The Zimbabwean community in Canterbury celebrated their 37th Independence Day on April 22. Zimbabwe attained its independence from Britain on April 18, 1980. Since then it has been a very important day in the calendar of Zimbabwe. To mark this day, the Zimbabwean community in Canterbury came together to reflect on the journey of the country so far. The occasionwas well attended by Zimbabweans as well asother invited international communities in Christchurch.  The ceremony was officially opened with a karakia by Maori elder, Sally Pitama followed by our guest speaker, Hilton Chaza, who chronicled the history of Zimbabwe and the struggle that culminated in attainment of independence. Entertainment was provided by the the Chitongo African Band which mesmerized the crowd with their traditional beat from the heart of Zimbabwe.

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One of the most sacred Buddhist festivals in the world, celebrating the birth, along with commemorating the enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha, which falls on May 3, this year, was celebrated in Christchurch on April 22. The event was co-organised by the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) South Island NZ and Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple (FGSBT) South Island, which reopened its door late last year after four years of intensive earthquake repairs. It was also the temple's 10th year of establishment, causing the celebrations to be bigger than usual.

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Formed in 1998 The Canterbury Shetland and Orkney Society is a friendly network and social hub for interested locals and Island descendants. We have about 120 members and we meet every two months for social outings and to celebrate festivals such as ‘Up Helly Aa’ (www.uphellyaa.org/) held on the last Tuesday in January, by singing the three Viking songs and carrying out a ‘Galley-Burning,’and playing such Viking games as Kubb.

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Eric Chuah, former head of migrant banking with ANZ, has launched Cultural Connections, New Zealand’s first social enterprise to specialise in researching migrants, is calling all migrants to join its research panels and in doing so help the country’s multicultural community groups flourish.

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The Indian Social and Cultural Club (ISCC) – a Christchurch-based social and cultural organisation, in its recently held AGM has elected a new 20-member strong executive committee to oversee the Club’s initiatives in its 20th anniversary year. Formed in 1997, the Club is known for organising the biggest Diwali festival in the South Island every year.

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He was speaking in reference to a report published in Christchurch's The Press on March 31 - "Crash victims were newcomers to NZ". The story also appeared a day earlier on stuff.co.nz. The story referred to a fatal crash that took place on March 28 near Culverden in which two Indian boys were killed. "The police have told us that the investigation will take about a month to complete. Even the report in The Press mentions 'Police said an investigation into the crash was ongoing'. Inspite of this, the report adds 'It is understood they had driven onto the wrong side of the road'. This, we believe places the blame on the Indian boys even before the crash investigations are complete, which might have implications regarding insurance claims. I have sought clarification from The Press regarding this," Clark said. 

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The Christchurch Fiji Association (Cfcessa) organised a Fiji-style holi last Sunday with over 100 people attending from the community. While exchanging sweets, applying colours and doing karaoke were all part of the celebrations, the highlight was the Faag mandalis, which sang faag (holi-related folk songs) – a Fiji tradition – late into the evening. Vinesh Prakash, secretary of the Association noted, “Our coordinator for this event was Virendra Prasad, who did a great job. Back home, we have this tradition where we sing holi-related folk songs on the full-moon night holika is set on fire. This is also carried on the next morning during dhuleti when all of us play with colours. During that day, the faag mandalis also visit homes of friends and relatives, exchanging sweets, applying colours and playing music.”

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Schools that participated included Haeata Community Campus, Middleton Grange School, Avonside Girls' High School, Hornby High School, Ashburton College, Cashmere High School, Papanui High School, St Thomas' of Canterbury College, Shirley Boys' High SChool, Riccarton High School, Marlborough Boys' College, Marlborough Girls' College, Burnside High School, Marian College, St Bedes' College, Linwood College, Villa Maria College and Christchurch Girls' High School, and Catholic Cathedral College.

