The Onehunga Festival 2023 on Saturday (March 4, 2023) was a huge success and saw a big turnout of about 6,000 that came out to enjoy the event.
The crowd was seen making the most of the beautiful weather and enjoying the free entertainment and activities at the Onehunga Bay Reserve.
The Cardboard Boat race, which Aotea Sea Scouts organised along with the Onehunga Business Association, attracted much attention. It was great entertainment to watch as 11 teams frantically paddled their hand-crafted boats, constructed entirely from cardboard/corflute, duct tape, glue, cable ties and waterproof paint, across the lagoon (some without success!). It was the second boat race to be held on Onehunga Lagoon, the first being in 2021, the 2022 event being cancelled due to Covid-19.
Sharing her experience of attending the event and taking part in the race, Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan, who is also MP for Maungakiekie, said, "I had a blast at the Onehunga Festival. Meeting so many locals at my stall and chatting about what matters to them was great. My entry, ‘The Pri-anchor Rudder-krishnan’ wasn’t the first cardboard boat over the finish line, she got us safely across the lagoon. Huge thanks to the Onehunga Business Association and all others who put on such a stellar event and to my amazing team of volunteers."
Other popular activities with the kids included face painting, balloon twisting, the mobile petting farm and The Bubble Man. Children also had fun on the goliath obstacle course, water rollers and other inflatable amusements. Some of them thoroughly enjoyed a tie-dying activity, new to the festival, where they made and took home their tie-dye t-shirt.
The stage entertainment also drew a great crowd throughout the day with a diverse mix of performances from local cultural and dance groups, an acoustic set by musician Chris Bates and songs to sing and dance to from covers band, Hands Off.
As every event is incomplete without some great food, there was a great range of food on offer.
Debbie Burrows, Deputy Chair Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board, said this was the best Onehunga festival. She said, "Onehunga Festival 2023 celebrated 30 years of the Onehunga Festival with the best one yet! Thank you to the amazing team at Onehunga Business Association, Onehunga Community Patrol, Onehunga sea scouts, the sponsors, artists, stall holders and all the wonderful people who supported and had a great day out.”
Josephine Bartley, Councillor for Maungakiekie-Tamaki ward, who took her niece and nephew with her to the festival, said, “It was just awesome this year. I took my niece and nephew with me this time, and they enjoyed themselves. It was great to chat with all the locals too. As always, great work Onehunga Business Association.”
Another attendee, Fiona Lal, stated, "It was such a well-organised event! All the stallholders and performers were good. I loved the vibe.”
Angela Corbett, Events and Communications Manager, Onehunga Business Association, was delighted by the overwhelming presence of the community. She said, "It was truly wonderful to see our community enjoying themselves, especially after the last few years with Covid restrictions followed by the recent severe weather events. Events such as the Onehunga Festival are important for the Kiwi-Indian community to help them connect with others in their local area and create a real sense of belonging in the community.”
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