Local Focus: Migrants prepare for multicultural pōwhiri

Last year, the Bay of Plenty hosted its first ever migrant pōwhiri at Whareroa Marae.

Hundreds of migrants from across the region attended the event, which was organised by Multicultural Tauranga after it was challenged to do so by Ngāi Te Rangi CEO Paora Stanley.

"We thought it was a wonderful idea," said Premila D'Mello, president of Multicultural Tauranga. "But it's a process that's really hard sometimes, to find a marae that is willing to do something like that, because it takes so much work to organise.

"So, through the kindness of his heart, [Stanley] said he would host the pōwhiri at Whareroa Marae."

The pōwhiri was so successful, the region is now preparing to welcome its new arrivals in a second migrant pōwhiri.

"This helps migrants to connect with tangata whenua," said D'Mello. "Often migrants don't have that opportunity to know a bit more about Māori as people, or don't go to a marae for years after being in New Zealand, and so it's a wonderful opportunity for them to meet Māori and be welcomed by them."

Memories of last year's multicultural event are still fresh in the minds of those who attended.

"I really enjoyed it, and lots of migrants had never been to a marae," said Anish Paudel, a Tauranga resident from Nepal.

"I was looking to learn more Māori language and culture. They have their own unique tikanga, ways of doing things, which are really different to other cultures."

Karen Gibney, a Pāpāmoa resident from Chile, said it was a "lovely experience, very different to what we do in Latin America and where I come from, Chile.

"To be a migrant from a culture where our indigenous [peoples] don't have the same space that Māori have in this country, it's quite amazing to be able to see what we could have done with our indigenous [population] in our country."

The second migrant pōwhiri will again take place at Whareroa marae on Saturday, November 12. Register here and get free tickets on the website.