Labour leader Chris Hipkins works the grill at Wellington's Pistang Pilipino on the eve of voting

Labour leader Chris Hipkins spent the day before voting begins in the 2026 election at the Pistang Pilipino festival in Wellington, working the grill and the crowd at what Newsroom called New Zealand's largest celebration of Filipino culture.

Subscribe to newsletter

Labour leader Chris Hipkins spent the day before voting begins in the 2026 election mingling with Filipino New Zealanders at the Pistang Pilipino festival in Wellington, Newsroom reported. Hipkins worked the grill and the crowd at what Newsroom described as New Zealand's largest celebration of Filipino culture, and was photographed at a food stall.

Newsroom political reporter Fox Meyer wrote that Hipkins was received by Wellington's Filipino crowd "like a movie star". The outlet described Filipinos as New Zealand's second-fastest growing migrant group, and noted that the Philippines is a nation with which the coalition Government has sought to grow ties.

Pistang Pilipino was created to unite Filipinos across New Zealand through sports, music and cultural traditions, according to its organisers, and the 2026 festival is run by the team behind Streams of Life Charitable Trust. Its programme includes basketball, volleyball and badminton tournaments for Filipino communities from across the country.

A flagship part of this year's festival is the Parade of Filipino Festivals, in which Filipino groups from across New Zealand each represent a well-known Philippine festival, such as Sinulog, MassKara and Kadayawan, through costumes, music, dance and storytelling. Wellington, as the 2026 host, does not compete but joins the parade showcasing the Ati-Atihan Festival.