Drew Kohing – Mao and Co
Meet Drew Kohing of Mao and Co, one of the vibrant food trucks bringing flavour and energy to the 2026 Lunar New Year Festival. Stationed at Frank Kitts Park as part of the Horsing Around programme, Mao and Co will be fuelling families enjoying a day of face painting, balloon animals, and a lively performance and participation programme including taiko drumming, Muay Thai kickboxing, hip hop, dragon dancing, kung fu, Vietnamese and Filipino folk dancing, and break dancing.
Known for their bold, street-inspired dishes, Mao and Co embody the spirit of celebration—serving up food that will keep festival-goers energised as they gallop into the Year of the Horse.
How long have you been involved in the Wellington Lunar New Year Festival and what ethnic community/culture do you associate yourself with.
We opened our food truck in 2016 as we wanted to bring Chinese street food to the people of Wellington as we noticed at events it was mainly Burgers, Chips, Hot Dog and Tacos. We were a vendor for the Wellington Chinese New Year Festival at TSB Arena in 2017 and again in 2018.
After travelling extensively through Asia we were inspired by the night markets and street food on offer, so we wanted to share that with Wellington. Being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful surroundings to eat, rather than sitting in a restaurant for a change.
I am New Zealand born Chinese, grandparents came from Toisan, Guangzhou and my husband is from Shanghai. My family have always been involved with Dragons Sports Club and Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre.
For the 2026 Festival, what is your role, and what traditions or elements from your culture are you most excited to share with Wellingtonians this year?
We want to represent authentic Chinese cuisine, street style from our food truck and celebrate what I say is Chinese Christmas. A 2 week festival of celebrations of coming together with family and friends to bring good fortune, health and prosperity for the coming year.
Lunar New Year is celebrated across many cultures. How does your own cultural heritage shape the way you participate in the festival programme?
Fireworks, lion dances and dragon dances, red packets. Any excuse to get together for food and celebrations. Particularly the parade, as a child our grandparents and parents used to dress in traditional Chinese costumes to walk the James Smith Christmas Parade and show our heritage to everyone that we are proud to be Chinese back in the 70's! There was no Chinese New Year Parade in those days.
What has been a standout or memorable moment for you from past festivals, and why does it continue to inspire your involvement?
As above, It is a ritual that one must do every year. It gets people and the community together. New Zealand is a multi-cultural society and we love being part of every culture to celebrate with them. For example Matariki, Pacifika, Diwali etc, etc.
Looking ahead to the 2026 celebrations, what is the one highlight you’d encourage people not to miss, and what do you hope it helps them understand about your culture and the wider Lunar New Year community in Wellington?
The highlight I would recommend would be... all of the events of the Lunar New Year Festival!
The importance of unity - family, friends, work colleagues all coming together to celebrate the upcoming year and to pass on their best wishes to each other.
Love, peace and happiness.
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