Source: Radio New Zealand
A dancer performing at the event. RNZ / Lillian Hanly
Iranian New Zealanders gathered at Parliament on Tuesday night to celebrate Nowruz, or Iranian new year, while grappling with a “mix” of feelings due to the ongoing conflict.
Those in attendance told RNZ they hoped a new year would bring new hope, and that “peace prevails”.
The event was also a memorial to those who were killed in Iran’s deadly crackdown earlier this year, and the scores of children killed at an Iranian girls’ school by a targetting mistake in a US strike.
One organiser for the event, Hoda, told RNZ last year was the inaugural event at Parliament, and it was a “happy moment”.
“But this time, the event is a little bit different. It’s a mix of feeling – Nowruz is felt differently by people, they are sad but hopeful.”
Hoda, one of the organisers of the event. RNZ / Lillian Hanly
She explained Nowruz meant ‘new day’, or a new beginning: “This is the first year that we felt that from the bottom of our hearts, there might be some hope.
“People, they are sad, but they are hopeful.”
She said she hoped for a “big change” and a “new life for our people”.
“They’re suffering from many years, and finally, they can see that some change might happen.”
Another organiser for the event told RNZ they had prepared a Haft-Seen table, a traditional part of the new year where seven symbollic items starting with the letter ‘s’ are spread on a table representing hope, renewal and prosperity.
The Haft-Seen table. RNZ / Lillian Hanly
One item was serke (vinegar), meaning patience.
“It also tells us that the new year is not always going to be a happy year, and we need a lot of patience, especially during these difficult times that Iran is going through right now,” said one member of the community.
She pointed to the posters representing those killed “as a result of the brutality of the regime or the war, especially there is one poster dedicated to the children of Minab, who were killed”.
There was also a dance performance, a moment of silence held and dates were served alongside the wall of remembrance.
Posters of those who had been killed, alongside a remembrance table. RNZ / Lillian Hanly
Other members of the Iranian community were in attendance including Soodeh who joined with her husband and young son.
She said Nowruz was an important cultural celebration in Iran, and always celebrated.
“It’s very important for us. It doesn’t matter how we feel. We always celebrate this celebration. That’s why we are here.”
She also hoped something new was going to start in Iran by changing the regime and installing a new leader.
Both Soodeh and Hoda said one thing the New Zealand government could do in response to what was happening was to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, as other countries around the world had done.
Soodeh (L) with her family. RNZ / Lillian Hanly
The designation has been under consideration for some time. The issue was raised again last year following Australia’s decision to make the designation.
Soodeh also criticised a lack of media coverage in New Zealand regarding the protests in Iran earlier this year, which led to a deadly crackdown.
Mehdi told RNZ he hoped peace would prevail, but also indicated the wish of those in Iran was “freedom” and he hoped that was implemented.
“Freedom of women, freedom of country, and freedom of thought is what what they need.”
Ehsan (L) and Mehdi (C). RNZ / Lillian Hanly
He said the use of ideology in a bad way was the “worst thing that can happen” and that was what happened in Iran, and “really upset people”.
Ehsan agreed, saying they wanted a new democratic system. He did not want a regime based on any idea, religious or non-religious. He wanted a system where what people were saying was accepted, and the ruler accepted the majority consensus.
That was what the war was about, he said.
“We don’t like war, but this is imposed on us.”
Iranian New Zealanders gathered at Parliament on Tuesday night to celebrate Nowruz, or Iranian new year, RNZ / Lillian Hanly
Labour MP Megan Woods hosted the event, and acknowledged those who could not gather “so freely”.
“As the Haft-Seen table reminds us – with its symbols of renewal, growth, and health – this is a time for both personal reflection and shared solidarity.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
