The ASB Polyfest kicks off this morning at the Manukau Sports Bowl.

Sixty four secondary schools, 228 groups, 9000 performers, up to 40,000 spectators, the four-day festival of Maori, Pasifika and other cultures has become a highlight of the Auckland calendar over the 41 years of its existence.

Mayor Len Brown says it’s time the city truly expresses its Polynesian soul.

"There is a lot of singing about our city and very clear the passion and pride and mostly it reflects the fact we are the proud sons and daughters of Aotearoa New Zealand here in the heart of Polynesia and that is our place in the world and this is the time we best reflect it with the young spirit of city and the nation, proud and very loud," he says.