The annual Pasifika Fusion Festival turned 20 this year and Police joined in the community celebrations in Palmerston North.
The festival is a community education initiative where secondary schools are invited to highlight their students¡¯ Pacific cultures and showcase their academic abilities. Performances range from speeches, debates, song and dance to poetry, writing, drama and visual arts, to name a few.
Held from 2-4 July, the festival brought together nearly 600 competing students, 100-plus volunteers and more than 3000 friends, family, school staff and supporters.
Constable Penina Maisiri dancing with some Ross Intermediate students. PHOTO: Pasifika Fusion Festival.
The event was held at the Regent Theatre - and this year¡¯s theme was Triumphant Pasifika Legacies: A reflection on Dawn Raids.
Central District Pacific Liaison Coordinator Jodie Haitana-Sturm, OC of Operation Pasifika Fusion 2024, coordinated the Police presence with support from Manawat¨± Youth and Community groups, and local and national M¨¡ori Pacific and Ethnic Services staff.
¡°It was the first time there has been an operational Police presence at the event, and our presence was also poignant due to the theme of this year¡¯s festival,¡± says Jodie.
¡°We were made to feel very welcome and many of the festival committee staff, volunteers, and attendees commented about the positive interactions with our team.
¡°The event was so popular that on the last night of the festival, the Regent sold out and the committee booked a theatre in Downtown Cinemas for people to enjoy the livestream.¡±
Throughout the years, the festival has grown to include more schools, students, volunteers, Pasifika communities and even more categories.
Students gather on-stage for the festival prize-giving.
This year, Palmerston North Girls High School were the overall winners of the festival.
¡°We worked collaboratively with the event organisers to ensure everyone had a fun and safe time, and it was great to see that this year primary and intermediate school were included in the celebrations,¡± says Jodie.
¡°A huge thank-you all the staff that supported this operation and a special thanks to our national Pasifika Partnerships staff for coming along to meet our team and enjoy some of the festivities.¡±
To gauge how effective the Police support was, Jodie and the team created a one-page survey for the festival organisers, which generated positive feedback and a desire from all to see Police staff there again and for many years to come.
¡°We were able to normalise our presence in every aspect - and one piece of feedback that we will action for next year is having a recruitment stand and a general hub for Police engagement,¡± says Jodie.
¡°It was an incredibly successful operation and I want to take this opportunity to also congratulate the festival committee, volunteers, students and their families for all their hard work over a fantastic three days.¡±