One love, one nation

ANDREW GORRIE/The Dominion Post

GOOD VIBES: Crowds at the Festival of the Elements in Porirua.

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Maori sovereignty flags fluttered alongside Jamaican versions as 14,000 music fans gathered in Wellington to celebrate the birth of a nation - and of a reggae superstar.

On a balmy public holiday the Hataitai Velodrome swarmed as thousands attended the One Love festival to mark Bob Marley's birthday, more than 25 years after the musician's death.

Organiser Dave Gibbons said the event, now in its 11th year, was a very expensive party to put on.

It featured bands and DJs as well as a kapa haka group to mark Waitangi Day. "It's a beautiful day, it's a really nice vibe," he said.

In a mark of the festival's differing loyalties, Jamaican, New Zealand and the Tino Rangatiratanga Maori sovereignty flags were flying.

A stream of DJs kept the crowd entertained, one dubbing the festival "aroha tahi" - Maori for "one love".

Keiho Fukuda, 25, a dreadlocked Japanese reggae fan, was working in Napier when he heard about the concert.

"I was looking for a way to celebrate Bob Marley's birthday," he said. "This has been awesome."

Conrad Ete, 21, a regular at the One Love concerts, said the day had been cruisy. Waitangi Day was about "celebrating New Zealand and Kiwiana", and he preferred to let political elements at Waitangi pass him by.

Meanwhile, an estimated 35,000 people flocked to Porirua's Festival of the Elements for a day of music, food and carnival rides.

The annual festival was at Elsdon Park for the first time this year, but organisers estimated attendance matched the tens of thousands of previous years.

Event coordinator Margaret Armour said she thought the crowd matched the 35,000 who had shown up last year.

The day marked Waitangi Day as well as being a community event with "remarkably little animosity".

- © Fairfax NZ News