Moana Nui Festival celebrates Pacific unity and cultural richness

The Moana Nui Festival is a vibrant event in the deep south of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Small in number but mighty in spirit, 12 Pacific communities came together to celebrate the fourth annual Moana Nui Festival in Dunedin on Saturday.

A collaboration between Pasifika Trust Otago (PTO) and the participating Pacific communities transformed Otago’s Forsyth Barr Stadium into a lively display of the colours, sounds, and flavours of the Pacific.

In true Pacific fashion, many of the 4000 Pacific Islanders, who make up 3.2 per cent of the city's population of 126,000, arrived with flowers and food to share with the wider Dunedin community.

Finau K Taugapeau, the Director of Health and Services and senior dietitian at PTO, says the event is a significant highlight for the city.

"Part of the event’s strategy was to bring the Pacific youth together, for everyone to be connected within each Pacific community here and at the same time to connect Pacific communities to the wider city of Dunedin."

In its fourth year, the festival's growth is evident in the increasing number of attendees and participants. From an initial turnout of 6000 to 7000 in its first year, attendance has now exceeded 10,000.

The growing participation from local communities has led to an increase in stalls and cultural performances, reflecting the diversity of the various communities present in Dunedin.

"It goes from strength to strength. We are seeing the number of participants grow not only in Dunedin but also in its outskirts, such as Oamaru, Timaru, and even as far south as Balclutha and Invercargill," Taugapeau says.

Finau K Taugapeau, left, with delegates ready to take the stage for the opening ceremony of the Moana Nui Festival in Dunedin on Saturday. Photo/Supplied

This year’s programme introduced the Moana Pasifika Choir, a new concept for the festival.

The festival’s opening act celebrated the diverse Pacific cultures in Dunedin. Composed of young Pacific talent, the choir was organised by Tala Faletolu, who envisioned bringing young people together to deepen their cultural knowledge and understanding while showcasing unity in diversity.

"It was an amazing event for us to come together every Sunday at 4 o’clock to fellowship, and we got to understand each other's cultures," Faletolu says.

"The opening act was titled ‘our youth our migration, our children our migration’ and it was to reflect how our parents migrated in the 60s and the 70s."

Tokelau stall holder selling delicious food. Photo/Supplied

The story of migration is ongoing, particularly in Dunedin, where many young participants relocate to the city for university studies. One such student is Cook Islander Trina Karaponga from the island of Manihiki, who is currently studying Health Science at the University of Otago.

"It's been a big change for me. I’m not surrounded by culture every day, so opportunities like this to perform for Moana Nui or with a cultural group are very special to me, and I'm very proud to do it," Karaponga says.

The festival is a testament to the strong support from local communities and the local council, which continues to grow in numbers and assistance every year.

Taungapeau is excited to see how much bigger the festival will become next year.

Moana Nui Choir conductor Tala Faletolu. Photo/Supplied