Celebration of Tongan culture
Passing on their culture to the New Zealand-born generation was all part of Tonga Day celebrations in Timaru.
The community day, on Saturday, attracted almost 200 people – mostly children, Tongan Society South Canterbury general manager Sina Latu said.
‘‘It was really about the kids – well, families and the community as a whole. It was a great day with performances from young people, the women’s showcase, and the men’s vege garden awards,’’ she said.
‘‘One of the highlights for a lot of people were the performances, especially when it came to the young boys performing a war dance in front of their families.
‘‘Just to see the passion and how they felt doing it was important. A lot of them were born in New Zealand, and it was really important for them to show their passion.
‘‘There were a lot of proud dads and families after the performance.’’
The day was held for the first time last year, and because of its success was brought back for 2022, Latu said.
‘‘It is all about coming together, so our children can know our culture, to see the wellbeing of our community and see the progress everyone has made,’’ she said.
‘‘It is also a time we can acknowledge funders and people who support our programmes, because without them we cannot do what we do.’’
A major focus for the society is health, both physical and mental, with the men’s vegetable garden awards being part of that, and on Saturday families who had collectively lost the most weight as part of the society’s family campaign were recognised, Latu said.
‘‘It was a really special day, young children got to learn more about the culture, there were lots of smiles, and it was great to see the confidence in the youth in the performances,’’ she said.
‘‘It was a great day to showcase what we do as a community.’’