The Tainui School pupil, who has spina bifida and was born with club feet, is no stranger to pain and refused to let it stop him from performing in the Otago Early Childhood and Schools' Maori and Pacific Island Festival at the Edgar Centre.
He twice took the stage in a wheelchair with both legs in knee-to-toe casts.
It was a proud moment for his parents, Komene Cassidy and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe, who tutored Tainui School's kapa haka group.
Mr Cassidy said Kiringaua needed surgery to straighten his legs below the knee and properly align his feet. He was discharged from Dunedin Hospital last Thursday and returned to class full-time this week, desperate to be a part of his fourth Polyfest.
"There's no way that we were going to be able to stop him. He really loves performing, especially kapa haka, and he gave as much as he could on the day," Mr Cassidy said.
Kiringaua's performance with Ka Puanani received an impromptu haka from audience members, including Tainui School pupils.
Polyfest 2012 finishes today.
