The biggest Cook Island Festival in the world is to kick off in Auckland next month. It’s a time for thousands of Cook Islanders in New Zealand to feel connected with their heritage, despite perhaps never having visited the islands.
“I was born here in Auckland,” says the leader of the Vaka Takitumu group, Vivian Hosking-Aue.
“So it gives me and my friends and family the opportunity to express who we are.”
Te Maeva Nui, which began in 2019, brings thousands of Cook Islanders to Auckland to celebrate their culture through song, dance, and food.
“On the stage you have three generations,” festival director Duana Wichman-Evans says.
“Daughters sons, mothers, and fathers, and mama and papa on the same stage, so it brings together the whānau.”
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Te Maeva Nui is currently being celebrated in Rarotonga. It acknowledges the Cook Islands becoming an independent nation in 1965.
Wichman-Evans says they have the full support of the Maeva Nui directors in the Cook Islands.
“They are very supportive. In fact, the prime minister came over here and a lot of ministers come over and support this, so they are excited about this every year.”
The 200th-year anniversary of Christianity arriving in the Islands will also be celebrated.
“There’s actually items dedicated to the church and to God - a lot of these songs are inspired by that.”
The festival takes place on September 29 at Trusts Arena.