Indian Newslink Feb 15, 2016 Digital Edition

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‘Airlift’ 

higjacks true 

events in 

Kuwait 

PAGE 

02 14 

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least talking 

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with outstanding 

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The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) 

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editor@ 

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website 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz 

Issue 340 | February 15, 2016 | Free 

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Indian Chartered Accountants seek recognition 

Venkat Raman 

venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Chartered Accountant 

qualified in India and 

continue to be members 

of the Institute of 

Chartered Accountants of India 

(ICAI) may get some form of 

recognition in New Zealand 

if the Chartered Accountants 

Australia New Zealand (CA ANZ) 

is convinced of the benefits of 

such a move. 

An indication to that effect 

was given by the ICIA President 

Manoj Fadnis (his term has 

since ended) in Auckland last 

fortnight while inaugurating 

on February 4, 2016 the New 

Zealand Chapter of his Institute, 

seen as a ‘significant development 

in a little country.’ 

More than 70 people attended 

the event hosted by KPMG at its 

Viaduct Complex. 

High Standards 

“We hope that the New 

Zealand Chapter will be able to 

enter into a Mutual Recognition 

Agreement (MRA), allowing 

Indian Chartered Accountants 

to practice in New Zealand. ICIA 

is the second largest professional 

accounting body in the 

world with more than 160,000 

members and about 720,000 

students. The Institute sets 

rigid standards of entry (with 

a success rate of less than 6%) 

and practice and has in place 

stringent codes of conduct. 

As such, CA ANZ will find our 

members subscribing to high 

SAME DAYCREDIT 

TO ANYINDIAN BANKACCOUNT 

*Conditions Apply 

HEAD OFFICEAND BRANCH: 

632 Dominion Road 

MANUREWA: 

19/185 Great South Road 

ICAI President Manoj Fadnis gets up to speak watched by (from left) Bimal Dalal, Chandan Ohri, Sandeep Sood, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Mahesh Bindra 

standards of discipline, integrity 

and competence,” he said. 

Membership to CA ANZ is 

among the toughest in the world 

and while qualified Chartered 

Accountants (CAs) from 

either side of the Tasman have 

automatic recognition, CAs from 

most other countries including 

India do not enjoy such a privilege. 

The CA programme in New 

Zealand and Australia envisages 

years of study, assignments, 

workshops and examinations, 

each of which demands high 

calibre and integrity from 

candidates. 

Mr Fadnis argued that 

since ICIA sets equally high 

professional requirements, its 

members should have recognition 

of the CA ANZ. 

There is no indication from 

the latter that such a clear 

pathway would be available. 

High Expectations 

But ICAI New Zealand Chapter 

AUCKLAND CBD: 

32, Queen Street 

PAPATOETOE: 

302, Great South Road 

AVONDALE : 

195, NewWindsor Road 

WELLINGTON: 

233-237 Lambton Quay 

Chairman KPMG Partner (IT 

Advisory) and India Market 

Leader Chandan Ohri was 

confident when he spoke at the 

inaugural function. 

“We will ensure that the 

members of this Chapter get 

benefits in the form of networking 

opportunities, continuing 

professional development, 

facilitation of membership 

issues and constant discussion 

on mutual recognition clauses,” 

he said. 

Mr Ohri said that a meeting 

was held with CA ANZ General 

Manager (Membership) Murray 

Taylor and that the chances 

were bright. 

Mr Fadnis, ICAI Vice-President 

Devaraja Reddy, Mr Ohri and 

other officials of the New 

Zealand Chapter attended the 

meeting. 

“We discussed at length what 

needs to be done to bring the 

membership of the two bodies 

closer under the MRA. We were 

told that this area would be 

given a priority and that the 

two organisations would work 

towards the objectives,” he said. 

ICAI appears to have made a 

headway with the New Zealand 

Chapter of CPA Australia. 

According to Mr Ohri, meetings 

were held with Chye Heng, 

Executive Council Member and 

Trustee of the organisation 

and that he had assured that 

the recognition process will be 

considered on a case-to-case 

basis. 

“There is a formal route in 

place, requiring completion 

of only one paper and a CPD 

Unit for full membership of the 

New Zealand Chapter of CPA 

Australia. Ten member of ICAI 

have become full members of 

the Organisation taking this 

route in the past two months,” 

Mr Ohri said. 

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High Profile 

Among the other speakers 

at the inaugural function 

were Indian High Commission 

Charge de Affaires Sandeep 

Sood, Members of Parliament 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi (National) 

and Mahesh Bindra (New 

Zealand First) and Chapter 

Secretary Bimal Dalal. 

Swathy Gudipoodi, a member 

of CA ANZ and ICAI, was the 

Master of Ceremonies whose 

presentation including salient 

features of the profession, its 

challenges and the growing 

importance of accountants 

to companies in meeting 

compliance issues, was not 

only informative but also 

entertaining. 

Read related story on Page 3. 

Analysis of Accounting issues 

in our next issue. 

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2 HOMELINK 

February 15, 2016 

‘Airlift’ hijacks true events in Kuwait 

Related story on Page 12 

Captain Zain Juvale 

Airlift’ has made a false 

claim. It was not the 

recitation of events as 

they happened. 

There was never an ‘Airlift,’ as 

portrayed in the movie. 

Gunpoint capture 

I was the Captain of ‘Safeer,’ 

a cargo ship in the Kuwaiti 

waters. I was captured along 

with my crew at gunpoint and 

held captives for 35 days in 

Kuwait. 

