Local Focus: Dumplings, tea and CCP

Whanganui's month-long La Fiesta aims to create opportunities for women to meet their community, share skills and have a bit of fun.

It runs until March 13, featuring a wide variety of events including cooking classes, papermaking, music, art, movement and wellbeing.

Organiser Carla Donson of the Whanganui Women's Network said she loved that newcomers could actively participate in La Fiesta.

"We've got people that have come here as genuine refugees and have been in our community for a matter of moments and are not only launching themselves in, but sharing some really important life stories as well as skills, " she said.

Regular festival participant and Whanganui resident Diana Leu is running her usual cooking class and Chinese tea ceremony events but this year added a screening of the Canadian documentary Badass Beauty Queen.

The documentary follows the journey of a Chinese-born immigrant and human rights activist who enters the Miss World beauty pageant in Canada and speaks out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Donson said there were fewer out-of-towners in the festival this year because of Covid but was happy with the outcome.

"Even with Covid it's the second-largest festival ever," she said.

"Interesting that the first year under Covid, last year, was our largest festival with 101 events so this is our second largest ever with 95."