Hon Hekia Parata
Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
Minister of Education

8 March 2013 Media Statement

Annual Auckland Pasifika Festival continues to grow

Pacific Island Affairs Minister Hekia Parata says the 2013 Auckland Pasifika Festival will continue to provide festival-goers with the chance to share in Pacific culture, traditions and customs as it extends its festival from one to two days.

“The festival has grown from a one-day event to include two days for the first time this year. This is testament that the Auckland Pasifika Festival grows larger each year and is now fittingly one of New Zealand’s premier annual cultural events, attracting over 200,000 people from the Pacific region and around the world,” says Ms Parata.

This year it will feature 1,500 performers across eleven stages and ten villages -- Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Niue, Tahiti, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Aotearoa

“I am very excited about the presence of our two Ministries, Pacific Island Affairs and Education. Pacific families will experience first-hand the benefits of early childhood education (ECE) with the Pacific Early Learning Mobile Outreach Service (PELMOS) on display.

“This Government is committed to raising ECE participation to 98 per cent in 2016.

“Currently, 86.8 per cent of Pacific children attend an ECE service. I am delighted that PELMOS will give parents a taste of an ECE service and am confident it will encourage more children and their families to participate in quality early learning,” says Ms Parata.

Ms Parata will speak at the Pasifika Festival on behalf of the Government at around 10.45am on the Prosperity Stage.

The festival begins at 10am on Saturday with all ten villages open until 5pm. Sunday begins with a multi-denominational church service at 10am and six villages open until 4pm.

WHAT: Auckland Pasifika Festival 2013
WHERE: Western Springs Park
WHEN: Saturday 9 March, 10am-5pm and Sunday 10 March 10am-4pm

ENDS

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