New Zealand's Indian community was recovering on Monday after three days of frenetic festivities celebrating India Independence Day.
In addition to flag-hoisting ceremonies nationwide, urban centres such as Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin and Palmerston North hosted cultural nights showcasing India's diversity and millennia-old heritage.
Auckland - home to the largest Indian diaspora - hosted multiple events from Friday through Sunday.
Highlights included Māori chefs taking on Indian chefs in a Masterchef competition, Māori and Indian fashion designers showcasing their creations and Indian diaspora organisations in Auckland coming together at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Eden Terrace to celebrate the South Asian nation's diversity.
Mohiniyattam, a traditional dance from Kerala, is performed at Independence Day celebrations in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was joined on stage by opposition leader Chris Hipkins during celebrations in Auckland at the Due Drop Events Centre on 16 August, stealing the limelight with some startling moves to a popular Indian dance number.
On 17 August, organisations representing more than 15 Indian states celebrated the country's Independence Day by performing their respective regional folk and classical dances at Auckland's Mount Eden.
Two days earlier, on 15 August - the date India attained independence from two centuries of British rule in 1947 - the Indian High Commission in Wellington and India's Consulate General in Auckland hosted a joint reception in the country's largest city.
Nikhil Ravishankar, the incoming Indian-origin chief executive of Air New Zealand who has been named to take over the reins of one of the most respected domestic corporate brands in October, attended the reception.
A classical dance performance at Auckland's India Independence Day celebrations. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell hailed Ravishankar's appointment, highlighting the positive contributions from the Indian community in New Zealand over many decades.
Speaker after speakers at events over the weekend echoed the sentiment shared by the minister.
Luxon, Hipkins, Indian High Commissioner Neeta Bhushan, Consul General Madan Mohan Sethi, ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and community leaders such as Veer Khar and Bhav Dhillon all pointed to the importance of friendship.
Not only has the Indian population surpassed the Chinese community to become the third largest in New Zealand, it has become increasingly prosperous - earning more than the national average.
A total of 292,092 people in the country identified as having Indian heritage in the 2023 Census, an increase of 22 percent since 2018.
The community now sits behind New Zealand Europeans and Māori in terms of population numbers. Just six Indians were registered in New Zealand in 1881.
Indian communities in Palmerston North come together to celebrate Independence Day on Friday. Photo: Supplied
In celebration of the resilience and enterprising nature of early pioneers, 2024 became something of a watershed year in terms of Indian history in New Zealand.
Last year, Kiwi Indians celebrated a significant rise in the community's median personal income - the highest among all ethnicities.
Data released in October 2024 showed the median income of Indian adults in New Zealand was $51,600. By comparison, the median income for the country's overall population was $41,500.
What's more, the Indian community contributed an estimated $10 billion to the country's economy in 2019, according to a 2020 report prepared by Sense Partners for the Waitakere Indian Association.
Economists generally believed the figure - roughly 3.3 percent of total GDP at the time - had certainly increased over the past six years.
With Luxon visiting the South Asian nation in March, the government has renewed interest in signing a free trade agreement with the world's most populous country and the fourth largest economy.
(From left) Chefs Suprabhat Banerjee, Satyanarayana Pandari, Anuj Mathur, Hera Te Kurapa, Ihirei Walker, Sam Linstrom and Prem Ram participate in a Masterchef competition. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Cultural celebrations
A wide range of diverse cultural performances were held to celebrate India Independence Day in the spirit of unity.
In Palmerston North, community groups representing various Indian states came together to celebrate the day at an event titled "United in Diversity".
In the deep south, the Dunedin Indian Association organised a "grand patriotic event" at University of Otago's union hall that featured Carnatic (South Indian classical) music.
Further north, Hamilton hosted Indian pop singer Shibani Kashyap, with the Waikato Indian Association and Indian Cultural Society collaborating to make the event a reality.
Meanwhile, Auckland witnessed Māori and Indian collaborations as Whiria Collective and India's CD Foundation curated a cross-cultural fashion show and Masterchef competition as part of the celebrations.
Māori and Indian fashion designers show off their creations at Auckland's Dew Drop Events Centre on Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
Chefs Sam Linstrom, Hera Te Kurapa and Ihirei Walker from the Whiria Collective faced off against chefs Satyanarayana Pandari, Anuj Mathur, Suprabhat Banerjee and Prem Ram from India, using a mixture of Indian spices and New Zealand ingredients to cook special salmon dishes for the judges.
Anand Erickson, Auckland University of Technology lecturer and a judge for the day, expressed excitement at such culinary innovations.
"This - fusion food and molecular gastronomy - is quite contemporary and trending," Erickson said. "I am looking forward to more culinary collaborations between our two cultures in future."
Among cultural performances, the highest accolades were reserved for the award-winning dance group from the Indian state of Telangana, which performed Perini Natyam, Oggu Katha and Dappu - three ancient dance forms from the region - at various events over the weekend.
"Our dance centres around narrating stories related to the Hindu God Shiva, who is very popular in Telangana," said Ravi Kumar, a dancer from India.
Not wanting to be outshone, the Indian diaspora in Auckland showcased local creative talent in abundance, with Sonali Banerjee of the Probasee Bengali Association of New Zealand stressing the need for such celebrations to pass on Indian heritage and culture to younger generations.
Mary Shaji, who performed a classical Indian dance titled Mohiniyattam that is popular in the Indian state of Kerala, agreed.
"Marking our festivals, including Independence Day, is a way for all of us here in New Zealand to remain connected to our Indian roots and values," Shaji said.
