AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Tiare Tawera, CEO, actor, and fitness guru, attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance with his sister Carly Taia, a legal secretary, at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre on April 22.

Having worked in the television industry for two decades, Mr. Tawera, who is a presenter on “Toi Te Ora,” said the Shen Yun performance was the “best ever.”

From the moment the curtains opened, Mr. Tawera said he felt “empowered.”

“I was loss for words, it was stunning … I love the colours,” he said, “the first thing that you see with the clouds, you feel empowered.”

Because of their Maori culture, they both experienced a profound admiration for the spirituality and traditions of ancient China.

“When I watched the show for the first time, I [felt] that type of connection, that very deep cultural connection,” said Mr. Tawera. “I get quite emotional because seeing what they are trying to portray and the message they are trying to portray to everyone here, I think it’s important.”

“I could feel that in the performance tonight and that’s what I like the most, there’s a need to push this out, there’s a need to acknowledge our culture and heritage, but it’s not there.”

In regards to Shen Yun demonstrating “China before communism,” Mr. Tawera said, “I think that’s what I love the most, is that you could see it was the embodiment of that identity but it needed to be shown, this is who we are and it’s about trying to align to that.”

“What made me quite emotional is how that spirituality was being disconnected … it was being taken from them … taking away a part of their identity and what represents who they are, to their core,” said Ms. Taia, “and to understand that that’s still a reality today is quite mind-blowing.”

Beside the “stunning and beautiful” visuals of Shen Yun, she said there was a lot “behind the scenes that made you think.”

“It provokes emotions and thoughts and feelings,” she said, “if someone tried to take my spirituality away, I would be gutted.

Mr. Tawera was also emotionally moved by the performance and grateful for the company’s stance on reviving their spiritual heritage.

“Whoever you are, in terms of your identity, show it … that’s authentically you,” he said, “our identity is our superpower, the more we portray it to the world, you need more of that!”