South Auckland community bid to keep Pasifika Festival

Pasifika Festival 2014 at Western Springs Auckland. Photo / Doug Sherring

Pasifika Festival

•Established in 1992.
•Traditionally held at Western Springs Park, Auckland.
•The event regularly attracts up to 50,000 people.
•Was moved for the first time to Hayman Park, Manukau, this year because of restrictions relating to the Queensland fruit fly scare.

A community meeting with the Auckland Council tomorrow is expected to drum up big support for keeping the Pasifika Festival permanently in South Auckland.

Otara-Papatoetoe local board chairman Fa'anana Efeso Collins has called the meeting in a bid to "change things up", he said.

"It's really just to give the community some input into it, because a lot of people are saying, 'Is the festival still ours? Do we own it'?"

The meeting will encourage members of the public and community leaders to give their thoughts about this year's festival.

It had to be re-located to South Auckland because of restrictions placed around Western Springs - where Pasifika is usually held - following the discovery of the Queensland fruit fly.

Some within the community say the fruit fly was the best thing that has happened to the event in recent times.

"The fruit fly actually gave us an opportunity to think," Mr Collins said.

Performers from Tamariki Taurea Nui on the Cook Islands stage at the Pasifika Festival , Hayman Park, Manukau. Photo / Michael Craig

"Auckland is more than the CBD. I'm wanting (the council) to consider the location of Pasifika remaining in Manukau - which is not only culturally fitting, but is a place of substantial growth desperately in need of a significant event like Pasifika."

Auckland Council's tourism, events and economic development (Ateed) group is in charge of running the event and this year out-sourced private events company The Orange Group to deliver it.

It is understood an Ateed representative will be at tomorrow's meeting.

Mangere MP Su'a William Sio said he and a number of Pacific Island MPs from South Auckland - including Louisa Wall and Jenny Salesa - had sent a letter to mayor Len Brown following this year's festival.

"We just shared with him how wonderful it was to have it here in Manukau," he said.
"That was just in response from people who were there and people who we met.

It felt like the festival was a natural fit here - like it was home."