Indian Newslink Digital Edition - June 15, 2015

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ATEED under fire on Diwali Festival dates 

Venkat Raman 

Following increasing public 

pressure, the Auckland 

Tourism, Events and Economic 

Development (ATEED) is 

likely to consider the possibility 

of changing the dates of its Diwali 

Festival in Auckland to days that are 

in consonance with the Hindu practices 

and religious sentiments. 

The Council Controlled Organisation 

(CCO) had announced earlier that 

Auckland Diwali will be held on 

October 17 and 18, 2015 at Aotea 

Square on Queen Street. 

Wellington City Council and Asia 

New Zealand Foundation are scheduled 

to conduct the Festival in Wellington on 

October 24 and 25, 2015. 

The actual day of Diwali is 

November 11 this year. Since Hindus 

observe the Lunar Calendar, there is no 

fixed date for their festivals, similar to 

Islamic observances which advance by 

ten days every year. 

Navaratri compatibility 

Typically, Diwali is celebrated 20 

days after the completion of Navratri, 

Venkat Raman 

Indian Newslink has been 

purchased by Jacob Mannothra, 

Managing Director of Zindia 

Limited, a pioneer in developing 

the Indian market for NZ pine and one 

of the largest exporters of timber to 

India amongst other countries in the 

a nine-night Festival sacred to Hindu 

women. Although all public events 

relating to most religious observances 

including Christmas are held before 

the actual day of their occurrence, it is 

incumbent on organisers that tradition 

and protocol are not breached. 

A popular religious leader was the 

first to raise this issue, asking, “Do 

you realise that ATTED would be 

celebrating Diwali during Navratri? 

This is like having the Easter Sunday 

Service before Good Friday.” 

An ATEED official dismissed the 

query saying that the ‘dates (of Diwali 

2015) cannot be changed,’ adding that 

the dates of future events were being 

discussed with Asia New Zealand 

Foundation. 

Public discussion 

There was considerable discussion 

about the timing of Diwali Festival 

this year among the members of the 

Indian community, following which 

concerns were raised at a meeting of 

the officials of the New Zealand Indian 

Central Association (NZICA), the 

Manukau Indian Association (MIA) 

and a number of other organisations 

Indian Newslink 

brands change hands 

Jacob Mannothra 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz ■ Phone: 09 533 6377 ■ info@indiannewslink.co.nz ■ Issue No 325 ■ JUNE 15 2015 

Asia Pacific region. 

A new Company called,‘Indian 

Newslink Limited’ has been registered 

and launched with Jacob as the sole 

owner and Managing Director. 

In effect, the new entity has 

purchased the ongoing business of 

Indiana Publications (New Zealand 

Limited). 

With effect from June 1, 

2015.‘Indian Newslink Limited’ 

owns all the brands including (1) 

Indian Newslink (2) Indian Newslink 

Fastfind Indian Business Directory 

(3) Indian Newslink Indian Business 

Awards (4) Indian Newslink Sir 

Anand Satyanand Lecture and (5) 

Indian Newslink Indian Sports 

Awards. 

Jacob brings with him an innate 

passion for the media and his penchant 

for connecting businesses and people 

worldwide. 

at Mahatma Gandhi Centre located at 

Eden Terrace. 

At another meeting held on Friday, 

June 12, ATEED is reported to have 

‘agreed to look at alternative dates,’ but 

gave no undertaking that there would be 

a positive move. Instead, the meeting 

was informed that obtaining Aotea 

Square on other dates may be difficult. 

Propriety questioned 

There are a number of other issues 

relating to Diwali and the way in 

which the Festival is being conducted 

by ATEED. Material obtained by 

Immigration 

New Zealand 

apologies to Fijians 

Venkat Raman 

Immigration New Zealand 

(INZ) has apologised to Fiji 

PAC registrants in Fiji for 

not advising them of their 

ballot registration numbers prior 

to the ballot draw. 

The draw was held on Friday, 

May 5, 2015. 

Technical error 

INZ attributed the lapse to a 

‘technical error’ and confirmed 

that it did not affect Fiji PAC 

registrants living in New 

Zealand. 

“We are working on the 

problem and hope to notify all 

registrants of their registration 

numbers either by SMS or email 

soon. This will be done prior to 

publication of those registrations 

On the other side of town, the Radio Tarana Diwali in Manukau attracts at 

least 65,000 visitors with free entry to mingle with Hindi film celebrities such 

as Bobby Deol seen at Tarana Diwali 2013. Picture by Lion Beats 

that were successfully drawn 

from the ballot. We wish to 

assure all those who registered, 

and who met the registration 

criteria, were entered into the 

ballot,” the notification said. 

The number of 8997 Fijians 

registered under the Pacific 

Access Category during April 

2015. 

At press time, INZ was 

making final checks prior to 

publishing the list of successful 

registration numbers. 

For those in Fiji, the TT 

Services receipt is proof of 

registration into the 2015 PAC. 

If there was a problem with 

your registration and you could 

not be entered into the ballot, 

INZ would have contacted you 

by now. 

Indian Newslink under the Official 

Information Act indicate that the 

CCO has much to answer, not the 

least of which is the way in which it 

engages with the Indian media. There 

is apparently a fee to be paid to attend 

the Opening Ceremony as a part of the 

VIP grouping. This newspaper was not 

informed of the process followed and 

the material at hand may show that all 

is not well. 

According to the Auckland Council, 

“Sponsoring community media partners 

are invited to the formal opening 

FREE 

function as part of the rights and 

benefits of their sponsorship of the 2013 

and 2014 events. ATEED appreciates 

that Indian Newslink is one of the 

longest standing and largest Indian 

media outlets in New Zealand but was 

not in a position to break commitments 

made with existing sponsors of these 

events.” 

Auckland Mayor Len Brown told 

this reporter during a recent meeting, 

“It is possible that media attending the 

Diwali Opening Ceremony would have 

to pay some money. But I am not sure.” 

Taxpayer money 

ATEED is expected to spend 

$254,650 on Diwali 2015 in Auckland, 

up from $250,000 spent in 2013 but 

less than the amount spent in 2014 

($278,850). 

The Organisation will receive 

$90,000 from sponsors this year, 

compared to $89,000 received last year 

and $105,192 in 2013. 

Indian Newslink will further analyse 

the information received under the 

Official Information Act and publish 

relevant portions in our next issue. 

Labour contractor 

faces exploitation 

charges 

Venkat Raman 

A 

Tauranga based fruit 

farm labour contractor 

is facing 32 charges 

brought against him by 

Immigration New Zealand at the 

Tauranga District Court. 

Fifty-one-year old Jafar Kurisi, 

also known as Md Wagid Ali is 

alleged to have employed workers 

who were not lawfully entitled to 

work, paid below the minimum 

wage, and did not receive their 

holiday entitlement. He also faces 

charges relating to providing substandard 

accommodation and food 

to his workers. 

The Court heard that six of the 

workers were Fijian nationals 

recruited in Fiji while four others 

were already in New Zealand on 

visitor visas and working unlawfully. 

Kurisi faces 10 charges of aiding 

and abetting the 10 workers to 

breach the conditions of their visas, 

six charges of failing to pay the 

entitlements outlined in the Holidays 

Act 2003 and six charges of 

failing to pay the minimum wage. 

The maximum penalty for these 

offences is seven years’ imprisonment 

and/or a fine of $100,000. 

He has also been charged with 

10 counts of employing workers 

knowing that they were not entitled 

because of their immigration status 

to work. The maximum penalty 

for each of these offences is a fine 

of $50,000. 

Kurisi has been remanded on 

bail until his next court appearance 

on June 19. 

Sarfraz (Saif) 

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Indian Newslink June 15, 2015 

Masters of their Game in Queen’s Birthday Honours 

Venkat Raman 

Dr Daniel Muthumala, a Justice 

of the Peace based in Wellington 

was the only person of South 

East Asian origin found on the 

list of Honours declared on 

Queen’s Birthday, which New 

Zealand observed on June 1, 

2015. 

Among the many recognised 

this year were two officials 

of the New Zealand Police, 

a community of responsible 

people who risk their lives for 

our safety and security. 

Dr Muthumala was recognised 

for his services to the Sri 

Lankan community. 

According to a report, he 

plays a key role in finding 

the necessary resources and 

ensuring the success of Guitar 

and Voice Training classes run 

for young Sri Lankan children 

at the Tawa Community Centre. 

“If not for him, there would 

not be a Sri Lankan Drumming 

Orchestra in Wellington. He 

has recently been shouldering 

responsibility for organising 

workshops and practices for a 

Sri Lankan drama production. 

He works tirelessly and 

with great enthusiasm and 

commitment for the Sri Lankan 

community,” a notification said. 

Highest Honour 

Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief 

Science Advisor to New 

Zealand Prime Minister, has 

been appointed to the Order 

of New Zealand, the country’s 

highest honour, limited to 20 

living persons. 

An internationally recognised 

biomedical and medical 

scientist, Sir Peter’s research 

has been wide-ranging, 

from hormonal control of 

growth before and after birth, 

neurological diseases and 

evolutionary medicine to the 

interface between human and 

pastoral animal biology. 

The Companions 

Businesswoman Bronwen 

Holdsworth, Auckland City 

Missioner Diane Robertson 

and Sports Event Organiser 

Therese Walsh have been made 

Dames Companion of The New 

Zealand Order of Merit, while 

former National Party Leader 

and Diplomat Jim McLay, 

former Maori Party Leader Dr 

Pita Sharples and businessman 

Peter Talley have been made 

Knights Companion of the New 

Zealand Order of Merit. 

The Officers 

Black Caps Captain Brendon 

McCullum and Head Coach 

Mike Hesson have been made 

Officers of the New Zealand 

Order of Merit for services to 

cricket. 

Louise Nicholas has become 

an Officer of the New Zealand 

Order of Merit for services 

to the prevention of sexual 

violence. 

Dr Pita Sharples 

Maori Party Co-leader Te 

Ururoa Flavell said that Dr 

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people’s lives. His long list 

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Economic Taskforce,’and 

writing the ‘Maori Economic 

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Ringa,’ which continues to 

guide the Crown in its support 

of the rapidly growing Maori 

economy,” he said. 

New Zealand Police 

Detective Superintendent 

Andrew Lovelock, Auckland, 

and Sergeant Rob Woodley, 

Counties Manukau, become 

Officers of the New Zealand 

Order of Merit (ONZM). 

Police Commissioner 

Mike Bush said that he was 

very proud that the work and 

achievements of both officers in 

their specialist fields had been 

recognised. 

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Flag issue hoists 

healthy debate 

Press Statement 

Attorney General 

Aiyaz Sayed- 

Khaiyum 

announced the 

next stage in the selection 

of the new flag representing 

independent and democratic 

Republic of Fiji. 

Following an open and 

inclusive process, the 

Fijian public can review 

and comment on the 

shortlisted 23 designs that 

were chosen from more 

than two thousand entries 

submitted. 

All Fijians, living at 

home and abroad,have been 

encouraged to participate in 

making the finalselection. 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said 

that there are many ways 

in which all Fijians can 

engage in the process: on 

a special web page www. 

newfijiflag.com, calling 

into radio programmes, 

by text message to #323 if 

your carrier is Vodafone; 

and to #170 if your carrier 

is Digicel. 

You can also share 

your feedback by post to 

the address: Department 

of Information, PO 

Box2225, Government 

Buildings, Suva or 

drop your suggestion at 

Department of Information, 

Ground Floor, New Wing 

Government Buildings, 26 

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum 

Gladstone Road, Suva. 

New Chapter 

On June 30, after Fijians 

express their comments and 

their preferences, the new 

flag will then be considered 

by Cabinet and Parliament. 

“The outcome will 

be a new flag for a new 

Fiji. When the new flag 

is raised for the first 

timeon Independence 

Day, October 10, 2015, 

it will be the culmination 

of a historic event in the 

history of Fiji in keeping 

with our progression 

from colonialism to a 

true and independent 

democracy,”Mr Sayed- 

Khaiyum said. 

Political mandate 

He said that the 

government is following 

a mandate engraved in 

last year’s election and 

that political critics of the 

new flag are anchored to 

mentality of the past. 

“There is a small 

backward looking political 

faction that claims that 

they are disturbed by the 

raising of a new flag for a 

new Fiji. For anyone still 

listening to them, please 

remember this: Prime 

Minister Bainimarama first 

proclaimed the need for a 

new flag in 2013. Knowing 

this, Fijian voters elected 

the Prime Minister in 

overwhelming numbers in 

2014. The Prime Minister 

then officially announced 

the national competition for 

the design of a new Fijian 

flag in 2015.” 

Sharp contrast 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum 

drew a sharp contrast with 

the selection of the current 

flag 45 years ago. 

In that case, there were 

only about 400 flag designs 

submissions over a limited 

period of one month, at the 

end of which a committee 

of only four men, Sir 

Kamisese Mara, Edward 

Cakobau, Vijay Singh and 

C A Stinson announced 

their decision. 

“Obviously there was 

very little deliberation 

and public consultation 

in choosing the current 

flag,”he said. 

This time,all Fijians 

living in Fiji or any part of 

the world would have had 

the chance to participate in 

this process,” Mr Sayed- 

Khaiyum added. 

A 

man detained in a West 

Australia Immigration 

Detention Centre, who had 

earlier claimed that he was 

an Indigenous Australian, has turned 

out to be a Fijian national, Immigration 

Department of Australia has confirmed. 

Replace Eddie David, who is being 

held at Yongah Hill Immigration 

Detention Centre, initially claimed 

to be Indigenous Australian. But the 

Immigration Department has since 

confirmed he is actually a Fijian 

national. 

Fingerprint analysis 

A spokesperson for the Department 

told Special Broadcasting Service 

(SBS)that they used fingerprint analysis 

and facial recognition comparisons to 

confirm Mr David’s nationality. 

“The Department detained a 

Fijian national claiming to be an 

Australian citizen, following a 

thorough investigation by which the 

Department was fully satisfied that 

Australian Associated Press 

he is an unlawful non-citizen. As part 

of the investigation, the Department 

used finger print analysis and facial 

recognition comparisons.” 

The department added that they 

had contacted the Local Aboriginal 

Council, but they could not confirm 

Mr David’s claims. 

“People who have exhausted all 

outstanding avenues to remain in 

Australia and have no lawful basis to 

remain are expected to depart,” the 

spokesperson said in a statement. 

Earlier, the lawyer for Mr David 

had called for his client’s immediate 

release. 

Origin confusion 

George Newhouse claimed that his 

client was born on Murray Island in 

the Torres Strait and is an Australian 

citizen. 

He says 39-year-old Mr David 

has been detained at the Yongah Hill 

Immigration Detention Centre since 

June 5 after attending Centrelink where 

he was confused with an Indian man. 


Fijian amidst identity challenge 

10 

“I have been told that it is not the 

first time,” Mr Newhouse told AAP. 

“You have a vulnerable indigenous 

Australian man seeking support from 

the government and finds himself being 

arrested. I am extremely concerned.It 

is a scandalous situation. It is hard to 

believe this could occur in Australia in 

the 21st century.” 

Thorough probe 

The Department of Immigration 

and Border Protection said that it has 

undertaken a thorough investigation 

and is fully satisfied that Mr David is 

an unlawful non-citizen. 

The Refugee Rights Action Network 

says the department did not contact 

any of the missions he claims to have 

lived in. 

Mr Newhouse has acted in other 

high profile cases, including the 

unlawful deportation of Australian 

woman of Vivian Solon in 2001 and 

the unlawful detention of permanent 

resident Cornelia Rau over 2004 and 

2005. 

Witness speaks in West Auckland 

murder case 

A 

teenager who was with two 

boys accused of carrying 

out a fatal robbery at a West 

Auckland dairy was told to 

close the door as it happened, he said. 

The 15-year-old was giving evidence 

(on June 9, 2015) in Auckland High 

Court, where a 14-year-old is accused 

of murdering 57-year-old Arun Kumar. 

A 13-year-old boy faces a charge of 

manslaughter. 

Both also face charges of assault 

with intent to rob, and both have name 

suppression. 

The witness told the court that one of 

the accused told him to close the door 

as the robbery took place. He repeatedly 

denied it was his idea to close it to stop 

passers-by seeing what was happening 

inside. 

Different route 

The witness said he took a different 

route from the accused when they ran 

from the scene because he did not want 

to be seen with them. 

He also gave evidence during which 

Justice Lang interrupted the cross 

examination to warn him that he did 

not have to answer questions he thought 

could get him into trouble. 

The witness told the court that he was 

with the boys the night before the fatal 

robbery, and that the group smoked 

synthetic cannabis. 

The witness was taken through a 

collection of photographs of the 14-yearold’s 

bedroom and confirmed he could 

see an ashtray and beer boxes in the 

photos. 

He said that when the two accused 

left the house the following morning, 

the plan was to rob the local shoe shop. 

Instead they went to the dairy. 

The witness said that he remained 

outside, and repeatedly denied assertions 

from the 14-year-old’s lawyer, Maria 

Pecotic, he was acting as the lookout. 

He said the other boy asked him to 

be the lookout but he never agreed to 

do that. 

The case continues. 

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Sikhs extend financial help to Nepalese 

Staff Reporter 

Scores of religious, social and community 

organisations have been involved in raising 

funds for the unfortunate victims of the 

devastating earthquakes that have rocked Nepal 

over the past two months. 

Indian Newslink is coordinating efforts with 

New Zealand Police National Ethnic Advisor 

Inspector Rakesh Naidoo and a number of 

Indian organisations in this connection and we 

hope to inform our readers of the progress in 

our next issue. 

Meanwhile, the following is a report filed 

by Raj Bedi, Secretary of the Auckland Sikh 

Society, which owns and manages Sri Dasmesh 

Darbar Gurdwara at 166 Kolmar Road in the 

South Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe: 

“The Sikh community at Sri Dasmesh Darbar 

contributed $5100 to support the victims of the 

earthquakes in Nepal. We presented a cheque 

for the amount to Claire Yu, New Zealand Red 

Cross Auckland Fund Raising Coordinator. 

National List MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar, who was 

present at the event, lauded the Sikh community 

for its humanitarian approach and rising to the 

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occasion to help those affected by the natural 

calamity. 

As reported in our June 1, 2015 issue, the 

Society also honoured Harmanpreet Singh, an 

international student from India who saved the 

life of a young boy hurt by a speeding car. 

The following is an extract of an article 

written in Nepali Times by its Associate Editor 

Tsering Dolker Gurung: 

The first thought that comes to mind as one 

approaches the village of Barpak, a month after 

the earthquake is that things do not look as bad 

as portrayed in the media. 

The houses seem intact, collapsed roofs have 

been replaced with tarpaulin sheets, and there 

is no rubble. But that is only from a distance. 

Nearly all of Barpak’s 1400 homes were 

destroyed in the quake: six of the seven schools 

collapsed. The VDC office, a health post, and the 

tourism centre were all levelled. A 130 kilowatt 

micro-hydro plant and a telecommunication 

tower were also damaged. 

Nothing much remains of this picturesque 

and prosperous hilltop town situated at 1900 

metres and commanding a sweeping view of 

mountains on the northern horizon. 

A visionary 

Gorkha’s ‘model village’ is now just an 

example of what being on top of the epicentre 

of a 7.8 quake can do to a settlement. 

The architect of Barpak’s past, and of its 

future, is Bir Bahadur Ghale, the visionary 

who has channelled the energy and international 

exposure of a town, made up mostly of families 

of Gurkha soldiers in the British and Indian 

Armies into development over the past 30 years. 

“We have all learnt important lessons from 


this disaster,” he said, surveying the ruins of 

what used to be his hometown. The goal is to 

make an even better Barpak and not repeat the 

blunders of our ancestors,” he said. 

Ghale is now working with the ‘Help Barpak’ 

team, a group of ex-Gurkha servicemenand 

entrepreneurs to steer reconstruction with 

earthquake resistant houses and schools that 

also reflect the village’s heritage. The quake 

also underlined the importance of open spaces, 

since ten people were killed in fires, during the 

earthquake, in the densely-packed town with 

narrow cobblestone alleys. 

“Keeping future disasters in mind, we want to 

have wider roads so rescue vehicles can reach 

any part of the town,” Ghale said. 

He is keen to revive tourism that was one 

of Barpak’s main sources of income after 

remittances. 

Nearly half of the village population works 

overseas, as soldiers in the British or Indian 

Army, or in Malaysia and the Gulf countries. 

Many have returned following the quake. 