Through sheer determination, 

persuasion, and tactful handling 

of the Iraqi forces, I managed 

not only to get my crew and 

ship released but also rescued 

725 Indians on board my small 

cargo ship, through mined 

waters. 

This was the first batch of 

Indians to be successfully 

rescued out of Kuwait. 

I have a list of all the 725 

persons rescued with their 

passport numbers, and also a 

letter of thanks signed by all of 

them, plus my crew of 25. 

I also have newspaper 

clippings of all the International 

newspapers covering the event, 

as proof. 

Unfortunately, in the past 25 

years, successive governments 

at the Centre and the State levels 

in India have failed to acknowledge 

my humanitarian mission, 

as I defied their warning and 

went ahead with my mission. 

Editor’s Note: I was among a handful of journalists who covered 

the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait that began on August 2, 1990 and the 

events that followed, leading to the ‘Gulf Storm,’ the First Gulf War 

to liberate Kuwait. Those five months were more memorable in my 

career, superseding even the Iran-Iraq war (September 1980 to August 

1988) that brought fear and anxiety to the Middle East in general and 

the Arabian Peninsula in particular. 

I will write later about the sleepless nights that I spent covering press 

conferences held in Bahrain (where I lived and worked), Saudi Arabia 

and the events that occurred during and after the War in Kuwait. As 

well as meeting US military officials aboard USS Lincoln, former British 

Prime Minister Sir John Major and taking helicopter rides to a number 

of locations, I was reporting the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait via 

Jordan to India and to a number of other Gulf destinations including 

Bahrain. 

For now, we run the following report by Captain Zain Juvale which 

challenges ‘Airlift,’ a film by Kumar that appeared to have stirred the 

emotions of Hindi film fans around the world. But the real story was 

something else. 

A Gulf News Report after the Rescue in Kuwait 

Its success was a slap in the 

face of the prophets of doom. 

Governments ignore 

Surprisingly, the International 

shipping fraternity also chose to 

ignore this event. 

But it hurts to know that 

someone else is claiming 

credit for rescuing Indians from 

Kuwait. Unfortunately, the then 

External Affairs Minister Inder 

Kumar Gujral is no more. He 

could have vouched for the 

facts that I have mentioned 

in this and other articles 

appearing and soon to appear 

in Indian Newslink, as I had a 

discussion with him regarding 

my plans, when he briefly 

visited Kuwait soon after the 

invasion. 

I wrote to Raja Krishna 

Menon, Director of ‘Airlift,’ 

when I heard that he was 

embarking on this project, to 

get the facts from me. But he 

never bothered to reply. 

The Master of ‘Safeer’ in Kuwaiti waters in September 1990 

Captain Juvale with his crew aboard ‘Safeer’ in September 1990 

Editor’s Note: I was fortunate to speak to Mr Gujral over the 

phone in Baghdad when he asked me to break the news to the 

world that ‘India had decided to close its Embassy in Kuwait,’ 

which was declared by Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein as the 

19th Province of his country. I did so and the news item became 

a sensation throughout the world. Three days later, on his 

return to India, Mr Gujral confirmed my report in Lok Sabha. 

Read ‘There was nothing like ‘Airlift’ under Viewlink on Page 12 

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3 

New Reporting Standards to lift Indian Accounting 

Venkat Raman 


Indian corporates would 

become more transparent 

and accountable 

as the new Indian 

Accounting Standards (IND 

AS) comes into effect with 

the new financial year 

beginning on April 1, 2016. 

That would be good 

news for New Zealand 

companies apprehensive of 

the accountability of their 

Indian counterparts. 

Global Standard 

The new accounting 

standards, on a par with 

the International Financial 

Reporting Standards (IFRS) 

which have been adopted 

by most countries of the 

world (except the United 

States of America, which 

follows its own Financial 

Accounting Standards 

Board Reporting Standards, 

together with the Sarbanes-Oxley 

Act of 2002). 

Institute of Chartered 

Accounts of India (ICAI) 

President Manoj Fadnis 

(who has since completed 

his term of office) told 

Indian Newslink on 

February 4, 2016 that the 

new standards are mandatory 

for all listed (or in the 

process)companies with a 

net worth of Rs 500 Crores 

(about $112.80 million) 

from the ensuing financial 

year. 

But companies must have 

comparable accounting 

processes during the 

2015-2016 financial year 

ending March 31, which in 

effect makes the Reporting 

standards imperative from 

last year. 

Enhanced value 

“The new Reporting 

Standards would enhance 

the profession of Chartered 

Accountants in India and 

help in promoting Mutual 

Recognition Agreement 

(MRA) with advanced 

countries including New 

Zealand,” Mr Fadnis said. 

The Indian Ministry of 

Corporate Affairs (MCA) 

has released a roadmap 

for the adoption of IND 

AS, which converges with 

IFRS, Indian banking, 

insurance and non-banking 

finance companies. These 

companies were exempt 

from the general roadmap 

announced in January 

2015. 

“In January 2015, the 

MCA released a roadmap, 

which will require companies 

with a net worth 

of Rs 250 crores(about 

$56 million) or more to 

follow the new norms from 

April 1, 2017. For banking, 

insurance and non-banking 

finance companies, 

which were exempt from 

the general roadmap, a 

separate procedure has 

now been drawn up that 

will see a phased approach 

with IND AS adoption 

beginning on April 1, 2018,” 

Mr Fadnis said. 

Benefit to New Zealand 

ICAI Vice-President Devaraja 

Reddy (who has since 

become President) said 

that the new accounting 

standards would benefit 

the Institute’s members 

working in New Zealand 

and other countries. 

