Last year, the Bay of Plenty hosted its first ever migrant pōwhiri at Whareroa Marae.
Hundreds of migrants from across the region attended the event, which was organised by Multicultural Tauranga after it was challenged to do so by Ngāi Te Rangi CEO Paora Stanley.
"We thought it was a wonderful idea," said Premila D'Mello, president of Multicultural Tauranga. "But it's a process that's really hard sometimes, to find a marae that is willing to do something like that, because it takes so much work to organise.
"So, through the kindness of his heart, [Stanley] said he would host the pōwhiri at Whareroa Marae."
The pōwhiri was so successful, the region is now preparing to welcome its new arrivals in a second migrant pōwhiri.