Taiwan Day to offer experience of 'land where Maori came from'

Sauru from the Paiwan tribe meets Sir Pita Sharples at a Taiwan indigenous tourism promotion in Auckland. File photo / Doug Sherring

Organisers of an Asian festival this weekend are hoping it would bring better understanding of the "land where Maori came from".

Taiwan Day will take place at Auckland's Aotea Square over the weekend, and is aimed at promoting Taiwan's indigenous dance and music, food and history.

"According to historical studies, the ancestors of New Zealand Maori originated from Taiwan over a thousand years ago," says organiser Stella Lu.

"But it was not until the end of the 20th century that people from Taiwan arrived."

Lu said the free event would reveal some of the similarities indigenous cultures from Taiwan have with Maori.

"This is a celebration of the old and new, and will give people a chance to experience a little bit of the land where Maori come from," Lu said.

A highlight of the two-day event will be performances by a special acrobatics troupe from the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts.

Food stalls will dish up Taiwanese signature dishes such as pork belly buns, salty fried chicken and pearl milk tea.

The festival kicks off tomorrow, Saturday September 9, at 10am.