“We are also confident 

that the opening of the 

New Zealand Chapter of 

the Institute will enable 

members to gain membership 

to the Chartered 

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Among the office-bearers 

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They were present at the 

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of Ceremonies at the event 

held at KPMG Building in 

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4 HOMELINK 


Depressing debts destroy Kiwi dream 

Jenny Salesa 

Jenny.salesa@parliament.govt.nz 

Happy New Year,Indian 

Newslink readers. I 

wish you all happiness 

and prosperity for 2016. 

As we embark on the 2016 

school year, many parents are 

thinking about what the future 

holds for their children. Students 

in their last years of high school 

will be making some important 

life decisions. 

If your child goes into trades 

training,takes up an apprenticeship 

or goes on to study at 

university they will certainly 

face big fees and living expenses. 

Big time trouble 

Training for a career is both 

necessary and exciting, but the 

big loans and debt that most 

people will need to take out are 

hardly the stuff of the great Kiwi 

dream. And they will make all 

those other big life decisions 

– buying a house, marriage 

and having children – so much 

harder. 

That is partly why New 

Zealand is experiencing the 

lowest rates of home ownership 

since the 1950s. Young Kiwis 

are coming out of post-school 

education with an average debt 

of $20,000 that can take them 

nine, long years to pay. 

Labour has been thinking hard 

and consulting widely about how 

to help New Zealanders, and this 

country, thrive and flourish in 

the new global economy. 

Part of the solution we have 

found was announced by labour 

Leader Andrew Little in his 

State-of-the-Nation speech on 

January 31, 2016. 

Working Futures 

Our Working Futures Plan will 

offer three years of free, postschool, 

education to everyone 

who has never studied past high 

school before. 

Under this Plan, all New 

Zealanders would be equipped to 

meet the changing face of work 

in the 21st century. Everyone 

would have the opportunity 

to learn and to achieve in life, 

without sacrificing their ability 

to own a home or establish a 

family. 

Further, the nature of work is 

changing swiftly. 

Research shows 46%of 

current jobs will either be vastly 

different or obsolete within 

as few as 10 to 20 years. The 

Working Futures investment 

in New Zealand’s skills and 

qualifications will ensure Kiwis 

can keep up with the evolving 

nature of work. 

Since this offer would be 

available throughout your 

lifetime,your entitlement to free 

education could be used for 

re-training for the several career 

changes that are becoming partand-parcel 

of the 21st century 

work experience. 

Skills shortage 

Working Futures is only part 

HELPING FAMILIES GET AHEAD 

of Labour’s response to the crisis 

in skills shortages that is facing 

many industries, particularly in 

infrastructure, road transport 

and ICT, for example. Skill 

shortages can be a standard 

feature of an evolving economy 

but it is hugely important that 

governments respond positively 

to such challenges and adapt 

accordingly. 

One of my goals as Spokesperson 

for Employment, Skills and 

Training is to see that apprenticeships 

properly valued and 

available, once again,to play a 

vital role in New Zealand’s skills 

and training environment and in 

driving economic growth. 

Trades Training 

I would like to enhance the 

relevance of trades training and 

apprenticeships, to see many 

more people ups killing,increasing 

well-paid, work-force 

participation. 

The Government seems hell 

bent on ignoring the issues. 

We cannot, which is why, 

Labour’s Working Futures Plan 

is all about investing in long-term 

lifetime learning. 

This is the sort of investment 

a positive, future-looking 

government should be making. 

It’s a game-changer for the New 

Zealand economy, our society and 

our families. 

Jenny Salesa is elected Member 

of Parliament from Manukau 

East and Labour Party 

Spokesperson for Employment, 

Skills and Training. 

Minister clarifies Social 

Housing Issue 

In her article titled, “The 

moving experience 

of homeless people,’ 

published under Viewlink 

in our February 1, 2016 issue, 

its author (Labour Party Policy 

Council Member) Priyanca 

Radhakrishnan had said, 

“A policy that pays people 

who are vulnerable to leave 

their home – a city that they 

are familiar with, where the 

family is, where their children 

go to school – to move to the 

provinces is a policy that 

potentially promotes social 

isolation.” 

In our Editorial in the same 

issue, we had interpreted her 

as arguing ‘rather vociferously 

that evicting people from state 

houses in places like Auckland 

and moving them to smaller 

towns and provinces is not 

the solution to the imploding 

problems related to housing.’ 

It would appear that our 

interpretation itself was 

subject to interpretation. 

Not eviction 

The Office of Social Housing 

Minister Paula Bennett issued 

the following statement: 

“The Government is not 

evicting people from state 

houses in Auckland and 

making them move to other 

towns against their will. 

The Minister has said she is 

considering offering people on 

Paula Bennett 

the Social Housing Register - 

that is, those without a home 

who are waiting to get into 

social housing - financial 

incentives to move to areas 

outside Auckland where 

there is less demand and 

where they’ll be housed 

more quickly. They would 

have a choice and would be 

supported to move, but no 

decisions have been made 

yet about whether this policy 

will be implemented or how 

it would work exactly. The 

Government’s priority is 

to ensure that people get a 

roof over their heads more 

quickly, and this is one way 

that could help that.” 

KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI 

NATIONAL LIST MP 

RT HON JOHN KEY 

PRIME MINISTER 

Funded by the ParliamentaryService & 

authorisedbyJohnKey MP,ExecutiveWing, 

Parliament, Molesworth St,Wellington 

DR PARMJEET PARMAR 

NATIONAL LIST MP 

Kanwaljit’s email: bakshi.mp@parliament.govt.nz 

Parmjeet’s email: parmjeet.parmar@parliament.govt.nz 

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MINISTER FOR ETHNIC 

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February 15, 2016 HOMELINK 

5 

One slip can get you into 

hot immigration waters 

It would be wrong to assume that ‘no one will find out,’ for the long arm 

of the law sooner than later reaches out to the wrong 

Kamil Lakshman 

kamil.lakshman@idesilegal.co.nz 

Hindsight, it is often 

said, is a great thing. 

When we take 

stock of events and 

developments, many things 

that were not apparent at 

the time of their occurrence 

come to light. 

Such introspection may 

necessitate changes to our 

line of thinking, policy and 

practice. 

It is a phase in which we 

become witnesses rather 

than being participants. 

We become better 

equipped to see the play 

before us gaining a big 

picture perspective. 

If you get involved, then 

the play absorbs you into its 

realm, making you subjective 

rather than objective. That is 

in the nature of things. 

Most importantly, we feel 

sorry for such players who 

harm others. We cannot be 

a part of people who are 

greedy, egotistic and wanting 

to outdo others. It is their 

play. We must simply watch 

and get on with it. 

Divine intervention 

We should also have an 

understanding that one is 

probably accounting for 

something, better now than 

later. This understanding 

and approach will make one 

stronger. Lucky are those 

who have such wisdom 

in and around them. One 

can only be grateful for the 

divine intervention, the love 

of our creator evident in this 

wisdom. 

Those going through 

immigration challenges and 

struggles must not lose their 

perspective or objectives in 

order not to become victims. 

Empowering migrants 

Empowerment is needed 

through these times. 

Potential immigrants and 

those involved in the application 

process should not 

forget that there is a larger 

world out there and the 

outcome of the immigration 

process is not the end of all 

things. Bribes, concealing 

facts or providing false 

documents (or agreeing to 

all these) are not the way 

forward. Dubious deals and 

dishonesty will only cause 

more troubles, leading to 

decline of applications and 

even long-term impact. 

Wrong assumptions 

Many people living in 

developing countries are 

so desperate to get to New 

Zealand that they are 

prepared to go to any extent 

to achieve their objective. 

The objective may be 

desirable but it is equally 

important that the means to 

achieve it are fair, just and 

subject to scrutiny. 

It would be wrong to 

assume that ‘no one will 

find out,’ for the long arm 

of the law sooner than later 

reaches out to the wrongand 

then it would be too 

late to mend. 

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

6 EDUCATIONLINK 


Picture Courtesy: Massey News 

Free tertiary education promises skills development 

David Shearer 

Member of Parliament 

Everywhere I have lived 

in the world, I have 

observed that parents 

– no matter what their 

culture or politics – are keen to 

give their children the very best 

education they can. 

Good education will lift a 

family out of poverty, and 

enable a career and fulfilment 

at work, give choices in life, be 

the means to support a family, 

and enable families to buy their 

own home. 

My parents wanted good 

education for me; my wife 

Anuschka and I want the same 

for our children, and so it goes 

on. 

New Zealand has always had 

an education system which is 

our pride. 

That is certainly the aspiration 

of the Indian community. 

Indian families want their 

children to do well at school. 

So many Indian parents tell 

me how well their children 

are doing. It comes with a lot 

of hard work, but that is the 

reason why so many are in 

professional positions. 

Inspiring Speech 

In the last century, Peter 

Fraser who was Labour Prime 

Minister from 1940 to 1949), 

gave a speech about education 

that has become famous, still 

inspiring the Party’s education 

policies. 

He said,“The government’s 

objective, broadly expressed, is 

that all persons, whatever their 

level of ability, whether they live 

in town or country, have a right 

as citizens to a free education of 

the kind for which they are best 

fitted and to the fullest extent of 

their powers.” 

Labour Leader Andrew Little 

was inspired by this timeless 

philosophy when he made his 

big education announcement on 

January 31, 2016. 

Working Futures 

He announced Labour’s new 

Working Futures Plan. 

The Plan will provide three 

years of free post-school 

education across a person’s 

life to enable Kiwis to adapt 

and thrive in the changing 21st 

century economy. 

Since the National government 

took office in 2008, 

Tertiary student numbers have 

dropped by 20% and apprenticeship 

numbers have slumped by 

22%. 

That is a worry. It means a 

less educated New Zealand, not 

more. 

It is urgent that we keep 

learning and adapting. The 

very nature of work is changing 

rapidly in New Zealand, and we 

need to seize the opportunities 

of the future. We need one of 

the best educated workforces in 

the world. 

Acquiring skills 

Labour’s Plan means that 

no matter what path someone 

chooses to take after they leave 

school, be it university or an 

apprenticeship, or other-training, 

they will get the skills they 

need to succeed without being 

shackled with years of debt. 

Importantly, the Plan will 

continue to be available 

throughout a person’s lifetime. 

So, if you are made redundant, 

or need to retrain for 

a more relevant career, you 

will still be able to access free 

tertiary education. 

It means our children will be 

able to adapt to the skills needed 

in our society and businesses 

will always be able to find the 

skilled workers they need to 

prosper. 

Clever move 

Labour’s “Working For 

Futures” Plan is an education 

policy, but it is also a strategically 

clever economic move. 

To get ahead, New Zealand 

needs an innovative and 

job-rich economy to support the 

growth, education and living 

standards Kiwis deserve. 