Mukunda Ghale (‘Robin’) is a restaurant 

manager from Hong Kong who collected funds 

from friends and came to Barpak with relief 

material and rescue gear last week. The father 

of two led a volunteer initiative to clear ruins, 

clean the rivers and build temporary toilets. 

“You could not walk on these streets until 

few days ago. The spirit of the people has 

been amazing,” Mukunda who gathered 160 

volunteers on the first day and today has 600 

people turning up to help, said. 

Editor’s Note: A related report appears in 

this Section. 

Indian restaurant 

couple gets home 

detention 


The Manukau District 

Court sentenced an 

Indian couple to home 

detention of eight 

months on four charges of tax 

evasion. 

Inland Revenue Department 

(IRD), which brought the 

charges against Taruun and 

A resident of the Barpak village in Nepal amidst the rubble 

Shetall, owners of ‘Indian 

Kitchen Restaurant’ in the East 

Auckland suburb of Howick, 

said that they did not declare 

more than $1 million cash 

sales. 

IRD Group Manager Patrick 

Goggin said that the offending 

meant that taxpayers were 

ripped off by almost $450,000. 

“These people did not 

4 

declare a large number of 

their cash sales and underreported 

the real wages paid to 

staff. This was done for their 

personal benefit. The verdict 

is a victory for all fair-minded 

taxpayers and a warning to 

those who think that they can 

try to cheat the system and get 

away with it,” he said. 

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HOMELINK 

Immigration errs but 

makes victims pay 

Kamil Lakshman 

Susan (not her real 

name) migrated to New 

Zealand from Fiji with 

her parents when she 

was a child. 

Her parents arranged her 

marriage at a young age 

forcefully to a young man from 

Fiji. 

It was not a happy marriage 

but produced a child. She was 

ill-treated and abused by her 

in-laws and was finally thrown 

out of the house. 

It took her eight years to 

divorce her husband. 

Failed marriages 

Thereafter she married 

another man and had her second 

child through him. 

Sometime later, her parentsin-law, 

while on visit, convinced 

her to divorce the man so that 

he could marry a girl in India 

and look after them. 

She reluctantly relented only 

to find out later that everything 

was an act of deception. 

The man returned to New 

Zealand and wanted to live with 

her, but she declined. 

Her second marriage was in 

currency for five years before 

running out of its value. 

Student stressed 

Susan came into contact 

with Jalindra, an international 

student from India and entered 

into a relationship. She 

sponsored his Work Visa.If you 

think everything was alright, 

you would be surprised. 

Jalindra visited our offices 

recently scared over a 

deportation order served on 

him because his application for 

renewal of his work visa was 

declined. 

He had four days to leave 

the country. Previously an 

Immigration and Protection 

Tribunal (IPT) appeal and a 

section 61 request had been 

made to legalise his stay. Both 

failed. 

INZ had issued the initial 

visa in error. 

Jalindra is suffering from 

‘opportunity lost syndrome’ 

because he missed the 

pathway that would have 

guaranteed his legal status. He 

did not do so because of this 

misunderstanding. 

Failed Appeal 

INZ is placing reliance on 

a failed appeal to the IPT, 

which on most occasions is an 

inappropriate pathway as the 

test threshold clearly cannot 

be met. 

These appeals are currently 

clogging the system and are 

being widely discussed. 

A person can become 

illegal overnight,and served 

with a Deportation Order can 

be triggered by a failed S61 

request (often used to legalise 

the stay of a person who is 

unlawfully in the country. 

Susan is now pregnant with 

her third child, she is distraught 

because going to India with 

Jalindra is not a possibility for 

her and her children for all the 

usual reasons. 

What a predicament! 

Kamil Lakshman is a 

Lawyer & Principal of 

Wellington based law firm 

Idesi Legal Limited. She can 

be contacted on (04) 4616018 

or 021-1598803. Email: kamil. 

lakshman@idesilegal.co.nz; 

The opinions expressed in 

her article above are her own 

and not that of Idesi Legal 

Limited or the New Zealand 

Law Society, or its Wellington 

Branch, or its affiliated bodies 

and committees or Indian 

Newslink. Readers can send 

their comments (names can 

be withheld) to editor@ 

indiannewslink.co.nz 


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EDUCATIONLINK 

Diplomacy School strikes 

gold in Otago 

Balaji Chandramohan 

The Foreign Policy 

School of the Otago 

University will 

commence its 50th year 

of establishment this month, as 

a fitting celebration of which, 

the Institution has organised 

a Conference that will see an 

assembly of achievers, political 

and economic leaders and 

academics and alumni. 

The theme of the three-day 

Conference beginning on June 

26 is ‘New Zealand and the 

World: Past, Present and Future 

in the 21st century.’ 

Inaugural Address 

Professor Terence Wesley- 

Smith, Director of the Centre 

for Pacific Islands Studies at 

the University of Hawaii, Manoa 

will deliver the inaugural address 

at the opening session on June 

27 at St Margaret’s College near 

the Otago University. 

“The implications of the rise 

of China in the Pacific Region’ 

will be the central theme of his 

address. 

Enlightened Speakers 

Among the others speakers 

are Associate Professor 

Jenny Bryant-Tokalau Te 

Tumu,(School of Maori, 

Pacific and Indigenous 

Studies),Professor Robert 

Patman,Department of 

Politics, Ernest Bower, Senior 

Adviser and Sumitro Chair for 

Southeast Asia Studies,Centre 

for Strategic and International 

Studies and Professor 

Robert Patman,Department 

of Politics (all from Otago 

University),Britain’s High 

Commissioner to New Zealand 

Victoria Treadel,AndrewNeeds, 

Director, Pacific Division, 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 

Trade Representative, Dr Gerard 

Finin,Resident Co-Director, 

Pacific Islands Development 

Programme(PIDP), East-West 

Centre. 

Critical developments 

In a note about the forthcoming 

Conference, Organisers said 

that a number of critical 

developments and issues in the 

Pacific are drawing attention to 

the nature of Pacificgeopolitics 

in the 21st century. 

“In the last five decades, New 

Zealand, a sparsely populated 

and geographically isolated 

society has faced a period 

of substantial international 

readjustment. The advent of 

globalisation has coincided 

with profound changes in New 

Zealand’s national identity and 

its role in the world. These 

include adoption of a nonnuclear 

and regionally focused 

security policy, sweeping 

deregulation of the economy, 

recognition of the special 

constitutional and cultural 

position of Maori people, new 

trade and diplomatic links with 

the Asia-Pacific region, and 

the gradual attainment of close 

ties with two superpowers, the 

United States and China,” it 

said. 

Serious Challenges 

“At the same time, New 

Zealand has seen a sharp 

rise of income inequality, 

increased costs in the provision 

of housing and education, 

mounting concerns about 

environmental decline, and 

growing fears that the Country’s 

sovereignty is being eroded by 

New Zealand’s participation 

in multilateral trade deals and 

multinational intelligencesharing 

arrangements,” the note 

added. 

The conference will serve as a 

platform to discuss some of the 

challenges to be faced by New 

Zealand in the dynamic fluid 

changes in geo-politics of the 

21st century. 

Balaji Chandramohan is our 

Correspondent based in Delhi. 

BHADRA KALIMATHA ASTROLOGICAL CENTER 

Indian Most Powerfull Spiritualist 

You would not have 

escaped claims of 

corruption in the 

news last week: 

payments were madeto FIFA 

officials by countries wanting 

to secure the rights to host the 

Soccer World Cup. 

The payments were 

variously termed as 

‘facilitation payments’ 

and ‘development 

payments,’although in reality 

they are widely regarded as 

bribes. 

Meanwhile in New 

Zealand, it emerged that 

Foreign Minister Murray 

McCully had bought 300 

sheep from a Hawkes Bay 

farm owned by Saudi Arabian 

businessman Hamood Ali 

Al Khalaf. He then flew the 

sheep on a Singapore Airlines 

flight to Saudi Arabia where 

he donated them back to the 

same Mr Khalaf for his farm 

there. 

The sheep were part of a 

total shipment of 900, part 

of an $11million payment for 

Mr Khalaf to set up a modern 

farm in Saudi Arabia. 

Why did our Foreign 

Minister want to do such a 

favour for Mr Khalaf? 

At first, he claimed the 

payment was to avoid a $30 

million lawsuit from Mr 

Khalaf, who had lost money 

when we stopped allowing 

live exports of sheep from 

New Zealand. 

Real Story 

But with the recent release 

of papers (including Cabinet 

papers) those claims appear 

to be false. 

The real story is that 

Mr Khalaf was given a 

‘facilitation payment’ so 

that he would not obstruct 

the Free Trade Agreement 

between New Zealand and 

the Arab Gulf Cooperation 

Council Countries including 

Saudi Arabia. 

How are these two 

scenarios different? 

Indian Newslink JUne15, 2015 

Sheepish favour mocks at 

diplomacy 

David Shearer 

6 

Well, they both involve 

‘facilitation payments’but 

the reaction to the two could 

not be more different. 

In the case of FIFA, the 

people concerned are wanted 

for arrest by Interpol. 

In the case of Murray 

McCully in New Zealand, 

Prime Minister John Key saw 

the deal as a smart political 

move, and has publicly 

supported him. 

But it was not smart. 

New Zealand has always 

been seen as the least corrupt 

country in the world by 

Transparency International. 

We are respected, trusted and 

relied upon as a nation free 

of graft. 

Sadly, these actions by 

Mr McCully bring that good 

reputation into disrepute. 

The deal cannot be seen for 

anything other than what it 

is and therefore Mr McCully 

has to go. 

David Shearer is Member 

of Parliament elected from 

Mt Albert Constituency in 

Auckland and is Labour 

Party’s Spokesperson 

for Foreign Affairs and 

Consumer Affairs. 

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EDUCATIONLINK 

Snap Chat on Young Zoros 

World Congress 

Sanaya Masters 

With 101 questions 

flying back and 

forth as the 

countdown to the 

6thWorld Zoroastrian Youth 

Congress begins, we thought it 

would be a good idea to have 

a snap chat 

with the 

youth who 

are making 

it all happen. 

To be held 

at Kings 

College 

from 28th 

December 2015 to 2nd January 

2016, the 6th World Zoroastrian 

Youth Congress (6WZYC) 

promises to be an experience 

of a lifetime. 

Here are the five most 

wanted answers to the questions 

you’ve been asking about the 

most anticipated event on the 

Zoroastrian Youth calendar.You 

asked, we answered. 

What food will be served at 

the Congress? 

As young Zoroastrians 

we understand exactly how 

important good food is! Since 

Zoros will be arriving from all 

parts of the world, international 

cuisine will be served at the 

Congress. There will be a wide 

variety of foods to cater to all 

palates 

Please let us know of any 

specific dietary requirements 

or allergies on your registration 

form. Each of the in-house 

kitchens on campus will also 

be replenished with sufficient 

snacks, fruit, tea and coffee. 

There will be food and drink 

vending machines on campus 

as well. 

What do I need to bring along 

to the Congress? 

If there is one thing that is 

predictable about Auckland 

weather, it’s that it is totally 

unpredictable! Though it will 

be summer time, we highly 

recommend that you bring 

along an all-weather jacket. Also 

bring along your cap, shades and 

sunscreen as the New Zealand 

sun can be quite harsh. Your 

check list should also include: 

Appropriate footwear for 

events such as The Amazing 

Race, New Year’s Eve 

Celebration and Fair Day 

Swimwear since we have 

access to the pool on campus. 

A scarf or topi for the Jashan 

and traditional attire for glam 

Traditional night 

And last but not least, 

don’t forget your lifeline-your 

universal adapter that will keep 

you charged and connected 

through your stay in NZ. 

If I wish to extend my stay in 

Auckland, either before or 

after the Congress, what are 

the accommodation options 

available? 

New Zealand is one of the 

most beautiful countries in the 

world so why not make the 

most of your trip and stay back 

to explore. If your visa permits 

you to stay in Auckland outside 

of the Congress dates, you can 

contact Mrs Tanaz Siganporia 

at tanaz2210@yahoo.co.nz, 

who will be happy to arrange 

accommodation for you with a 

local Zoroastrian family, freeof-charge! 

How many people will be in 

each room? 

Each delegate will be given 

single room accommodation. 

Delegates can request to be put 

in rooms next to one another. 

Married couples have the option 

of sharing a room. Minors (15 

-17 years) of the same gender 

will be given the option of 

sharing a room with one other 

person or having individual 

rooms. 

Is it true that you can’t register 

for the Congress unless you 

stay in the accommodation 

arranged by the Congress? 

We want everyone to have 

the full Congress experience 

and part of that experience is 

living at the venue. So yes, all 

delegates will have to stay at the 

accommodation provided by the 

6WZYC team-- including locals 

from New Zealand. 

Over the last count, over 

200 delegates from across 

Australia, USA, Canada, UK, 

India, Iran and New Zealand 

have already registered to attend 

the Congress. All Zoroastrians 

between the ages of 15 and 

35 are invited to attend. The 

casual rate is now available 

until 16th August 2015. Visit: 

www.6wzyc.co.nz for more 

details 


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EDUCATION/FIJILINK 

Like any Small Island 

Developing State, Fiji has 

some immense challenges 

which my Government 

is in the process of systematically 

addressing. 

Aided immensely by our 

development partners plus a renewed 

sense of national confidence after 

our return to Parliamentary rule 

last September in our first truly 

democratic election of one vote, one 

value. 

I acknowledge Food &Agriculture 

Organisation (FAO) for its support 

over the years, not only for Fiji but 

also for all Pacific Islanders. The 

Organisation has played a key role 

in ensuring that more Fijians than 

ever before have regular access to 

nutritious, high quality food. 

In doing so, it has rendered valuable 

assistance to us as a Government to 

raise living standards and improve 

the health of our people. 

Sharing challenges 

We in the Pacific share many of the 

challenges of developing countries 

generally in meeting the needs and 

expectations of our citizens. 

Fiji does not yet have an 

overarching national policy on food 

security. 

We are currently working on 

a holistic programme covering 

agriculture, fisheries, biosecurity, 

Helping prep food with 

New Zealand’s most 

recognised celebrity 

chef was one of 

nutrition levels and education.That 

programme is being incorporated 

into an overall national development 

strategy for the coming years and 

decades. 

Green Growth 

Last week, I was able to launch 

a milestone initiative in the life of 

our nation, a comprehensive Green 

Growth Framework for Fiji that gives 

us a blueprint for the sustainable 

development of our resources now 

and into the future. 

This comprehensive document 

encompasses ten primary areas at 

the heart of our quest for a Green 

and Blue Growth economy. And 

guaranteeing our food security is 

one of them. 

The other components are to build 

resistance to climate change and 

disaster, one of the principle threats 

to food security for any nation; 

to manage our waste properly; to 

keep our island and ocean resources 

sustainable; to insist on inclusive 

social development; to adequately 

manage our fresh water resources and 

sanitation; to guarantee our energy 

security and develop alternative 

energy sources; to have sustainable 

means of transportation; to embrace 

technology and innovation; and to 

achieve the “greening” of our tourism 

and manufacturing industries, both 

mainstays of the Fijian economy. 

Food Security 

We are now acutely focused in 

life’sunforgettable moments 

for Sri Lankan cookery student 

Pramith Kularathne Heeraluge, 

who is a Level 5 Diploma in 

Fiji on the need to ensure our food 

security, which we define in our Green 

Growth Framework asthe ability to 

produce safe, healthy affordable food 

for all Fijians at all times. 

This definition encapsulates four 

key elements: Having the domestic 

capability to produce enough food 

to feed our local population; having 

a sufficiently diverse food production 

base to satisfy dietary needs; having 

the distribution systems in place to 

link people to markets and ensure 

ease of access to food supplies; and 

monitoring the efficiency of our 

farms to ensure that local produce is 

competitively priced and is affordable 

for ordinary Fijians. 

Some pre-conditions 

We continue to face major 

Professional Cookerystudent 

at NZMA. 

He was handpicked to assist 

Peter Gordon and Head Chef 

of The Sugar Club Neil Brazier 

in a 90- minute master class, 

which the pair organised at 

NZMA’s Sylvia Park Campus. 

Fusion Dishes 

Together they chopped, 

sliced and shredded their way 

to creating five fantastic fusion 

dishes designed by the culinary 

star: chorizo mash, broccoli 

couscous, grilled scallops with 

sweet chilli sauce and crème 

fraiche, parmesan baked ricotta 

with chilli roast tomatoes and 

peas, and finally, spiced berry 

and vanilla risotto. 

The master class was attended 

by 50 of NZMA’s Level 3& 5 

Cookery students and another 

60 were glued to the monitor 

in NZMA’s training café, Café 

Fusion, as the event was livestreamed. 

Despite his star status,Gordon 

instantly put the students at ease, 

as he cooked and chatted about 

starting out in the industry, and 

his rapid rise to the top. 

Successful entrepreneur 

With several restaurants 

in London and Auckland, a 

recently launched gourmet 

donut company, consulting 

challenges in meeting the 

preconditions for a food secure 

Fiji;volatile commodity prices, low 

economies of scale, the loss of arable 

agricultural land, the poor level of 

efficiency of existing farms and 

the need to meet the growing food 

demands ofour tourism industry and 

equally important, the challenge of 

feeding our international visitors and 

maintain the health of our primary 

export earner. 

We recognise that these are 

challenges that Fijians need to meet 

themselves. But there is one factor 

threatening our food security over 

which we have no control whatsoever, 

the increasingfrequency and intensity 

of the natural disasters we are 

experiencing in the Pacific that are 

being attributed to climate change. 

Grave impact 

These have already had a grave 

impact on Fiji and other Pacific Island 

nations, the most recent of which is 

the devastation caused to Vanuatu by 

Cyclone Pam. 

We also face a terrible collective 

threat from rising sea levels caused 

by global warming, which has already 

had a serious impact on island nations, 

with much worse to come. 

As a country with a string of mainly 

mountainous islands, we are forced 

to move entire villages, apart from 

losing precious arable land. We have 

identified more than 600 communities 

that are directly threatened by the 

work, TV cooking shows and 

a string of cook books, Peter 

Gordon is a busy man. 

He designs menus for Air New 

Zealand, writes for publications 

all over the world, and some 

how still finds time to share his 

knowledge and expertise with 

wannabe chefs. 

“I created my first recipe 

book when I was 4, made 

from cuttings from Women’s 

Weekly!I became a chef at 

18. It is a great career because 

there are so many things you 

can do. You might work in 

a five star restaurant or for a 

catering company, write a blog 


‘Coalition of the Selfish’ undermines smaller states 

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encroaching seas. 

In the case of three of our 

neighbours, namely Kiribati, Tuvalu 

and the Marshall Islands, which 

are low lying atolls, the threat 

is existential.Under the current 

scenarios being advanced by climate 

scientists, these sovereign members 

of the United Nations are destined to 

sink beneath the waves altogether in 

the lifetimes of their young people. 

Fiji intends to play a lead role at 

the World Climate Summit in Paris 

at the end of November. And with the 

other Small Island Developing States, 

we will be calling for immediate 

action on the part of the developed 

nations to sign up to the binding cuts 

in carbon emissions that are vital to 

avert catastrophe. 

I have branded those nations that 

are dragging their feet on climate 

change as members of the ‘Coalition 

of the Selfish,’ nations putting the 

health of their economies and the 

jobs of their workers before the very 

survival of the citizens of Small Island 

Developing States. 

The time for prevarication is over. 

The time for action is now. 

Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama 

is Prime Minister of Fiji. The 

above is an edited version of his 

Speech at the Food & Agriculture 

Organisation Summit held in Rome 

on June 9, 2015. 

Peter Gordon with Pramith Kularathne Heeraluge 

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or work for a magazine, or use 

your skills to travel. It is a truly 

inspiring career,”he said. 

And for Pramith and his 

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a ‘truly inspiring’ masterclass. 

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FIJILINK 

Flag issue hoists 

healthy debate 

Press Statement 

Attorney General 

Aiyaz Sayed- 

Khaiyum 

announced the 

next stage in the selection 

of the new flag representing 

independent and democratic 

Republic of Fiji. 

Following an open and 

inclusive process, the 

Fijian public can review 

and comment on the 

shortlisted 23 designs that 

were chosen from more 

than two thousand entries 

submitted. 

All Fijians, living at 

home and abroad,have been 

encouraged to participate in 

making the finalselection. 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said 

that there are many ways 

in which all Fijians can 

engage in the process: on 

a special web page www. 

newfijiflag.com, calling 

into radio programmes, 

by text message to #323 if 

your carrier is Vodafone; 

and to #170 if your carrier 

is Digicel. 

