Pasifika festival opens in Auckland

Pasifika Festival, the biggest Pacific cultural event of its kind in the world, opens in Auckland today.

Festival organisers this year are wanting to focus the two-day event on connecting with village co-ordinators and Pacific communities.

Twenty six years ago the festival began as a joint initiative between community leaders and the council to bring Pasifika communities together.

It is also an opportunity to celebrate and share Pacific Island cultures with the wider Auckland community.

The event now attracts over 60,000 visitors over the two day festival.

A new component this year showcases small and medium size businesses from the Pacific to New Zealand consumers.

The Pasifika Festival will feature around 220 local and international performance groups, more than 200 food and craft stalls over 11 Pacific villages.