Whangārei's ethnic communities come together at International Day of Families

Nancy Kareroa-Yorke is all smiles entertaining the crowd at last year's International Day of Families event. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The different ethnic communities in Whangārei will be brought together at an event all about celebrating families.

International Day of Families is a United Nations day held around the world on May 15 and provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families.

In Whangārei the day will be marked by an event organised by Multicultural Whangārei at Forum North tomorrowfrom 11am to 2pm.

Jessie Manney, manager of Multicultural Whangarei, said it was the sixth or seventh year an event had been held in Whangārei.

"It's about the importance of families and the international community. We try to bring together different ethnic communities, in the community, to share a little bit about their culture," she said.

Marinder Singh, Shivrey Singh and Jaspreet Singh at last year's event. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Manney said different organisations in the community will bring activities for families to do. There will also be market stalls and about 10 different food stalls with kai from all around the world including Thai food, Korean food, Chinese food, Dutch food, Balinese food, Indian food, Kiwi food, Pakistan food and Food for Life will also be there.

"Our community is becoming more and more diverse and we have so many different ethnicities that live here in Whangārei and each culture is important.

"It's important to know your neighbour and understand your neighbour and just say hello to your neighbour. So days like this give us that opportunity to get to know our neighbour."

There will also be a great line-up of entertainment including South Indian drummers and dancers, an Indonesian dance group, a Chinese dance group, a primary school kapa haka group, the contemporary Cook Island and Tahitian dance team and Highland dancers.

For more information visit facebook.com/multiculturalwhangarei