The annual Pasifika Fusion Festival turned 20 this year and Police joined in the community celebrations in Palmerston North.

The festival is a community education initiative where secondary schools are invited to highlight their students’ Pacific cultures and showcase their academic abilities. Performances range from speeches, debates, song and dance to poetry, writing, drama and visual arts, to name a few.

Held from 2-4 July, the festival brought together nearly 600 competing students, 100-plus volunteers and more than 3000 friends, family, school staff and supporters.

The event was held at the Regent Theatre - and this year’s theme was Triumphant Pasifika Legacies: A reflection on Dawn Raids.

Central District Pacific Liaison Coordinator Jodie Haitana-Sturm, OC of Operation Pasifika Fusion 2024, coordinated the Police presence with support from Manawatū Youth and Community groups, and local and national Māori Pacific and Ethnic Services staff.

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“It was the first time there has been an operational Police presence at the event, and our presence was also poignant due to the theme of this year’s festival,” says Jodie.

“We were made to feel very welcome and many of the festival committee staff, volunteers, and attendees commented about the positive interactions with our team.

“The event was so popular that on the last night of the festival, the Regent sold out and the committee booked a theatre in Downtown Cinemas for people to enjoy the livestream.”

Throughout the years, the festival has grown to include more schools, students, volunteers, Pasifika communities and even more categories.

This year, Palmerston North Girls High School were the overall winners of the festival.

“We worked collaboratively with the event organisers to ensure everyone had a fun and safe time, and it was great to see that this year primary and intermediate school were included in the celebrations,” says Jodie.

“A huge thank-you all the staff that supported this operation and a special thanks to our national Pasifika Partnerships staff for coming along to meet our team and enjoy some of the festivities.”

To gauge how effective the Police support was, Jodie and the team created a one-page survey for the festival organisers, which generated positive feedback and a desire from all to see Police staff there again and for many years to come. 

“We were able to normalise our presence in every aspect - and one piece of feedback that we will action for next year is having a recruitment stand and a general hub for Police engagement,” says Jodie.

“It was an incredibly successful operation and I want to take this opportunity to also congratulate the festival committee, volunteers, students and their families for all their hard work over a fantastic three days.”

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