your talent, your energy, your investment and your hearts in learning Gagana Samoa, Fa’asamoa and Siva Samoa. We have a team of students who respectively come from Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Fiji and Tonga. You have all shown a deep level of love and respect to Samoan Group this year. We are proud of our students and we hope that our students are proud of what they have achieved so far in the journey to Polyfest. 

TC Samoan Group @ Fia Fia Night 2025

I want to highlight our school leaders who have joined the group this year. Your contribution to Samoan Group this year is invaluable and an absolute asset in our team. Your school year is already busy and the commitment that you have shown to the group is something that we value and respect. In our Samoan Group we have 7 of our School Prefects who are a part of the Samoan Group. We want to acknowledge our School Prefects for their contribution to Samoan Group this year:

• Auckland Fa’amita - Head Boy of Tamaki College
• Esther Lam Sam - School Prefect for Puriri House
• Paula Pau’u - School Prefect for Totara House
• Diego Tuala-Tagaloa - School Prefect and House Captain for Kowhai House
• Tatia Nonu - School Prefect for Kowhai House
• Sina Brown - School Prefect for Kowhai House
• Sione Kamoto - School Prefect and House Captain for Puriri House

TC Samoan Group Leaders 2025

We want to acknowledge and thank our Samoan Group Leaders for 2025 for their leadership and mentorship. A massive thank you to our leaders Auckland Faamita, Esther Lam Sam, Tatia Nonu, Diego Tuala-Tagaloa, Sina Brown and Paula Pau’u. Thank you for your service.

Thank you to our Principal Mrs Pamaka, Senior Management and the Board of Trustees for their continual support of the Samoan Group this year.