Kapa Haka festival swings into action in Hastings

More than 1000 Hawke's Bay schoolchildren will be taking part in the Ngati Kahungunu Primary Schools Kapa Haka festival which will be held at the Regional Sports Park on the outskirts of Hastings during the next four days.

Now closing in on 40 years since it was first staged as a Maori Cultural Festival, it will, as it has for several years, also feature other Pacific culture items.

Hosted this year by Mangateretere School, the festival opens with a welcome at 9.30am today, and 14 groups from 10 schools are scheduled to perform during the day.

Performances are scheduled from 9.30am to about 2.30pm on each of the remaining three days before the festival ends on Friday.