A small Indian community in Whanganui now has its own identity after a special festival staged in the city on Saturday.
They are the Kerala people, all immigrants from an area on the south-western tip of India but who now call Whanganui their home.
On Saturday those families formalised their place by setting up the Whanganui Kerala Association with a day of entertainment and feasting at Whanganui Girls' College.
Sreejith Sreekumar, a spokesperson for the Kerala community, said the association gave the 20 families living here a clearly identifiable bond. He said the annual Onam Festival was an ideal time to set it up.
"It gives us some cohesion and direction," he said.