You can also share 

your feedback by post to 

the address: Department 

of Information, PO 

Box2225, Government 

Buildings, Suva or 

drop your suggestion at 

Department of Information, 

Ground Floor, New Wing 

Government Buildings, 26 

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum 

Gladstone Road, Suva. 

New Chapter 

On June 30, after Fijians 

express their comments and 

their preferences, the new 

flag will then be considered 

by Cabinet and Parliament. 

“The outcome will 

be a new flag for a new 

Fiji. When the new flag 

is raised for the first 

timeon Independence 

Day, October 10, 2015, 

it will be the culmination 

of a historic event in the 

history of Fiji in keeping 

with our progression 

from colonialism to a 

true and independent 

democracy,”Mr Sayed- 

Khaiyum said. 

Political mandate 

He said that the 

government is following 

a mandate engraved in 

last year’s election and 

that political critics of the 

new flag are anchored to 

mentality of the past. 

“There is a small 

backward looking political 

faction that claims that 

they are disturbed by the 

raising of a new flag for a 

new Fiji. For anyone still 

listening to them, please 

remember this: Prime 

Minister Bainimarama first 

proclaimed the need for a 

new flag in 2013. Knowing 

this, Fijian voters elected 

the Prime Minister in 

overwhelming numbers in 

2014. The Prime Minister 

then officially announced 

the national competition for 

the design of a new Fijian 

flag in 2015.” 

Sharp contrast 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum 

drew a sharp contrast with 

the selection of the current 

flag 45 years ago. 

In that case, there were 

only about 400 flag designs 

submissions over a limited 

period of one month, at the 

end of which a committee 

of only four men, Sir 

Kamisese Mara, Edward 

Cakobau, Vijay Singh and 

C A Stinson announced 

their decision. 

“Obviously there was 

very little deliberation 

and public consultation 

in choosing the current 

flag,”he said. 

This time,all Fijians 

living in Fiji or any part of 

the world would have had 

the chance to participate in 

this process,” Mr Sayed- 

Khaiyum added. 

A 

man detained in a West 

Australia Immigration 

Detention Centre, who had 

earlier claimed that he was 

an Indigenous Australian, has turned 

out to be a Fijian national, Immigration 

Department of Australia has confirmed. 

Replace Eddie David, who is being 

held at Yongah Hill Immigration 

Detention Centre, initially claimed 

to be Indigenous Australian. But the 

Immigration Department has since 

confirmed he is actually a Fijian 

national. 

Fingerprint analysis 

A spokesperson for the Department 

told Special Broadcasting Service 

(SBS)that they used fingerprint analysis 

and facial recognition comparisons to 

confirm Mr David’s nationality. 

“The Department detained a 

Fijian national claiming to be an 

Australian citizen, following a 

thorough investigation by which the 

Department was fully satisfied that 

Australian Associated Press 

he is an unlawful non-citizen. As part 

of the investigation, the Department 

used finger print analysis and facial 

recognition comparisons.” 

The department added that they 

had contacted the Local Aboriginal 

Council, but they could not confirm 

Mr David’s claims. 

“People who have exhausted all 

outstanding avenues to remain in 

Australia and have no lawful basis to 

remain are expected to depart,” the 

spokesperson said in a statement. 

Earlier, the lawyer for Mr David 

had called for his client’s immediate 

release. 

Origin confusion 

George Newhouse claimed that his 

client was born on Murray Island in 

the Torres Strait and is an Australian 

citizen. 

He says 39-year-old Mr David 

has been detained at the Yongah Hill 

Immigration Detention Centre since 

June 5 after attending Centrelink where 

he was confused with an Indian man. 


Fijian amidst identity challenge 

10 

“I have been told that it is not the 

first time,” Mr Newhouse told AAP. 

“You have a vulnerable indigenous 

Australian man seeking support from 

the government and finds himself being 

arrested. I am extremely concerned.It 

is a scandalous situation. It is hard to 

believe this could occur in Australia in 

the 21st century.” 

Thorough probe 

The Department of Immigration 

and Border Protection said that it has 

undertaken a thorough investigation 

and is fully satisfied that Mr David is 

an unlawful non-citizen. 

The Refugee Rights Action Network 

says the department did not contact 

any of the missions he claims to have 

lived in. 

Mr Newhouse has acted in other 

high profile cases, including the 

unlawful deportation of Australian 

woman of Vivian Solon in 2001 and 

the unlawful detention of permanent 

resident Cornelia Rau over 2004 and 

2005. 

Witness speaks in West Auckland 

murder case 

A 

teenager who was with two 

boys accused of carrying 

out a fatal robbery at a West 

Auckland dairy was told to 

close the door as it happened, he said. 

The 15-year-old was giving evidence 

(on June 9, 2015) in Auckland High 

Court, where a 14-year-old is accused 

of murdering 57-year-old Arun Kumar. 

A 13-year-old boy faces a charge of 

manslaughter. 

Both also face charges of assault 

with intent to rob, and both have name 

suppression. 

The witness told the court that one of 

the accused told him to close the door 

as the robbery took place. He repeatedly 

denied it was his idea to close it to stop 

passers-by seeing what was happening 

inside. 

Different route 

The witness said he took a different 

route from the accused when they ran 

from the scene because he did not want 

to be seen with them. 

He also gave evidence during which 

Justice Lang interrupted the cross 

examination to warn him that he did 

not have to answer questions he thought 

could get him into trouble. 

The witness told the court that he was 

with the boys the night before the fatal 

robbery, and that the group smoked 

synthetic cannabis. 

The witness was taken through a 

collection of photographs of the 14-yearold’s 

bedroom and confirmed he could 

see an ashtray and beer boxes in the 

photos. 

He said that when the two accused 

left the house the following morning, 

the plan was to rob the local shoe shop. 

Instead they went to the dairy. 

The witness said that he remained 

outside, and repeatedly denied assertions 

from the 14-year-old’s lawyer, Maria 

Pecotic, he was acting as the lookout. 

He said the other boy asked him to 

be the lookout but he never agreed to 

do that. 

The case continues. 

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BUSINESSLINK 

IRD smells a rat in 

unaccounted cash deals 

Venkat Raman 

An increasing 

number of traders 

are declaring all 

their income, 

especially cash obtained for 

various jobs. 

The sudden display of 

honesty is stated to be the 

outcome of the crackdown by 

Inland Revenue Department 

(IRD) in recent weeks. 

Budget Funding 

IRD has received increased 

funding of $29 million (to be 

spent over the next four years) 

in Budget 2015 to ensure 

higher level of tax compliance. 

The Department now 

has a total of $62 million to 

ensure greater efficiency in 

tax collection. Observers 

said that officials will target 

industries and sectors that 

have a tendency to deal in 

cash payments, receive cash 

without assigning proper 

invoices and filing returns. 

Anxious callers 

Lester Binns, Chief 

Executive of MyTax.co.nz 

said that he had received 

more than 1000 calls on the 

first day after IRD intensified 

campaign. 

“They wanted to know 

if they should add the cash 

they receive to the tax refund 

information which they had 

already submitted. The volume 

of calls has significantly 

increased following the release 

of IRD advertisements in 

various media,” he said. 

According to Mr Binns, 

the nature of queries varied 

but showed that people 

had understood that the 

Department was getting tough. 

“One trader asked several 

questions on how to file 

returns, saying that he received 

more than $68,000 as cash 

for painting jobs. Callers also 

wanted to satisfy themselves 

that they were complying with 

procedures and were paying 

the right amount of tax. It is 

good to remind people that 

they should not transact 

business on cash payment 

and that if they did, such cash 

must be properly accounted. A 

majority of Kiwis work hard 

and pay their fair share of tax,” 

he said. 

Outstanding results 

IRD Marketing and 

Communications Group 

Manager Andrew Stott said 

that the results of the campaign 

have been outstanding. 

“Our Campaign, which 

advises people to ‘Declare it 

all or risk everything’ in the 

newspapers, radio stations and 

mobile advertisements are a 

prompt for everyone, and not 

just for ‘the little guys.’ It is 

early days but we are already 

seeing a shift in attitude. The 

popular belief that we only 

target ‘small fry’ evaders is 

not true,” he said. 

He said that his Department 

has identified trades people as 

a high risk sector’ and that tax 

officials take all levels of tax 

evasion seriously. 

Mr Stott said that income 

tax officials have found people 

receiving $30,000 in cash for 

a job ‘putting it straight into 

their pocket.’ 

Good returns 

“Our concern is when 

individuals or businessesdo 

not pay their fair share of tax, 

they are cheating those who 

are doing the right thing and 

expecting others to pay their 

way. Last year,the ‘Hidden 

Economy Programme’accrued 

$6 for every dollar invested,” 

he said. 

IRD also uses tools and 

intelligence to identify 

individuals and companies 

not paying their fair share of 

tax. By providing information, 

reminders, seminars, 

compliance check andonline 

self-assessment tools, the 

Department helps taxpayers 

declare and pay the right 

amounts. 

It also closely scrutinises 

large corporates to ensure 

they’re getting their taxes 

right. 

According to Mr Stott, 

the ‘Declare It All or Risk 

Everything’ Campaign will 

run in the Auckland suburbs of 

Flatbush, Takanini, Silverdale 

and Albany until the end of 

June. 

“It may be rolled out 

wider,” he said. 

Premium Cover provides a 

financial safety net, in case you 

become unfortunately disabled 

as a result of sickness or injury, 

and hence unable to earn your regular 

income. 

The monthly benefit is designed 

to relieve you 

of the financial 

responsibility of 

paying your policy 

premium during 

treatment and 

recovery. 

Many insurance 

providers have further enhanced this 

product and provide financial relief to 

a client if he or she is made redundant 

or becomes bankrupt (in case of selfemployed) 

for a period of six months. 

This is provided to ensure that 

policyholders are constrained to lose 

their valuable insurance benefits, when 

they are most needed. 

People who have availed insurance 

policy through their banks, generally do 

not have this coverin their policy. Hence, 

it is very important to open their policy 

documents and see if they have availed 

this valuable benefit. 

How the Cover works 

Premium Cover features include a 

Waiting Period after which the benefit 

commences and the claim period which 

can be determined by clients depending 

on their age, income pattern and other 

circumstances. 

For instance, the ideal way of 

availing this benefit would be to have 

a wait period of four weeks and a claim 

period to the age of 65 or 70, whichever 

is affordable. 

These would depend on individual 

risk factors and on the occupation or 

health of policyholders and clients. 

A younger client can avail a shorter 

wait period of four weeks and claim 

payable till age of 70, as premiums are 

very cheap. 


Premium Cover tightens your 

financial safety net 

Fali Mistry 

11 

While an older client can opt to avail 

a waiting period of 13 weeks and claim 

payable till age of 65;they can sustain 

the 13 weeks’ wait period as they will 

be more financially sound and premium 

would become affordable again. 

This is a priceless product and guards 

your insurance policy. 

For more information about this and 

other policies and insurance products, 

please call me on 021-426858 or 0508- 

467872. 

Fali Mistry is a Registered Financial 

Adviser at Mazda Financial Services 

Limited based in Auckland. He is a 

Member of the Institute of Financial 

Advisers.Phone: 0508-467872; 

(09) 6255060; Mobile: 021-426858; 

Email: fali@insuresecure.co.nz; 

Website: www.insuresecure.co.nz 

Overseas funds have tax liability 

Auckland Reader S Sharma had sent 

us the following query: 

I am a New Zealand citizen. I am 

planning to buy a house in Auckland. 

Due to shortfall for the deposit amount, one of my 

relatives in India is willing to advance me NZ$40,000 

as loan which I would be repaying in installments. 

What is the procedure that I should follow? Are 

there any Tax implication for the loan amount? 

Abdul Rafik, Community Compliance Officer at 

Inland Revenue Department replied: 

Yes, there can be tax implications for a personal 

loan as described by you. 

People who pay interest to individuals who are 

not New Zealand residents must deduct non-resident 

withholding tax (NRWT). 

The following link to our NRWT Payer’s Guide 

on IRD website: 

http://www.ird.govt.nz/resources/f/8/ 

f8c9f3004ba3d8048274bf9ef8e4b077/ir291.pdf 

If it turns out that the lender is also in New Zealand, 

then RWT will be due. 

Here is a link to the RWT Payer’s Guide: 

http://www.ird.govt.nz/forms-guides/number/ 

forms-200-299/ir283-guide-rwt-interest-payersguide.html 

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BUSINESSLINK 

Immigration gets $33 million boost 

Michael Woodhouse 

Budget 2015 will invest $33 

million over the next four 

years to boost the number of 

immigration officers to manage 

the increasing number of visitors 

to the country. 

An additional $25.1 

million of operating 

funding from the 

Crown will be accompanied 

by $7.9 million 

Parliamentarians approved a new 

five-year Agreement increased 

budget allocation for Reserve 

Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) 

at their session on June 4, 2015. 

RBNZ Governor Graeme Wheeler 

said that the Agreement between 

the Bank and Finance Ministry will 

see additional monies to meet its 

operational requirements. 

He said that the increase in core 

operating expenditure over the five 

years is modest, averaging 1.3% per 

year. 

The new Funding Agreement will 

be valid from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 

2020. 

Planned increase 

The new Agreement will marginally 

rise the Bank’s core operating 

expenditure from $49 million in 2014- 

2015 to $49.6 million in 2015-2016 

and then increase to $52.1 million by 

2019-2020. 

It also provides for separate funding 

for direct costs of issuing bank notes 

of cost recovery from immigration fees 

to total $33 million of new expenditure 

on the Immigration frontline. 

Budget 2015 also includes $6.6 million 

capital investment in strengthened 

border security systems. 

Rising arrivals 

Passenger arrival numbers are 

expected to continue rising over the 

next few years, withthe growth mainly 

in emerging markets. Passenger arrivals 

have already risen by 1.3 million over 

the past 10 years to about 5.2 million. 

and coins, amounting to $14.4 million 

in 2015-2016 and $20.2 million in 

2016-2017 before reducing to $11.1 

million in 2019-2020. 

Mr Wheeler said that the Funding 

Agreement ensures that the Bank 

has sufficient resources to meet its 

expanded role and obligations while 

maintaining tight control of costs. 

Important Instrument 

According to him, the Agreement is 

Growth in our tourism and export 

education sectors has seen the need for 

additional resources and investment to 

manage the increased number of passengers 

and the changing nature of global 

risk. 

The additional allotment of $33 million 

allows for an extra 36 Immigration 

New Zealand staff, including border 

officers at Auckland, Christchurch and 

Queenstown airports, aswell as specialist 

officers to manage emerging risk in 

offshore markets. 

Reserve Bank gets more money 

for better regulation 


Graeme Wheeler 

an important instrument for maintaining 

the Bank’s operational independence. 

“It provides multi-year funding 

and specifies how much of the Bank’s 

income may be used to fund the Bank’s 

operating expenses. The Bank has a 

number of important projects underway, 

including those related to issuance 

of new banknotes, development of 

the Bank’s treasury systems, and an 

upgrade of its payment and settlement 

systems,” Mr Wheeler said. 

He said that the Agreement was 

made in an environment of fiscal 

constraint. 

Productivity improvements, which 

include some reductions in staffing 

levels that began in February 2015, will 

restrain the growth in costs, he added. 

“The Reserve Bank’s responsibilities 

have expanded considerably since 

2008, including prudential supervision 

of insurers and anti-money laundering 

supervision, and it has developed its 

macro-prudential policy capabilities 

and toolkit,” Mr Wheeler said. 

Tourism grows 

Inbound tourism is one of our most 

important industries, worth more than 

$10 billion ayear. But with increasing 

arrivals from a more diverse range of 

countries, we have to ensure we have the 

systems and resources on the ground to 

deal with those who pose an unacceptable 

risk to New Zealand. 

The extra resources will further 

strengthen Immigration New Zealand’s 

ability to identify and manage immigration 

risk offshore through advance 

Courts confines PAYE 

fraudster to his home 


The Hamilton District Court sentenced a Bay of 

Plenty man on April 22, 2015 to 10 months’ 

home detention on 16 charges of filing false 

PAYE tax returns. 

Harjinder Singh was found guilty of using Inland 

Revenue Department (IRD) Numbers of backpackers 

and other tourists. 

The Court heard that he had cheated IRD of 

more than $260,000, claiming that he had employed 

backpackers and tourists as temporary workers at his 

Kiwifruit farm. 

The Department has recovered $262,458 owed by 

Singh. 

High wages suspicion 

IRD Group Manager (Investigations) Patrick 

Goggin said that the figures relating to wages supplied 

by Singh were higher than normal. 

“He hired them as temporary workers but after they 

had moved jobs or left New Zealand, Singh continued 

to use their IRD numbers to put through portions of 

his permanent staff’s wages.Singh’s actions were 

selfish and posed a real risk. He logged some of the 

permanentstaff’s wages under the IRD numbers of the 

temporary workers who no longer worked for him. 

This means, by using the wrong IRD numbers, Singh 

could have helped his permanent staff to defraud the 

system by effectively reducing their declared income. 


12 

information and risk profiling. 

I am confident that as a result more 

high-risk people will be prevented from 

boarding a flight to New Zealand in the 

first place, resulting in fewer people 

being intercepted at the border. 

This announcement is part of a range 

of measures in Budget 2015 to improve 

security and services at the border, 

involving immigration, customs and 

biosecurity. 

Michael Woodhouse is Immigration 

Minister of New Zealand 

This could have led to staff members getting more 

family assistance tax credits than they were entitled 

to, or reducing the amount of child support they may 

have had to pay,” he said. 

System misuse 

Mr Goggin said that the defendant could have 

misused the numbers to employ and pay illegal 

immigrants. 

The Department was alerted by some backpackers 

who expressed concern that they had been taxed on 

money that they had not earned. 

“We acted quickly to stop Singh and help the 

additional 120 victims. We also identified whose IRD 

numbers were likely to have been misused. Where 

applicable, we have refunded any overpaid tax. IRD 

takes criminal activity like this seriously,” he said. 

Identity protection 

Mr Goggin said that they would always be a 

minority who would try and cheat honest taxpayers 

out of money that pays for services like our schools 

and hospitals. 

“Some backpackers whose IRD numbers were 

ripped off are worried they will not be able to return 

to New Zealand due to Singh’s actions causing 

possible breaches to their work visa. IRD takes its 

responsibility of protecting customers’ identities from 

misuse seriously. It is important we all protect our 

IRD number the best we can and treat it with the same 

secrecy as our banking PIN number,” he said.

BUSINESSLINK 

Budget Afterthoughts: The bigger picture is blurred 

Jay Changlani 

Budget 2015 was a classic stick 

and a carrot combination of 

rewards and punishment to 

induce behaviour. 

The Budget document was more 

political than fiscal with Finance 

Minister Bill English indicating that 

New Zealand will post its first budget 

surplus in the coming year (the first 

in eight years) 

but government 

finances will be 

slow to improve 

because of lower 

tax take. 

The following 

are highlights of 

the government’s 

2015-2016 budget, which include 

updated forecasts for the economy and 

its finances. 

Government finances 

The government expects to post $176 

billion surplus in the year ending June 

2016, smaller than its previous forecast 

around $600 billion in December. 

Surpluses through 2019 will be smaller 

than anticipated, due to expectations for 

slower economic growth and easing 

inflation in the coming years. 

Economic growth 

The government downgraded its 

GDP forecast to annualised 3.1% in 

2015-2016 from 3.4% in its previous 

forecast. It kept its outlook for 2016- 

2017 unchanged at 2.8% while raising 

forecast for the following two years. 

Annualised consumer prices for 

2015-2016 has been cut to 1.4% from 

2%,but forecasts beyond 2016-2017 

are unchanged. 

Net debt is likely to rise to 26.3% 

of GDP next year, slightly down from 

26.5% and with modest rise in the 

following years. 

Bonds: The government plans to 

increase its domestic bonds to $8 billion 

in 2015-2016, while keeping intact its 

issuance plans beyond next year. 

Price of dairy products, the country’s 

biggest export earner,is expected to 

recover from the second half of this 

year, after tumbling by 50% from an 

all-time high last year. 

Economic Risks 

The biggest risks facing the economy 

include a sharp fall in Chinese demand 

for commodities, ongoing weakness 

in the Australian economy, low dairy 

prices, the impact of imminent US 

monetary tightening on emerging 

countries, and continued low 

inflationaround the world. 

Migration is expected to be strong, 

while low mortgage rates may support 

housing demand, but a decline in 

migration may affect the real estate 

market. 