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“The great thing about Culture Galore is that the community takes ownership of the festival. It's another indication that Christchurch is embracing diversity. In addition to some good initiatives already in place such as the adoption of Christchurch Multicultural Strategy by the City council, we need more cross-cultural exchanges, especially on medium such as the Plains FM radio. With regards to Culture Galore itself, we would like to have more involvement of the Pacifika community and make the event more interactive for the audiences in the future.” - Nicki Reece, Station Manager, Plains FM, Christchurch, talking about Culture Galore and Plains FM

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At a function held recently at the Selwyn District Council (SDC) headquarters in Rolleston, the members of the organising committee of the inaugural Selwyn multicultural festival, called CultureFest, which was held in October last year, were appreciated for their contributions to its success. SDC CEO David Ward and Chairman, Rolleston's 150th Anniversary Celebration Committee, Councillor Jeff Bland, presented the team members with the certificates of appreciation and copies of the special booklet prepared to commemorate the Rolleston's milestone. The team members included Dave Tippett (SDC), Surinder Tandon (Rotary Club of Lincoln and Christchurch Multicultural Council - CMC), Archna Tandon (CMC), Kevin Park (Canterbury Migrants Centre), Rachael Inch (SDC), and Joyce Davey (Rolleston Newcomers Network).

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The University of Canterbury Iranian Society celebrated Nowruz - Persian New Year, on March 18, with the evening including poetry recitation, traditional Persian folk dance and music, and Iranian delicacies. Celebrated beyond Iranian borders, the Persian New Year, whose actual date is March 21, this year, is observed on Northern hemisphere's spring equinox. This is year number 1396 as per the Persian calendar.

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Hosted by the Japanese Society of Canterbury and co-hosted by the Consular Office of Japan in Christchurch, with sponsorship form the Christchurch City Council, the annual Canterbury Japan Day proved to be a hit with all age-groups, with kids especially liking the Hina dolls retroduced this year. Thousands attended the event held on March 5.

 

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Being organised annually since 2014 by Revel Events -  a Christchurch based event management company – this year's Christchurch Holi – the Indian festival of colours, was the biggest and grandest. Attended by over 6,000 people, the free event was supported by Christchurch Multicultural Council (CMC), the Christchurch City Council, Christchurch's new Crown company Otakaro Limited, and Fletcher Living. Another principal sponsor was Yogiji's Food Mart, which supplied colours for the celebrations.

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Richard Edmundson, Principal, Linwood College, noted, "This is the first time we are doing this, and with the response we have got, I am sure, the Festival of Nations will now be a permanent fixture in our College's annual calendar. Linwood College is, if not the most, then certainly one of the most multicultural colleges in the City. This is a celebration of that diveristy. If all schools in Christchurch can come together and organise something like this, it would be even better."

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The Canterbury Migrants Centre in collaboration with Christchurch City Libraries and Christchurch City Council celebrated the Lunar New Year Family Fun Day on February 4 at the Halswell Centre. Apart from performances by the Qiao Yi Lion Dance Team and Kids Tibetan group dance, the day also witnessed a tea ceremony, Chinese Shuttecock (Jianzi), Chinese yo-yo, and Year of the Rooster arts and crafts.

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On December 3, 2016, Christchurch's annual Korean culture festival titled“Taste of Korea” was held at the City's Cathedral Square. Organised by the Korean Society of Christchurch, the K-Culture Festival is a good example of a migrant community sharing its unique culture with the local society as a way to maintain its roots and celebrate diversity and co-existence. This year’s event included a special guest performance from Seoul – The International Youth Arts Troupe – along with the traditional performances put on by members of the local Korean community to offer audiences a tantalising taste of Korean culture.

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The South Island inaugural Fono for Pacific community leaders provided an opportunity for leaders to gather and share how various governmental agencies can better respond to the needs of most vulnerable Pacific children, youth and families. By April 1, next year, the Ministry of Vulnerable Children will be in place focussing on five sore services – prevention, intensive intervention, care support services, transition support and a youth justice service aimed at preventing re-offending. The forum provided an opportunity for community leaders to engage with decision-makers to help them understand what works best for Pacific children. The Fono's theme was “Connect and Act”.

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In October, a Pasifika Community Night was observed at the Kaiapoi Library to welcome the Pasifika people to the Waimakariri district. A meal was shared, people got to know each other, and detailed information was given on the health and community services available in the community.

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The Garden City was treated to some fantastic latino music, food, arts and crafts; and the vibrancy of colourful hispanic culture at the Spring and Night Market held in the Arts Centre of Christchurch on November 5

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With over 450 people from across the Timaru's multicultural communities attending, the South Island saw it's last Diwali celebration in South Canterbury's small town on November 12. Organised by the South Canterbury Indian Cultural Society, it was the fifth such celebration in the town, which has seen huge influx on Indian migrants recently, mainly in the agri sector.

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