Ngāti Kurī is thanking its community and celebrating its high Covid-19 vaccination uptake in the rohe, by announcing the #HikoiTo100 music festival, the first large-scale music festival since the Omicron outbreak.
Key acts include Che Fu, Ladi6, 1814, hip-hop icon Savage and reggae band Tomorrow People performing for the masses on Saturday, May 21, at the Awanui Sports Complex in Kaitaia.
After so few live performances these Covid years, fans will be waiting excitedly for that Saturday, and Tomorrow People’s lead singer Te Aranga Savage (Te Whānau-a-Apanui', Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa) says she and the band are in the same waka.
“I’m so excited, it’s been a long time. You know, us being in lockdown and traffic light red, it’s been really hard for musicians because we have a lot of energy that we need to release. We can’t wait.”
The kaupapa behind the event is something Savage says is important.
“It shows how easy it is to get infected [with Covid-19]. Getting vaccinated reduces your chances of getting infected and spreading it to your whānau and community. We want to limit that, especially for our elders, tamariki and ourselves as well.”
Later on in the year, Te Aranga says that there are a few things being booked in for the band with upcoming tours and performances.
“It’s all go from here. Our weekends are going to be packed up again so it’ll be good to get back into that groove again.”