Celebrating the presence of Poles in the country, and the 151st anniversary of the first Pole stepping on to New Zealand soil, is at the heart of a Polish event this year.

Organised by the Polish Community Trust, the celebration has the main “goal of promoting the culture, and making the people in Tauranga know we are part of this community”, says the acting President of the Polish Community Trust BOP Inc. Ewa Fern.

“We have probably more than a hundred Poles living in the city at the moment, and despite celebrating just 151 years in New Zealand, our presence in New Zealand can be traced back to the trips of Captain James Cook.”

This is not the only event the Polish community has developed in the city. Concerts, art and photography exhibitions have also been enjoyed by the Tauranga community.

“As the Polish Community Trust we have much more to share with New Zealand. We also have our preschool running which has students who come from Rotorua. That is a good opportunity to share our history and culture with our little ones.”

The event will see a showcase of culture, tradition, food and performances. Photo: supplied.

Photography, music, and the movie ‘All Together’ are some of the activities at this year's festival.

“In 2022, we celebrated our event at the [Tauranga] Historic Village and it was a great success.

"This year, we are expecting more people to come and enjoy our culture and that is why we are shifting our venue to the Waikato University at the Manawaroa room level one, to offer all our visitors a great environment and more space to feel Poland here at Tauranga.”

The Polish festival this year will take place next Saturday, November 4, from 2pm to 5pm at the University of Waikato on Durham Street, Tauranga.