Over 400 people gathered at the High Commission and were treated to patriotic songs and cultural presentations by students from Wellington Hindi School and Khandallah School.
New Zealand's Indian community is celebrating the country's 79th Independence Day at various locations nationwide today including flag hoisting ceremonies in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Palmerston North.
It was on 15 August 1947 that India achieved independence after two centuries of British rule.
Indians and people of Indian origin all over the world typically come together to mark the independence struggle each year.
High Commissioner of India to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan hoisted the Indian National flag at the mission's premises in Wellington and read excerpts from the annual address to the nation of Indian President Droupadi Murmu.
Shivam Dance Academy, Sri Chakra School of Fine Arts and Wellington Marathi Association gave dance performances.
India's Consulate General in Auckland Madan Mohan Sethi who led the celebrations in Auckland, congratulated the community on the occasion and a new era of New Zealand-Indian friendship has started.
President of New Zealand Indian Central Association, Veer Khar, called for the community - third largest in New Zealand now, to stand united and demand more political representation.
The two MPs of Indian origin in the current Parliament - Labour's Priyanca Radhakrishnan and ACT's Parmjeet Parmar - touched upon their Indian roots.
"Today we celebrate the value of democracy - something worth fighting for," Radhakrishnan said.
"For me and my family, both India and New Zealand are home," Parmar said.
Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo who attended the Auckland event organised at Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Mount Eden said he looks forward to hosting a part of the celebrations in his district next week.
Whangārei District Council and the Indian Consulate are hosting a business meeting and culinary showcase on 18 August in Whangārei.
A cultural performance from the Auckland celebrations at Mahatma Gandhi Centre on Friday. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
With the opening of an Indian Consulate General in Auckland in September last year, celebrations for the 79th anniversary of India's Independence Day are bigger and better this time.
"This year we are organising a multi-city, multi-day Indian festival titled 'The World and Us', bringing together the shared values of culture, cuisine and commerce between India and New Zealand," Sethi told RNZ last month.
The celebrations run from 15-18 August, with events planned in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Whangārei.
The Indian High Commission in Wellington and Consulate General of India in Auckland have collaborated with several community organisations, including the New Zealand Indian Central Association, Waikato Indian Association and the Northland Indian Association, to organise the events.
In continuation of festivities, an Indian food festival also kicked in at Auckland's North Shore today.
(From left) Suprabhat Banerjee, Satyanarayana Pandari, Anuj Mathur and Prem Ram are chefs from India. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
It saw two high-profile chefs from India - Satyanarayana Pandari and Anuj Mathur, preparing their signature dishes including Hyderabadi biryani and Bengali fish curry for invited guests.
Also in attendance were two culinary educators and researchers from India - Prem Ram and Suprabhat Banerjee, who stressed on strengthening food diplomacy between India and New Zealand.
"Indian cuisine is so diverse it can be combined with any other cuisine of the world. Add to it the freshness of New Zealand ingredients, and we can create something special," noted Ram.
On Saturday, Indian and New Zealand chefs will participate in a friendly Masterchef competition featuring a mystery box challenge.
The organisers have also planned a cultural evening at Auckland's Dew Drop Events Centre on 16 August and at Hamilton's Waikato Indian Association Hall on 17 August.
The events are free and will be led by one of India's top singers, Shibani Kashyap.
The audience will also witness Māori and Indian collaboration there, as Whiria Collective and India's CD Foundation are curating a cross-cultural fashion show as part of the celebrations.
