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Pasifika Festival

March 04, 2023

The Pasifika Festival is a Pacific Islands-themed festival held annually in Western Springs Reserve, Auckland, New Zealand. Celebrated since 1993, it is the largest festival of its type in the world and attracts over 200,000 visitors every year.[1]

Pasifika Festival
Cook Islands dancers at the Pasifika Festival
GenrePasifika arts and culture
Frequencyannual
Location(s)Auckland
CountryNew Zealand
Established1993
Attendance200,000
Activitytraditional cuisine and performances from Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tahiti, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Hawai'i and Māori
Organised byTātaki Auckland Unlimited
Websitehttps://www.aucklandnz.com/pasifika

The event is owned and hosted by Auckland Council.

The festival presents a wide variety of cultural experiences, including traditional cuisine and performances from Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tahiti, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Tangata Whenua (New Zealand Māori).

History

Beginnings

The original driving force behind the festival was a secretary of the South Pacific Forum, Roy Vaughan. His idea to create an event to celebrate the cultures of the South Pacific came to realisation in February 1991 when he showed his proposal to several high-ranking officials of South Pacific nations: Cook Islands Consul General Bill Te Ariki, Papua New Guinea Consul General Alister Martin and others.[2] Initially the festival was supposed to take place in Central Auckland.[3] The newly formed South Pacific Island Nation Development Agency accumulated feedback from the community and changed the location to Western Springs a week and a half before the event;[4] Western Springs was supported by the mayor, Les Mills, and the City Council.[5]

The first Pasifika Festival was held 6-12 March 1993; its community day was visited by 30,000 people.[6] The scope of the festival broadened at the very first event as several Micronesian and Melanesian groups chose to participate.[7] Despite some initial scepticism and remarks on lack of representation in an evaluation report delivered by Nancy Sheehan, overall it was successful.[8] The festival was awarded the Creative New Zealand Creative Places Award next year.[9]

Annual events were held for the first four years without significant change. In 1997, after a reorganisation, Auckland City Council encapsulated[clarification needed] the Pasifika committee and the support from the South Pacific Island Nation Development Agency became redundant.[10] After that, the new event coordinator Pitsch Leiser worked towards making the festival sustainable during the two years he was involved with it.[11] From that time onwards visitor numbers started to grow rapidly.[12]

The mid-years

 
Niuean dancers at the Pasifika Festival (2002).

The Pasifika 1999 was the first Pasifika festival with a large company sponsorship. Although the involvement of KFC as the main sponsor was deemed highly controversial, it helped to increase the budget and attracted other major sponsors to the consequential events.[13] The other important development of that year was the concept of 'national villages' that were presenting culturally appropriate items and performances.[14]

After the event Leiser stepped down from the coordinator role. The new coordinator, Michelle Khan, re-established communication with the communities, raised the stallholder's fees and worked on improving and increasing the role of villages that were mainly just market stalls while the performances mainly occurred at the main stages.[15] The organisers started to express their concerns to the performing groups if they felt that the performance quality was lacking, advising them to gain more experience at smaller local festivals.[16]

The Pasifika Festival 2000 was attended by close to 100,000 people.[17] The 2001 festival was awarded with the Creative New Zealand Creative Places Award.[18]

 
Dancers at the Cook Islands stage, 2010

The 2002 festival was jointly organised by Mere Lomaloma Elliot and a non-Pacific event manager, but it was deemed unsuccessful due to the lack of mutual understanding between them.[19] Elliot was appointed the festival's director in 2003 and held that position until 2006.[20] The position of the full-time festival administration was vacated in 2004 and filled by Rebecca Knox, who in 2006 initiated splitting of the director position into 2: the operations manager (Knox) and the strategic/relationships festival director (Ole Maiava, an artist and an event manager who was earlier involved in the Tu Fa'atasi festival and the Creekfest).[21]

2010s onwards

 
Dancer on the Tuvalu stage, 2011 Pasifika festival

Maiava reworked the compensations model for the participants. The auditioning process was streamlined by Tanya Muagututi’a who also established a workshop for emerging artists.[22] Around that time the preparations started taking the whole year, and many staff members do it as a full-time job.[23] After the 2010 festival Pasifika was moved under the Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development jurisdiction.[24]

The question of Māori exclusion bothered many people, but the organisers could not immediately find a solution that would be appropriate for all parties involved.[25]

The 2012 festival was only two days long, and its length is limited to 2 to 3 days as of 2019.[26]

Pasifika Festival 2014 had 11 unique villages showcasing the cultures of 11 Pacific Island nations: Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Aotearoa.[27] The 11th Hawaiian village was added that year.[28]

In 2015, the festival was moved temporarily to Hayman Park in Manukau after the discovery of Queensland fruit flies in the Grey Lynn area near Western Springs.[29]

