Pride ball in Porirua for first time
Sevia Saviour Nua, known to most as Saviiey, is 31 and has proudly identified as Fa’afafine for more than half her life.
But last year was the first time she took part in Wellington Pride Festival when she performed in Te Karanga: The Voice of Calling – the opening gala of the 2023 festival.
Pride never felt like it was a festival for her, “per se”.
“It was great to meet a lot of people who were involved in pride, but I just felt like my community wasn’t represented out there, where pride festival was being held.”
Born and raised in Porirua, Nua recognised the barriers that faced people living outside Wellington city, so when the opportunity for a new board came up for Wellington Pride Festival, she took up the position as board chair. She had a primary target: To move events out to Porirua and Lower Hutt, ultimately to be more culturally inclusive.
Wellington Pride Festival will run between March 1 and 17 with events throughout the two weeks.
For the first time, the Youth Ball will be held at Porirua’s Te Ruaparaha Arena on March 8, while the Kiki Vogue Ball will be held in Kōraunui Stokes Valley Neighbourhood Hub in Lower Hutt on March 16.
Moving the events into different areas aimed to open doors to people who felt safer attending within their own communities, Nua said.
Porirua mayor Anita Baker said it would be the biggest event held for pride festival in Porirua.
“It’s something I really support as mayor, that we’ll drive over the rainbow crossing to get to the arena ... and it’s great for our local groups who are in the pride community.”
Baker will be speaking at the event along with the Mana MP, Labour’s Barbara Edmonds.
Nua, of Samoan descent, runs Ngā Uri o Whiti Te Rā Mai Le Moana Trust – a youth hub in Porirua focused on indigenous Pacific art forms, working from a Māori and Pasifika lens. It is also one of the only Pacific Rainbow organisations in the Wellington
region.
She acknowledged the efforts of the previous Wellington Pride Festival board to make the event more inclusive.
It was in line with Te Whāriki – a document outlining Wellington Pride’s vision co-designed by tangata whenua, people who were neuro-diverse and other indigenous rainbow people, which acknowledged that mātauranga Māori had been excluded in the past and its commitment to centring it in the future.
She encouraged different communities within the umbrella of rainbow to hold events representing “what pride means to them”.
Nua said she was conscious of the rise in fringe groups, targeting the transgender and non-binary community in ways not seen before. Screening was a big part of keeping the festival safe.
But the main challenge she saw was unity among the rainbow community. People were often fighting for the same things but in silos.
It was therefore important to make spaces more culturally inclusive and for all indigenous cultures to be present and to have a say.
This year’s opening gala show, He Toka Tū Moana, meaning a rock standing firm in the sea, will be held at the Opera House on March 2 between 6.30pm and 9pm.
The Pride Picnic is at the Botanic Gardens Soundshell on March 16, and Out in the City is at the Michael Fowler Centre on March 17.
Other events include art exhibitions, live DJ sets, performances, workshops, pub quizzes, and comedy nights across Wellington.