Free West Auckland concert raises over $700k for cyclone relief

A free concert in Parrs Park has raised almost $1 million for families affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The all-Kiwi lineup, which included Stan Walker, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Aardijah, performed for a crowd of more than 30,000 fans at West Auckland park. Surprise appearances from celebrities like Cliff Curtis and a shirtless Jason Momoa also delighted the audience.

The fundraising event, Maranga - Rise Up Aotearoa, was hosted by the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and Whakaata Māori.

The crowd was lively from the opening act and swelled in size throughout the afternoon.

Foldable chairs and picnic blankets stretched across the 25,000-hectare Glen Eden park, surrounding the busy standing area beside the stage.

Families competed for airspace waving their respective iwi flags, forming a colourful canvas above the crowd.

A selection of kai was available from dozens of food trucks serving Māori mainstays like hāngī, pāua, fry bread and whitebait fritters.

In addition to the audience of attendees, thousands more watched the event live on Māori TV, TikTok and other social media channels, where viewers were encouraged to donate through text or QR code.

The event, hosted by Māori TV, focussed on Maoritanga. MCs addressed the crowd in Te Reo and many artists performed bilingually.

Attendees praised the positive atmosphere and Kotahitanga. Riki Reihana (Ngati Hene) said the place was “electric”:

“The sound was great, and the performers were fantastic. After everything going on in Auckland it was cool to see the community come together as one and raise money for a good cause,”

Various government and community organizations supported the event and hosted their own stalls, including the Māori Party, Smokefree NZ and Te Mātāwai.

Whakaata Māori didn’t disclose the official donation tally, but organisers gave live updates throughout the event.

“We won’t be releasing the official amount as donations are still coming in,” said a spokesperson for Whakaata Māori.

By midday, donations had already tipped $100,000 and reached $700,000 by the closing act by Stan Walker.

Māori News host Ani Piki Tuari was impressed by the effort.

“This has been a massive partnership between Whakaata Māori and whanau ora to help all New Zealanders hit by Cyclone Gabrielle.”

Cyclone Gabrielle devastated the North Island in mid-February on the heels of heavy rainfall and catastrophic floods. International observers called it the costliest tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere in terms of financial loss.

West Auckland, the site of the concert, was particularly ravaged by the storm and some roads around the venue were still wearing the damage from the flooding.