In 2016, it moved back to Western Springs.[30]

In 2019, the festival was cancelled for safety reasons on account of the Christchurch mosque shootings.[31]

In 2020, the festival was again cancelled, because of the Coronavirus Pandemic.[32] It was held in 2021 at Mount Smart Stadium.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ Tapaleao, Vaimoana (8 March 2008). "Thousands attend Pasifika". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  2. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 71
  3. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 101
  4. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 101
  5. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 72
  6. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 73
  7. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 73
  8. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 74-75
  9. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 82
  10. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 77
  11. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 78
  12. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 78
  13. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 78-79
  14. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 79
  15. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 80-81
  16. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 82
  17. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 81
  18. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 82
  19. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 82
  20. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 82
  21. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 84-85
  22. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 86-87
  23. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 89
  24. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 90
  25. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 87-88
  26. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 90
  27. ^ Pasifika Festival 2014 website | http://pasifika.aucklandnz.com/pasifika
  28. ^ Mackley-Crump (2015). p. 90
  29. ^ "Fruit fly war: Pasifika festival forced to move". The New Zealand Herald. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  30. ^ Pasifika to go back to Western Springs | https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/70368809/pasifika-to-go-back-to-western-springs
  31. ^ "Auckland's Pasifika Festival cancelled". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Auckland Mayor Phil Goff on Covid-19's implications for the city". Radio New Zealand. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  33. ^ . 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  34. ^ . 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.

Further reading

  • Mackley-Crump, Jared (2015), The Pacific Festivals of Aotearoa New Zealand, Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, ISBN 978-0-8248-3871-3

External links

  • Official website
  • Celebrate Pasifika (2014 website)
  • Auckland Council - Pasifika organisers
  • Spasifik magazine website