The contribution of earthquake 

rebuilding projects to overall growth 

may slow as housing supply catches 

up with demand, while commercial 

projects take longer than expected. 

Spending 

The government will set up $52.2 

million fund to free up state-owned land 

for development by private companies, 

which will be selected by competition. 

The fund is intended to increase 

housing supply in Auckland, which 

is growing rapidly due to increased 

immigration, and create more affordable 

housing. 

The government is committing about 

$250 million to transport projects over 

four years. 

It will allocate around $210 million 

to KiwiRail, the country’s rail network 

operator. 

Transport projects in Aucklandwill 

receive a boost to address increasing 

congestion. 

Jay Changlani with Adrienne Rodden, Manager, 

Transaction Banking, ANZ at the Bank’s Post-Budget 

Breakfast meeting held in Wellington on May 22, 2015. 

Child Welfare 

Budget 2015 provides $790 million 

to reduce hardship among children in 

New Zealand’s poorest families. Benefit 

rates for families with children will rise 

by $25 a week, while most sole parents 

and partners of beneficiaries will be 

required to return to part-time work 

when their youngest child turns three 

years, from the current five. 

All beneficiaries with part-time work 

obligations will be required to work 

for 20 hours a week, from 15 hours 

currently in force. 

The big issue is whether we have 

sufficient jobs and whether the 

politicians have considered small 

regions. 

The government had provided 

additional $107.8 million over four 

years for the Canterbury Rebuild, taking 

total contribution to $16.5 billion. 

Investment Bank 

Taxpayers will contribute between 

$100 million and $150 million to 

the proposed Asian Infrastructure 

Investment Bank, payable from 2016- 

2017 to 2020-2021. 

New operating funding of $264 

million over four years will be spent 

on Defence, while $106 million will 

go as capital from the New Zealand 

Defence Forces’ balance sheet for new 

equipment. 

The country’s intelligence service 

and its secretive surveillance bureau 

will each receive $20 million over four 

years. 

KiwiSaver disadvantaged 

The government will cease $1000 

payment to new KiwiSaver accounts, 

the country’s pay-as-you-earn pension 

scheme. 

A new border tax of about $16 for 

arriving passengers and $6 to departing 

passengers to raise $100 million every 

year to improve biosecurity and other 

customs measures. 

This will come into force from 

January 1, 2016. 

Harsh Questions 

I believe that by just focusing on 

inflation target and not on growth or 


13 

housing,we are missing a big picture. 

Core inflation is between 1.3% to 

2% due to the high value of the New 

Zealand Dollar and lower oil prices. 

But the bigger question is how this 

would solve the emerging theme of 

urban centres versus regional centres. 

How will some of these policies impact 

the so called Zombie suburbs,including 

some in Auckland? 

I am also of the view that the 

opposition missed the ‘White Dancing 

Elephant’manifest in ‘another deficit 

year’. 

Labour and others in Opposition 

were not able to respond to National’s 

‘Hardship Package,’ missing in the 

process housing and immigration issues 

in Auckland. 

Jay Changlani is a Chartered 

Accountant and Director at 

accounting firm Accounts Icon. He 

can be contacted on 021-0763762. 

Real production GDP, annual average percentage change 

Percent of labour force, March quarter, seasonally adjusted 

Consumers Price Index (CPI), annual percentage change % of GDP 

Total Crown operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) 

Net core Crown debt excluding the New Zealand Superannuation 

Fund and advances 

(Source: Budget 2015 – At a Glance) 

The Role 

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Passage to India needs 

better approach 

While there is a pronounced 

need for closer relationship 

between New Zealand and 

India on trade, commerce 

and investment, there has been no progress 

at the government level, except for repeated 

rhetoric at all levels. 

The main problem appears to be a 

mismatch of ambition and willingness 

to move forward. New Zealand has been 

seeking a Free Trade Agreement since 2007 

(when the first move was made unofficially 

by Tim Groser, then in Opposition during 

his private visit to Delhi in March that year 

and the official kick-start by then Trade 

Minister Phil Goff). Since then, except 

for meetings in both countries and the 

‘promise of returning to the discussion 

table,’ nothing much has happened. Twoway 

trade remains at a dismal $1 billion, 

largely in favour of New Zealand. 

Direct air-link between two countries 

remains a proposal in the air despite a Civil 

Aviation Agreement signed more than ten 

years ago and there is constant talk of a 

‘more aggressive pursuit of a Free Trade 

Agreement.’ 

Nothing tangible 

On its part, New Zealand has not 

demonstrated its enthusiasm strong enough 

to convince India that it is serious about a 

more constructive engagement with the 

world’s largest democracy (except for 

saying forever that we share democratic 

traditions) and soon-to-be the world’s 

most power economy (unimpressive trade 

performance as mentioned above). 

But our politicians, including Prime 

Minister John Key, Trade Minister Tim 

Groser and Tertiary Education Minister 

Steven Joyce are optimistic and are perhaps 

willing to go an extra mile to achieve their 

objective of getting closer to India. 

None of the trade bodies including those 

of the government and those of the private 

sector has achieved anything tangible in 

this direction. 

Fragmentation hits 

The India New Zealand Business 

Council (INZBC) had grand plans of 

working with such mammoth organisations 

as the Federation of Indian Chambers of 

Commerce & Industry, the Confederation 

of Indian Industry (CFII), Associated 

Chambers of Commerce of India 

(ASSOCHAM) and the Punjab, Haryana & 

Delhi Chambers of Commerce & Industry. 

Tax evasion puts you 

behind, even bars 

We have reported a number 

of cases in recent weeks 

in which those evading 

tax being punished by 

our law courts. The following editorial 

which was written by Abdul Rafik, 

Community Compliance Officer at 

Inland Revenue Department in our 

October 15, 2013 issue, is timely for 

a repetition. His warning should be a 

reminder to all those who deliberately 

evade tax. 

“If you earn a salary or a wage, your 

employer will deduct the tax every 

payday. If you work for yourself, you 

must file an annual income tax return 

with Inland Revenue Department (IRD) 

and pay tax on your net profit.But what 

about the work you do in addition to 

your day job? Are you keeping a record 

of it for IRD? The tax laws require you 

to pay tax on all your income; even 

income you earn from one-off cash jobs 

or from work you do outside business 

hours. 

“Why pay tax? 

“The Government uses our taxes to 

pay for important services like schools, 

However, these plans have remained largely 

on paper, and save for a few meetings, there 

has been no concrete activity. INZBC 

continues to be an opaque organisation, not 

willing to share its activities with the larger 

public or even interact more effectively 

with the Indian media. 

There have of late been rumours of 

internal squabbles and fragmentation. 

There are also fears that it may become 

irrelevant or merge with the Indian High 

Commission-led initiative, the New 

Zealand India Friendship Association 

(NZIFA), especially since a number of top 

INZBC officials have vested interests in it. 

That may be a blessing in disguise. So 

long as NZIFA remains under the control 

of the Indian High Commission, the 

Organisation may grow to become a truly 

effective Indian body to engage with India 

at the government and business levels. But 

it must broaden its outlook, become more 

inclusive and enthuse new blood into its 

hierarchy. 

India’s quest 

A visiting group of Parliamentarians 

told a meeting of Indian businesses and 

community leaders at a dinner jointly 

organised by INZBC and NZIFA in 

Auckland on June 2 (please read our report 

in this Section) that New Zealand should 

help in India in skills training. 

There was then a repetition of the 

‘Technical Partnership’ cliché to mean 

that FTA with New Zealand would be less 

attractive for Delhi. 

India, like any other sovereign nation, 

has the right to choose its list of priorities 

which at the moment does not include a 

Free Trade pact with New Zealand. 

New initiatives 

If that is a given fact, New Zealand 

should then consider its alternative strategy 

of boosting individual sectors, the most 

important of which would be business, 

trade and investment. 

We heard the other day that New Zealand 

would be a partner in the establishment 

of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 

with about $150 million as its investment. 

The Chinese-led initiative would hopefully 

provide some opportunities for New 

Zealand to be involved in infrastructure 

of the emerging economies of Asia. 

We will await further developments with 

interest. 

hospitals, roads, and policing - services 

that benefit the whole community. If 

someone pays less tax than they should, 

everyone misses out.” 

The defaulters 

“Businesses evading tax are causing 

unfair competition, because they can 

undercut businesses that are playing 

by the rules.Tax evasion is far from a 

‘victimless crime.’People who underpay 

their tax are putting themselves at a 

disadvantage too. If you do not record 

all your income in your accounting 

system, you may find it harder to raise 

finance to sell your business for its true 

value or get full accident compensation 

if you are injured and off work.” 

Hidden economy 

“What is IRD doing about the ‘hidden 

economy?’ 

“We believe that it is important for 

people to get it right from the start. Over 

the past two years, we have released our 

Compliance Focus Document to make 

areas of concern very clear and assist 

people to meet their obligations. The 

Document can be found at www.ird. 

govt.nz (keywords: compliance focus). 

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Venkat Raman 

Speaking to a cross-section 

of the Indian Diaspora 

more than five years ago, 

the then Minister of Human 

Resources Development in India, 

said that New Zealand education 

providers including Universities 

and tertiary institutions should set 

up presence in his country, rather 

than luring students here. 

He said that India needs 5000 more 

colleges and 50 new universities over 

the 20 years to meet the growing 

demand for education. He also said 

that there was a pronounced need to 

change the pace of education, and 

the vehicle used for its delivery. 

Ruffled feathers 

“There is plenty of work to 

do in terms of training teachers, 

smart and innovative methods of 

promoting courses and programmes 

and widening the scope of distance 

learning. We must introduce modern 

but indigenous methods including 

the use of graphics, interactive 

coaching. 

“New Zealand needs the market 

for its courses and programmes and 

India can provide it, within India. 

This should be considered as a new 

model of cooperation,” he said. 

That speech, made on April 11, 

2010 at a meeting held at Stamford 

Plaza Auckland, ruffled a few 

feathers and even angered many. 

Repeat Appeal 

There was a similar tone in the 

speech that some of us heard from 

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State 

(Independent Charge) covering 

Parliamentary Affairs, Minority 

Affairs, Skills Development & 

Entrepreneurship, who was on an 

official visit with a delegation of 

parliamentarians and bureaucrats 

to New Zealand. 

The dinner meeting, held at India 

Gate Restaurant in Auckland on 

June 2, was organised jointly by the 

India New Zealand Business Council 

(INZBC) and the New Zealand India 

Friendship Association (NZIFA), the 

first of its type since the latter was 

formed more than a year ago. 

“We are a country of more than 1.2 

people but only 3% of our population 

is skilled, compared to Korea (where 

96% are skilled), Japan (80%), 

Germany (72%), United Kingdom 

(69%) and China (29%). We have for 

decades concentrated on education, 

without realising the importance of 

training our people to become skilled 

workers and skilled professionals. 

The BJP government is determined 

A 

leading cardiologist 

across the Tasman lead a 

fund drive and collected 

A$23,010 for the victims 

of the earthquakes that rocked Nepal 

over the past two months. 

Sydney based Indian Australian 

Association of NSW Inc President 

Dr Yadu Singh and his friends met 

Nepal’s Consul General Deepak 

Khadka at his office in North Sydney 

on May 27, 2015 and handed over 

a cheque for A$22,789, promising 

to present another cheque for $221 

collected by his friend Kashif Amjad 

over the next few days. 

Association Treasurer Chidanand 

Puttarevanna and Accountant 

Yateender Gupta accompanied Dr 

Singh to the meeting. 

Fraternal help 

“Nepal suffered a massive 

earthquake killing more than 

8500 people and causing massive 

to correct this drawback and has 

therefore created a new ministry 

for Skills Development,” he said. 

Training significant 

Mr Rudy said that training 

formed the single most important 

pre-requisite for economic 

development and self-sufficiency. 

The Indian economy is slated to 

maintain average growth of 7.4% 

on annualised basis (as seen in the 

two recent quarters), higher than that 

of China. 

“Our immediate target is to lift the 

share of the manufacturing sector 

from 12% (of GDP) to 20% over 

the next few years, which can be 

achieved through high standards of 

skills training. We look up to New 

Zealand for help,” he said. 

Admitting that India’s engagement 

with New Zealand has been minimal 

(with no more than $1 billion in 

two-way trade), Mr Rudy said his 

government was eager to make 

amendments. He said that such 

engagement (with all friendly 

countries) would be based on 

three chapters, namely Legislature, 

Inclusiveness and International 

Diplomacy. 

Technical Partnership 

“New Zealand is becoming a 

popular destination for our students, 

businesspersons, investors and 

tourists. We have a partnership in 

defence and we now invite your 

government and people to join hands 

with us in improving the skills of 

Indians,” he said. 

Indian High Commissioner 

Ravi Thapar said that India and 

the Indian government were keen 

to foster better relations with New 

Zealand and that the objectives 

can be achieved through better 

understanding of each other’s needs, 

abilities and priorities. 

“We invite New Zealand to be an 

effective ‘Technical Partner,’ which 

destruction.I was informed that our 

fundraised money is the biggest 

amount raised from any Indian 

Australian community group/ 

network. We are proud and very 

pleased with what we have done for 

our brothers and sisters in Nepal,” 

Dr Singh said. 

Writing his blog, he said that 

a number of organisations and 

individuals were involved in the 

fundraising drive. 

“I am grateful to the gems of 

our community. I acknowledge 

the services of Pravin Gupta and 

pay tribute to his persistence, 


India seeks Kiwi hands for 

skills development 


Wenceslaus Anthony, Rajiv Pratap and Neelam Rudy and Ravi Thapar at 

the dinner meeting held in Auckland on June 1 

Dr Yadu Singh with Deepak Khadka, Chidanand 

Puttarevanna, and Yateender Gupta 

14 

would provide ample opportunities to 

New Zealand companies, innovators, 

entrepreneurs and investors to lift the 

level of engagement for the benefit 

of all,” he said. 

Growing potential 

Former INZBC Chairman 

Wenceslaus Anthony spoke of the 

huge and growing market potential 

in India, saying that some businesses 

may be ‘battling to do business with 

India. 

“Many of the big corporate entities 

across the world have established 

their presence in India. New Zealand 

businesses should also take that 

extra step,” he said and asked, “Are 

businesses in New Zealand prepared 

to take up this challenge?” 

Speaking for INZBC and 

NZIFA, Mr Anthony said that the 

two organisations want to be a 

part of Prime Minister John Key’s 

government to double exports to 

India in the next ten years. 

“We cannot go far selling to 

ourselves of only around 4.5 million 

population.The long-term growth 

prospects of New Zealand will 

depend on how well we are able 

to fine tune our response to trends, 

such as rapidly increasing demand 

for higher value consumer products 

from Asia’s growing economies and 

India would be a great focus with 

about 1.2 billion population.We 

need more New Zealand companies 

looking at India with the right 

attitude and ambition,” he said. 

Exciting plans 

Earlier, Westpac SME Lead 

Damian Sharkey said that New 

Zealand and India had begun to 

discover each other and that the 

development plans of India were 

truly amazing. 

“New Zealand must seek active 

partnership in these development 

plans,” he said 

Aussie Indians open their hearts to 

Nepali victims 

encouragement, support and effort 

in this project.We did not use any 

money in this fundraising. We have 

handed over every Cent that we 

collected.We completed this work 

following principles of transparency 

and accountability. Each step was 

described and is out in the open,” 

he said. 

Reinforced faith 

Dr Singh said that the fundraising 

project re-affirmed his belief that 

the Indian community has a vast 

number of decent, caring and goodhearted 

people, who will open their 

hearts, and pockets if they have the 

assurance and trust that their money 

will not be swindled or scammed. 

“I give everyone my personal 

100% guarantee that I have never 

allowed, and will never allow, any 

public money to be swindled or 

scammed away, if I am part of any 

such project,” he said.

12TH EDITION 

BUSINESSLINK 

Security 

Settlement 

business up 

for sale 


The country’s Central Bank has called 

for expression of interest from eligible 

companies for purchase of ‘NZClear,’ 

which looks after security settlement and 

depository business. 

Thus far, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand 

has not been able to find a suitable organisation 

to take over the business and hence has decided 

to go through public tender. 

Reserve Bank of New Zealand Deputy Governor 

An expanding 

economy has 

kept labour 

demand solid, 

with employment increasing 

by16,000 (0.7%) over the 

March Quarter, and 74,000 

(3.2%) over the year to 

March. 

Most of this increase is 

from full-time employment, 

with 60,000 more people 

employed full-time in the 

March Quarter than a year 

ago. The strengthened 

economy has encouraged 

more people to enter 

the labour force, both 

domestically and from 

abroad. 

The labour force 

participation rate is at an 

all-time high, rising to 

69.6% in the March Quarter. 

Migration is also at record 

levels, with New Zealand 

gaining a net 56,300 

permanent and long-term 

migrants in the year ending 

March. 

Labour force growth has 

kept the unemployment 

rate unchanged at 5.8% this 

Quarter. 

Wage growth remains 

subdued given strong 

economic growth, but this 

comes against a backdrop 

of low inflation. 

Wage inflation (as measured 

by the Labour Cost Index) 

has outpaced the Consumer 

PriceIndex for three and a 

half years. 

Pleasing indicators 

New Zealand experienced 

solid economic growth in 

2014, and recent indicators 

suggest that this is likely to 

continue through the first 

half of 2015. Offshore risks 

remain, with soft growth 

across major economies, and 

weaknesses in commodity 

prices. 

Domestic conditions GDP 

rose 0.8% in the December 

Quarter, down from 0.9% 

inSeptember.The main 

contributor to growth 

was the retail trade and 

accommodation industry 

(up 2.3%, the largest 

Quarterly increase for this 

industry since the Rugby 

World Cup in 2011, largely 

due to increased spending 

from international tourists). 

The rental, hiring and 

real estate industry was the 

second largest contributor 

to overall GDPgrowth (up 

1.2%). 

Increased house sales 

are driving growth in this 

sector, with real estate 

services up more than 

20%. Manufacturing was 

up 1%, due to an increase 

in petroleum, chemical, 

polymer and rubber product 

manufacturing. 

Drought conditions 

provided a partial 

counterbalance to the 

overall growth: activity in 

the utilities sector dropped 

2.5% on the back of lower 

hydro-electricity generation 

and agricultural production 

was flat over the Quarter. 

Declining Exports 

Merchandise exports 

fell 0.6%($70 million) in 

the March Quarter. This 

followed a 0.9% increase 

in the December Quarter, 

influenced by a drilling 

platform export. 

Export values have been 

trending down over recent 

quarters, and have fallen 

7.4% from arecord high in 

March 2014. 


Growth becomes a buzz word in beehive 

15 

Economic outlook 

Indicators of firm activity 

have fallen from the record 

levels recorded at the start of 

2014, but remain buoyant. 

The latest Quarterly 

Survey of Business Opinion 

showed that a net 20% 

of firms expected general 

business conditions to 

improve over the next six 

months, a level similar 

to that recorded in the 

September and December 

Quarters. 

The ANZ Business 

Outlook shows a similar 

picture, and both are 

pointing to increased hiring 

activity in 2015, especially 

for the construction and 

services industries. 

Source: Ministry of 

Business, Innovation & 

Employment 

Geoff Bascand 

and Head of Operations Geoff Bascand said that 

the NZClear is the technology behind a key piece 

of New Zealand’s financial infrastructure and that 

it requires significant investment or replacement. 

“The Reserve Bank has owned and operated 

NZClear for 25 years since it led the innovation 

to move from manual processes to electronic 

services. We believe that market solutions are now 

available and that they offer potential for further 

development andinnovation,” he said. 

Non-Core Business 

A strategic review of Reserve Bank’s payment 

and settlement system in 2014 said that securities 

settlement is not its core business. 

According to Mr Bascand, the Bank is keen to 

have in place another specialist operator providing 

securities settlement and depository services that 

meet its requirements and those of the market. 

NZClear members are important stake 

holders,and hence we intend to provide 

regularbriefings as this process evolves. The Bank 

is committed to ensuring that the needs of the 

NZClear customers are met and that high services 

standards are maintained. 

“While the Bank has a preference to see a new 

provider of NZClear services, we have been 

exploring system replacement solutions, in the 

event we are unable to find a suitable alternative 

provider,” Mr Bascand said. 

“Our earlier Request for Information for 

Payment and Settlement Systems confirmed our 

view that a range of systems are available that 

would potentially meet the Bank’s requirement, 

if needed,” he added. 

The last date for receipt of expressions of interest 

at RBNZ is June 23, 2015. 

