Māori multicultural festival celebrates a flourishing diversity of cultures, bringing communities together

On 24 July 2022, the Māori multicultural festival was successfully held at the Synergy Community Trust Chinese community centre in Auckland, New Zealand. Initiated by Auckland’s Whau Local Board, the festival was jointly organised by the New Zealand Culture and Arts Foundation, the Synergy Community Trust Chinese community centre, the New Zealand Huaxia Culture and Arts Exchange Centre, the New Zealand Asian Library and Cultural Centre, and the New Zealand Huaxing Arts Troupe, with support from several local community organisations.

 

 

Lei Zhen, Deputy Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Auckland, also delivered an important address.

 

Deputy Consul-General Lei Zhen said the Māori multicultural festival had taken cultural exchange between New Zealand’s ethnic communities to a new level. He warmly commended the organising committee’s work and offered his best wishes for the event.

 

At 1h in the afternoon, Auckland local time, hundreds of people, including representatives from New Zealand’s political, business and media circles and local residents, attended the event. All dignitaries took their seats during a kaumātua blessing ceremony led by Whau Local Board chair Kay Thomas. An impassioned haka and a traditional Chinese lion dance performed by the New Zealand White Cloud Lions Club energised the crowd. The lion eye-dotting and awakening ceremony formally opened the event.

 

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The host, Whau Local Board, began with a welcome address. Festival initiator and Whau Local Board member Susan Zhu Xudong explained the festival’s significance and the inspiration behind it on behalf of the board. She said New Zealand was highly inclusive of diverse ethnic cultures, and local people were keen to learn about and understand other communities’ cultures. Matariki, the Māori New Year, represented renewal and hope, as well as an opportunity for exchange and mutual understanding with Chinese and other ethnic cultures. The festival aimed to provide a platform for every community to showcase its culture and deepen cultural exchange among Māori, Chinese, European, Indian and Pacific communities.

 

The event offered a lively programme with one highlight after another. Haka, Pacific dances, Indian dances, Hawaiian dances, Chinese song and dance, children’s performances and Māori love songs gave the audience a rich feast for the eyes and ears. Applause continued throughout, with the excitement building repeatedly.

 

There were also opportunities to experience different cultures through activities such as painting, paper-cutting, crafts and children’s entertainment.

 

 

Young artists from Nannanxi Art Studio, Tongqu Art and the Auckland Chinese Education Centre exhibited works incorporating Matariki themes, with the organising committee presenting awards for excellence and prizes. Seven paintings by children with special needs taught by Lynda were also included in the exhibition.

 

Community leaders attending the event included:

 

 

He Zhiyun, president of the New Zealand Pacific Culture and Arts Development Association, and his wife; Chen Shuizhen, president of the New Zealand Federation of Chinese and Overseas Chinese; Liu Huijing, global executive chair of the Hot Mama International Beauty Pageant, co-founder of the Jianfenghui bespoke platform for women and president of the New Zealand Hot Mama Association; Hu Yanping, China brand ambassador for the Hot Mama International Beauty Pageant and dean of the Jianfenghui Elegance Academy; the head of YIJU New Zealand’s media operations, Susan Li, publisher of the New Zealand newspaper, Huang Zhen, vice-president of the New Zealand Chinese Women’s United Foundation, Chen Haohe, chair of the New Zealand Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Academy; Lin Jinshui, president of the academy; Tang Xiaoming, its vice-president; Lei Shuqing, its secretary-general; Hao Lianqin, president of the Onehunga Chinese Association; Liu Guofen, representative of the Epsom Chinese Association; Steven Huang Yegang, vice-president of the West Auckland Chinese Association; Wang Yong, vice-president of the New Auckland Chinese Association; Zhang Ronghua, leader of the Bailing Orchestra, and Wang Shiqing, its chief conductor; Ricky, president of the New Zealand White Cloud Lions Club; Frank Su, president of the New Zealand Chinese Collectors Association; Susan Diao, Labour candidate for the Massey-Henderson Local Board; President Diao of the Auckland Environmental Protection Association; Mary Mairui, head of the Synergy Hundred-Person Dance Troupe; and representatives of the participating performance groups, among others.

 

Betti and Victor hosted the event in Chinese and English.

 

Matariki stars in the sky, wellbeing for humanity on Earth

 

Sources:

Consulate-General of China in Auckland

Synergy Chinese community centre

Some photographs supplied by Uncle Sun of the Chinese Image Library