March 04, 2023
pasifika, festival, pacific, islands, themed, festival, held, annually, western, springs, reserve, auckland, zealand, celebrated, since, 1993, largest, festival, type, world, attracts, over, visitors, every, year, cook, islands, dancers, genrepasifika, arts, c. The Pasifika Festival is a Pacific Islands themed festival held annually in Western Springs Reserve Auckland New Zealand Celebrated since 1993 it is the largest festival of its type in the world and attracts over 200 000 visitors every year 1 Pasifika FestivalCook Islands dancers at the Pasifika FestivalGenrePasifika arts and cultureFrequencyannualLocation s AucklandCountryNew ZealandEstablished1993Attendance200 000Activitytraditional cuisine and performances from Samoa Tonga Cook Islands Fiji Niue Tahiti Tokelau Tuvalu Kiribati Hawai i and MaoriOrganised byTataki Auckland UnlimitedWebsitehttps www aucklandnz com pasifikaThe event is owned and hosted by Auckland Council The festival presents a wide variety of cultural experiences including traditional cuisine and performances from Samoa Tonga Cook Islands Fiji Niue Tahiti Tokelau Tuvalu Kiribati and the Tangata Whenua New Zealand Maori Contents 1 History 1 1 Beginnings 1 2 The mid years 1 3 2010s onwards 2 Notable people 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory EditBeginnings Edit The original driving force behind the festival was a secretary of the South Pacific Forum Roy Vaughan His idea to create an event to celebrate the cultures of the South Pacific came to realisation in February 1991 when he showed his proposal to several high ranking officials of South Pacific nations Cook Islands Consul General Bill Te Ariki Papua New Guinea Consul General Alister Martin and others 2 Initially the festival was supposed to take place in Central Auckland 3 The newly formed South Pacific Island Nation Development Agency accumulated feedback from the community and changed the location to Western Springs a week and a half before the event 4 Western Springs was supported by the mayor Les Mills and the City Council 5 The first Pasifika Festival was held 6 12 March 1993 its community day was visited by 30 000 people 6 The scope of the festival broadened at the very first event as several Micronesian and Melanesian groups chose to participate 7 Despite some initial scepticism and remarks on lack of representation in an evaluation report delivered by Nancy Sheehan overall it was successful 8 The festival was awarded the Creative New Zealand Creative Places Award next year 9 Annual events were held for the first four years without significant change In 1997 after a reorganisation Auckland City Council encapsulated clarification needed the Pasifika committee and the support from the South Pacific Island Nation Development Agency became redundant 10 After that the new event coordinator Pitsch Leiser worked towards making the festival sustainable during the two years he was involved with it 11 From that time onwards visitor numbers started to grow rapidly 12 The mid years Edit Niuean dancers at the Pasifika Festival 2002 The Pasifika 1999 was the first Pasifika festival with a large company sponsorship Although the involvement of KFC as the main sponsor was deemed highly controversial it helped to increase the budget and attracted other major sponsors to the consequential events 13 The other important development of that year was the concept of national villages that were presenting culturally appropriate items and performances 14 After the event Leiser stepped down from the coordinator role The new coordinator Michelle Khan re established communication with the communities raised the stallholder s fees and worked on improving and increasing the role of villages that were mainly just market stalls while the performances mainly occurred at the main stages 15 The organisers started to express their concerns to the performing groups if they felt that the performance quality was lacking advising them to gain more experience at smaller local festivals 16 The Pasifika Festival 2000 was attended by close to 100 000 people 17 The 2001 festival was awarded with the Creative New Zealand Creative Places Award 18 Dancers at the Cook Islands stage 2010 The 2002 festival was jointly organised by Mere Lomaloma Elliot and a non Pacific event manager but it was deemed unsuccessful due to the lack of mutual understanding between them 19 Elliot was appointed the festival s director in 2003 and held that position until 2006 20 The position of the full time festival administration was vacated in 2004 and filled by Rebecca Knox who in 2006 initiated splitting of the director position into 2 the operations manager Knox and the strategic relationships festival director Ole Maiava an artist and an event manager who was earlier involved in the Tu Fa atasi festival and the Creekfest 21 2010s onwards Edit Dancer on the Tuvalu stage 2011 Pasifika festival Maiava reworked the compensations model for the participants The auditioning process was streamlined by Tanya Muagututi a who also established a workshop for emerging artists 22 Around that time the preparations started taking the whole year and many staff members do it as a full time job 23 After the 2010 festival Pasifika was moved under the Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development jurisdiction 24 The question of Maori exclusion bothered many people but the organisers could not immediately find a solution that would be appropriate for all parties involved 25 The 2012 festival was only two days long and its length is limited to 2 to 3 days as of 2019 26 Pasifika Festival 2014 had 11 unique villages showcasing the cultures of 11 Pacific Island nations Cook Islands Fiji Hawaii Kiribati Niue Samoa Tahiti Tonga Tokelau Tuvalu and Aotearoa 27 The 11th Hawaiian village was added that year 28 In 2015 the festival was moved temporarily to Hayman Park in Manukau after the discovery of Queensland fruit flies in the Grey Lynn area near Western Springs 29 In 2016 it moved back to Western Springs 30 In 2019 the festival was cancelled for safety reasons on account of the Christchurch mosque shootings 31 In 2020 the festival was again cancelled because of the Coronavirus Pandemic 32 It was held in 2021 at Mount Smart Stadium Notable people EditJoana Monolagi Fijian village coordinator 2000 current 33 34 See also EditPasifika New ZealandersReferences Edit Tapaleao Vaimoana 8 March 2008 Thousands attend Pasifika The New Zealand Herald Retrieved 1 November 2011 Mackley Crump 2015 p 71 Mackley Crump 2015 p 101 Mackley Crump 2015 p 101 Mackley Crump 2015 p 72 Mackley Crump 2015 p 73 Mackley Crump 2015 p 73 Mackley Crump 2015 p 74 75 Mackley Crump 2015 p 82 Mackley Crump 2015 p 77 Mackley Crump 2015 p 78 Mackley Crump 2015 p 78 Mackley Crump 2015 p 78 79 Mackley Crump 2015 p 79 Mackley Crump 2015 p 80 81 Mackley Crump 2015 p 82 Mackley Crump 2015 p 81 Mackley Crump 2015 p 82 Mackley Crump 2015 p 82 Mackley Crump 2015 p 82 Mackley Crump 2015 p 84 85 Mackley Crump 2015 p 86 87 Mackley Crump 2015 p 89 Mackley Crump 2015 p 90 Mackley Crump 2015 p 87 88 Mackley Crump 2015 p 90 Pasifika Festival 2014 website http pasifika aucklandnz com pasifika Mackley Crump 2015 p 90 Fruit fly war Pasifika festival forced to move The New Zealand Herald 25 February 2015 Retrieved 15 March 2015 Pasifika to go back to Western Springs https www stuff co nz auckland local news manukau courier 70368809 pasifika to go back to western springs Auckland s Pasifika Festival cancelled Radio New Zealand Retrieved 13 March 2020 Auckland Mayor Phil Goff on Covid 19 s implications for the city Radio New Zealand 13 March 2020 Retrieved 13 March 2020 About The Veiqia Project 5 October 2021 Archived from the original on 5 October 2021 Retrieved 5 October 2021 Fiji Village Co ordinator Aucklandnz com 5 October 2021 Archived from the original on 5 October 2021 Retrieved 5 October 2021 Further reading EditMackley Crump Jared 2015 The Pacific Festivals of Aotearoa New Zealand Honolulu University of Hawai i Press ISBN 978 0 8248 3871 3External links EditOfficial website Celebrate Pasifika 2014 website Auckland Council Pasifika organisers Spasifik magazine website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pasifika Festival amp oldid 1130239509, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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