Top things to see and do at Pasifika

1New Earth oven cooking is widespread around the Pacific (in

Zealand, it’s the hangi) and this year, you can learn more about the techniques and variations in different cultures. Many of the Pasifika villages will have “hosted earth ovens” where the chefs will explain the traditions and techniques behind hangi, umu or lovo (depending on the culture) when the food is unearthed and available for sale. 2Suluape

Non-Samoans don’t often get to see internationally renowned

tattooists using traditional techniques to mark preselected people with pe’a or malu (male or female tattoos) followed by the sacred samaga pe’a ceremony, which marks the completion of a tattoo, lifting taboos, blessing the recipients and acknowledging the tattooist. It’s on display at the Samoan Village this weekend, though, and festival-goers can also see tattooists at work in the Aotearoa and Fiji villages. 3re-enactment Other glimpses into traditional practices include a narrated

of a traditional Tuvaluan marriage, from the potu lama community proposal through to the wedding ceremony; age-old Maori and Hawaiian healing practices; mini workshops about Cook Island textile art and weaving techniques; traditional kava or ‘ava ceremonies and Tokelauan carvers creating fishing lures from shells, still commonly used today and highly sought after by keen fishers. 4of

Culture isn’t fixed; it evolves and develops so a snapshot

the contemporary Pacific is in the spotlight this year with the Pasifika Business Market. It features more than 40 islandbased companies, part of Pacific Trade & Invest’s Path To Market programme, developing and testing their products for NZ. Goods showcased include food and beverages, clothing and accessories, handcrafts and skincare.