New Zealand Red Cross hosts a ‘Taste of Cultures’ - 27 May 2021
New Zealand Red Cross is hosting a limited ticket event in Auckland this month, to celebrate Kiwis from refugee
backgrounds. The evening will showcase different cuisines and cultures, with a bespoke three-course meal, music, dance,
performances and presentations from world-class speakers in the Atrium, within Spark Arena.
‘Taste of Cultures’ aims to raise awareness about the contribution refugee-background Kiwis are making to our
communities. Refugees have been denied basic human rights in their home countries and forced to flee, having experienced
war, persecution, discrimination, racism or oppression. The event expresses the incredible contributions made by former
refugees who have come to New Zealand - through food, stories and the arts.
The night will also include an exciting online auction, including signed guitars from Coldplay and Taylor Swift. The
guests will have the ability to bid on auction items on their phone, from the comfort of their seats. This is an
engaging way to raise much-needed funds for Red Cross programmes, giving aid to people here and around the world who
have been affected by conflict or disaster.
New Zealand Red Cross General Manager Migration, Rachel O’Connor, says, “This event is an opportunity to experience the
richness and vibrancy that comes from having people in our community who are from overseas. They didn’t plan to come
here, they ended up here, and now we have an opportunity to learn about and connect to cultures and people from places
most of us will never travel to.”
Taste of Cultures will be held on Thursday 27 May, from 6pm at The Atrium, inside Spark Arena in Auckland. Guests will
be wowed with an evening of splendour and culture and are sure to be moved by the incredible stories on the night.
New Zealand Red Cross is the primary provider of community refugee settlement programmes in Aotearoa, supporting and
empowering new Kiwis as they rebuild their lives here. Taste of Cultures is an opportunity to show the incredible
contribution that our refugee-background whānau is making to our communities, and to raise vital funds for our
programmes to help people affected by conflict or disaster.
Red Cross helps people on both sides of the migration crisis, whether by reconnecting loved ones, supporting health care
workers or providing vital practical support. Donations from this event will go to where the need is greatest, helping
people who need it most.
Visit www.redcross.org.nz/Tasteofculturesauckland for more information on the event.