FestPAC 2024, “Ho’oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania

Photo Credit: Creative NZ

Although the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture wrapped up towards the end of June, our Rautaki Māori, Jade Kameta, and Kaupapa Innovator Hineani Campbell-Collier who were in attendance in Hawai’i, are still reeling from the experience, learnings and honour it was to attend the world’s largest indigenous festival aimed at regenerating Oceania. The theme of this year’s FestPAC, “Ho‘oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania”, serves well for the opportunity for Te Moananui-a-Kiwa to reunite after an eight year hiatus due to COVID-19 and environmental impacts, providing a unique and important platform for indigenous voices to come together through art and culture. This prestigious event, the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous pacific Islanders founded in 1972, unites thousands of indigenous leaders, professionals, cultural practitioners and academics from across the globe to celebrate and share the profound healing power of traditional indigenous knowledge, culture and at the heart of it, arts. 

The festival boasted an impressive program of Nā Hanana Kūhelu (Ceremonies and Protocol), Hana Noʻeau (Heritage Arts), Hōʻikeʻike (Performing Arts), Hōʻike Kiʻi (Visual Arts), Moananuiākea (Pacific Conversations & Cultural Exchange) and more. Delegations from 25 nations and thousands of people packed the venues throughout the festival. The exchange and sharing of knowledge between indigenous leaders and communities at this event holds great potential for transformative change, says Systems Innovator Hineani Campbell-Collier. 

“It served as an important forum for discussing cultural issues, confronting regional and global communities and gave us a chance to see how we can inform national cultural policies and vision.” shared Hineani. 

This years’ FestPAC included the FestPAC Young Pacific Leaders (FYPL) forum program to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific. The critical topics identified by the FYPL Program included education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, economic, health and social development.  

Photo Credit: Creative NZ

Photo Credit: Daron Kamisato

Both Hineani and Jade, as a result of winning Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata in 2023, were invited to travel with Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui as part of the Aotearoa delegation to Hawaii in June 2024. They were selected as Māori ambassadors to represent whānau, hapū, iwi and Aotearoa whānui. Both individuals are excited by the profound learnings and insights they gained from being a part of these discussions and experience, and the growing international awareness of the importance of indigenous thinking and ways of doing things. 
“The festival is incredibly relevant to not only indigenous communities themselves, but to the broader global community as we grapple with existential issues such as climate change and inequity.” shares Jade. 
Jade’s role as Rautaki Māori involves incorporating Mātauranga Māori into all of the Healthy Families East Cape and wider Healthy Families NZ initiatives, demonstrating the transformative power of Māori and indigenous worldviews. One of Jade’s highlights from FestPAC was that this approach was out in full force at the event, with all participants and ambassadors drawing from the strength of ancestral narratives, empowering us as an indigenous community to continue to move away from western ways of thinking and conventional ways of doing. 

“This festival has strengthened our relationship with our Pacific brothers and sisters. It has also instilled a desire to come back to Aotearoa and do what I can to support our culture and the health and wellbeing of our people.” 

Some of the greatest wins for our indigenous community as a result of this year’s FestPAC include cementing relationships with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - an opportunity to engage in international activities and discussions that protect endangered species, advocating for stronger regulations, promoting sustainable trade, and educating the Pacific; participating in international conversations around the addressing of climate change and equity, career and leadership opportunities for our people and empowering the voices of our rangatahi as future leaders of our countries and people. 
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Healthy Families East Cape Manager, Tomairangi Higgins, believes that this event is just one of many potential and exciting opportunities for the team to participate in. The opportunity for Jade and Hineani to attend, and support our people in elevating conversations around Mātauranga Māori as prevention in a forum where creative arts are recognised as tools for wellbeing (self-esteem, confidence, self-efficacy, improved social connections and overall quality of life) brings immense excitement to not only Jade and Hineani but to our organisation as well. ​

For more information on FestPAC 2024, head to their website https://www.festpachawaii.org/ to stay connected and learn more about the festival. To hear more from Jade and Hineani, contact them at [email protected] and [email protected]