Documentation is available through the 

Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) 

FASTFIND BUSINESS DIRECTORY JUNE 2014 - 2015 

Mobile: 022 429 3549 

www.myprinter.co.nz 

Read more 

online 

ww.indiannewslink.co.nz 

Phone: 09 5336377

COMMUNITYLINK 

Lord Balaji gets Carnatic music treat in Hamilton 


16 

Malathi Vasudevan 

As per tradition, 41 days after 

the Kumbhabhishekam 

(held on March 9, 2015 as 

reported in our April 15, 

2015 issue),Sri Balaji Temple Trust 

(Hamilton) celebrated ‘Mandala Pooja’ 

on April 19, 2015. 

Due to bad weather,the event had 

a small audience but was fortunate to 

have the presence of ardent devotees 

from Auckland, Wellington and other 

cities. 

Piety Personified 

The Pooja involved a comprehensive 

Abhishekam of all the installed Deities 

including Ganapathi, Subramaniar and 

the Navagrahas. 

With Vastram (dresses) and 

ornaments donated earlier, the 

deities were then displayed with full 

‘Alankaram’(Decoration) followed by 

Maha Prasadam (Divine Offering). 

A grand Kalyanotsavamor Marriage 

of the Lord to his consorts with all 

couples present added colour to the 

proceedings. 

Inaugural Concert 

Among the highlights of the 

Dr Pantula Rama at the Hamilton Concert 

‘Inaugural Season of the Temple’ was 

a music concert by Dr Pantula Rama, 

a renowned Carnatic Music singer 

from India. 

Held on May 29, 2015, the event 

featured H N Bhaskar on the Violin 

and Ravichandira on Mridangam. 

Although the Trust had organised 

three classical concerts in the past three 

years, the performance of Dr Pantula 

Rama is regarded as the inaugural 

concert for the Temple in the Divine 

Presence of the Deities. 

The Main Deity with Consorts 

The Concert started with 

‘Gajavadanam Ashraye’ in Kedharam 

(an invocation for Lord Ganesha), 

followed by the ever-popular ‘Sriman 

Narayana’ for the Presiding Deity. 

The artistes presented Hamsanandi 

(Srinivasa) and Mohanam (Nannu 

Palimpa) in the traditional Kutcheri 

Paddati with Ragam and Swaram. 

Then followed a couple of delightful 

Annamacharya Kirtanams set to tune 

by Dr Rama and the famous ‘Brahmam 

Okate.’ 

For saking the popular Kapi version 

of ‘Jo Achyuthanantha’, Dr Rama 

presented it as the original version 

sung by Annamaya himself. This was 

appropriate for the new Temple and 

its Lord. 

Resident Priest Gopalacharyulu 

performed the Maha Arathi at the 

end of the Concert, leading to Maha 

Prasadam. 

Warming the Temple 

With the onset of winter, the Temple 

and its devotees are in urgent need 

of ten heat pumps.Donations, big or 

small, would be very welcome and 

Dr Pantula Rama with Malathi Vasudevan 

can be direct deposited into Westpac 

Account No. 03-1568-0478167-00. 

Please visit our website www. 

sribalaji.co.nz or our Facebook Page 

Hamilton Balaji. 

Further details can be obtained from 

Bala Bhaskar Tikkisetty (Chairperson), 

Nagan Suppiah (Secretary), Malathi 

Vasudevan (Treasurer), Muttiah 

Paranthaman (Trustee Manager), 

Raman Annamalai, Asogan Govender, 

Satish Jandhyala, Pancha Narayan 

(Trustees) and Ravi Kolluru (Public 

Relations Officer). 

AIA’s new Mortgage, 

Income and Rent Cover 

Allowing you to focus on your recovery, 

when you are unable to work 

AIA Mortgage, Income and Rent Cover helps protect your home if you are unable to make mortgage 

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A copy of our Qualifying Financial Entity disclosure statement is available on request, or you can view it online at aia.co.nz 

Terms and conditions apply

RAMADAN SPECIAL 

As Muslims around the world and 

across New Zealand grapple with 

increasingly complex socio-political 

questions this Ramadan, we might 

spare a thought for Islamic conceptualisations 

of Philosophy, a subject that is often overlooked 

but underwrites much 

of what we believe and 

think daily. 

Three years ago, Dr 

Safet Bektovic,Senior 

Lecturer at the 

Centre for European 

Islamic Thought at 

the University of 

Copenhagen wrote 

an excellent essay 

entitled,‘Post-modern Islamic philosophy 

:Challenges and Perspectives’ in the British 

journal ‘Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.’ 

He discussed the contributions of Al 

Farabi (872-950), Al Ghazali (1058-1111), 

Ibn Rushd (1126-1198), Ibn Khaldun (1332 

- 1406), but also modern names like Arkoun 

(1928-2010),Soroush (1945-), Muhammad 

Naquib Al Attas (1931-)and Amina Wadud 

(1952-). 

Interpretation challenges 

Dr Bektovic argued forcefully that Islamic 

philosophy or ‘Falsafa,’ either historical or 

contemporary,could not be properly examined 

independently of political and theological 

discourse. The big questions of early Islam are 

still being asked; the limits of human knowledge 

for example, the relationship between the 

divine and the human, the relationship between 

Falsafa, Kalam and Fiqh and the role of political 

philosophy. 

Early Islamic philosophy developed after 

the death of the Prophet Mohammed and was 

shaped specifically by Muslim contact with 


Pragmatic introspection enhances humanistic approach 

Hajji Abdullah Drury 

the divine and the human, the relation between 

religious truth and existence. 

Therefore, whilst a significant number of 

early Muslim philosophers were disposed to 

align themselves with either the political or 

governing elite or with dogmatic religious 

circles, particularly during the “classical” period 

of Islam, a minority opposed the established 

systems of thought. 

Divided opinions 

Throughout the past 1400 years the attitudes 

of Muslims towards philosophy have been 

divided between an adoration of philosophy 

as the key imperative scientific discipline and 

a near total repudiation as a basically alien 

element to Islam. 

Philosophy, understood as a critical reflection 

that questions all established interpretations 

and systems (including religious), is sometimes 

viewed as a threat to conservative or sectarian 

notions of Islamic orthodoxy and to the Sharia. 

Consequently, as Dr Bektovic writes 

persuasively, for many Muslims, even 

Islamic philosophy“is a problematic and, at 

best,superfluous discipline.” 

Ibn Hanbal (780-855)and Ibn Taymiyya 

(1263-1328)for example were equally sceptical 

of both the rationalism of philosophy and of the 

esoteric mystical Sufi explanations, arguing 

“that the Holy Quran is clear and self-evident 

and thus in no need of any philosophical 

interpretation.” 

Shifting views 

Generally most Muslim societies have not 

experienced the process of secularisation as in 

Western societies, but modernity(particularly 

the special challenges of modern education) 

has been highly influential in shifting Muslim 

views of society and education itself. 

Serious post-colonial educational reforms 

within Muslim societies following independence 

have been characterised by ideological power 

struggles between Muslims who desire to 

introduce new methods inspired by Western 

and humanistic sciences, and those who believed 

that the simplest solution was to return to some 

kind of “classical” system and to re-Islamise 

society. 

Concept of Democracy 

Modern Muslim philosophers are focused on 

two differing kinds of conundra. 

Firstly, there are general theoretical and 

17 

philosophical questions such as broadissues of 

epistemology and of the relationship between 

philosophy and religion. 

Secondly, there are queries more specific 

to Muslims and Islam such as the exact 

interpretation of Sharia,the boundaries of 

Islamic ethics and even the correct standpoint 

towards democracy. 

Some Muslim scholars contend a dynamic 

interpretation of ‘Ijtihad’is urgently needed, 

one that encompasses an ongoing desire for 

more innovative thinking in responding to the 

various challenges of Western culture. 

Others propose breaking with traditional, 

religiously based perceptions of society entirely. 

The point of departure for all these reflections 

is a re-assessment of the key terms within 

Islam – particularly‘Khilafa,’‘Umma’and 

‘Sharia,’which express direct overt political 

implications. 

Hajji Abdullah Drury is the author of 

‘Islam in New Zealand.’ He lives in Hamilton. 

He had quoted ‘A Heritage of East and West; 

The Writings of Imam Camil Avdic (2006) as 

a source of reference for the above article. 

The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand 

(FIANZ) 

wishes the Muslim Community in New Zealand 

Ramadan Mubarak 

Holy Quran 

the ancient civilisations of the Middle East and 

their philosophical traditions over the eighth to 

ninth centuries CE. 

Not benign 

It must be noted the relationship was not 

entirely benign or exclusively philosophical 

– it did not unfold in a political or ideological 

vacuum. 

On the contrary,Dr Bektovic reminds readers 

that this evolution in thought was intimately 

associated with domestic Muslim discussions 

concerning the correct interpretation of Islam, 

the Quran and Sunnah, and the correct polity. 

For example when the Umayyad dynasty 

adopted the title Khilifat Allah (viceroy of 

God) rather than the traditional Khalifat 

Rasul Allah(Viceroy of the Messenger of 

God) they were actively advancing the idea of 

predestination in order to protect their regime 

from any type of criticism. 

Human abilities 

In contrast, the political opposition articulated 

a theory of Free Will to censure and condemn 

Umayyad rule.All were concerned with the 

question of human cognitive abilities and with 

the problem of defining the relationship between 

FIANZ is the National Body caring for the religious, social and 

cultural needs of the Muslim community of New Zealand. 

In addition, FIANZ is also the Halal Authentication 

Authority for meat exports from New Zealand and for domestic 

markets, including retail food outlets, takeaways & restaurants. 

OUR ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: 

Halal & Religious Affairs Ulema Board Business Division Youth & Student Division 

Investment & Funding Islamic Women’s Council of NZ National & International Affairs 

Education Development Halal Committee 

The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand 

Ground Floor, 7-11 Queens Drive (Beneath The Wellington Islamic Centre) 

Lyall Bay, Wellington - P O Box 14155, Kilbirnie, Wellington 6241 

Phone: (04) 387 8023 • Fax: (04) 387 8024 • Email: fianz@vodafone.co.nz • Web: www.fianz.co.nz


Integrity remains the currency of Relianz business 

Dev Nadkarni 

Over the past six years, Relianz 

Forex Limited has carved a niche 

for itself as a reliable provider 

of money transfer, money 

exchange and wire transfer services in and 

around Auckland. 

In essence, it has 

lived up to its 

name, promoting 

the best interests 

of customers, 

complying in the 

process with the 

rules and regulations 

in force. 

Sharp Focus 

The Company’s sharp focus has always 

been on customer service. Business ethics, 

integrity and honesty have been the 

principle factors that have accentuated its 

impressive growth since its establishment. 

With well-placed management 

principles, professional approach to 

business and easy accessibility Relianz 

Forex has become a household name in 

Auckland’s South Asian community. 

Giridharan outlines the impressive growth of 

Relianz Forex Limited 

Director V Giridharan attributed the 

success of his company to its highly 

motivated team of professionals with the 

right aptitude and attitude. 

“Our team understands the market 

trends, works hard and places customer 

satisfaction at the very centre of our 

business,”he said. 

Mr Giridharan is a veteran in the business 

with more than 20 years of experience 

V Giridharan (second from left) with Award Winners 2014-2015 (from left) Jaspal Singh (Star Performer), 

Ashish Kumar Shriwastav (‘Above & Beyond’), and Amandeep Singh (Best Branch) 

working in the diverse markets of South 

Asia and Oceania. 

Wellington waiting 

“Relianz Forex is the only professional 

money transfer service in Auckland with a 

real retailpresence through its six branches 

including Downtown Auckland, Dominion 

Road,Sandringham, Avondale, Papatoetoe 

and Manurewa. We will open our account 

outside Auckland with an office in 

Wellington shortly,” he said. 

Building Relationships 

According to Mr Giri, Relianz Forex 

underscores the importance of face-to-face 

transactions. 

“No customer is a stranger to us and we 

are no stranger to any customer. Our team 

knows them by name and we believe in 

building relationships,”he said. 

That relationship building with 

customers extends into the community. It 

is rare to find an event in the South Asian 

community with which Relianz Forexis 

not associated. In fact, this Company is a 

major sponsor of many literary, cultural 

and sports events. 

“Giving back to the community is 

an essential part of the Relianz Forex 

business philosophy particularly when it 

comes to fostering deserving young talent 

Chief Guest Sameer Handa narrates his success 

and promoting a sense of pride for the 

community. Cultural events are a big part 

of this,” Mr Giridharan said. 

Rapid Growth 

The money transfer business has seen 

rapid growth in the past few years. 

According to a recent World Bank 

report, remittances to home countries from 

people working overseas are growing by 

leaps and bounds.This has brought in a rush 

of firms to service this growing industry. 

This rapid growthhas resulted in 

governments and international agencies 

tightening compliance measures and 

introducing strict protocols for the money 

transfer industry. 

This is mainly to counter international 

crime and money laundering, which ends 

up financing terrorist activity, the drug trade 

and tax evasion. 

“Relianz is proud to not only follow these 

protocols but to exceed them by adopting 

industry best practice processes. Our 

strict insistence in following institutional 

protocols is ultimately in the interests of 

the security of our customers’ funds as 

well as that of the wider community,” Mr 

Giridharan said. 

Compliance Standards 

In accordance with New Zealand and 

international law and best practice,Relianz 

Forex follows set practices in every 

transaction – from data collection as 

regards customers and source of funds 

to transparent reporting regimes for the 

governing authorities. 

Relianz Forex does not accept cash 

transactions even though these are 

permitted up to acertain limit.The Company 

exceeds compliance measures in the interest 

of customersecurity, business integrity and 

related legislation. 

When you engage with Relianz Forex 

for your transactions including money 

transfers, money exchange and wire 

transfers, you can rest assured that the 

service will be timely (often remitted the 

same day at your destination), secure and 

guaranteed. 

Every activity and service comes with 

personalised attention for which Relianz 

Forexhas been earning merit points from 


The Relianz Family (Standing from left) Tajinder Singh, Sukhvir Singh, Pawan Kumar, Harjeet Singh, V 

Giridharan, Aman Gujral, Ashish Kumar Shriwastav, Amandeep Singh, Jaspal Singh; Seated from left are 

Shruti Nilkund, Usha Giridharan and Meghna Daiya 

18 

customers since its establishment six years 

ago. 

Relianz Forex serves all communities 

and in that spirit, extends its greetings to 

Muslims on the advent of the Holy Month 

of Ramadan. 

Dev Nadkarni is a celebrated 

journalist with extensive experience and 

former (first) Editor-in-Chief of Indian 

Weekender. He is currently Marketing 

& Communications Manager at 

Pacific Islands Trade & Invest based in 

Auckland. The above article is exclusive 

to Indian Newslink. 

Relianz Forex is the Joint Title 

Sponsor (with Radio Tarana) of the 

Fifth Annual Indian Newslink Sir Anand 

Satyanand Lecture, scheduled to be 

held at Pullman Hotel in Auckland on 

Monday, July 27, 2015. This Black-Tie 

event will commence with Cocktails and 

Networking between 630 pm and 730 

pm, followed by Dinner and Speeches. 

Tickets priced at $140 plus GST per 

person and Tables seating ten persons at 

$1400 plus GST per Table are available. 

Please contact (09) 5336377 or 

021-836528. 

Email: editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Head office and BrancH: 

632 Dominion Road, 

Nr Capitol Cinema, 

Balmoral, Auckland 

auckland cBd: 

32, Queen Street, 

Beside 2 Degree Mobile Shop, 

SandringHam: 

541 B, Sandringham Road, 

Auckland 

avondale : 

195, New Windsor Road, 

Avondale, Auckland 

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Phone: 

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19 

Ramadan Mubarak. 

Wishing all our customers 

and staff a blessed Ramadan.


Ramadan makes us good humans 

Hazim Arafeh 

I 

express my heartiest Ramadan 

Mubarak to the Muslim 

community in New Zealand on 

the onset of the Holy Month. 


20 

We thank and praise Almighty 

Allah for offering us yet another 

opportunity to fast in thisblessed 

month,perform pious duties and to 

receive His Mercy and Bounty. 

May Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala 

accept our fasting and all our good 

deeds. 

Ramadan Virtues 

For Muslims the world over, the 

Holy Month of Ramadan is of very 

special importance. 

It is observed throughout the world 

with all sanctity and reverence that it 

demands. It is atime for worship and 

reflection and brotherhood. 

It is a month that should encourage 

us to have care and compassion 

with our fellow Muslims and Non- 

Muslims. It inculcates patience, 

perseverance and everything good. 

As our beloved Prophet Mohammed 

(Peace Be Upon Him) said,“The 

Holy Month belongs to Almighty 

Allah.” Ramadan is the time when 

Muslims - even as we continue with 

our daily routines - strive to become 

even better by strengthening our 

faith, carrying out more deeds of 

social responsibility and expressing 

gratitude to the Almighty for every 

blessing that we have received. 

No burden 

About fasting, our Glorious Holy 

Quran says:“God wills that you have 

ease; and does not 

will you to suffer hardship”(Chapter 

2: Verses 183-188).Therefore, 

abstaining from food and other 

worldly pleasures is not meant to be 

a burden upon Muslims. 

Beyond that, we should concentrate 

Here at 

The Chicken 

Farm Shop 

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our attention to other dimensions of 

human development. During this 

month, Muslims celebrate life with 

intense supplication so that they may 

rejoice in this world and the hereafter. 

The Holy month of Ramadan is also 

about doing good work for society. 

Helping the Poor 

Muslims are enjoined to do good 

to others. 

In fact, the Holy Quran specifically 

mentioned that people, Muslims or 

otherwise, should compete in doing 

good work. Helping the poor and 

indigent, bringing relief to the needy 

and orphans, providing safety for the 

weak members of society are but few 

examples of good work. 

The Holy Quran states that those 

who do more good deeds during the 

blessed month of Ramadan, will 

receive more rewards than usual. 

Almighty Allah has also promised 

His mercy, forgiveness and the 

saving from hellfire to all Muslims 

as a reward for fasting in Ramadhan. 

Our Beloved Prophet has also been 

quoted in a Hadith as saying “He who 

fasts during Ramadan with faith and 

seeks his reward from Allah, will 

have his past sins forgiven; he who 

prays during the night in Ramadan 

with faith and seeks his reward 

from Allah, will have his past sins 

forgiven”(Bukhari and Muslim). 

Two Festivals 

As the end of the Holy Month, the 

first day of Shawaal is celebrated as 

Eid Al Fitr, whichis one of the two 

main festivals of Islam. The other is 

Eid Al Adha (celebrated at the end of 

Hajj Season). 

These two festivals are celebrated 

by all Muslims throughout the world. 

The significance of Eid Al Fitr is 

that it is a day of ‘Thanksgiving’ to 

Muslims gathering in Auckland 

Almighty Allah for the opportunity 

given to Muslims to serve Him and 

the society. It is celebrated as the 

culmination of a month of devotion, 

sacrifice and sharing with others in 

the hope that Ramadan has inscribed 

principles that will strengthen our 

efforts to the end. 

Let us seek Allah’s guidance to 

lead us on the right path, the path of 

peace and brotherhood. Let us once 

again pray that during the Holy Month 

of Ramadan, a sincere effort will be 

made by all Muslims to come closer 

together and closer to God through 

fasting, prayers,Zakat and charity. 

Hazim Arafeh is President of the 

Federation of Islamic Associations 

of New Zealand. 

Halal Tourism takes quantum leap 

The world’s first ever 

B2B global aggregator 

of comprehensive Halal 

tourism products has seen 

a flying start following its official 

launch held at the Dubai International 

Convention & Exhibition Centre from 

May 4 to 7, 2015. 

More than 100 travel agents and 

tour operators from various parts of 

the world signed up as distribution 

partners for the Muslim Travel 

Warehouse which made its debut at 

ATM 2015 in Dubai. 

The Muslim Travel Warehouse is 

the first time ever that travel agents 

have access to comprehensive tailored 

holiday packages directly for Muslim 

consumers, a market set to swell to 

$200 billion in the next five years. 

Special Packages 

During the ATM, it also made 

agreements with over 30 destinations 

who will partner to develop Halalfriendly 

packages. Currently, 

Muslim Travel Warehouse has 

launched packages for 16 destinations 

including UAE, Malaysia, UK, US 

and Maldives. 

Anas Kasak,Chief Marketing 

Officer of Muslim Travel Warehouse, 

said that the business was created as a 

direct response to the demand from the 

industry who wanted to capitalise on 

the booming trend for Halal tourism. 

