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Organisers of the first Māori-Chinese cultural celebration are expecting up to 10,000 people at Orakei Marae tomorrow.
Committee member Tu Williams says the Taniwha and Dragon Festival was sparked by a speech at the marae on Race Relations Day by Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples, a former race relations office staffer.
He says it’s time for Māori to embrace all peoples and cultures that co-exist in Aotearoa New Zealand, which the Taniwha & Dragon idea symbolises.
“In particular, it expresses the coming together of two quiet ancient cultures and of course we do have a whakapapa that goes back into China and Taiwan. It’s an opportunity for us to acknowledge that and to celebrate it,” Tu Williams says.
The Taniwha & Dragon starts at 9 tomorrow with the pōwhiri, followed by entertainment, a kite workshop and kite flying of Māori and Chinese kites.
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