This week The Star is proud to launch Local Legends.

This new award celebrates people in our community who work hard behind the scenes without any expectation of praise.

This week, we are giving them that recognition.

We cannot think of anyone better to be our first Local Legend recipient than Dunedin Senior Chinese Association president Weidi Xu.

Mrs Xu brings the wider public together to celebrate Chinese culture by orchestrating everything from traditional zongzi and dumpling-making sessions for the Dragon Boat Festival and Winter Solstice, to being a key part of Chinese New Year celebrations at Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden.

Her efforts go beyond honouring her own heritage to embracing the diversity of Dunedin.

The association’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day events have featured traditional Chinese music, art and tai chi, alongside a broad spectrum of global cultures.

Involvement has spanned South Asian communities, including Indian and Pakistani groups, as well as African culture through West African drumming and dance.

The events have also incorporated Māori kapa haka and Pacific Island performance.

Western arts and local traditions have been represented by Spanish dance, along with brass bands, ballet and jazz schools.

Wider community participation has included kindergartens, high schools and university student groups.

Speaking through an interpreter, Mrs Xu said because she and others in the group did not speak English well, they aimed to find other ways to connect.

“The only way that we can communicate with the local culture and the local people is through our music and dancing and arts performance,” Mrs Xu said.

Every year she tried her best to find ways to have a stage for everyone, bringing together people from different cultural backgrounds who can perform together and interact with each other in that way.

She recognised Dunedin and New Zealand as a multicultural city and country.

“Since we are part of the community here in Dunedin and New Zealand . . . we not only need to just show our own culture.”

The core of the organisation is a group of retired women who came from China.

They routinely perform at a range of events across the city.

Because its members are retirees, the association has a strong focus on providing entertainment for older residents.

“Because we are senior people in society . . . we always pay attention to rest homes.

“Just to give them something to make their day something different from the rest of the week.”

Since she and others in the group came to Dunedin, people had welcomed them with warm hearts.

“So every year it’s this thought that makes me think that if I can have a chance to bring every different culture, different background people all together, and then we can use this way to feed back to the community.

“This is our way to say thank you to Dunedin and to everybody in New Zealand who has shown us their warmth.”

 

Who would you like to nominate to be a Local Legends recipient? 

Email your nomination to legends@thestar.co.nz today.

Include their name and a brief explanation of how they contribute.