Rt Hon. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon didn't just attend Wellington's first Diwali and Annakut celebration at the city's largest Hindu temple —he rolled up his sleeves and got involved.

Hundreds of devotees and community members gathered at the newly opened BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lower Hutt, to welcome in the Hindu new year in the presence of the Prime Minister, marking the annual Diwali celebrations.

Mr Luxon performed the first aarti of the Hindu new year, a ceremonial offering of light before a vibrant display of over 900 food items arranged as a mountain offering. He then personally added the final touches of dried fruits and nuts to shiro, a traditional Indian sweet prepared by volunteers, before placing his contribution on the Annakut display.

Throughout his time at the temple, the Prime Minister moved through the gathering, speaking with community members young and old, listening to their stories and sharing in their joy on this doubly auspicious day - Diwali, the festival of lights, and Annakut, which marks the Hindu New Year. "Today, we are celebrating that central idea of Diwali which is that light will always triumph over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over hopelessness" he said.

He said, “You have enriched our country tremendously - economically, socially and culturally. We wouldn’t be the New Zealand that we are today without your strong, vibrant contributions.”

The PM reflected on his previous encounters with the BAPS community, including meeting Kiwi volunteers during his visit to the temple, Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi in March 2025, and his 2023 visit to BAPS Auckland. “One of the great privileges for us was getting to the (Swaminarayan) Akshardham temple and meeting some of the volunteers who’d come from all over the world.