We are thinking long term 

about a better New Zealand. 

Study values communitywater fluoridation 

Massey News 

New research from 

Massey University 

shows that community 

water fluoridation remains 

cost-effective, despite an 

overall reduction in the average 

number of decayed teeth in both 

fluoridated and non-fluoridated 

communities. 

Updated observations 

Massey University Centre for 

Public Health Research Senior 

Analyst Caroline Fyfe and 

Professor Barry Borman wrote 

a Paper called, ‘A cost effectiveness 

analysis of community 

water fluoridation in New Zealand,’with 

Dr Guy Scott and Dr 

Stuart Birks of the University’s 

School of Economics and Finance. 

The Paper was published 

in a recent issue of the ‘New 

Zealand Medical Journal.’ 

The study updates the last economic 

analysis of community 

water fluoridation, published by 

‘Wright et. al. in 2001 and used 

national data on difference in 

tooth decay between fluoridated 

and non-fluoridated communities. 

It found community water 

fluoridation (CWF) was most 

cost-effective in larger communities 

but also that the intervention 

remained cost-effective 

even in smaller communities (of 

under 5000 people). 

Fluoridated areas 

New Zealand was one of 

the first countries to adopt 

community water fluoridation 

to lower rates of dental decay. 

Results from early trials found 

that children born and raised in 

fluoridated areas had, on average, 

50% less dental decay than 

children from non-fluoridated 

areas. 

Today approximately 56% of 

New Zealanders have access to 

fluoridated water. 

In Massey’s latest study, 

researchers found communities 

with a higher risk of dental 

decay.Those with a high level 

of economic deprivation or 

those with a higher proportion 

of Maori ethnicity benefited 

most from community water 

fluoridation. 

According to Ms Fyfe, her 

team gathered information 

on the costs of installing and 

running CWF by sending out 

questionnaires to local authorities 

fluoridating their water 

supplies. 

“We used data from the 2009 

New Zealand Oral Health Survey 

to calculate cost savings from 

reduced demand for dental 

treatments. The cost-effectiveness 

of CWF per decayed tooth 

prevented was compared to an 

alternative of treating a decayed 

tooth. Cost-effectiveness was 

also compared between communities 

of different population 

sizes,” she said. 

CWF was deemed acost-effective 

public health intervention 

despite a reduction in the average 

number of decayed teeth in all 

communities over time.

February 15, 2016 EDUCATIONLINK 

7 

Free post-school training makes economic sense 

Phil Goff 

Keeping New Zealand as 

a place where people 

want to live and where 

their families can thrive 

is really important. 

We have a lot to offer - a 

stable, peaceful, largely harmonious 

country with a beautiful 

environment and generally 

good public services. 

However, last week, two new 

releases sounded a warning 

that a better future is not 

automatic and we have to work 

for it. 

Drying Dairy 

Firstly, it was the news that 

the global dairy trade index fell 

again by 10.4%. 

Dairy is our biggest export,- 

making up nearly 30% of all that 

New Zealand sells overseas. The 

crash in prices over the last two 

years is a reminder that we need 

to diversify our exports and not 

just rely on good commodity 

prices. 

Secondly, Kiwi tertiary student 

numbers were reported to be 

falling by 30, 000 in the next 

three years. Add that to 20% 

decline in tertiary students and 

22% decline in apprenticeship 

numbers since 2008 and you 

see a worrying fall in our future 

skill levels. 

Skilled resource 

For New Zealand to be an economically 

successful country, 

we need to take action to ensure 

that our people - the country’s 

most valuable resource-are 

highly skilled. We need to be 

creating jobs that are high 

skilled, high paid and creating 

high value-added products and 

services to sell overseas. 

Over the last year, Labour has 

focused a lot of its policy work 

on the ‘Future of Work.’International 

research shows up that 

nearly half of all our current 

jobs will not exist in ten to 

twenty years. Technology will 

have replaced them. 

Bold commitment 

That is why Labour Party 

Leader Andrew Little, in his 

‘State of the Nation’Address 

on January 31, 2016, made a 

strong and bold commitment to 

free post-school education and 

training. 

The policy gives all New 

Zealanders, who have no 

previous tertiary education, 

access to three years of postschool 

education or training. 

It has been carefully costed and 

will be progressively introduced 

from Labour’s first budget in 

2019 to be fully implemented by 

2025. 

It will be a priority spend 

from the $1 to $2 billion new 

spending available each year to 

Government. 

Structural unemployment 

With rapid automation and 

new jobs requiring higher 

skills, we will face high levels 

of structural unemployment 

unless we help people to train 

and retrain. 

It doesn’t make sense to leave 

people trapped on an unemployment 

benefit. Unemployed 

people cannot support their 

families, pay taxes or contribute 

to the economy. That is economically 

wasteful as well as being 

socially disastrous for those out 

of work. 

Part of Labour’s policy will 

be to use the dole to subsidise 

employers taking into new 

apprenticeships people who 

have been out of work for some 

time. 

People will have access 

to Labour’s three-year free 

education and training at any 

point during their working 

life and for academic or trades 

learning. 

Monitored funding 

Use of the funding will be 

carefully monitored to ensure 

it is delivering results. Students 

must pass more than half their 

courses to qualify for their next 

year of study to be free. It’s 

about delivering results, not 

throwing money at a problem. 

The policy has won wide 

support across the community. 

The National Party has criticised 

the policy. 

