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A women’s song and dance troupe, comprising migrant strawberry pickers from Tonga, will be among the performers at the annual Pasifika Christmas Celebration held at Mahurangi College on November 18.
The Tongan presence at the celebration has previously been dominated by men so the women, who currently work for Gala Berry in Omaha, will help redress the balance.
They will share the stage with a skiffle group from Vanuatu.
In addition to Tonga and Vanuatu, other Pacific groups will represent the cultures of Samoa, Kiribati and Tuvalu.
Event organiser Neville Johnson, says the idea of the celebration is to expose Pacific culture to the wider community.
It’s also about making the community aware of the migrants living among them.
“They fly pretty much under the radar because they work very long hours and are seen only a little bit,” he says.
“For people to go and see and watch them perform is a big deal for them.”
The show will be followed by a Pacific feast focussing strongly on pork and ham.
Entry to the celebration is by gold coin donation. The show starts at 3pm and runs until 8pm.
This is the third year the event has been held at Mahurangi College. It is organised by the Mahu Vision Community Trust – an extension of the Mahurangi Presbyterian Church.
The event is sponsored by Creative NZ, Lions, New World, Mahurangi Presbyterian Church, Southern Paprika and Gala Berry.
