Hawai'i festival founder calls on Pasifika to join landmark celebration

A cultural celebration inspired by New Zealand’s own Pasifika drive is preparing to mark a major milestone in Hawai‘i.

Pacific communities across Aotearoa are being invited to take part in the Hawai‘i Kuauli Pacific & Asia Cultural Festival to be held there during 4-6 June, 2027.

The founder of the festival, Kumu Leināʻala Fruean, is encouraging Pacific families, cultural groups and performers to begin planning now for the festival’s 10th anniversary celebration,.

Speaking to Island Time, Fruean says the event is about much more than performances and entertainment.

“It’s not just a festival; it’s a celebration of culture, legacy, history and multiple generations working together as one voice, one people, and one call to continue to steward our lands, people, language and history.”

Fruean has a strong connection to Aotearoa, having lived in New Zealand since 1989. She says the country played a significant role in shaping her vision for the festival.

Watch Kumu Leināʻala Fruean's full interview below.

“If I cannot live in Hawai‘i, then that would be the next whenua, that land that I would live in.”

The idea for the festival dates back more than 30 years when Fruean visited Auckland’s Pasifika Festival, and later returned to Hawai’i with a wider vision.

“It wasn’t just a Hawaiian festival, but a festival with Hawai‘i, the Pacific and Asia all in one.”

She says her homeland’s multicultural identity is shaped by generations of migration linked to industries such as sugar, pineapple and coffee.

Looking back on the event’s growth, Fruean says one its greatest achievements has been empowering communities to lead cultural preservation and education efforts.

“The community gets impacted, the community gets leaders leading, and we are at the forefront of educating our visitors.”

Fruean says that alongside the annual festival, organisers are developing workshops designed to educate and equip future generations, focusing on cultural knowledge, leadership and workforce capacity building.

“We want this next generation to come in, understand the foundational needs, and embrace the things that this generation loves the most.”

The workshops include Hawaiian cultural protocols, language learning, chanting, song composition, lei-making and other hands-on cultural experiences.

Fruean is focusing on strengthening regional connections and encouraging greater youth involvement.

She has issued an open invitation to people throughout New Zealand, Sāmoa, Tonga, Tokelau, Niue, the Cook Islands, Tahiti and other Pacific nations.

“You don’t have to ask, ‘Can I come?’ You are invited to come.”

Fruean acknowledges that travel costs can be difficult but says organisers are committed to supporting visiting communities where possible.

“We know there’s a big cost involved, and one of the things we work tirelessly at is finding places for those groups coming from across the sea.”

The Fire Knife competition, where performers showcase their skills in the traditional Sāmoan fire knife dance known as siva afi, is one of the festival’s most popular and high-energy attractions.

MJ Mata’u says performers are judged on how they embody the spirit of a warrior through the traditional Sāmoan fire knife dance, siva afi. Photo/hikuauli.com

Fire Knife Competition judge MJ Mata’u, from Laie, Hawai‘i, says strong performers distinguish themselves through their ability to embody the spirit of a warrior.

“It’s how they portray being a warrior, especially because siwaʻafi is a war weapon from Nā Fonua that was adapted into fire knife dancing. For me, seeing a siva afi fire knife dancer is seeing a warrior and how they portray that warrior spirit on stage with the fire knife.”

Ultimately, Fruean hopes participants will leave with a stronger understanding of who they are and where they come from.

“We hope that everyone finds what they’re meant to do: their calling, destiny and purpose. For us, it’s about making sure our stories, languages, cultures and histories continue for generations to come.”

The 10th anniversary festival will be held in Hawai‘i from 4-6 June 2027, with organisers inviting Pacific communities from Aotearoa, the wider Pacific and Asia to take part.

Lachlan Eddie,a journalism student at Wintec, is currently completing a six-week internship at PMN News.