Welcome to the Whau Ethnic Collective!

Whau Eid Festival on 19 April 2025

The Whau Ethnic Collective, in collaboration with the New Lynn Community Centre, organised a vibrant array of ethnic celebrations featuring food and craft stalls and a photo booth. The festival was alive with colour, children’s activities, rich cultural displays, and a strong sense of unity and community spirit, showcasing ethnic performances, cultural activities, and festive fun. 

Many community organisations came together to help create the Whau Eid Festival, a celebration of our local Muslim community's diverse cultures and traditions. 

The Eid Festival also served as a platform to promote inclusivity, fostering a sense of belonging and togetherness across all communities in the Whau. 

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Whau Local Board and Trust, who funded all our activities.

Monday 28 July 2025.

The third AGM for Whau Ethnic Collective Inc was held at Te Pae o Kura - Hikurangi (Kelston Community Centre), 126 Awaroa Road, Sunnyvale, with Kay Thomas, Whau Local Board Chair, in attendance as patron. The Chair, Omar Fahmy, in presenting the Annual report, he stated that WEC has taken a strategic shift in the types of projects undertaken and the partnerships. By placing our stakeholders at the center of our service delivery, we have successfully redefined our engagement model to connect more meaningfully with communities across the Whau region. Some of our significant achievements include organising the Empowerment Series Workshops, which featured a diverse range of topics such as a Chinese Tea Ceremony, drowning prevention, community patrol training, food waste awareness, and workshops for parents supporting neurodiverse children.

Omar Fahmy was re-elected for another term with Helenie de Souza Jensen as Secretary, with Jyoti Parashar as Treasurer. The committee members: Vishal Rishi and Komiko Tanaka as joint Community Services, David Guo as Elderly Services Officer, Adem Soylemez as Youth Services Officer. 

Our focus areas are structured around three key pillars: Team & People, Sustainability, and Community. Facilitating inter-ethnic cultural exchange and building strong community presence and engagement has been an integral part of our events. One of our proudest initiatives has been celebrating success by recognising community champions individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the wellbeing and development of our ethnic communities.

Indian News -New article

Whau Chinese New Year Festival on 23 Feb 2025.

Whau Ethnic Collective collaborated with SportHub (Synergy) Community Trust to support the Whau Chinese New Year 2025 Festival and to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This event was a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity and festivities, aiming to showcase the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture while reflecting the inclusivity and diversity of our community. 

The event provided an opportunity for the Chinese community in the Whau to engage with other ethnic people and come together and enjoy a day filled with music, dragon dancing, traditional food, kids activities, and marking the significance of the Lunar New Year. 

We are proud to support such meaningful events that strengthen bonds within our diverse community to bring about inclusivity and promote robust ethnic presence through participation.