We live in a relatively 'diverse' scoiety. That can mean whatever you want it to mean, but in this instance I'm referring to the mixture of ethnicities which make up Tawa. According to the 2006 Census, approximately three-quarters of local residents classified themselves as NZ European/Pakeha, and about one-quarter didn't.

On a recent Sunday morning in church it occurred to me that those up the front "leading the music" represented an interesting range of backgrounds which we'll come back to in a moment. On stage there are three leading the singing, and another six are playing various instruments at the right of the picture (a flautist and a violinist obscured alongside the piano). The six who are of secondary school age all go to Tawa College, and the pianist is or has been one of the Tawa College staff.

Four out of the total of nine are (or appear to be) NZ European/Pakeha by ethnicity. The remainder are 'half' or 'fully' as follows: Zambian, Cambodian, Korean, Samoan, and Filipino - all in all, a very interesting mix. This is Tawa in the year 2008.