From June 3-5 of 2006, the first International Ethnic Awareness Festival was held in Christchurch, the largest city in southern New Zealand. Falun Gong was invited to participate in the festival. The mission of the festival was to help people of different ethnicities to meet and share each other's cultures, so as to live together harmoniously.

When Falun Gong practitioners asked if they could display truth-clarification pictures about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the organizer of the festival Ms. Brenda Lowe-Johnson agreed. She said that Falun Gong was originated in China, representing an ancient form of Qigong practice. But this peaceful exercise is facing unimaginable persecution in China by the Communist Party, and it is good to let everyone know about the persecution in China.

Visitor watches the exercise video

Visitors look at the truth-clarification displays

Many visitors expressed their respect for the Falun Gong practitioners' persistent and peaceful anti-persecution efforts. The practitioners' exercise demonstration also drew the attention of many visitors. Some expressed their interest in learning the exercises.

When the festival was ending, an older Marae man came and asked how he could help. A practitioner told him that he could help by letting more people know about the persecution. If everyone condemned the Chinese Communist Party's crimes, they will have no choice but to end. The man nodded and thank our practitioners for bringing the truth to the cultural festival. He said that he would do his best to raise awareness of the persecution.