Join us for a Wao Aotearoa curated evening on migration!

QLDC Welcoming Communities coordinators Hemi Cordell and Silvia Dancose will discuss migration, sharing their professional insights and personal experiences.

Followed by the award-winning film Io Capitano, celebrated with a 13-minute standing ovation at the Venice screening. (R16)

Join us from 6:45pm for a drink at the Cinema bar and to grab a good seat—event starts promptly at 7:00pm!

Io Capitano (Me Captain)

BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) won the Best Director Silver Lion at Venice 2023 for this contemporary odyssey of two young men who leave Senegal for Europe. To do so, they must contest with the dangers of the desert, the perils of the sea, and the ambiguities of the human soul. Nominated for Best International Film at the 2024 Academy Awards.

About Welcoming Week

Aotearoa New Zealand is one of the most diverse countries in the world, with over 200 different ethnicities and a quarter of all people born overseas. Our diversity is our strength, making us a vibrant and attractive place to be. 

Welcoming Week New Zealand - Te Wiki o Manaaki Aotearoa - is an annual campaign to showcase and celebrate how communities across Aotearoa and the globe are working to be more welcoming places for all, including migrants. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our welcoming values through local events and initiatives that foster mutual understanding, stronger connections, and deeper belonging among all of us – particularly long-time residents and newcomers. 

For this year’s Welcoming Week, let’s roll out the welcome mat and celebrate the things that unite us. No matter what language you speak or where you were born – we’re glad you’re here!