The Uruuruwhenua Schools Kapahaka Festival is a biennial event intended to ''celebrate Maori performing arts and for kids to get up and share what they are learning at their schools,'' Mary-Anne Tamati said.
The Central Otago Rural Education Activities Programme's (Reap) Kathi McLean said the growth of the festival over the 10 years it has been going was largely the result of the involvement of Ms Tamati.
A Te Reo me ona tikanga teacher, Ms Tamati travels to most of the region's schools to teach Maori language and performing arts.
Mrs McLean said the first festival was held at Dunstan High School and ''no-one really knew what they were doing, except Mary-Anne''.
However, it had since become so popular with schools that organisers had been forced to find larger premises to hold it.
Fifteen schools were represented yesterday including Mt Cook School which had seven of its eight pupils make the journey to perform.
Dunstan High School and Cromwell College kapahaka groups also performed, although it was a festival designed for primary schools.
Other schools were Omakau School, Clyde Primary School, Hawea Flat School, Wanaka Primary School, Goldfields Primary School, Poolburn School, Cromwell Primary School, St Gerard's School, St John's School, Alexandra Primary School, The Terrace School and Roxburgh Area School.
The festival is organised by the Central Otago Rural Education Activities Programme and the schools.
