When the lights come on: Diwali comes to Hanmer Springs
Neeta with her daughter dressed up for Diwali.
The answer to the dress-up question is yes: kurtas, sarees and lehengas are all welcome. Neeta's only gentle request is to call it dressing up rather than a costume. These are, after all, someone's everyday clothes.
India is a massive country. The north dresses differently from the south, and the west from the east. A single saree can be draped in many ways, and Neeta hopes local Indian families will show how they wear it. "We are all the same, but we are different," she says. The same goes for the food. Butter chicken is not all there is to Indian cooking, and Diwali is a chance to try what you'd never think to order at a restaurant.
Openness runs both ways, and Neeta knows it. When Neeta arrived in New Zealand on a Working Visa, she lived in Picton and was employed as a yachting coach. When strangers greeted her on the street with a cheerful "How you going?" she was taken aback. In Mumbai, among thousands of passers-by, this simply doesn't happen. One morning at the yacht club, a man fishing off the jetty said hi, but she didn't answer. "You're a bit sour today, aren't you?" he said, and she thought him a bit rude. "Later on I realised he actually wasn't rude. It was me." What stayed with her after this interaction, was how curious New Zealand people were about her culture. "I actually felt special."
That curiosity is what Hurunui District Council's delivery of Welcoming Communities is all about. Welcoming Communities helps newcomers feel they belong, and gives long-time locals a chance to meet, taste and learn from the cultures that now call Hurunui home. A festival like this is where it happens: over a plate of food, a dance, a saree draped in an unfamiliar way.
Mayor Marie Black, who is helping to open the event, recognises the huge contribution the Indian community is making to our district. “Through traditions, culture and the connections built, Hurunui is so much richer. The Diwali Celebration is about celebrating those connections. It is about recognising that while we may have origins in different countries, we share common hopes for our families, our futures, and our communities.”
Neeta's hope for her neighbours is simple: to learn about another culture, and to bring the community together. So come hungry, come curious, and wear something bright. On Friday 9 October, the lights come on in Hanmer Springs.
--
Hanmer Springs Diwali Celebrations
Friday 9 October, 2026
From 5pm – 9pm
Entry is free.