It is a real pity that political 

parties too often feel the need to 

oppose a good idea just because it 

comes from another Party. 

New Zealand needs policies 

that prepare us for the future and 

meet the needs of the changing 

world. 

Phil Goff is former Foreign 

Affairs, Trade and Justice Minister 

and has been Member 

of Parliament for 35 years. 

Elected from Mt Roskill, 

he is today Labour Party’s 

Spokesperson for Defence and 

Ethnic Communities. Mr Goff 

has announced that he would 

contest for Auckland Mayoralty 

at the Local Government 

elections this year 

A double take on 

Paraprosdokians 

Ray Annamalai, 

North Shore, Auckland 

Winston Churchill 

Paraprosdokians are figures of 

speech in which the latter part of a 

sentence or a phrase is surprising 

and is frequently humorous. The late 

Sir Winston Churchill loves them. 

Here are a few: 

1. Where there is a will, i want to 

be in it. 

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt 

you; but it is still on my list. 

3. Since light travels faster than 

sound, some people appear 

bright until you hear them speak. 

4. If I agreed with you,we would 

both be wrong. 

5. We never really grow up; we 

only learn how to act in public. 

6. War does not determine who is 

right, only who is left. 

7. Knowledge is knowing a 

tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is 

not putting it in a fruit salad. 

8. To steal ideas from one 

person is plagiarism;to steal 

from many is research. 

9. I did not say it was your fault; 

I said I was blaming you. 

10. I thought that I was wrong 

once but I was mistaken. 

11. I used to be indecisive, but 

now I am not so sure. 

12. To be sure of hitting the 

target, shoot first and call 

whatever you hit the target. 

13. Going to Church does not 

make you a Christian any 

more than standing in a 

garage makes you a car. 

14. You are never too old to learn 

something stupid. 

15. I am supposed to respect my 

elders, but it is getting harder 

and harder for me to find 

one. 

16. Always borrow money from a 

pessimist. He will not expect 

it back. 

17. A diplomat is someone who 

tells you to go to hell in such 

a way that you will look 

forward to the trip. 

18. Hospitality is making your 

guests feel like they are at 

home, even if you wish they 

were. 

19. Money cannot buy happiness, 

but it sure makes misery 

easier to live with. 

20. Some cause happiness 

wherever they go. Others 

whenever they go. 

21. A clear conscience is usually 

a sign of bad memory. 

Help guide Auckland’s 

direction for 2016/2017 

Each year we set our budget to meet future growth and deliver 

the services that council provides. 

As part of our Annual Budget consultation we want your feedback 

on rates, theInterim Transport Levy and local board activities and 

priorities for 2016/2017. 

Visit shapeauckland.co.nz to have your say and find out how you 

can provide your feedback in person at one of the Have Your Say 

events in your local board area. 

Have your say by 4pm on Thursday 24 March, 2016. 

For more information, to provide feedback 

or for afull list of Have Your Say events, 

visit shapeauckland.co.nz,oryour local library, 

service centre or local board office. 

BC5129_150216

8 FIJILINK 


Labasa students set for reunion in Auckland Parliament suspends 

Opposition MPs 

Sudesh Kissun 

Former students of a 

prominent school in 

Labasa, Fiji are gathering 

in Auckland next month 

for a reunion. 

Organisers of the All Saints 

Secondary School Ex-Students 

Reunion promise a fun-filled 

night on March 19, 2016. 

The event will be held at 

the India Gate Restaurant, 380 

Manukau Road, Epsom from 

7pm. 

Organising Committee 

Chairman Daniel Pillay said 

that the event is open to all 

Ex-All Saints Secondary School 

students and teachers. 

“Many former students of the 

School have made Auckland and 

New Zealand their home. This 

event is a wonderful opportunity 

for these ex-students and 

former teachers to catch up 

with old friends,” he said. 

No fundraising 

Mr Pillay said that the 

forthcoming Reunion is not 

a fundraising event but an 

evening for old schoolmates to 

catch up. 

“We may be living in the 

same city but understandably 

we have been unable to catch 

up with former classmates. 

This reunion will be a night of 

renewing old acquaintances and 

reminiscing the good old school 

days,” he said. 

Mr Pillay said that the 

Organising Committee has set 

Daniel Pillay 

up a Facebook Page-‘All Saints 

Secondary School Ex-Students 

Reunion.’ 

According to him, the 

Facebook Page has more details 

about the event. 

People can confirm their 

attendance by paying their 

tickets online. Account details 

and payment method are also 

outlined on the Facebook page, 

he added. 

Facebook Connection 

Those not on Facebook can 

contact the following organising 

committee members; Daniel 

Pillay (021-0425517), Sadhana 

Reddy (021-1290515) and Sadhana 

Narayan (021-2527400). 

The cut-off date for confirming 

attendance is Monday, 

March 14, 2016. 

Run by the Anglican Church 

of Fiji, All Saints Secondary 

School is located at Vulovi,four 

kilometres from the town 

centre. 

This school is still going 

strong with a long history 

of developing education for 

multiracial students in the 

Northern Division. It started 

off as a boy’s school, but later 

became co-educational. 

The school is located close to 

the Qawa River, Labasa Sugar 

Mill and Labasa Prison and 

Divisional Government offices. 

The area is called Vulovi 

because it is located at the lower 

part of the Qawa river. 

Floods often trouble Labasa 

affecting All Saints School as 

well. 

‘Vulovi na vanua ni vanua ni 

salusalu’ is a popular song in 

Labasa. 

