Pasifika Festival

The proposal suggests stopping regional contestable grants and removing some of the community, social, innovation and economic development programmes, which would save a total of 28 million NZ dollars.

RNZ Pacific reports on Thursday, councillors agreed on the budget items that will go out for public consultation early next year - with just one councillor voting against, Josephine Bartley.

She questioned why assets like golf courses were not affected.

The "core services" were part of the fabric of the city, she said.

Cancelled the past two years due to the Christchurch terror attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic, the two-day festival returns but to a new venue at Mt Smart Stadium. Previously it was held at Western Springs.

Organisers say the festival showcases Pacific cultures of the city with music, dance, arts, crafts, demonstrations, storytelling and food.

Hundreds of performers, artists and artisans are taking part.

Richard Clarke, head of Major and Business Events at Auckland Unlimited, said there was great anticipation for the festival this year.

The festival was originally planned to start this weekend at Western Springs Park but will now take place on 10-11 April at Mt Smart stadium.

“I look forward to attending Pasifika this year and enjoying all the performances, music, art, culture and heritage and the festival offers,” says Goff.

Richard Clarke, the Auckland Unlimited Head of Major Events says: “Pasifika festival is a hugely popular celebration of our region’s Pacific communities, and we are determined to give ourselves every opportunity to deliver a great and safe event this year.

All five cases of the virus in New Zealand have been in the Auckland region.

More than 400 local and international artists were on the cards to perform at the festival, which was due to start tomorrow.

It is the second year in a row the festival has been cancelled, after last year's event was called off in the aftermath of the 15 March terrorist attack in Christchurch.

There were concerns earlier this week that it would be called off again, but it was given the all clear to go ahead on Tuesday, with authorities instead warning anyone who felt sick to stay home.

This is the confident response from Minister of Health David Clark after being asked if events like Pasifika and Polyfest should still go ahead, despite the announcement of New Zealand's first COVID-19 coronavirus case.

He says, "we're confident at this stage the chance of any spread into the community is very low, as long as people take the sensible precautions".

Clark says "if anyone is feeling unwell they shouldn't go to a big public event" and they should self-isolate. 

Festival director Torise Flay says the festival stage will complement the programmes that the 11 Pasifika Villages are providing.

She said, there will be a new feature, the Festival stage, that will feature headline acts performing on Saturday and Sunday.

"Also new to the programme is Pasifika Strong that will include Pasifika Strong, Pasifika strength athletes that'll be represented in five different Pacific islands."

Pasifika Festival at Western Springs in Auckland takes place March 14 and 15.

Festival organisers this year are wanting to focus the two-day event on connecting with village co-ordinators and Pacific communities.

Twenty six years ago the festival began as a joint initiative between community leaders and the council to bring Pasifika communities together.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate and share Pacific Island cultures with the wider Auckland community.

The event now attracts over 60,000 visitors over the two day festival.

Organisers of Pasifika Festival, held in Auckland, want to focus the two-day event on re-connecting with grassroots this year.

The event is one of the biggest Pacific cultural festival of its kind in the world and nurturing all those involved such as the village co-ordinators and Pacific communities is vital.

Event producer Torise Flay said that is her goal for 2018 as well as paying close attention to what festival-goers love about Pasifika Festival and what works well.

The aim is to help Pacific exporters promote their products to the New Zealand market.

Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand Trade Development Manager, Joe Fuavao, said around 40 companies from eleven Pacific countries will be taking part.

Mr Fuavao said the main object for the companies at the festival is to test their products to New Zealand consumers and gauge an immediate response.

Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) NZ is working in association with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), an organisation of the Auckland Council, to create the Pacific Hub that will host exporting companies from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

Though PTI has hosted Pacific companies at Pasifika since 2016, stalls of PTI-hosted companies tended to be scattered across the ‘villages’ throughout the sprawling Western Springs property.