Dutch Week chance to celebrate all things Dutch
Once again Dutch Week 2022 in Foxton will be a celebration of all things Dutch.
The annual week will start on Saturday, April 23.
Dutch community organisations and businesses nationwide will engage in ‘all things Dutch’ until Sunday, May 1.
Events include a speech competition for young students, a film festival and traditional games for the kids.
Dutch Week is open to anyone keen to experience Dutch foods, culture and its language as well.
“Last year we celebrated with numerous events, with the Sky Tower and other landmarks being lit up in Orange during our first ever Dutch Week,” said Dutch Ambassador to New Zealand, Mira Woldberg.
“This year we want to build on that and add more typically Dutch activities for family and wha¯nau to enjoy like orange bike rides. Because of the Covid pandemic over the past two years, many Dutch New Zealanders have missed seeing family and friends and participating in the joys of Dutch culture, language, arts and foods.
“For one week we will bring people together to celebrate all things Dutch here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“This will be done in line with the Government’s Covid regulations of course,” said Woldberg.
Dutch Week lets people share in the strong connections between the Netherlands and New Zealand.
“As a migrant community, we have traditionally been relatively invisible in New Zealand,” said Dr Joost de Bruin, president of Dutch communities NZ.
“Dutch Week is about highlighting who we are. We invite all New Zealanders to participate in Dutch culture, try some new foods, watch a Dutch film or learn a bit of our language.”
The celebrations will be launched at the Big Dutch Day Out on April 23 by Ambassador Mira Woldberg and Labour MP Marja Lubeck, in the arts and heritage town of Foxton.
They will jointly open the Handboek exhibition of historic photographs by renowned documentary photographer Ans Westra, spanning several decades.
Other activities will include kite-flying, a clogs art (klompenkunst) competition, and Oud-Hollandse Spelen or an Old Odd Games Competition.
“Foxton’s Windmill De Molen has successfully organised an annual Big Dutch Day Out for over 10 years now,” says Arjan van der Boon, cochair of the local Oranjehof museum.