It’s just two weeks until the Hakatere Noodle Festival, a celebration of National Welcoming Week and Te Tiriti-based Multicultural Day, and a chance to experience flavours from around the globe.

Ashburton District Council’s Group Manager of Democracy and Engagement, Toni Durham, says the event is a way to acknowledge the contribution of people who move to Mid Canterbury and to make them feel welcome.

“When you move to a new place, even as a New Zealander, you leave life as you know it behind. This can mean starting everything from scratch without the help of your usual support system.

“This is why being a welcoming community is so important, because if we can help newcomers feel valued, respected and supported, it will encourage them to stay and further enrich our community with their skills and knowledge.”

Council launched its Welcoming Community pilot programme around six years ago with the aim of fostering connections between Government agencies, community organisations, schools, employers and local migrant groups.

The programme has developed tools like the recently-released Welcoming Guide, a website where those new to Ashburton can find information to help make the settlement process smoother and tackle common challenges such as gaining a driver’s licence or accessing healthcare.

However, Toni says that the biggest obstacle many newcomers face is feeling isolated and struggling to connect with others on a deeper level.

“This is where we all have a role to play, and it can be as simple as talking to someone who doesn’t look like you.

“We have wonderful community organisations like the Hakatere Multi Cultural Council (Newcomers Network), Wellbeing Ōpuke and TimeBank that organise events for people to connect. So, try attending one of them, sit next to someone you don’t know and start a conversation.”

The Hakatere Noodle Festival also celebrates Te Tiriti-based Multicultural Day. Toni says there’s a broad range of nationalities and cultures that make up the Mid Canterbury community, including Nepalese, Filipino, Indian, Sri Lankan, Afghani and Pacific island nations.

“Many countries incorporate noodles into their traditional dishes, so the noodle festival is a really fun way for people to taste another culture's food, celebrate our district’s diversity and connect with each other.”

The Hakatere Noodle Festival is hosted by Ashburton District Council, Hakatere Multi Cultural Council and Welcoming Communities. The event will see around 20 food vendors and live entertainment converge on Baring Square East from 3pm to 9pm on Saturday 7 September.

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