Best of Pacific at Pasifika Festival
The sights and sounds of the Pacific rings across Western Springs in Auckland yesterday as the Pasifika Festival, the biggest Pacific cultural event of its kind in the world, gets underway. Traditional performances, handicraft, fashion and cuisine are filling Western Springs Park this weekend. The event now attracts over 60,000 visitors to Western Springs.
Festival organisers this year wanted to focus the two-day event on connecting with village co-ordinators and Pacific communities.
Twenty six years ago the festival began as a joint initiative between community leaders and the council to bring Pasifika communities together.
It is also an opportunity to celebrate and share Pacific Island cultures with the wider Auckland community.
A new component this year showcases small and medium size businesses from the Pacific to New Zealand consumers. Samoa Head to Toes stallholder Keith Than is selling Samoan clothes like puletasi made out of fabric handprinted and designed by his mother.
“There’s lots of competition at the moment. We have been coming for a few years now and we love this event.”
Mina Halatanu is selling Tongan fine mats and tapa that she has made herself. “My prices are good and if people like smaller pieces, then I will make the pieces smaller for them. Every year I come here from Tonga. I am happy to come and see the people and get the money and I am very happy.”
Niue Village supporter Sally Ikinofo is happy to reconnect with people.
The Pasifika Festival will feature around 220 local and international performance groups, more than 200 food and craft stalls over 11 Pacific villages.