AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

22 February 2007

Pasifika Festival marks 15 years

Auckland City Council’s Pasifika Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary at Western Springs this March.

The festival is the largest free community event of its kind in the world and is held annually in Auckland, home to the world's largest Pacific island population.

This year’s event will be an opportunity to celebrate the achievements, not just of the festival, but also of Pacific island communities in Auckland over the past 15 years.

The festival starts on Friday, 9 March with the free Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) opening night concert. It will look back at the past 15 years of the festival and celebrate some of the best of Pacific music and art during that time. The line-up of entertainers confirmed for this concert includes Jamoa Jam, Ben Makisi, Brother Love, Tau Fuata Niue, Tha Feelstyle, The Yandall Sisters, Dziah, Spacifix, Ardijah, Pacific Expressions and the Amene choir.

On festival day (Saturday, 10 March, 10am to 5pm), people can experience and interact with the different cultures of the Pacific islands and sample everything from contemporary arts and music to traditional food, handicrafts and cultural performances.

Ten Pacific island villages will each offer an insight to their cultural practices and ceremonies, traditional food, arts and crafts, music and performance. Activities will include flax weaving, lei making, firedancing and traditional cooking demonstrations. New this year is the addition of Tahiti, where Tahitian tamure lessons will be on offer.

Four stages will showcase the vast array of Pasifika traditional dance and contemporary song, while also having an emphasis on the cultural roots of some of the Pacific islands involved with the festival. Highlights include:

- Brownsville, direct from Los Angeles

- Pacific favourites Nesian Mystik

- Mutha Funktion, an eight piece jazz/funk band from Sydney

- NZ Idol 2006 winner Matt Saunoa

- Pacific soul diva Julie Ta’ale

- Aaradhna, New Zealand’s queen of hip hop and r’n’b

- Gabilou, a Tahitian performing legend

- Pacific roots band Kalaga’la

- Dance troop Pacific Expressions

- Mt Vaea Band, an award-winning Pacific music group.

Festival-goers will also be able to enjoy the Arts Arena, which will be located in Western Springs quarry. The Arts Arena will host a mix of poetry, opera, film and comedy, as well as talks with various artists including Reverend Mua Strickson-Pua, Ben Makisi, Craig Fasi and more.

Chairperson of the Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee, Councillor Penny Sefuiva, encourages Aucklanders to come along and immerse themselves in the cultural experience that is Pasifika Festival.

“Pacific island people and culture make an important contribution to Auckland's creativity, vibrancy and diversity. This festival is a great way to celebrate Pacific achievements and for all Aucklanders to experience a taste of Pacific island hospitality and friendship,” she says.

“The festival is also a great opportunity for Pacific island people to come together and proudly showcase different aspects of their culture. Many of the groups participating in this year’s event have been involved in the festival for a number of years and are now seeing the next generation of performers coming through. The event will be a huge celebration of the successes of Pacific island people over the past 15 years and a chance to look at the bright future ahead.”

“Auckland City Council is proud to bring Pasifika Festival to the public and looks forward to it continuing to be an iconic event for the city.”

Pasifika Festival is part of Celebrate Pasifika, a regional programme of arts and events which aims to showcase the extraordinary achievements of Auckland's Pacific peoples and provide opportunities for Aucklanders and visitors alike to engage with Auckland's Pacific cultures.

Pasifika Festival is one of more than 60 free events provided by Auckland City Council as part of the Ak@Play summer events programme. It is proudly sponsored by Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), SPARC (Sport & Recreation New Zealand), Radio 531pi, Ministry of Education’s Team-Up Helping our kids learn, Families Commission, APRA and the NZ Music Industry Commission, New Zealand Post, Air New Zealand, Flava 96one, Western Union Money Transfer and New Zealand Community Trust. The festival is supported by Creative New Zealand, Fonterra Brands (Tip Top) Limited, McCallum Industries Palm Corned Beef, Spasifik Magazine and Niu FM Radio Network.

ENDS

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