Staff, students and residents gathered at Charles Sturt University to celebrate Harmony Day and encouraging the theme of 'Everyone Belongs', community participation and inclusiveness on March 21.

Celebrations included cup cake decorating, dancing, a colour run, painting and henna body art drawings.

However racism fuelled attacks at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in New Zealand on March 15 are still fresh in people's minds.

Master of IT student Shahriar Haque, who was born in Qatar before moving to Australia, said he was unsettled by the incidents in which 50 people died but was reassured by Port Macquarie residents.

"I was feeling nervous because I used to live in the Middle East," he said.

"When we were moving I knew that we would be a minority in Australia and that was quite scary.

"The shooting in New Zealand really scared me because the suspect was Australian and from New South Wales.

"However locals in Port Macquarie were very comforting and everyone was welcoming, their reactions are reassuring."

Mr Haque said he had always been raised in a multi-cultural environment and Australia was living up to that idea.

"I was glad to see it (harmony) celebrated in Australia and happy to see locals such as indigenous people adding another dimension," he said.

Information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates 67 per cent of the Australian population were born in Australia as of 2016.

About 14.7 per cent of those born overseas are from England and 8.4 percent from New Zealand.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent 2.8 per cent of the population.

Australia had the ninth largest number of overseas-born people in 2015 and has over 300 separately identified languages spoken in Australian homes as of 2016.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.