Steamships Sponsors 2023 Hiri Moale Festival
31 January 2023
Steamships continues its commitment as gold sponsor for the 49th Hiri Moale Festival held March 3-5, 2023; an event dubbed as the premier cultural show in the Capital City. The company reaffirmed its support with the announcement of the K100,000 sponsorship at the NCDC City Hall on Tuesday 31st January.
Motu-Koita Assembly Chairman and NCD Acting Governor, Dadi Toka Jr. received the cheque on behalf of the show committee, extending gratitude to Steamships for its ongoing support of the highly anticipated annual event.
“We acknowledge Steamships and the special relationship the company shares with the people of Motu Koita. Steamships continues to support the Motu Koitabuans through employment opportunities and various activities and events such as the Hiri Moale Festival. The sponsorship will allow us to deliver this premier event, that celebrates the identity of the indigenous landowners of the city,” said Chairman Dadi Toka Jr.
The Hiri Moale festival is hosted annually by the Motu Koita Assembly (MKA) to promote and preserve the cultural knowledge of the Motu Koitabuans – the indigenous people of the city of Port Moresby. Steamships has a long-shared history with its operations and the Motu-Koitabu People where much of their workforce from. The festival will take place over two days, with events including the Vanagi race, reenactment of the arrival of the Lagatoi at Era Kone as well as the crowning of the next Hiri Hanenamo.
Steamships’ Managing Director, Rupert Bray, says “This is our 45th year of sponsoring the festival. Hiri Moale is a very important time for us to be able to showcase our relationship with the 7 villages that form such an integral part of our history.”
In 2022, in addition to the monetary sponsorship, Steamships provides the opportunity for all ten Hanenamo contestants to join the team, in a specialised work-experience program. It was a rewarding experience for all, with three Hanenamos going on to successfully secure full-time employment within Steamships. The company continues its commitment this year and looks forward to welcoming the Henanamo contestants into the Steamships family.
Image: Presentation of Steamships Sponsorship Cheque at NCDC City Hall. L-R MKA Chairman Dadi Toka Jnr., Steamships Managing Director Rupert Bray, 2021 Hiri Henanamo Runner Up Miss Elavala Guba Aileen Hitolo