“We have had a phenomenal 

and over whelming reception to the 

launch from almost every section of 

the industry. Halal tourism is now 

increasingly becoming a priority for 

operators across the world and there 

was a huge demand from the tourism 

sector for a solution like Muslim 

Travel Warehouse,” he said. 

Global Response 

The Organisation hosted 

representatives from the Middle East, 

Africa, Europe, Asia and USA, who 

have since become partners. 

“In addition, more than 30 

destinations and many hotels want 

to partner to develop further Halal 

packages which means we could have 

products for nearly 50 destinations in 

the next six months,” Mr Kasak said. 

According to the latest 

‘MasterCard-CrescentRating Global 

Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 

2015,’Halal Tourism was worth $145 

billion in 2014. This figure is predicted 

to grow to $200 billion by 2020. 

Muslim Travel Warehouse, part of 

CrescentRating which is the world’s 

leading authority in Halal travel, will 

provide a suite of services for its 

partners alongside bespoke packages. 

This will include live travel trade 

helpdesk through the live chat service, 

detailed Halal tourism information 

including fact sheets, digital brochures, 

restaurant and spa menus. 

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21 

Quality advice is assured through a team of licenced 

immigration advisers and Ex-Immigration Officer 

09 272 4424 021 144 6641 

E: saif@ianzl.co.nz 

www.immigrationadvicenz.com 

Wishing Everyone 

Ramadan 

Mubarak 

Like us on “ Facebook ” www.facebook.com/ImmigrationAdvice 

Proud Member 

& Past Director


FIANZ elects new team 

Venkat Raman 

The Federation of 

Islamic Associations 

of New Zealand 

(FIANZ) has elected 

Hazim Arafeh to the post of 

President at its 37thAnnual 

General Meeting held in 

Wellington on May 23, 2015. 

Asif Koya and Steve Ali 

Akbar were elected to the 

posts of First and Second Vice- 

President respectively. 

Ibrar Sheikh (President of 

the South Auckland Muslims 

Association) is the new 

Secretaryof FIANZ, while 

Mohammed Faiaz was chosen 

to the post of Treasurer. 

Among the other officebearers 

are Abdi Rizak 

(Assistant Secretary) and 

Mohammed Abdi Jama 

(Assistant Treasurer). 

Scholar & Scientist 

Mr Arafeh has a Graduate 

Honours (BSc Honours) degree 

in Plant Science from the 

University of Jordan. He has 

been working in the vegetables 

industry in New Zealand and 

overseas for more than 22 

years. 

Employed at Seed & Field 

Services Limited in Palmerston 

North, he manages the Lower 

North Island and Upper South 

Island region. 

He assists growers in 

choosing varieties, crop 

production and nutritional 

programmes. He also runs a 

robust Variety Trial Programme 

in conjunction with main seed 

companies. 

More than Gold 

While FIANZ was 

established in its current form 

only in April 1979, its origins 

can be traced back to 1950 

when migrant Muslims formed 

the New Zealand Muslim 

Association in Auckland in 

1950. 

According to the FIANZ 

website, these early 

Muhaijurun (migrants) began 

to organise themselves and 

gather in their private homes to 

observe salaat, Qur’an classes 

and religious celebrations. 

As their numbers grew the 

need for a larger, fixed place 

of worship and education 

became more pressing. Thus an 

ordinary house was bought and 

converted into Islamic Centre 

in Auckland in 1957. 

FIANZ Origins 

The New Zealand Muslim 

Association was soon followed 

by other Islamic organisations 

in other regions - in Wellington 

in 1962 as the Wellington 

Muslim Association, which 

later became the International 

Muslim Association of New 

Zealand (IMAN). The choice of 

this name was a reflection of the 

situation in Wellington where 

the majority of Muslims were 

students on the Colombo Plan, 

from many different countries. 

Subsequent associations were 

established in Christchurch 

(1980), Hamilton (1981) and 

Palmerston North in (1982). 

The most recent, the Otago 

Muslim Association, was 

established in Dunedin (1994). 

By mid-1970s, Muslim 

Associations had been set 

up or were in the process 

of being formed in every 

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region. These were registered 

with the Government as 

Incorporated Societies. The 

functions performed and 

services provided by these 

Associations catered mainly 

for the immediate needs of 

the local communities. In most 

cases, this meant establishing 

children’s classes for Quran 

reading and Islamic knowledge, 

as well as study groups for 

men and women. Despite the 

scarcity of educational resource 

material and adequately trained 

teachers, these classes filled 

the need for some form of 

Islamic education in what 

was a completely secular 

environment. 

National Body 

By the late 1970s it was 

becoming increasingly 

apparent that a national body 

was required to co-ordinate 

the activities of the regional 

Associations, increase their 

efficiency and generally 

represent the interests of 

Muslims as a whole, at national 

and international levels. Thus 

it was after two years of 

informal discussions between 

the various regional Muslim 

groups and organisations, 

the Federation of Islamic 

Associations of New Zealand 

(FIANZ) was formed in April 

1979. 

Today, the New Zealand 

Muslim community comprises 

over 42 different nationalities. 

Over the last three decades 

the number has swelled from 

approximately 200 in 1950 to 

around thirty thousand today. 

Mushaira takes the 

Diaspora to its roots 

Back in the 1980s, 

when the Editor of 

this newspaper was 

a journalist based 

in the Kingdom of Bahrain, 

he would attend at least one 

Mushaira a month. Each of 

these would begin around 

7 pm and depending on the 

stamina and competence of 

the participants would go on 

for five to six hours, until the 

small hours of the following 

morning. 

Each of them was a perfect 

setting for strengthening 

the fraternal bond between 

Indians, Pakistanis, 

Bangladeshis and people in 

other countries proficient in 

Urdu, the ‘Language of the 

Learned.’ 

There was no talk of politics, 

economics and even religion. 

Everyone respected everyone 

else and the environment 

would be charged with positive 

energy of literature and people 

behind the poets would feel 

truly blessed. 

Grand Revival 

Against such a backdrop, 

it was an assuring revival of 

Urdu and Hindi languages and 

a growing sense of satisfaction 

and oneness at the ‘Mushaira 

and Kavi sammelan’ organised 

by the Urdu Hindi Cultural 

Association of Auckland at 

Freemans Community Hall in 

Ponsonby on Saturday, May 

23, 2015. 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, 

Member of Parliament and 

Patron of the Association, 

people of lore and community 

leaders were present at the 

event reinstating the belief 

that all of them belonged to 

one Diaspora. 

Significant attempt 

Says Syed Mujeeb 

Hyderabadi, General Secretary 

of the Association and the 

man who organises the event 

with passion, “Mushaira and 

Kavisammelan remind us of 

our roots and allows young 

people to experience the 

richness of our culture and 

tradition and their value in the 

context of unity in diversity. 

The programme was a small 

but significant attempt,” he 

said. 

Those were undoubtedly 

the hallmark of humility 

to which he subscribes, 

but such modesty neither 

undermines the value nor the 

significance of the calibre of 

the participants, who not only 

represented different religions 

practiced in India but also the 

larger communities in South 

East Asia. 

Abbas Raza Alvi of Sydney 

was the Chief Guest. 

First Session 

Following a brief address 

by Association President 

Nafees Akhtar, ‘Shaam E 

Ghazal,’led by Roopa Suchdev 

commenced. 

Among the participants 

were Karanjeet Singh, 

Azeem Anwar, Arvinder 

Vasudeva,YashiYamini, Mayur 

Tendulkar, Preeti Bhartwal, 

Sandeep Singh, Rajan Bakshi, 

Moushmi Yamani, Saima 

Siddiqui and Prabhjeet Singh. 

Second Session 

Adnan Mirza, who 

hosted the Second Session, 

introduced the Members of 

the Association, 


National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi with (from left) Abbas Raza Alvi, Ghouse Majeed, Tahseen Sultana, Syed Mujeeb 

Hyderabadi, Roopa Suchdev and Tauqir Khan (Piami) at the Mushaira 


22 

Mr Bakshi later released the 

fourth edition of ‘Dhanak,’ the 

annual magazine. 

Floral tributes were paid to 

Mr Alvi (by Mr Akhtar), Mr 

Bakshi (by Mr Hyderabadi), 

Jeet Suchdev (by Programme 

Host Ghouse Majeed), 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan (by 

Tahseen Sultana), Ella Kumar 

(by Farah Rais Alvi) and 

Atta Ur Rehman (by Patrick 

Bennett). 

Mushaira in progress in Auckland with Tauqir Khan (Piami), Syed Mujeeb 

Hyderabadi, Suman Kapoor and Abbas Raza Alvi 

Unity Platform 

In his speech, Vice President 

Mirza Taimoori eulogised 

the value of Hindi and Urdu 

as ‘Languages of a growing 

number of people around the 

world’ and their unifying force. 

“Hindi and Urdu have 

integrated communities 

and provided a platform for 

cultural and literary exchange. 

Mushaira and Kavi sammelan 

is an excellent example of 

multicultural unity in action,” 

he said and paid tribute to Mr 

Alvi on the Conferment of 

Commendation Award by the 

Government of Japan recently. 

Among the other 

participants were Tauqir Khan 

(Piami), Preeta Vyas, Atta 

Ur Rehman Quereshi,Shiv 

Bhagirat, NaeemLatif,Sangath 

Singh,Dr Mona Verma, Syed 

Mujeeb Hyderabad, Suman 

Kapoor, Bal Madan, Ghouse 

Majeed,Somnath Gupta, 

Farah Alvi, Urmila Seth and 

Brijinder Singh. 

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Interfaith Room at 

Police College 

New Zealand Police 

established another 

precedence on May 

29, 2015 with the 

opening of the first Interfaith 

Prayer room within the Royal 

New Zealand Police College, 

Wellington. 

20 prominent Faith 

representatives joined the 

Police at the formal inaugural 

ceremony. 

National Ethnic Advisor 

Inspector Rakesh Naidoo said 

that the New Zealand Police is 

a diverse organisation. 

“We have now have more 

than a hundred different ethnic 

and Iwi represented in the 

Police force. This historical 

occasion will mark a milestone 

in the commitment of the 

Police to valuing diversity and 

empathetically meeting the 

Members of Interfaith at the inaugural meeting held on May 29 

diverse needs of our staff and 

guests. The Room will serve 

as a place where people can 

safely observe their cultural 

and Faith practices in a quiet 

and respectful manner,” he said. 

Muslims praying in the Interfaith Room 

According to Inspector 

Naidoo, the Interfaith Prayer 

Room will also accommodate 

a Library with numerous 

informative books about culture 

and religion. 


Foundation seeks public 

support for the poor 


The spirit of Ramadan 

and Eid Al Fitr which 

follows the Holy 

Month should extend 

to helping the poor and the 

needy, says a community 

leader. 

Faiyaz Khan, known to 

the Indian community in 

general and Indo-Fijians in 

particular, is on his seasonal 

round of collecting material 

and money for Fatimah 

Foundation, which is at the 

forefront of helping poor 

families in Fiji. 

“About 30 families are 

in urgent need of food and 

other basic essentials every 

week and while we are doing 

our best, public support and 

patronage will help in our 

efforts to keep them healthy 

and sustained,” he said. 

Basic needs 

As the Foundation’s 

Food Bank Coordinator, Mr 

Khan is well aware of the 

difficulties faced by people 

with modest finances. 

“We need a number of 

items including rice, flour, 

cooking oil, noodles, canned 

fish, milk powder, sugar, 

tea, sadaqa or haqeeqa meat. 

Those keen on donating food 

can buy from ‘Get Fresh’ in 

Otahuhu and leave it at the 

supermarket if our office next 

door is not open. We will be 

grateful for any donation,” 

he said. 

Mr Khan said that the new 

office of Fatimah Foundation 

is located on Station Road 

(next to ‘Valley Fresh.’ 

For further details, please 

contact him on 021-2609104 

after 3pm for collection. 

An acronym of Family 

Assistance to Islamic Mothers 

and Homes, the Foundation 

was established in 2009with 

a passion for serving the 

poor. Its commitment has 

captured the attention of a 

large segment of the Muslim 

population. 

Islamic values 

According to Mr Khan, 

cultural barriers influenced 

adversely on Muslim women 

who were victims of family 

crisis or family breakdown. 

“The fear of the unknown 

prevents such women from 

seeking timely help to resolve 

their family disputes. Fatimah 

Foundation is unique and 

Faiyaz Khan 

24 

possesses special attributes 

that provide values-based 

services and culturally 

appropriate facilities and 

services holistically to a 

diverse Muslim community,” 

he said. 

Children’s safety 

Foundation Co-Founder 

and Service & Operations 

Manager Noeleen van de 

Lisdonk said that the primary 

role of the Foundation was 

to provide opportunities 

for education and promote 

the interests of the Muslim 

community through 

advocacy, support, education, 

advice, and information to 

families and people under 

stress and at risk. 

“The Secondary Role is 

Intervention and Safety for 

women and children at risk or 

in crisis by providing critical 

cultural and Islamic support 

services,” she said. 

2015 

8th Indian Newslink 

Indian Business Awards 

CALLING 

FOR 

ENTRIES 

CATEGORIES: 

1. Business Excellence in Retail Trade 

2. Business Excellence in Innovation 

3. Business Excellence in Marketing 

4. Business Excellence in Customer Service 

5. Business Excellence in ICT 

6. Best Small Business 

7. Best Medium Sized Business 

8. Best Large Business 

9. Business Excellence in International 

Business with India 

10. Best Financial Advisor- 

Mortgage & Insurance (New) 

11. Best Accountant of the Year 

12. Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year 

13. Best Businesswoman of the Year 

Supreme Business of the Year Award (All entries will be entered for this category) 

Enter up to any three of the above first nine categories. Entries to the ‘Best Accountant of the Year,’ 

‘Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘Best Businesswoman of the Year’ can also be by nomination 

(see website for details). Download Entry forms from www.inliba.com or write to editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Completed entries must be sent on or before Sunday, August 31, 2015 to iba2015@ignitionpartner.com 

Winners will be presented with their Awards at a Gala Black Tie Dinner on Monday, November 23, 2015 at the 

Sky City Convention Centre, Auckland City, details of which will be announced later. 

Conditions of Entry: 

Entries must be in electronic format sent by email. Those sent by post, fax or other means will not be accepted. The decision of the judges would 

be final and no correspondence will be entertained in this connection. The management and staff of Indian Newslink and the supporting and 

sponsoring organisations are not eligible to enter the Awards. 

Free Workshops Please attend our Free Workshops on ‘How to file a good entry’ as follows: 

Please attend our Free Workshops on ‘How to file a good entry’ as follows: 

1. Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 4 pm 

BNZ Partners, Level 1, 86 Highbrook Drive, East Tamaki 

2. Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 4 pm 

BNZ Partners Board Room, 373 Great North Road, Henderson, West Auckland 

3. Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 4 pm 

Level 8, Deloitte Centre, 80 Queen Street, Auckland City 

(Workshop in The Board Room, Level 7; please report at Reception at Level 8) 

To Register please email editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Indian Newslink 

P O Box 82394 Highland Park, Manukau 2143 

Phone (09) 5336377 • info@indiannewslink.co.nz 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz • www.inliba.com

COMMUNITYLINK 

Manukau 

Indians join 

World Yoga Day 


Millions of 

people will 

forget their 

political, 

religious and social 

affiliation and take the yogic 

stance on Sunday, June 21, 

2015 to become active 

participants in the ‘World 

Yoga Day.’ 

What has now become 

a global wave began with 

the India’s Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi, imploring 

world leaders at the Annual 

UN General Assembly on 

September 27, 2014 to 

dedicate one day in the year 

to Yoga, which he said, was 

‘India’s Gift to the world.’ 

The UN adopted a 

resolution on December 

11, 2014 designating June 

21 as the ‘World Yoga 

Day,’ known as ‘Summer 

Solstice,’ the longest day 

of the year in the Northern 

Hemisphere and the shortest 

in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Manukau Indian 

Association (MIA) has 

joined hands with Yogathon 

New Zealand and Art of 

Living in organising a 

‘massive Yoga session’ on 

June 21 at the Vodafone 

Events Centre (770 Great 

South Road, Manukau). 

MIA Executive 

Committee Member 

Munish Bhatt said that the 

session, free for all, will 

commence at 8 am. 

Swaminarayan Hindu 

Temple (New Zealand 

Munish Bhatt 

chapter of the International 

Swaminarayan Satsang 

Organisation), Art of Living 

New Zealand and scores 

of others have joined a 

growing list of community 

and religious groupings to 

mark the World Yoga Day. 

“It does not matter if 

you are a serious yogi or a 

newbie or someone who has 

never done yoga. We want 

you at the Vodafone Centre 

on 21 June and in huge 

numbers. Yoga teachers 

will demonstrate the basics 

of yoga and this is a good 

opportunity to try this 

exercise if you have never 

done it before. Come and try 

it out,” he said. 

Further information 

can be obtained from 

him on 022-0686474 or at 

www.manukauindians. 

org.nz 

Young dancers promote 

Bollywood extravaganza 

Rahul Parbhoo 

Indiance, who are we? 

First and foremost 

we love Bollywood! 

We are a youth 

run initiative that brings 

Bollywood to the stage 

with local artistes for New 

Zealand audience. 

We started 11 years ago 

with a vision to ensure that 

our children and youth are 

given opportunities to 

express their creativity in 

a vibrant, challenging and 

fun environment. 

We believe that we 

have been achieving 

our objectives through 

teamwork, partnership 

with local businesses, 

greater vision, hard work 

and passion. 

Indiance has been 

entertaining, teaching and 

inspiring for the last 11 

years and our forthcoming 

new show aims to fulfil 

the same attributes. 

Think big, achieve 

Indiance believes 

that if you are given the 

opportunities, you have 

to grab them and live 

your dream. If you want 

to dance and act in front 

of more than 1000 people, 

you can do so. 

If you want to teach 

dance and be part of a 

great team, you can do 

that too. 

Do not ever think small 

but dream bigger and 

better. 

Why not put on a full 

scale Bollywood show, 

why not have a great 

storyline and bring smiles 

to people’s faces? 

Why not provide an 

escape for people to enjoy 

themselves? 

Impressive growth 

Indiance started with 

four teachers and a 

handful of students, but 

has a cast and crew of 

more than 100 people, and 

all of them are passionate 

volunteers. 

Through teamwork and 

pure love of what they do, 

Indiance is able to put on 

these fantastic shows. It 

is all driven through love 

and passion, to serve the 

vision that Indiance has. 

That vision looks to 

inspire and challenge the 

children, not just in dance 

but also in life. 

It is a not-for-profit 

Organisation that puts 

everything it has into 

children and bring a 

world- class production 

to life, making the 

youngsters a part of the 

experience. 

To support this 

vision and this amazing 

organisation, all you have 

to do is enjoy a night out. 

Grab your tickets and 

watch a great show. 

You will not be 

disappointed. 

For more information, 

please visit www. 

indiance.co.nz 

Rahul Parbhoo is a 

member of the Indiance 

Committee based 

in Auckland. 


Bengalis plan 

cultural fest of ballet 

and songs 


The colourful and artistic 

Bengali culture will 

manifest itself in dance 

and music forms at a 

festival scheduled to be held at 

Playhouse Theatre, Glendale 

Road, Gleneden (Auckland) on 

Sunday, July 5, 2015. 

Tapas Mandal, an artiste known 

for his talent and showmanship, 

is organising the event under the 

‘Bhabna New Zealand,’ banner, 

a not-for-profit organisation 

established 12 years ago to 

promote the ethnic Bengali arts 

and culture among the Bengalispeaking 

population. 

“We believe that our attempts 

in bringing glimpses of Indian 

Bengali culture to New Zealand 

will help in strengthening the 

bond between ethnic groups and 

create better understanding of 

traditions and beliefs,” he said. 

Dream Ballet 

According to Mr Mandal, the 

Cultural Festival will comprise 

two phases, the first of 

which will consist of a 

Ballet under the ‘Dream 

Theme.’ 

The second phase will 

dwell on the modern 

version of Bengali music 

under the title, ‘Ganey 

Ganey Path Chola.’ 

According to Mr 

Mandal, the Ballet will 

feature a succession of 

images, ideas, emotions 

25 

and sensations that occur 

involuntarily in the mind during 

certain stages of sleep. 

“Based on this theme, our 

Ballet will be in the composition 

of modern Bengali songs and 

music. Our participants in this 

phase are youngsters between the 

ages of five and thirty-five years 

drawn from a number of Bengali 

and non-Bengali organisations,” 

he said. 

