The Italians of Island Bay - Second Edition
Schedule
Sun Feb 08 2026 at 12:00 am to 06:00 am
UTC+13:00Location
Shorland Park | Wellington, WG
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Details to follow closer to time, but already got a few new ideas for the 2026 edition.***
Description from Inaugural 2025 Edition FYI:
I would like to acknowledge the support of The Island Bay Festival, which will be celebrating its 40th year of bringing the community together this year, and thank them for giving me a space in The Park this Sunday at The Day in The Bay to showcase and celebrate The Italians of Island Bay, their history and their contributiion to the community, business and culture.
#supportlocal
#celebratelocal
#celebratecommunity
#islandbayfestival
The majority of Island Bay Italians are Neapolitan from the hill top town of Massa Lubrense and surrounds on the Sorrentine Peninsula, followed by Sicilians from the small volcanic island of Stromboli in the Aeolean sea.
When you think of The Italians of Island Bay you might think of their involvement and contribution to the Fishing and Food (and related) Industries, but it goes much wider than that..
In alphabetic order as to not to offend. NB: list a work in progress.
- academics
- accountants
- artists
- authors
- builders
- cinema
- electricians
- exporters
- film makers
- financial advisors
- fishermen
- footballers
- hairdressers
- hoteliers
- importers
- journalists
- lawyers
- lecturers
- lawn bowlers
- management consultants
- martial arts instructors
- mozzarella makers
- musicians
- olympic medalist
- opera singers
- photographers
- plumbers
- poets
- property developers
- public servants
- publishers
- quantity surveyors
- realaters
- restauranteurs
- scholars
- seamstresses
- secretaries
- retailers
- tailors
- teachers
- tomatoe growers
- volunteers
- wine makers
- wholesalers
Books that will on display:
- Alle Fine del Mondo by Paul Elenio
- Le Famiglie Strombolani by
- Food & Family by
- Family Business by Vincent Moleta
- Angelina by Gerard Hindmarsh
- Unsheltered by Clare Moleta
- Umberto Saba : poetry & prose selected & translated, with notes by Vincent Moleta
Just a few days to go till the big Day in the Bay on Sunday. I'm unexpectedly in Perth for family reasons, so have had to piece this together organically long distance, with the help and contribution of my mum's childhood girlfriends from The Bay, for which I'm extremely greatfull.
My Back-Story:
On my mother's side I'm double 4th generation Strombolana-Kiwi and 2nd generation Dutch-Kiwi on my father's side (RIP).. thus my long and unusual name..
Rosina Maria Giuseppina van der Aa.
All 4 of my biz-nonni (great grandparents) bravely sailed to the ends of the earth (alle fine del mondo) in search of a better future.
My maternal great grandfather (Bartolo Barnao) and his elder brother(Giuseppe) initially fished and slept under their fishing boat in Makara, before returning with their Strombolane wives who were also siblings (Giuseppina and Maria Concetta Pirera) to set up shop literally (a fish shop) in Palmerston North before then moving to No 64 The Parade Island Bay when my Nonna Rosina was 17 circa 1934.
My paternal great grandparents (Angelina Criscillo and Vincenzo Moleta) along with Vincenzo's brother (Antonino) and Angelina's cousin (Rosa) settled and tamed D'urville. My Nonno (Leslie George Moleta) spotted my Nonna (Rosina Elvira Barnao) at the Zino-Toscano wedding where she was a bridesmaid. They had two children, both named after their grandparents as was the tradition. My uncle Vincent Bartolo and my mother Maria Josephine The rest as they say is Family Business..
Useful link:
https://www.clubgaribaldi.org.nz/
https://www.circoloitaliano.org.nz/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massa_Lubrense
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromboli
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromboli_(1950_film)
https://www.islandbaylittleitaly.com/
https://www.islandbaylittleitaly.com/alla-fine-del-mondo-book.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/spectrum/audio/201799214/the-stromboli-connection
https://www.islandbaylittleitaly.com/food-and-family-book.html
https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/what-we-do/canterbury-university-press/canterbury-university-press-catalogue/family-business-an-italian-new-zealand-story
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/igerard-hindmarshi-angelina-from-stromboli-to-durville-island/HI2EI7JD7ZAS4ZG2SEH5ZMP6QE/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1192335.Gerard_Hindmarsh
https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/350384573/dramatists-one-woman-show-wows-audiences-nationwide
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57094780-unsheltered
https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/19-05-2021/i-wrote-my-worst-nightmare
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_New_Zealanders
https://teara.govt.nz/en/italians/page-3
https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/about/past-exhibitions/2004-past-exhibitions#Qui%20Tutto%20Bene
https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/caterina-de-nave/biography
https://www.islandbaylittleitaly.com/research-resources.html
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Where is it happening?
Shorland Park, Wellington, New ZealandEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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