The BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival food stalls
Manu made this Official Information request to Auckland Council
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From: Manu
Dear Auckland Council,
I am writing regarding the food stall options for the Auckland Diwali Festival.
1. On what basis are food stalls restricted to selling only vegetarian food?
2. Does Auckland Council have representation from all cultures and traditions across India?
Could you kindly clarify why only vegetarian food stalls are permitted at the Diwali Festival, given that non-vegetarian food is also traditionally part of Diwali celebrations in many regions of India?
I hope the Auckland Council will take into consideration the diverse cultural practices within India.
Yours faithfully,
Manu
From: Auckland Diwali Festival
Dear Manu,
Thank you for your query about the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival having
solely vegetarian food options.
Tâtaki Auckland Unlimited acknowledges that globally, Diwali is not
specifically a vegetarian celebration.
However, the Auckland Diwali Festival has been a vegetarian festival since
its inception in 2002. It was founded by the Asia New Zealand Foundation
working in partnership with the Auckland Indian Association (acknowledging
the AIA had held earlier Diwali celebrations), later supported and
co-delivered by the Auckland City Council, and is now delivered by Tâtaki
Auckland Unlimited – an Auckland Council-controlled organisation – on
behalf of the council, for the benefit of all Aucklanders, including
Indian and Indian diaspora Aucklanders of all backgrounds.
As the agency which delivers this much-loved festival Tâtaki Auckland
Unlimited seeks to be inclusive, with guidance from our Auckland Diwali
Festival Advisory Group. This group, formed between September 2015 and
February 2016, has representatives from a range of Auckland’s Indian
communities.
Tâtaki Auckland Unlimited promotes stallholder and performer applications,
and the festival itself, online, in media, on social media and via a wide
range of community networks – including those of the advisory group – to
encourage applications from a wider range of different regions and
ethnicities.
This year, the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival has food stallholders
representing a range of India’s hugely diverse regions, regions from the
country’s north to south including Punjab, Gujarat, Mumbai, Karnataka,
Bihar, Rajasthan, Jaipur Telangana State and Coimbatore. There will also
be food stallholders from Fiji, Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico.
In 2017, the vegetarian directive to stallholders was extended to also
exclude eggs as an ingredient. That followed a stallholder query in 2016
challenging the inclusion of eggs as inconsistent with both Hindu
vegetarian practice and the Wellington Diwali Festival. Our festival
production team discussed this with the festival advisory group and the
producers of the Wellington Diwali Festival. The majority of the advisory
group agreed the Auckland festival would no longer include eggs on the
menu at the festival, which went into effect in 2017.
We respect you may have a different view about the vegetarian restriction,
but hope you will still join us and enjoy the festival.
Happy Diwali,
Ngâ mihi,
DIWALI FESTIVAL TEAM
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From: Manu
Dear Auckland Diwali Festival,
Thank you for your detailed response regarding the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival’s vegetarian-only food policy. I appreciate the background on the festival’s history and the efforts made to be inclusive of Auckland’s diverse Indian communities.
While I respect the decision based on the majority's guidance, I believe the advisory group may not fully represent the broad spectrum of cultural and culinary practices across India.
Would it be possible for the Auckland Council to show how diverse the group is that decides on festivals like Diwali in Auckland?
By restricting the festival to vegetarian-only options, it unintentionally promotes Diwali as a solely vegetarian celebration and may misinform New Zealanders about Hindu traditions. In reality, Diwali is observed with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, depending on regional and familial customs.
This restriction also limits the opportunity for non-vegetarian food business owners to participate and showcase their offerings. By broadening the range of food options, the festival could provide a more authentic representation of the diversity of Indian culinary traditions, while also supporting a wider group of local businesses.
I hope you will consider this perspective for future festivals, as it may further enrich the cultural experience for all attendees and better reflect the diversity of Diwali celebrations.
Thank you again for your time and consideration. I look forward to attending the festival and celebrating Diwali with the community.
Yours sincerely,
Manu.
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