Music genre 

Bengali music accounts for a 

long tradition of religious and 

secular song-writers covering at 

least a millennium. Composed 

with lyrics in the Bengali 

language, Bengali music also 

spans a wide variety of styles. 

“Ganey Ganey Path Chola 

(Walking the way with the 

music) will feature ‘Adhunik 

Sangeet,’representing pre- 

Independent India. This second 

phase will pay a tribute to 

legendry Bengali singers from 

West Bengal and Bangladesh,” 

he said.

COMMUNITYLINK 

Tenth Successor of St John Bosco in Auckland 

Wenceslaus Anthony 

The visit of Father Angel 

Fernandez Artime, Rector 

Major of the Salesian 

Congregation to Auckland 

last month was one of the most 

significant 

moments for 

the Catholic 

Church and 

the Don Bosco 

Movement. 

Named 

as the Tenth 

Successor of 

St John Bosco 

on March 25, 2014 in Rome, the 

Spain-born Priest had served earlier 

as Provincial of Leon in Spain and of 

Buenos Aires in Argentina, where he 

came into contact with Cardinal Jorge 

Mario Bergoglio, who was later to 

become Pope Francis. 

He was the first Salesian Rector 

Major to visit New Zealand (May 

12 to 14, 2015)and his sermons 

and prayers were a source of joy 

and encouragement to the Salesians 

who minister in Massey (Ranui) and 

Avondale. 

Pious Delegation 

His delegation included Father 

Vaclav Klement, Regional Councillor 

for East Asia-Oceania, Father Horacio 

Lopez, Rector Major’s Secretary and 

Father Jacob Iruppakkaattu, Member 

of the Social Communications 

Department and Father Greg 

Chambers, Provincial-Australia 

Pacific. 

During his stay here, the Rector 

Major visited the Parish and the 

Schools at St. Mary’s Avondale, and 

St. Paul’s Massey. 

Useful Presence 

Father Artime said that Salesians 

First job, first show, an amazing experience 

Bhavisha Patel 

New Marketer, Indian Ink 

Bhavisha Patel, the new 

marketer of Indian 

Ink Theatre Company, 

experienced her firstlive 

Bishop Patrick Dunn celebrating Mass with the Rector Major and the Rector Major on his right and other priests celebrating the Holy Mass 

are present in 132 countries and that 

visits to each of these was incumbent 

during his six-year term. His visit 

to New Zealand came as a part of 

a regional tour that included Papua 

New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji, Solomon 

Islands and Australia. 

“The visits give me an opportunity 

to see the grass-root reality of the 

presence and work of Salesian,” he 

said and added that Don Bosco may 

be jealous of him since Bosco could 

not visit New Zealand. 

“Don Bosco loved young people 

all over the world and expected us 

that we should be joyful and smiling,” 

he said. 

Father Artime was so deeply 

touched by the love of the children 

that he sat on the floor at Saint Mary’s 

School in Avondale and posed for 

photographs with them. 

Special Mass 

Bishop Patrick Dunn of Auckland 

departed the theatre was the icing on 

the cake.” 

Patel was a stranger to the 

performing arts industry.“I had never 

said that the Salesian presence in West 

Auckland at Massey and Avondale 

brought the charisma of Saint John 

Bosco to New Zealand. 

“They are literally at ‘the ends of 

the earth.’ Don Bosco’s first concern 

was the youth and he believed that 

the youth should know that they are 

loved,” he said. 

Auckland Salesian leader Father 

Mathew Vadakkevettuvazhiyil said 

that the visit of the Father Rector 

Major to Auckland was a sign of 

the commitment of the Salesian 

Congregation to New Zealand that the 

community worked with the Church 

and served the community. 

As an alumni of Don Bosco, I 

appreciate the fact that education 

and development do not end when 

young people complete their study. 

Education is a stepping stone to reach 

increased moral strength and love of 

God to become a valuable asset to 

seen a theatricalproduction before nor 

did I know much about it” but now 

with great confidence she has planned 

to attend many more productions this 

society. 

About John Bosco 

John Bosco was born in 1815 and 

grew up in a small farming area called 

Il Becchi in Northern Italy. 

Ordained to the priesthood in 1841 

in Turin, Italy, he began his ministry 

to youth and invited young visitors 

to the Oratory (Youth Centre) to join 

him in his work. 

From those humble beginnings 

came the religious community of 

men dedicated to youth ministry and 

education globally. 

Today the Salesians serve in more 

than 132 countries with 17,000 

members, accounting for the second 

largest community of men in the 

Catholic Church. 

Solemn Promise 

The Salesians live for Jesus Christ 

and His Gospel. They make a solemn 

promise to live within the Salesian 

community. They take a vow of 

year.“Kiss the Fish is a show that’s 

not to be missed! I’m going to go see 

it again!” 

Patel will be hosting the opening 


Saint Don Bosco 

26 

poverty, chastity and obedience. By 

these, they share their lives in chaste 

celibacy making themselves available 

for the Ministry to youth and for all 

faithful people. 

They are known to run very well 

reputed schools for youth of all walks 

of life throughout the world with a 

thrust for the poorest of the poor. 

Meeting a group of past pupils of 

Don Bosco in Turin on June 24, 1870, 

Don Bosco said, “One of my greatest 

joys is to hear people praising my past 

pupils. As I loved you when you were 

young pupils, now that you are grown 

up men, I love you muchmore.” 

All of us are thankful to everyone 

who celebrated the Mass with the 

Most Reverend Patrick Dunn, the 

Bishop of Auckland. 

The visit of Father Rector Major to 

Auckland will encourage many more 

to answer the call of God to be of 

service, especially the youth,those 

who have been marginalised and the 

poor to work with the Salesians in 

Auckland. 

night of Indian Ink’s award-winning 

classic Krishnan’s Dairy on June 16 

at Auckland’s Q Theatre.“I can’t wait, 

it’s going to be amazing!” 

This is a piece of 

absolute enchantment 

The Scotsman 

Showing 

16 - 20 

June 

performance of the award-winning 

show Kiss the Fish. 

Since graduating with marketing 

honours from the University of 

Auckland, Patellanded her first job 

at Indian Ink and describes it as being 

‘an amazing experience.’ 

Patel and her team hosted over 200 

people on the opening night of Kiss 

the Fish on June 9 at Auckland’s Q 

theatre.“Hearing about the show from 

the team and our fans is one thing, 

but watching it unfold live is a whole 

different thing.” 

“For the four months that I have 

been working at Indian Ink, I have 

been planning,researching and 

working on developing and executing 

a marketing campaign for the 2015 

national tour. Its amazing how much 

work goes into a two hour theatre 

production” recalls Patel. 

The humour,singing and dancing 

along with the Balinese masks and 

puppetry have audiences engaged 

from start to finish.“Seeing the big 

smiles of the audiences as they 

Ordinary people legendary love 

Auckland 

Q Theatre 09 309 9771 

Tickets $25 to $55 * 

Book indianink.co.nz 

*Service Fees Apply

COMMUNITYLINK 

One -Time Entertainer coming to Auckland 


27 

Priya Bapat Ravi Jadhav Priyadarshan Jadhav Vaibhav Mangle Neha Mokashi Vrushali Mhatre 

Anand Mokashi 

“Priya Bapat looks 

stunning.” 

“Energetic performance by 

Priyadarshan Jadhav.” 

“Epic comic timing, one 

movie you do not want to 

miss.” 

These were some of the 

verbatim spontaneous reactions 

that I got from friends and 

relatives in India when I 

asked them 

to give me 

their feedback 

about the 

movie in a 

sentence. 

I had this 

difficult task of reviewing 

‘Time Pass 2’ which will be 

screened first at a special 

show in Auckland at Dorothy 

Winstone Centre, Auckland 

Girls Grammar School at 3 

pm on June 21, 2015. 

There is growing excitement 

over the forthcoming event 

since four stars of the movie 

will be present and speak to the 

audience. 

Among them would be Priya 

Bapat, Priyadarshan Jadhav, 

Ravi Jadhav and Vaibhav 

Mangle, who have promised 

to entertain their fans after the 

movie is run. 

Standing Ovation 

From various accounts, 

‘Time Pass 2’ is a box-office 

success and will hopefully 

receive a standing ovation in 

New Zealand as well. 

The growing Marathi 

community and those who 

understand the language have 

made it viable to organise 

Marathi-themed events with 

the involvement of artistes and 

performers from India. 

I hope that our people and 

other New Zealanders will 

support the event on June 21 

and encourage us to organise 

many more programmes. 

About Global Gurus Limited 

A New Zealand based 

boutique consultancy, Global 

Gurus Limited has been in 

business since 2006. Sound 

market strategies and ability 

to cope with market trends 

have enabled the Company to 

register growth and venture in 

to new areas of activity. 

Dr Anand Mokashi and 

his wife Neha have nursed 

its growth as directors and 

partners over the past nine 

years. 

Expert Educationist 

Dr Anand is an educationist 

with special interests in 

International Education, 

Corporate Training and Social 

Media Applications. He has 

recently been increasingly 

involved in assisting 

international enterprises and 

businesses in expanding into 

the Australasian Markets. 

His other interests include 

assisting newcomers to 

internet and online marketing 

to make a sustainable online 

income using the latest online 

marketing concepts. 

He is an animal rights activist 

and supports SAFE, SPCA and 

various Vegan Groups. 

Career Counsellor 

Neha Mokashi is a graduate 

in Psychology with interests 

in career counselling, advising 

students and conducting 

workshops in international 

educational opportunities 

and assisting international 

social and cultural enterprises 

in entering the Asia-Pacific 

markets. 

Some of the activities 

that Global Gurus has been 

involved in are international 

education and training, 

corporate training, social media 

consulting and training. 

Some of the events 

successfully organised by 

Global Gurus include talks 

by Indian HR specialist Dr 

Kishore Kumar Sinha and 

Madhav Mohan, Director, 

State Bank of India at AUT 

University, Professional 

Training programmes by 

Waikato based business mentor 

Richard Gee, and Senior 

Lecturer John Matthews at 

various companies in India. 

Global Gurus has partnered 

with Rushali Entertainment 

Limited, to organise the 

screening of Time Pass 2, a 

new Marathi film in Auckland 

on June 21, 2015. 

About Rushali Entertainment 

Limited 

This Company was 

established in August 2014 

by Vrushali and Sahir Mhatre 

to provide access to Indian 

regional cultural activities, 

plays, events and movies. 

Since not all such events 

are accessible through trusts 

in view of the commercial 

interest of producers, 

distributors and organisers, 

Rushali Entertainment Limited 

will strive to match up to the 

growing demand for such 

programmes in New Zealand. 

Empowering youth 

Company Director Vrushali 

said that apart from promoting 

cultural diversity, the Mission 

is to entertain the younger 

members of the society and 

provide them opportunities for 

cultural and social engagement. 

A graduate in Economics 

and Tourism, she is employed 

as a Sales Consultant at an 

Auckland based organization. 

An avid supporter of 

entertainment programmes in 

general and Marathi film and 

theatre industry in particular, 

Vrushali is confident that the 

new Company will be an active 

promoter of quality events. 

Her Company brought 

‘Rama Madhav,’ the first 

Marathi Movie screened 

in New Zealand with the 

attendance of actress and 

director Mrinal Kulkarni at 

the show. 

Sahir is a Registered 

Financial Adviser with Mutual 

Trust Financial Group, and is 

also a Director of the company. 

He has business management 

experience from India. 

About Time Pass 2: 

Romance, Drama 

Duration: 2 hr 23 minutes 

Rating: PG 

Cast: Priyadarshan Jadhav, 

Priya Bapat, Prathamesh Parab, 

Ketaki Mategaonkar, Vaibhav 

Mangle, Urmila Kanitkar, 

Bhushan Pradhan, Bhalchandra 

Kadam, Sandeep Pathak 

Director: Ravi Jadhav 

Music Director: Chinar 

Kharkar & Mahesh Ogale 

Producer: Nitin Keni, Nikhil 

Sane, Meghana Jadhav 

Screening in Auckland: 

Dorothy Winstone Center, 

Auckland Girls Grammar 

School 

16 Howe Street, Freemans 

Bay, Auckland 1011 

For booking, please contact 

Vrushali Mhatre 022- 

1098071; Sahir Mhatre 021- 

0371085; Neha Mokashi 

021-552299; Anand Mokashi 

020-4226263; Priya Subhedar 

(09) 6262146; Nitin Subhedar 

021-1623251; Shekhar Teke 

021-02736054; Ankur Desai 

021-1386623; Ravi Soni 

0211386623. 

Tickets can be purchased 

from Yogiji’s Food Mart, 26 

Carr Road, Mount Roskill, 

Auckland; Om Sai Foods 

& Spices, 7 Reeves Road, 

Pakuranga, Auckland; and 

Khyber Spice Invader,822 

Manukau Rd Royal Oak, 

Auckland 

Child care and free 

car parking available on 

presentation of Ticket at Venue.

COMMUNITYLINK 

Let your soul take a spiritual journey 

Vishvasant Brahmrishi Guruvanand to visit Auckland 

Venkat Raman 

One of the most popular spiritual leaders 

who spreads awareness of the self 

and peace and harmony will be in 

Auckland next month for a special 

discourse. 

Vishvasant Brahmrishi Guruvanand, who has 

thousands of followers around the world, will 

conduct a special discourse at the Shri Shirdi 

Sai Baba Temple located at (12 Princes Street) 

Onehunga in Central Auckland on Sunday, July 

12, 2015. 

Nama Mantra 

According to scores of disciples, reciting 

his name with the Mantra ‘Om Guruvanand 

Namah,’ provides ‘divine relaxation to the 

mind.’ 

“The name of this beautiful mantra itself 

gives the mission that Guruji wants to fulfil 

from his inspiring and influential presence, 

which is Awareness and Peace. I owe my major 

improvements, success, frame of mind, vision 

and level of thinking to Guruji,” an Auckland 

based devotee said. 

Religious Guide 

Following are comments of other followers: 

“He is not a tantric but a religious guide.” 

“He is your inner voice and the differentiator 

between right and wrong. 

“I thank Guruji for coming into our lives and 

improving our blurred vision and showing us 

the right path for the rest of our lives.” 

Impressive credentials 

The 74-year-old spiritual leader has 

impressive credentials. He is an engineering 

graduate of the prestigious ‘Indian Institute of 

Technology’ (IIT) with an unbeaten record of 

highest percentage (99.7%) of marks. 

His other educational qualifications include 

postgraduate (MA) degrees in Sanskrit, 

Vedas,Astrology, Hindi and Vyakaran, and a 

doctorate (PhD) in Astrology. 

He is a Visiting Professor to a number of 

Universities and Colleges including the wellknown 

Benares Hindu University. 

Honours & Awards 

Winner of seven gold medals at the ‘Parliament 

of World Religions’ and the ‘Personality of 

Knowledge’ and the title of ‘Jyotish Murmagya’ 

Global Financial Services Ltd 

New Zealand’s Leading Mortgage & Insurance Advisers 

ONCE AGAIN, 

THANK YOU! 

Vishvasant Brahmrishi Guruvanand 

conferred by the German Astrological Society, 

his mission is to “reach out to as many people 

as possible to spread the message of awareness, 

self-realisation, humanity and peace.’ 

He is known for his intrinsic knowledge of 

Astrology (at least 27 kinds of the Science), the 

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28 

Vedas, Ramayana and Mahabharata (the two 

great Epics of India), the Upanishads, Bhagavad 

Gita, Purim,Agama and many other Hindu and 

Jain Scriptures. 

Spiritual Centre 

The Ashram (Spiritual Centre) that 

Guruvanand has established amidst the pious 

environment of the world-renowned Tirupathi- 

Tirumala Hills in the South Indian State of 

Andhra Pradesh attracts hundreds of thousands 

of devotees, followers, admirers and students 

of Hinduism. 

Activities at this Centre include Discourses, 

Yoga, Meditation,Hagans and other spiritual 

endeavours.The Ashram houses several 

Temples,Gaushalas (shelter for cows), and 

Dharmashalas(Rest Homes). 

Development Plans 

Among the development plans for the 

future include a specialist hospital for the 

less fortunate, a Naturopathy Centre, an 

Orphanage,an ElderlyHome, Mahila Ashram 

(Centre for Women), a School,a Technical 

College and expansion of Gaushalas. 

Ayurveda ensures 

holistic treatment 

Dr Neema Jose 

Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine 

developed in Indian Subcontinent thousands 

of years ago. 

In Sanskrit,‘Ayu’ means life and ‘Veda’ 

means science or knowledge. Thus Ayurveda means 

Science of Life. 

The Science of Medicine 

explains preventive and curative 

aspects of diseases, what to eat and 

how to behave, daily and seasonal 

routine that a normal and diseased 

person should adopt. 

Five Elements 

Ayurveda believes in three main 

principles, including the Panchabhoota Sidhanta,the 

Tridosha Sidhanta and the Triguna Sidhanta. 

According to the teachings of Ayurveda, our body 

and the entire matter in the universe are made up of five 

major constituents, namely Earth, Water, Fire, Air and 

Space. These are called ‘Panchabhoota.’ 

For example, muscles in our human body signify 

Earth,fluids can be compared with Water and the bile 

secretion or acids in stomach as part of Fire. 

Vata, Pita and Kapha are the ‘Tridoshas,’ which are 

also the ‘Trigunas, namely Satwa, Rajas and Tamas. 

Balanced condition of the Trigunas and Tridoshas lead 

to good health. 

Any variation in their level leads to diseases and 

imbalances. 

Preventative Aspect 

Ayurveda aims more on the preventive side of diseases. 

Therefore, to maintain health along with the right food, 

procedures such as Abhyanga (oil massage), Nasya(nasal 

medication), Karnapurana (oil application of ear canal), 

Dhooma (fumigation), Udwarthana (powder massage), 

Anjana (eyeliner),Taila Gandusa (filling the mouth with 

oil), Danda Davana (brushing the teeth) and Snana (bath) 

are all mentioned. 

Apart from body cleanliness,environmental hygiene 

is also important. 

According to Ayurveda, the concept of health includes 

not only the human body but also asatisfied mind and 

soul. 

Therefore, activities such as sports,spending time with 

friends, listening to music, practicing yoga postures 

or breathing exercisesare included under preventive 

measures of diseases. 

Treatment forms 

Treatment of diseases as per Ayurveda can be done 

in two main forms, namely, Sodhana or purification of 

body by using Panchakarma and Samana or pacify the 

aggravated Doshas using internal medicines. 

During Sodhana, aggravated doshas are eliminated 

from the body through Vamana,Vasti, Virechana,Nasya 

or Rakta Moksha. 

Internal as well as external medicines are used for the 

Samana mode of treatment. 

Rejuvenation activities followsafter the treatment of 

an ailment. 

External or internal administration of medicated oil, 

ghee,jaggery or honey comes under the concept of 

‘Rasayanam’ or rejuvenation. During treatment, the 

body gets tired and loses its vigour, to regain which this 

form of treatment is considered important. 

Ayurveda not only treats disorder but also provides 

for after-care treatment. 

DrNeema Joseis a qualified Ayurvedic Practitioner 

and Director of ‘Ayurcare New Zealand.’ 

Email: ayurcarenz@gmail.com

COMMUNITYLINK 


29 

Model of the Fortnight 

Inner beauty speaks the moment of truth 

Her pictures depict her as a professional 

model, although she is comparatively 

new to the field, having participated 

at a recently held beauty pageant and 

a photoshoot with our photographer Bhikhu 

Bhula. 

“I had no idea of modelling but I am pleased 

with the outcome. I believe that it is the inner 

beauty that matters, for that speaks the ultimate 

truth,” says Renay Chand, our Model of the 

Fortnight. 

A postgraduate student pursuing Marketing 

as a major subject at AUT University, she 

fondly remembers her years at the University 

while studying to obtain a double graduation 

in Business and Marketing & Law. 

“I am keen to establish my career in Marketing 

or possibly become an achiever in Marketing 

as a Strategic Brand Manager. I hope that my 

qualifications and experience will benefit others 

as well,” she said. 

Born, raised and educated in New Zealand, 

Renay is conscious of the trilogy of cultures 

and traditions that she proudly carries in her 

character and personality. 

“My parents are from Fiji while their roots go 

back to India, a country that continues to give 

us our identity. My father often speaks about 

Punjab, a State that has contributed significantly 

to the progress of the world’s greatest and 

largest democracy,” she said. 

