More than 500 people celebrated New Zealand Telangana Central Association's annual Bonalu festival in Auckland on 14 July. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Telangana Central Association
A round-up of community activities from across the country:
World Choir Games golds
The Nagaland Madrigal Singers representing India won two gold medals at the 2024 World Choir Games in Auckland in July.
Led by Hito Kiho, the choral group took out the top gong in the contemporary music mixed voices and mixed chamber choir categories.
Neiphiu Rio, chief minister of the Indian state of Nagaland, congratulated the team in a social media post for "bringing laurels to the country and making the state proud".
Celebrating the world's largest chariot festival
New Zealand's Odia community celebrated Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra festivities in Auckland and Wellington in July.
Believed to be the oldest chariot procession in the world, the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra sees three Hindu deities taken out of temples in a colourful parade to meet devotees. Millions attend the festivities every year in the southeastern Odisa city of Puri, making it one of India's biggest religious festivals.
Commemorations in Auckland and Wellington included the recital of the 108 names of the Hindu god Jagannath, floral tributes and devotional rhythms. Festivities ended with the distribution of sacred offerings in the form of food to the gods.
Celebrating the Bonalu Festival
The New Zealand Telangana Central Association organised its annual Bonalu Festival on 14 July in Auckland, with more than 500 devotees attending.
The festival, which is popular in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, celebrates the Hindu goddess, Mahakali. On this day, women dressed in traditional clothes carry bonalu (offerings) on their heads and perform a parikrama ritual (move clockwise around a temple in devotion).
The ritual was performed at the Shri Ganesha Temple in Papakura, with a communal meal featuring sacred offerings in the form of food to the gods ending the festivities.
More than 500 people celebrated New Zealand Telangana Central Association's annual Bonalu festival in Auckland. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Telangana Central Association
Art competitions
Auckland's Punjabi and Malayali communities organised their annual painting and arts competitions for children in July.
Organised by the NZ Punjabi Multimedia Trust, the fourth Punjabi painting competition was held on 13 July, with participants divided into three categories - between five and 10 years old, between 10 and 16 years, and 16 years and above. The exhibition themes were Punjabis in New Zealand, global Punjabi language and culture, and rural Punjab, respectively. In addition, there was a live painting workshop, which offered everyone an opportunity to learn new techniques from experienced artists.
Meanwhile, the Auckland Malayali Samajam organised its annual children's arts competition, Kalolsavam 2024, at the Blockhouse Bay Community Centre on 20 July, with more than 140 kids participating. Performances included modern and classical dance routines. The organisation, which celebrates its silver jubilee this year, is gearing up to celebrate the Onam festival on 7 September.
Gujarati community awards
The NZ Gujarati Sports and Cultural Association held its annual awards night on 27 July.
Ramesh Patel, a member of the 1976 Olympic gold medal-winning New Zealand men's hockey team, attended as guest of honour.
Awards were presented to winners of competitions held throughout the year in cricket, soccer, netball, squash, table tennis, snooker, golf and badminton.
Rotorua's first ethnic market
The Rotorua Multicultural Council in collaboration with the Hindu Heritage Centre organised the city's first ethnic market on 21 July. More than 200 visitors browsed through selections on offer at the market's 10 stalls showcasing products from city's diverse communities. The centre also organised a Guru Poornima event, which is typically celebrated in India to mark the importance of teachers.
Assisting Wairoa's recovery
BAPS Charities New Zealand has helped the Hawkes Bay town of Wairoa to recover from devastating floods by donating 100 boxes of essential care items.
The packages included non-perishable food, hygiene products, medical supplies and over-the-counter medication. In addition, a team of 21 volunteers contributed more than 84 hours and coordinated vital cleaning services to help restore normalcy to the affected areas.
Garden City celebrates diversity
Hundreds attended the IndianNZ Association of Christchurch's fourth multicultural festival in July. The "celebrations of cultures" saw cultural performances by 22 groups representing India, China, Latin America and the Philippines, among others. Parminder Kaur Aulakh, chair of the association, thanked the wider community for its support and called the event "a huge success" in a social media post.