What: All Saints Secondary School Alumni 

When: Saturday, March 19 At 7 pm 

Where: India Gate Restaurant, Epsom, Auckland 

Tickets: $30 per person 

Contact: Daniel Pillay on 021-042551; 

Sadhana Reddy on 021-1290515 

Sadhana Narayan on 021-2527400 

The Fijian Parliament has 

suspended the National 

Federation Party and its 

members, following a 

debate in the House on February 

9, 2016. 

Media reports said that the 

Party has been suspended for 

30 days for contravening the 

Political Parties Registration, 

Conduct Funding and Disclosures 

Decree. 

The suspension included 

NFP Leader and Member of 

Parliament Dr Biman Prasad. 

The Registrar of Political 

Parties Mohammed Saneem 

said that NFP’s accounts were 

audited by a company which 

was not certified by the Fiji 

Institute of Accountants. 

Attorney-General Aiyaz 

Sayed-Khaiyum moved a 

motion in Parliament to 

endorse the suspension of the 

Party and its Parliamentarians 

from sittings of the House and 

committees during the suspension 

period. 

The Opposition claimed that 

the issue was before the courts 

and should not be debated. But 

Speaker Jiko Luveni said that 

she was not aware of the court 

case. 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum refuted 

the claim saying the matter was 

within Parliament and not a 

legal proceeding on which one 

could comment. 

Legal difference 

He said that the Opposition 

did not understand the legal 

difference. 

Dr Biman Prasad, National Federation 

Party Leader 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum had said 

on February 1 that the Registrar 

of Political Parties had issued a 

notice suspending the privileges 

of NFP as a political Party. 

“Because NFP registration 

was suspended, this basically 

means that NFP cannot operate, 

function and represent itself 

as a political Party,” he said in 

Parliament. 

Opposition MP Niko Nawaikula 

said that as a consequence of 

the motion in the past, the court 

should order a judicial review. 

He said that the suspension 

was only for administrative 

purposes and that the government 

should have waited until 

Parliament had debated the 

issue. 

Outspoken SODELPA MP 

Mosese Bulitavu agreed. 

The motion was approved 

with 29 votes to 14 while seven 

members abstained. 

Source: Fijilive, Fiji Times 

OpenHeart Surgery 

TheMinistryofHealth Fiji, wishes to advise thatopenheartsurgery 

(CABG) will be performed in CWMhospital,Suvadetails areasbelow: 

1Screening of patients…………..Freefrom4.2.2016 to 12.2.2016 

2. Angiogram from 4.2.2016 to 20.2.2016 

3. CABG from 14.2.2016 to 26.2.2016 

Medical procedures areperformed under the jointventure agreementbetween MinistryofHealth and Medical 

DiseaseTreatment 

Cardiology 

CABG 

NonInsurance 

Pa ents(Fiji 

Residents) 

F$ 20,OOO -F$25,000 

PLus VAT 

InsurancePa ents 

(FijiResidents) 

F$ 24,OOO -F$30,500 

PLus VAT 

NonResidenceof 

Fiji 

F$25,OOO -F$31,250 

We wish to advise that the Ministry is willing toaccommodate referrals from all 

GeneralPrac oners, Hospitals, HealthCentersand Insurancecompanies, etc. For further 

enquiries please contact the following personnel during the official hours fromMondayto 

Thursday 8.00amto4.30pm, Friday 8.00am to 4.00pm: 

1. MrsManjula W. Lal–Ministry of Health,Ph.no.9805025, 3306177 (Ext340165) 

2. GopalAyyar (NZ)Ph.no. 022 6873291 

Dinem House 

88 AmyStreet,Toorak 

Box2223, Govt.Building 

SuvaFiji 

Phone: (679) 330617 

Fax: :(607 3306 163

10 BUSINESSLINK 


Not all charities are honourable and honest 

Dave Ananth 

davetaxnz@gmail.com 

This article is not intended 

to discuss legal issues 

regarding charities but 

to point out some facts. 

I have, in the past, expressed 

concern over the lack of proper 

advice in running of charities. 

Accumulation of wealth is not 

the purpose of a charitable 

organisations but I would not 

dismiss that notion where some 

charities are concerned. 

New Zealanders are generous 

by nature and give sizable sums 

to charities and non-profit 

organisations promoting 

various causes. 

Tax exemptions and 

privileges are given to such 

organisations to encourage 

them to support the needy. 

Unfortunately, not all 

charities are operated in a 

transparent manner. 

Complex Statute 

The law in this area can be 

complex and daunting even for 

a practitioner. 

New Zealand has defined 

charitable purposes in Section 

5 (1) of the Charities Act 2005, 

which says, “In this Act, unless 

the context otherwise requires, 

charitable purpose includes 

every charitable purpose, 

whether it relates to the relief 

of poverty, the advancement of 

education or religion, or any 

other matter beneficial to the 

community.” 

The Charities Act was amended 

in 2012 to include amateur 

sport. 

Charity and taxes can be 

complex. It is actually a tax 

payer-funded subsidy. 

According to the Charities 

Services(formerly known as 

the Charities Commission), 

there are over 26,000 registered 

charities in New Zealand, with 

a collective income of almost 

$16 billion in the 2013 tax year, 

with $218.3 million paid as tax 

credits. 

Inland Revenue Department 

(IRD) de-registered 3902 

charities in 2012 and 479 since 

February 2015 for various 

reasons. 

Where is money given to 

charities going? 

Tax exemption 

Charities do not pay income 

tax on their exempt income 

provided that they do not 

receive any non-exempt 

income. They would however 

be required to file their Annual 

returns with the Department of 

Internal Affairs. 

