Hundreds have gathered at a Tauranga marae to officially welcome migrants to the community.
It's believed to be the first ceremony of its kind in the Bay of Plenty, aiming to usher in a new era of inclusion.
Ngāi Te Rangi iwi Chief Executive, Paora Stanley, says migrants ought to be celebrated.
"These are ordinary people, in the background we've learned the importance of migrant workers - very seldom do we actually celebrate them," he says.
Dressed in traditional clothing, the migrants accepted the challenge.
Today's powhiri for the new locals is also a first for an officer in a new role as New Zealand Police's Ethnic Liaison Officer.
"Very, very significant.. it's a long overdue process in te ao Māori and a lot of migrants will now be able to plant their seeds," says Jason Wharewera.
The newcomers will be adding to the rich mix of ethnic diversity already in Tauranga.
The migrant community makes up about 10 per cent of Tauranga's population and many of those who live there have expressed a desire to learn more about te ao Māori culture.
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon says the move will help the community.
“Meetings like this, and opportunities like this to meet each other will actually create more harmonious communities than division - we actually have more in common."
But for some there's still a sense of isolation.
“Sometimes people find it difficult to cope with isolation more than racism because we are now in Covid times and a lot of us are not able to return to our home countries," says Multicultural Tauranga President, Premila D'mello.
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