Picture-perfect weather set the scene for this year's Wellington Pasifika Festival, drawing large crowds to celebrate the cultures, languages and traditions of the Pacific.

The annual event has become a major gathering for Pasifika communities in New Zealand's capital, offering a chance to reconnect with heritage through food, performance, art and crafts.

For many, festivals like this help bridge the distance between their home islands and life in Aotearoa.

Wellington City Council Pasifika Festival community liaison Karl Payne said the sights, sounds and smells of the festival transported him back home to the Cook Islands.

"The calls, the chants, the dancers, the costumes, the drumming. It felt like being back on the homeland in the Cook Islands," he told RNZ Pacific on Saturday.

"Everything slowed down, and I think the mana went up, and people really spoke their languages proud. So I think a lot of people [are] really proud in their brown skin."

The Cook Islanders brought an energetic performance to the Wellington Pasifika Festival. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Les Tenise Atoni, chairperson of the Atafu Tokelau community, said the festival plays an important role in shining a spotlight on smaller Pacific ethnic groups and helping keep their heritage alive.

The Wellington Tokelau community took center stage as they led a special opening ceremony.

It featured the Atafu Tokelau vaka arriving at Chaffers Marina and being carried to Waitangi Park in a procession, symbolic of the arrival of Polynesian people to New Zealand.

He said getting involved in events like these support ongoing efforts to preserve their cultural identity.

"We need to education, like our culture is a dying culture. The language is dying, alongside Vagahau Niue, Kuki Airani Māori, so we are putting some effort into the revival to ensure that we hang on to our language and our culture."

The Wellington Tokelau community took center stage as they led a special opening ceremony. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

The Atafu Tokelau vaka arrived at Chaffers Marina and was carried to Waitangi Park in a procession, symbolic of the arrival of Polynesian people to New Zealand. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

The Solomon Islands community marked its 15th year participating in the festival,

Wellington Wantoks secretary Glo Oxenham said the festival encourages young people to stay connected to their roots.

She said the event fosters an intergenerational exchange of traditional knowledge.

"It is important. It's good for the children to see where they come from and to learn about the cultures of their islands or their countries, and it's just good for them to be able to be a part of it."

Not only is it an opportunity to be immersed in their own cultures, she says they can learn about their neighboring nations.

"And it is always good to come together. And in the pidgin language, we say 'wan solwara', which is 'one ocean'. So that is all of us, and we like to share and learn about other cultures, languages and how we do things."

The Solomon Islands community performing at the Wellington Pasifika Festival 2026. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

This year also marked a historic first for the Wallis and Futuna community, which debuted with a performance at the festival.

Co-founder Kalani Mose said the group hopes to raise awareness about the islands and their culture.

"Something that we've done today is to showcase the diverse Pacific nations that we have here, especially with Wallis and Futuna not being known to the world here in New Zealand.

"But we hope that we've done it today, and hope that when they (the audience) leave, they'll know more about us and they'll want to learn more about Wallis and Futuna."

He said their performance blended traditional and contemporary dance, highlighting cultural connections across the Pacific.

"We brought dances that are familiar from home, just to showcase to everyone the similarities that our dances portrays, especially with our closer poly islands, such as Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Tokelau, just to name a few."

The Wallis and Futuna community joined the Wellington Pasifika Festival for the first time this year. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

For Tongan choreographer Vati Valu, he wanted his performance to inspire younger Pacific Islanders growing up in New Zealand.

"I did it for the culture. Wanted all the young ones to look up to us older ones that one day this will be them.

"Especially a good experience for us young ones, being able to enjoy this kind of enjoy this kind of environment here in Welly. Hope we just made everyone proud."

The Tongan performers from Wesley Methodist Church. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Organisers said Saturday's strong turnout reflected the community's pride in its Pacific identity.

Performing groups said the festival is about more than music and dance, it is a celebration of belonging and a reminder that Pacific culture continues to thrive wherever its people are.

Fijian youth stole the crowds heart at the Wellington Pasifika Festival 2026. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Kiribati dancers performing at the opening ceremony of the Wellington Pasifika Festival. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Country flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Wellington Pasifika Festival 2026. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Fijian youth stole the crowds heart at the Wellington Pasifika Festival 2026. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Tautua Siva Afi dancers bring the heat to the Wellington Pasifika Festival 2026. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Copyright © 2026, Radio New Zealand

for ad-free news and current affairs