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Emily & Tom Portobello School

$575 of $1,000 goal

Given by 16 generous donors in 20 days

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Participating in Toss the Boss Ōtepoti 2026 Event Page

Dunedin, Otago

Tom (Principal) and Emily (Board Presiding Member) are stepping out of their comfort zones for a great cause, Otago Polyfest 2026! They’re proud to be raising funds to support to place Māori and Pasifika cultures centre stage.

Otago Polyfest is a celebration of language, culture and identity. It’s a high-energy festival showcasing the rich heritage of our Māori and Te Moananui a Kiwa communities across Otago.

Each September, 9,000+ tamariki and rakatahi perform on the Polyfest stage for five days – with more than 15,000 people watching in person and 51,000 across the world watching online in 2025!

Otago Polyfest is one of the longest running festivals in Aotearoa, and the biggest performance event in the region and the school year. From the gorgeous chaos of wee ones at early childhood services to the skill and mana of our high school students, there’s nothing like Polyfest to build pride and confidence across generations.

Latest update

What Polyfest means to our school 12 May 2026

As the noho school for Ōtākou Marae, Portobello School’s Parihaumia has had the opportunity of opening Polyfest on several occasions, including last year.

With a roll of around 60 tamariki, from New-Entrants to Year 8, all tamariki learn, practise, and perform together. Performance day is the culmination of months of learning, rehearsals, and generously shared time and expertise of whānau in our community. Taking the stage at this treasured event provides countless opportunities for learning and growth, and there’s nothing quite like the buzz of pride and excitement they come off stage with, having represented their school and community as a united team.

So, Tom and I are proud to be stepping (a long way) out of our comfort zones on 21 May with Tosstheboss Ōtepoti to raise funds so the tamariki of Otago can take to the Polyfest stage.

Help us by donating on our Givealittle page and/or sharing this post far and wide.

Huge thanks,

Emily and Tom.

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Toss the Boss Ōtepoti 2026 Event Page

Toss the Boss Ōtepoti is back for 2026. This is your chance to step up, have some fun, and contribute to this amazing kaupapa.

On average, fundraisers pay just 2% to use Givealittle. This is one of the lowest effective fees in New Zealand fundraising. We charge a 5% platform fee to cover the cost of running the platform. Because most donors choose to top up their donation to cover this fee, the effective cost paid by fundraisers is about 2%. That means around 98 cents of every dollar raised goes to the cause. Learn More