Renay is keen to work on projects and 

programmes that empower the youth and ‘give 

something back to the community.’ 

“I am grateful to my parents who have 

motivated and encouraged me to pursue my 

interests with confidence and commitment. 

They have been a great source of inspiration 

to me, my elder sister and younger brother. A 

good family is the starting point for success in 

life,” she said. 

There could be no argument on that score. 

-Venkat Raman 

Photography: Bhikhu Bhula 

For more pictures of Renay Chand,visit www.indiannewslink.co.nz. These pictures appearing in our print and web editions are the intellectual property of Indian Newslink,Bhikhu 

Bhula. Any reproduction in any form for private, public, commercial or non-commercial purposes is prohibited and any breach would be an offence under the relevant laws in force. 

For modelling photo shoot, please contact Bhikhu Bhula on (04) 3887861 or 021-0616030. Email: bqbhula@hotmail.com 

You can also follow him on Facebook (Bhikhu Bhula)

12TH EDITION 

CLASSIFIED / ENTERTAINTMENTLINK 

Volunteers 

Male volunteer required to support daily 

operations at South Asian men’s facility 

based in Otahuhu, Auckalnd. 

Duties will primarily include: 

• Liaising and supporting in-house 

operations team 

• Engaging with in-house clients 

• Shift work 

Ideal candidate will be able to speak Hindi 

and English. Multiple South Asian languages 

will be an advantage. The candidate needs 

to have an in depth understanding of South 

Asian cultures and will receive training prior 

to commencement of work. 

Please email your CV and 

expression of interest to Ranjna Patel. 

Email: ranjna@ethc.co.nz 

Fulltime In-house Co-ordinator 

Fulltime in-house Male Co-ordinator 

position available in Manukau to support 

South Asian men’s project involving support 

to perpetrators and engaging with 

government and non government 

organisations. 

Ideal candidate will possess excellent 

people skills and a qualification in 

community work, support work, counselling 

or equivalent. Applicant will be able to 

speak Hindi and English. Multiple South 

Asian languages will be an advantage. 

He will possess a full driver’s license. 

For more information on: 

• Duties/Key responsibilities 

• Competencies 

• Remuneration 

Please contact Ranjna Patel 

Email: ranjna@ethc.co.nz 

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NEEDS 

OFFICE MANAGER 

The Office Manager will be responsible for 

organising and coordinating office operations 

and procedures in order to ensure 

organisational effectiveness and efficiency. 

The key responsibilities will include: 

• Maintain office services- policies, 

procedures and supply 

• Manage and upgrade office Information 

Technology requirements 

• Develop database management system and 

storage 

• Supervise permanent and casual office staff 

• Liaise with other agencies, organisations 

and groups 

Skills required: 

• Analytical and problem solving skills 

• Interpersonal & team building skills 

• Very effective organizational skills 

• Effective verbal and listening 

communication skills 

• Computer skills including some programing 

experience and MS-Word, Excel, 

PowerPoint experience 

• Ability to speak South East Asian languages 

Personal Attributes 

• The incumbent must maintain strict 

confidentiality in performing the duties of the 

Office Manager. The incumbent must also 

demonstrate the following personal 

attributes: 

• Be honest and trustworthy 

• Be respectful 

• Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity 

• Be flexible 

• Demonstrate sound work ethics 

If you believe that you are the right 

candidate, please email your CV along with 

an application to 

editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

on or before June 22, 2015 

Apurv Shukla 

Bollywood singer, music composer and 

actor Himesh Reshammiya performed 

for the first time in New Zealand at the 

Vodafone Events Centre in Auckland on 

May 31. 

The entertainer,with more than 650 compositions 

to his credit, had a packed auditorium over the 

Queen’s Birthday weekend, 

grooving to his beats till late in 

the night. 

In one of the most unscripted 

and interactive Hindi shows ever 

seen in Auckland, Himesh sang 

and danced his way into the 

hearts of hundreds of his fans. 

Unbridled energy and 

enthusiasm were the hallmarks of the concert 

which saw Himesh repeatedly referring to the 

audience as his family.’ 

Merging tracks 

Clearly not restricted to the stage,‘HR,’ as he is 

known, performed from every corner of the arena 

but did not complete most of the songs, preferring 

to mix tracks, making a medley of his performance. 

For instance, there were strains of the title track 

from ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’ merging midway 

to the blockbuster ‘Naam Hai Tera’ from ‘Aap 

Ka Surroor.’ 

Venkat Raman 

Classical Indian Dance will 

seek a new dimension and 

achieve a higher level of 

experiment and appreciation 

as an event goes on stage in Melbourne 

next month. 

Organised by Karma Dance Inc, 

one of the foremost institutions 

promoting Indian Classical dance 

across the Tasman, the Programme, 

titled, ‘In Pure Sanskrit,’ will be held 

next month at the Performance Space, 

Footscray Community Arts Centre in 

Footscray, Melbourne. 

The three-day event, commencing 

on Friday, July 17 at 7 pm, is a 

collaboration between Govind Pillai, 

a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, 

and Raina Peterson, a trained Mohini 

Attam and Kathakali (two great dance 

forms of Kerala) dancer and a writer. 

Cultural Crossroads 

According to Govind, although 

Indian Classical Dance has acquired 

a lot of paraphernalia over the years 

with elaborate costumes, jewellery 

and other modern embellishments, it 

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Different styles of singing for which HR is 

known regaled the audience. His ‘nasal’ version 

of the popular number ‘Jahalak Dhiklaja’ had 

the audience singing along, while ‘Naino Se 

Baand’(from‘Bol Bachchan’), which had a heavy 

influence of Bhojpuri music, drew wide applause. 

Soft Romance 

The audience went into ecstasy when HR invited 

children and women to perform with him on the 

stage, which was by now charged with melody 

and rhythm. 

Soft romantic songs have been a major part of 

the HR success story, but clearly the audience on 

is still called traditional art. 

“In reality, it began in the Temples of 

South India as a humble practice done 

in front of Gods. This new programme 

pokes at the edges of tradition and 

kicks up the ashes of historyas we 

strip away the paraphernalia of 

classical Indian dance and look into 

its heart to findits bare spiritual core,” 

he said. 

Govind believes that what the Malathi Vasudevan 

audience would see ultimately is what 

Sri Krishna and 

they imagine as classicalIndian dance. 

Ramkumar Mohan, 

Important Question 

who were ordained as 

In that sense,those watching the 

‘Trichur Brothers’ by 

Programme will be challenged to 

Shankaracharya Jayendra 

ask ‘What really is tradition?’as they 

Saraswati,wowed avid music 

will be juxtaposed between old ideas 

lovers in Auckland last fortnight. 

of classical Indian dance, and new 

Although the 

ideas,”he said. 

Cultural Capital 

‘In Pure Sanskrit,’ would have a 

of Kerala was 

blend of traditional concepts and 

always known 

modern choreography delivered by 

to Malayalis as 

a younggenerations of youth artists 

‘Thrissur,’ the 

who are dancers and choreographers. 

anglicised name 

Govind and Raina will be supported 

(Trichur) is still 

by Anita Das (Violin), Venkat 

popular among outsiders. 

Ramakrishnan (Mridungam), Kasthuri 

The performance of Trichur 

Sahathevan (Vocal), Kersherka Siva 

Brothers at Mt Roskill 

kumaran (Nattuvangam) andKavita 

Intermediate School on May 30 

Peterson (Japanese Taiko Drum). 

was par excellence and the New 

Established in 2010 as a not-forprofit 

dance company, Karma Dance 

Zealand Carnatic Music Society 

which organised the event can be 

Inc aims to create new and innovate 

justly proud of its success. 

dance works based on classical and 

The singers were accompanied 

contemporary Indian dance ideas. 

by their father Trichur Mohan on 

With a record of sell-out 

the Mridangam and H N Bhaskar 

performances, festival appearances 

on the Violin. 

internationally, as well as a teaching 

Great Start 

academy for children and adults, the 

They started their four-hour 

Company is in a class of its own. 

concert with the evergreen 

Govind said that the Company 

Bhairavi Ata Thala Varnam 

has created Classical Indian Dance 

‘Viribhoni’ followed by ‘Siddhi 

Education programmes especially for 

Vinayakam’ in Shanmukhapriya 

Australian schools. 

which they embellished with 

The Programmes have been adopted 

some crisp Kalpana Swarams. 

by more than 20 primary schools 

A quick Swati Tirunal number 

across Australia. 

‘Gopalaka’ preceded a beautiful 

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Unbridled energy ignites Reshammiya show 

Dance programme on 

the precipice of tradition 

Govind Pillai and Raina Peterson 

in the latest production 

Himesh Reshammiya at the Auckland show on May 31 

(Picture by RS Videos & Photos) 

30 

that night was in the mood for peppy, party tracks. 

Thirty minutes into the nearly three-hour 

performance, he switched to fast numbers, and 

the crowd could not get enough of the man behind 

‘Jumme Ki Rang ‘(from Kick’). 

The Starters 

Akasa Singh from the hit television musical 

reality show‘India’s Raw Star’ and Aman Trikha, 

the voice behind the title song ‘Son of Sardar,’ 

opened the Concert. 

They reappeared later, adding to the musical 

extravaganza that the event was creating. 

The show ended with most of the audience on 

their feet dancing to one of the most popular tracks 

of Himesh, namely, ‘Hookah Bar’ from ‘Khiladi 

786.’ 

‘Himesh Reshammiya Live in Concert was a 

well organised show brought by RSPromotions. It 

started on time, and the arrangements were good 

for a family-friendly evening. 

The lighting and sound accentuated the impact 

a seasoned performer like Himesh, who presented 

his third show in four days, performing earlier in 

Suva and Nadi (Fiji). 

He demonstrated why he has been popular in 

the Hindi music industry for more than a decade. 

He delivers on his promise of good entertainment 

all the time. 

Brothers from Thrissur 

teem with talent 

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Trichur Brothers in Concert 

essay in Varali by the vocalists 

and violinist. ‘Ka Va Va,’ a 

challenging composition by 

Papanasam Sivan was followed 

by a round of Swarams. 

Hindustani Jog 

The technical ‘Ragam Tanam 

Pallavi’ in Hindustani Raag 

Jog was given full treatment as 

the Trichur Brothers sang their 

chosen line with gusto. They 

explored a variety of other 

ragas in the Tanam and Swaram 

sections adding colour to the 

proceedings. 

The Medleys 

The Thukada section of the 

concert featured Thunbam 

Nergayil, Vande Matharam, 

Laxmi Kantha Baro by Purandara 

Dasar and a film song, ‘Rama 

Leela Megha Shyama.’ 

Before bringing down the curtain 

after Mangalam Ramachandraya 

Janaka, they sang abeautiful 

Malayalam lullaby. Composed 

by Irayaman Thampi who sang 

it as he admired his nephew, the 

future king, Swati Tirunal, it was 

a fitting finale. 

Malathi Vasudevan is a 

Chartered Accountant by 

qualification and profession 

practicing in Hamilton. She 

is also the Treasurer of the Sri 

Balaji Temple Trust (Hamilton) 

which owns and manages the 

recently opened Balaji Temple 

in Hamilton. 

Read more 

online 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz 

Phone: 09 5336377

ENTERTAINMENTLINK 


31 

Talent takes new shape at cultural confluence 

Venkat Raman 

Music and dance from 

North and South India 

will meet with Western 

ensemble at a unique 

programme taking shape in Auckland. 

This ‘’Global Indian Project’ will be 

held at Blockhouse Bay Community 

Centre located at 524 Blockhouse 

Bay Road from 630 pm on Saturday, 

July 25, 2015. 

Tabla Master Basant Madhur 

said that the Programme will bring 

together a unique ensemble of Indian 

musical offering with a Western 

touch. 

Unique Combination 

“Guests attending the event will be 

able to experience a combination of 

Mandolin, Guitar, Tabla, Ghatam, 

Dholak, Acoustic Drumsand the 

ubiquitous Keyboard. This is oneof-its-type 

event that will not only 

celebrate our cultural diversity but 

also bring to the fore the innate talents 

of our young people. This is a major 

effort in creating a platform for 

promoting cultural fusion,” he said. 

A judicious mixture of the fine arts 

of the East and the West will also 

provide opportunities for budding 

talents to express themselves, notable 

among who will be teenagerAkhil 

Madhur, who plays the Tabla with 

amazing ease and serenity. 

Akhil Madhur 

Akhil has inspired hundreds of 

people in New Zealand with his 

impressive performances over the 

past two years.The confidence and 

maturity that he displays make him 

a welcome member of any group or 

performing artiste. 

He is now a regular concert 

accompanist including as a solo 

Tabla player or as a spirited part of 

Jugalbandi. 

Akhil will be an important part 

of the forthcoming ‘Global Indian 

Project.’ 

Other Performers 

Among the other performers 

are Akhila Puthigae, Ashish 

Ramakrishnan (Vocal),Basant 

Madhur(Tabla), Ratna Venkat 

(Dance), Ravi Nyayapati 

(Dholak),Rushabh Trivedy(Piano), 

Saketh Vishnubhotla (Ghatam, Guitar 

and Mandolin),Shirley Setia (Vocal) 

and Swap Gomez (Drums). 

Basant Madhur established Sargam 

School of Indian Music in 2006 to 

provide education and training 

in Indian Classical Vocal and 

Instrumental Music. 

Preserving Heritage 

The School aims to preserveand 

promote the rich cultural and social 

heritage of India among the Indian 

Diaspora and other ethnic groups. 

“Music unifies people and creates 

peace, harmony and goodwill. The 

forthcoming Programme is essentially 

one of various artistes showcasing 

their own talent on a platform that 

will encourage exchange of cultures. 

It is not a programme organised by 

Sargam School of Indian Music, but 

we are coordinating efforts,” he said. 

However, apart from imparting 

qualitative education, Sargam 

School of Indian Music has organised 

several programmes which provide 

opportunities for its students to 

present their talent in vocal and 

instrumental music. 

“Our students are of Indian, 

Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, 

Malaysian, Fijian, Tongan, Afghani, 

Chinese, European, American, South 

Akhil Madhur 

African and New Zealander origin. 

We are proud of our heritage,” Basant 

said. 

He is a well-known and qualified 

Tabla player. Prior to migrating to 

New Zealand, he was a ‘Class One’ 

Artiste of All India Radio 

and Television channels 

and has been a regular 

performer with local, 

regional, national and 

international vocalists 

and instrumentalists, 

accompanying them in 

Indian, Pakistani and 

Western music. 

Professional Artiste 

Affable manners, 

positive attitude, 

humility, competence 

and high professional 

standards make Basant 

a great artiste to perform 

and work with other 

performers. 

Sargam School of Indian Music also 

has the benefit of the expertise of his 

father Dr Shukdev Madhur (Violinist 

and Music Teacher), who has trained 

hundreds of students, many of who 

have become music teachers, lecturers 

and performing artistes. Dr Madhur 

shares his time between his native 

India and New Zealand. 

Deepak Madhur migrated to New 

What: The Global Indian Project 

Who: Sargam School of Indian Music 

Where: Blockhouse Bay Community Centre 

524 Blockhouse Bay Road, Auckland 

When: Saturday,July 25 at 630 pm 

Tickets: $15 per person 

Zealand in 2008 and commenced 

teaching Vocal Music, Harmonium 

and Tabla with his father and younger 

brother Basant. 

The School organises workshops on 

Tabla and Indian Music at the annual 

Auckland Diwali Festival held in the 

Central Business District. 

Contact: Basant Madhur on (09) 6262646 or 021-0357954 

Email: basant_madhur@ihug.co.nz

SPORTSLINK 

Ravi Nyayapati 

May 27, 2015 will be marked 

as a Dark Day in world 

sport. 

It could also be marked 

as the Day of Hope. 

For years, 

the integrity of 

Football had 

been subject to 

compromise by 

corrupt officials. 

FIFA, the 

sport’s governing 

body,had been 

at the centre of controversies and 

allegations. 

It had been accused of an extensive 

‘patronage’ system where money 

earmarked for promoting the game in 

impoverished nations was used to secure 

votes and garner support, including 

awarding of hosting rights for the World 

CupGames. 

Expensive lobbying 

Much like the Olympics, the bidding 

process to these gamesis a lengthy and 

insanely expensive process with highpowered 

lobbying. 

Australia,which lost its bid to Qatar 

for the 2022 games,has already shown 

early intentin demanding $50 million of 

tax payers’ funds it used in the bidding 

process. 

This would seem fair given the 

process was corrupt. 

FIFA’s corruption scandals have been 

an open secret, yet its infamous head, 

Sepp Blatter,consistently fronted up 

vehemently denying any wrongdoing. 

On May 27, all that changed when 14 

of the 24 executives were arrested, 

sending shockwaves across the sporting 

fraternity. 

What a crackdown! 

A day later, Blatter expectedly won 

the presidential election, only to then 

resign a few days later. He is now said 

Barack Obama with Sepp Blatter at the White House 

to be under investigation too, since as the 

President of a major Sports governing 

body like FIFA not only places him in a 

bureaucratic position of power but also 

vulnerable to scandals. 

It comes with a great deal of influence, 

The late Nelson Mandela 

chats with Sepp Blatter 

command and global engagement at top 

level topped with extravagant benefits. 

The long-awaited crackdown finally 

came from a nation where Football, as 

the rest of the world knows it,means a 

totally different game. 

The Americans refer to Football as 

Soccer and only 6% of them consider 

it as their favourite sport. 

Russian need 

The FIFA Executive erred and brought 

illegal cash into America and in doing so 

violated US laws.The rest of the world 

should be grateful for America’s tough 

anti-corruption laws. 

No one knows what will happen next. 

Russia needs the 2018 World Cup to 

boost morale, tourism and investment, 

and is set to spend $20 billion on public 

works projects and stadium preparations. 

The good news for the Russian 

Federation President Vladimir Putin 

is that it is probably too late to strip 

Russia of the World Cup. Qatar, which is 

spending a whopping $200 billion, may 

be in for a different story.Their stock 

market dropped 3 percentage points on 

news of Blatter’s resignation. 

Widespread malady 

Corruption in sports administration is 

sadly widespread. 

The Salt Lake City 2002 winter 

Olympics was established as tainted. 

Much attention has been drawn of late 

to illegal betting in cricket involving top 

administrators of the game. 

The Indian Olympic Committee also 

ran itself to the ground with Delhi’s 

hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth 

games. 

Cricket Chief booed 

We can draw strong parallelism to 

the way governing bodies operate in 

general, be it the Olympics or other 

sport like Cricket.To start with, the 

election process is usually bizarre.For 

example,N Srinivasan managed to 

become Chairman of the International 

Cricket Council (ICC), after being 

disallowed by the Indian Supreme Court 

to be an executive of BCCI (Board of 

Control for Cricket in India) for alleged 

conflict of interests. 

People do not forget such things. 

It was no surprise to see the crowd 

of 100,000 boo Srinivasan during the 

presentation ceremony at the 2015 

Cricket World Cup finals. 

Exclusive Clubs? 

The fundamental problem is that 

these governing bodies operate like 

“Members Clubs” with no real sense 

of answerability.This is true of many 

international sports bodies that fall into 

a governance vacuum.They are subject 

to few regulations or supervision, 

ultimately leading to corruption, which 

is of enormous proportions ($150 

million in the current FIFA case) given 

the commercial value associated with 

these events(FIFA generated nearly $6 

billion revenue over the last four years). 

An official report shows that sport 

is seen by Britons as the second most 

corrupt sector inthe country. Sport is 

meant to unite people, cultures, race, 

and all other social boundaries but it is 


Games people play stir up stinking scandals 

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Our selection is expression 

of individual style 

ICC President N Srinivasan 

32 

sad that such a powerful force is at threat 

from corrupt officials. 

Self-serving interests 

A lack of sovereign power overseeing 

these world bodies means its members 

essentially govern themselves.It is 

that lack of overall structure and 

accountability that has led to such a 

state of affairs. 

An alternate approach could be to try 

the model adopted by the World Anti- 

Doping Agency(WADA) in which the 

governing body is jointly overseen by 

governments as well as people from the 

sporting world, including athletes. 

The link to governments mean 

accountability can be enforced. 

Perhaps FIFA could be made into not 

for-profit business. Or is the answer in 

having more countries implement 

greater anti-corruption laws. 

Whatever it is,the games must be 

saved. Ultimately,the spirit of any game 

must also be applicable to the people 

governing it. 

Ravi Nyayapati is an avid sports 

enthusiast keen on cleanliness in all 

games on and off the field. 

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