The Festivalization of Pacific Cultures in New Zealand: Diasporic Flow and Identity within Transcultural Contact Zones

Pacific festivals in the twenty-first century are a highly visible feature of New Zealand's festival landscape, with some twenty-five annual events taking place along the length of the country. This article attempts to trace an understanding of what they mean, in the context of diaspora and diasporic identity. After outlining a brief history of Pacific peoples and festivals in New Zealand, I argue that festivals are sites through which the complex nature of diasporic identity is performed. Expressing a multilocal sense of belonging, this performance of identity highlights the fluid nature of connection, emphasizing movement and histories in the creation of diasporic identity.