Pacific festival leaps into action

A week celebrating Porirua’s Pacific culture kicks off this Friday, culminating in a city-wide food collection day on December 1.

The eighth annual Week of Action will begin with the Tahi 2012 youth concert at Te Rauparaha Arena from 7pm this Friday. The popular street parade takes place the next morning at 8am from Waitangirua Mall, finishing at the arena.

‘‘Each Pacific community has a float and we hope to have representation from our ethnic com- munities like Laos and Sri Lanka.

‘‘There is bound to be a lot of colour,’’ co- organiser Faalogo Vaai says.

On Saturday opera star Ben Makisi will lead the way in the Raise the Praise festival at the Arena. A number of church groups will perform during the evening, doors opening at 6pm.

Throughout the following week there will be ‘‘Seeds of Hope’’ workshops that aim to help tackle child poverty, with vegetable gardens being established in nine early childhood centres in the city.

‘‘We think the excitement created by the kids will rub off on the parents, families and communities and eventually rally them to create vegetable gardens [of their own], providing one practical solution to child poverty,’’ Strong Pacific Families Porirua chairperson Emily Toimata-Holtham says.

The food collection day, which is in its third year, is becoming a big deal, Mr Vaai says.

‘‘It began with one truck, then last year we had two. One has drummers playing in the back, so it’s a lot of fun with a good message.’’