It has been challenging for Oire Nikao to prepare for the 2024 Te Maeva Nui due to a shortage of members.

However, they are fortunate that school holidays have started and students are now increasing their numbers.

The highly anticipated Te Maeva Nui will kick start this week from July 30 to August 5, featuring several cultural groups who are leaving no stone unturned in their preparations for the annual national cultural event.

Under the leadership of chairman Simiona Teiotu, the Oire Nikao cultural group has been hoping for more members since starting their preparations.

“We’re very fortunate because it’s school holidays now and the students have come joined us now and that helped boost our numbers,” Teiotu said.

“So far, the preparations are going really good especially with more members, the items are looking ready but we’re just refurbishing. As for the costumes, it will be ready soon.

“Everyone’s prepared, we’ve been finishing late to make sure we are all well prepared especially the dancers. We’re going all in and everything’s falling into place.

“All the mamas and the papas are there every night especially when we finish around 11pm, and the main thing is, we now have enough members and that’s the best part and we’re just looking forward to it.”

The cultural group now has 18 girls and 14 boys in the dancing crew, and there are also new members in their choir.

Te Maeva Nui, an annual cultural festival celebrating Cook Islands’ self-governance, is a hallmark event that draws groups from various islands and communities to demonstrate their cultural heritage through music, dance and traditional arts.

The Oire Nikao group is using this year’s event as a foundational step, aiming to strengthen their team dynamics and performance quality in preparation for a milestone celebration that promises to be one of the largest in the festival’s history.

“This year, we want to build our team for next year for the 60^th anniversary and it’s going to be bigger and others from New Zealand and Australia will be joining so next year, we start on a high note,” Teiotu said.