FAQs

Tens of thousands of people will be attending Pasifika, and while Western Springs is big enough to hold all attendees, it is recommended you plan your journey there  in advance.

Bus or train
For a hassle-free journey, take the bus or train. It is only a short walk from the train station at Baldwin Avenue, or jump on the free Pasifika shuttle at the bus stop on Rossgrove Terrace. Visit www.at.co.nz for more information on trains and buses to Pasifika.

Park and Ride
Alternatively, you can park at Unitec on Carrington Road, Mt Albert and get the free Park and Ride to and from the festival.

Parking
Parking near the event will be very limited.  Designated parking areas are available at Western Springs College and TAPAC for a charge of $10, and at MOTAT Great North Road ($20 per day) and MOTAT Meola Road ($10 per day). This is managed by the respective land owners. You can enter Pasifika Festival from Great North Road and Motions Road.  (Please note that all MOTAT attractions will be closed for the days of the festival )

If you do manage to park nearby, please ensure you do not block residents’ driveways, otherwise you may be towed. There are also parking restrictions around the area near the park to help with traffic flow, so check the signage in the area before you park.

Sunscreen, a hat and cash.

Limited EFTPOS and cash-out facilities will be available onsite, however these will incur a transaction fee. It is recommended you bring cash with you to the event.

Yes you can, however there will be plenty of great food and refreshments at the event. Remember this is an alcohol-free event and there may be bag searches.

The menu for each village has been developed by the respective communities, so there will be differences between the food offerings in each village. While there are some shared staple dishes across the Pacific Islands, each country uses locally available produce, which changes the taste, look and presentation of each dish.

This varies between the different foods stalls, but there will be some preparation at the event. The best examples to check out are the umu, lovo or hangi.

While Pasifika food may contain common ingredients available such as taro, cassava and coconuts (which are readily available in Auckland), other raw ingredients may be central to a variety of meals and not available within New Zealand.

Allow a minimum of 3 hours at the event to get a taste of all the Pacific Islands and what the villages have to offer.

It varies, but care is taken to ensure the event is reasonably priced - with the food delivered by families who do not make a large profit in sales.

Saturday is the traditional Pasifika Festival – a bustling market place and a great line up of song and dance performances in all 10 villages – Aotearoa, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Niue and Kiribati.  Sunday will feature a multi-denominational church service in the morning, followed by another day of great food, stalls and performances in the Aotearoa, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands and Niue villages, as well as the Pan-Pacific village.

10am - 5pm on Saturday 9 March, and 10am - 4pm on Sunday 10 March.

There will be a Pasifika Festival Church Service held from 9am - 10am on Sunday.

Villages open on Saturday:
Aotearoa, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, Tokelau, Niue, Kiribati and Cook Islands.

Villages open on Sunday:
Aotearoa, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue and the Pan-Pacific Village.

No, Pasifika Festival is completely free and you don’t need to book anything – just turn up and enjoy!

On Saturday, you will get a similar experience across the entire day.

On Sunday, if you want to see a unique combined church service (featuring a 300 strong choir), this will be held between 9am and 10am. The usual Pasifika experience will commence from 10am.

Stadium Road will be closed from 5pm Friday 8 March until 7pm Sunday 10 March.

Great North Road (between Motions Road and St Lukes Road) will be closed from 5am - 9am Saturday 9 March.

The Bullock Track will be closed from 9am - 5pm on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March. Resident access will be from the Mill Road end of Bullock Track.

Parking restrictions
We have worked with Auckland Transport to put in parking restrictions to assist with traffic flow and safety in the area. Below are the areas where restrictions will be in place, so please don’t park in the street in these locations - your vehicle may be towed. 

Restrictions will be in place in the following areas from 5am Saturday 9th until 7pm Sunday 10th March:

• Great North Road (both sides between Premier Avenue and St Lukes Road)
• Motions Road (both sides from Great North Road extending north Old Mill Road)
• Surrey Crescent (south kerb from approximately opposite Sherwood Avenue to Bullock Track)
• Old Mill Road (from Bullock Track extending west for approximately 50m)
• Old Mill Road (both sides from Motions Road to Savage Street)
• car parking areas accessed from the south side of Great North Road (opposite the park) will be restricted for event operations

Road closures
We have worked with Auckland Transport, planning traffic management in the area to minimise the impact of the festival. To assist our 250 stallholders with loading, we need to close these roads:

• Stadium Road will be closed from 5pm Friday 8th March, to 7pm Sunday 10th March
• Great North Road between (Motions Road and St Lukes Road) closed 5am - 9am Saturday 9th March

We also need to close the Bullock Track to assist with traffic flows. Residents needing access to their property on Bullock Track can gain access from Mill Road.

• Bullock Track 9am - 5pm on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March. Resident access is from the Mill Road end of Bullock Track

For more information on how Pasifika will affect local residents please contact the Pasifika Festival Major Event Faciltator on +64 9 301 0101.

We greatly appreciate your cooperation during this time.

Pack-in time starts from 6am; please ensure you access the site at the correct gate stated on your vehicle pass. Bear in mind that this year the Pasifika Festival is providing your stall marquee (which has already been included in your stall fee). Please do not bring your own gazebo or tent.

Each stallholder received their stallholder pack at the pre-festival stallholder meeting; each pack includes the stall allocation, pack-in, pack-out schedule and two vehicle access passes. If you have not collected your pack yet, please contact us at pasifika@aucklandnz.com  to arrange collection as soon as possible.

Yes, there are limited stalls available so you’ll have to be quick. Call us on +64 9 365 0621 or email pasifika@aucklandnz.com.

Yes they are - it’s great to have them supporting this year’s event. Please email pasifika@aucklandnz.com and we will send you details on exclusive wholesale details.

Before the event: call +64 9 365 0621 or email pasifika@aucklandnz.com.

During the event: please speak to your onsite market managers and they will be able to help you.

The pricing has not changed, but the overall package has. Historically, the festival did not include stall infrastructure in the site price – however, this changed in 2013.

For food stalls, your stall fee includes:

• a 3m x 6m site
• a stall marquee
• access to power (20 amps)
• shared water supply
• temporary food trading licence

For craft stalls, your stall fee includes:

• a 3m x 3m site
• a stall marquee
• access to power (10 amps)