Pasifika Fusion Festival lights up peninsula

Lisa Kidwell, centre, watches the kava ceremony performed by the Fijian community at the Pasifika Fusion Festival in Whangarei. Photo / John Stone

Organisers of the Pasifika Fusion Festival have promised a bigger and more exciting event in years to come after another well-attended extravaganza in Whangarei.

At least 5000 people from all walks of life turned up at the Hihiaua Peninsula on Saturday to enjoy the best of Pacific art and craft, food and cultural performances.

Organised by the Northland Pacific Islands Charitable Trust, the festival started with a traditional kava ceremony performed by the local Fijian community and a Maori welcome before being officially opened by Whangarei mayor Sheryl Mai.

Pacific Peoples' Minister Alfred Ngaro was present at the kava ceremony.

Among those who performed on stage were a group of women fruit pickers from Kiribati who live in Kerikeri and dancers from the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Hawaii, and Fiji.

The Cooks Islands dance group, Mana o te Hula, and musicians Che Fu, Ladi6 and Team Dynamite also performed.

Actors John Tui and Pua Magasiva were the masters of ceremony.

Janet Hetaraka, spokeswoman for the festival's organising committee, was pleased with the turnout on a humid day and said luckily it did not rain until later in the day.

"The festival can only get bigger and more exciting as the years go by. The support we received from volunteers and our sponsors and, of course, the public at large has been fantastic," Ms Hetaraka said.

Two busloads of people came from Kerikeri and people also travelled from as far away as Auckland to enjoy the fun-filled day.

"The feedback we got was everybody was happy with how things went. Last year we had 5000 people and this year there were at least that number of people if not more."

An art exhibition, organised as part of the festival, will run until March 11 at The Quest ArtSpace on Bank St.

The exhibition features eight Pasifika artists who call Tai Tokerau home - Sieke Toa Taihia, Filana Maccassey, Vaimoana Eves, Gabriella Seager, Erena Donnelly, Isaac Bryce, Celicia Perese and Maarie Jane Rhys.

Many of the pieces are inspired by tradition, story telling genealogy, history, memories and identity and include digital art prints, ink and paint on paper, fabric and wood.