MMC: A Brief Introduction

For over three decades, Manawatū Multicultural Council (MMC) has stood as a beacon of inclusivity, unity, and cultural celebration in Palmerston North and Manawatū areas. Nestled within the heart of our vibrant community, we have been privileged to serve as a home away from home for individuals from diverse backgrounds, proudly embracing the rich tapestry of cultures that define us. 

MMC remains steadfast in our commitment to fostering understanding, respect, and harmony among all members of our community. Our centre has served as a gathering place where traditions are honored, languages are spoken, and friendships are forged across cultural boundaries. 

Spring into Actions: April to June Highlights

June 2024

Kia Ora!

Wishing you all health and happiness! 

I am thrilled to report to you that the last couple of months have been extremely successful and happening (as the youngsters say) and we at MMC continue to be amazed by your active participation in making all the events that we arrange for you, always successful. We love you for your support! We happily stepped into March with the “Happy Woman Workshop” which was fully packed and all the attendees left well informed, happy and dancing on their feet. We saw Heritage month display and “An Open Book” event with conversations with our ethnic communities and multicultural playgroup, being a monthly event and always a fun occasion. Talking of fun, we got to celebrate Festival of Colours when Palmy Square came alive with colour and music, celebrating Holi. We had our first member’s meeting of the year and got to celebrate UCOL International day. March came to a delicious close with mouth-watering delights at our potluck dinner, starring Indian cuisine.

The highlight of the month of April has been the visit of the Indian High Commissioner where Her Excellency Ms. Neeta Bhushan interacted with community members. It was my privilege to be part of ANZAC day service this year and laid a wreath, commemorating our brave and fearless veterans. April’s multicultural potluck event brought Thai flavors to enrich our taste-buds and enticing performances by Thai dancers. The month came to an end with the monthly playgroup and Kids’ market, a great learning experience for our future entrepreneurs and industrialists. We marched into May with a visit from the students from Kindai School in Japan, on an exchange programme with Massey followed by an ETU workshop (Employment) which we hope helped all the attendees. We focused on Youth in the month of May and the monthly potluck dinner was indeed a very youthful event with a great turnout and our young members being presented with certificates and encouragement organized by the Global Parents Support Group. We also had a very musical Youth Harmonies event at the Plaza and we feel encouraged to have more such events in the future.

Talking of future, we had the Te Manawa Science Programme which was informative and encouraging for our future scientists and bright young minds. We had our member’s meeting mid-June and were happy to see a good turn-out, especially as we had excellent speakers. We were once again proud to have hosted another successful Happy Woman Conference at Te Manawa and were kept busy at the Riverdale Cultural Day. June came to a delicious close with mouth-watering delights at our potluck dinner, starring Japanese cuisine. We look forward to very busy and happening months ahead, with several events planned for our extensive communities, which we will be reporting to you in the next newsletter. I would like to thank all our sponsors, funding agencies and donors for your generous contributions and continued support.

Ranjita Sengupta | MMC President