Pasifika culture, dance, traditions, food, and crafts will proudly be on display tomorrow in Dunedin for the inaugural Moana Nui Festival. Moana Nui Festival event project coordinator Stacy Kokaua says excitement is already starting to build in the city as the Pasifika community prepare to showcase their best for the first time at the Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Stacy says alongside the Pacific Trust Otago with the support from the Dunedin City Council’s Community Access Grant and Ministry for Pacific Peoples, they have been able to host the festival at the stadium, which gives it an added element of celebration and legitimacy for the event, “we are really looking forward to tomorrow and it should be a really big celebration.” She says while there have been other festivals in the past held at the Dunedin Town Hall this the first Moana Nui Festival.
Stacy says organising the event has been a collaborative process with the Dunedin Pasifika community, “we met with leaders from all of the Pasifika communities and we asked them what they wanted to see. We shared what our vision was and how they saw that happening on the day.”
She hopes people get a chance to get a taste of the Pacific tomorrow and celebrate the different rich cultures the Pacific has to offer. “Our communities have been here for a long time as well so its really good that we get to put our stake in the ground as a Pacific city.”
Moana Nui Festival kicks off tomorrow from 10 am till 5 pm at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. Koha entry. Festival goers are reminded it is a cash only event.