Income earned by charities 

and distributed in New Zealand 

is tax free. 

If you employ staff, whether 

it is a priest or a caretaker,you 

must remit PAYE. 

If you are a registered 

Charity, then you are entitled 

to a Resident Withholding Tax 

(RWT) Certificate of exemption 

so that you do not need to pay 

tax on your interest on savings. 

You must show this to the 

interest payer(usually a Bank)to 

avoid them deducting tax and 

remitting to IRD. 

Some charities are exempt 

from paying Fringe Benefit Tax 

( ), but there are conditions 

to be met. It is essential that 

your tax agent or professional 

advisers guide you correctly 

and are familiar with tax issues 

involving charities. 

Output Tax 

If you are carrying out a 

taxable activity and your 

turnover is more than $60,000 

in a 12-month period, you 

must register for GST. If you 

are hiring a hall for a wedding 

or a function that is prima 

facie a taxable activity and if 

registered for GST, you must 

charge output tax. 

In return, you can claim your 

inputs. 

A common error amongst 

charities is to determine 

income which is taxable and 

supplies which attract GST. 

There is certain ‘income,’such 

as donations that have no GST 

impact as opposed to a trading 

activity or a supply. In such a 

case, there will be a GST impact 

even if you are a charitable 

organisation. 

There are of course 

concessions and special rules 

for claiming input tax for non 

profit bodies. It is important 

that you get the correct advice. 

Accountability Issue 

Charities have limited statutorily 

imposed accountability in 

respect of the board of trustees, 

unlike directors of companies. 

This should be addressed in the 

near future to ensure that the 

principles enunciated by the 

Charities Services are upheld. 

Not all charities serve the 

community. I read an article 

recently in New Zealand Herald 

according to which a charitable 

hospital gave only 0.2% of its 

income for charitable causes. 

The focus must not be the 

accumulation of wealth but its 

purposeful distribution for the 

benefit of the people. 

Abuse and Audits 

Tax exemptions are approved 

and given for a purpose hence 

should not be abused. No 

person with some control over 

the Charity should be able to 

divert any amount derived 

from the Charity for their 

own benefit or any pecuniary 

benefit of any individual. 

If potential conflicts are 

discovered or dubious transactions 

exist, advisors must 

advise Charities to refrain from 

such practices. You can subject 

yourself to investigations under 

various civil and criminal 

offences. It is morally and 

ethically wrong to be involved 

in such practices. Tax exemption 

will not apply if a person 

has obtained any benefit from 

the exempt income. 

IRD conducts audits from 

time to time. It is essential that 

tax agents and professional 

advisors are kept informed of 

all correspondence when this 

happens. Record keeping is 

essential whether you pay your 

tax or not. These documents 

(hard or electronic copies) become 

evidence of your charity. 

The onus is on you to show that 

you have complied. 

We wish to see a Charity 

Tribunal set up for Charities 

to air their grievances. Legal 

China offers 

the Great Wall of Money 

Following a record year 

of sales volume, low 

vacancy rates and yields 

I see little reason for that 

trend to change in 2016. 

Two key features will underpin 

the confidence and demand 

in the commercial property 

market for the next 12 months: 

historically low interest rates 

and population expansion. 

Population growth was a key 

tenet of my predictions for last 

year (2015). 

It will remain a driving force 

behind major commercial 

developments in 2016. 

New Zealand’s net migration 

gains show no sign of letting up, 

and population – specifically 

in Auckland - will provide 

the impetus for more major 

commercial developments. 

Low yields 

Record low yields will also 

feature again in 2016, purely 

because of demand. 

There is a lot more money 

available for investment than 

there are properties to be 

invested. The record low CBD 

office and industrial vacancy 

rates in Auckland will continue 

as an acute barometer of this 

trend. 

action, as the recourse now, is 

expensive and time-consuming. 

The High Court case concerning 

the National Council 

of Women of New Zealand is 

a good example (The National 

Council of Women of New 

Zealand Incorporated v Charities 

Registration Board 2014 

NZHC 3200). 

It is also advisable that the 

Charity Services be expanded 

to monitor the 26,000 Charities. 

The tax payer has a right to 

know how their money is spent. 

The residential market is also 

placing greater focus on density 

to alleviate demand and price 

pressures, and this will increase 

the attractiveness of quality 

apartment projects such as 

Alexandra Park. 

As predicted last year, New 

Zealand’s commercial property 

market is still seeing the 

beginnings of the ‘great wall of 

money’ on offer from China. 

The sheer weight of capital 

available from Asian investors 

who want to find a home for 

it in international markets is 

massive, and New Zealand is an 

extremely attractive location. 

I predict that activity within 

the retail property sector will 

also be very notable in 2016, 

particularly coming off the back 

of significant momentum late 

last year (2015) where Colliers’ 

Capital Markets team transacted 

a record $1 million in sales in 

less than six months, anchored 

in the main by Westfield 

shopping centres ($549 million) 

and Countdown supermarket 

($287 million) sales. 

Tourism New Dairy 

I also see a strong case for 

‘tourism becoming the new 

dairy.’ 

Dave Ananth is an experienced 

tax barrister practicing in 

Auckland. He was an IRD 

Prosecutor based in Manukau 

before establishing his private 

practice. He is now in Malaysia 

advising on GST compliance 

on a two-year contract. He is 

a regular speaker at various 

conferences and seminars. 

Email:davetaxnz@gmail.com; 

www.davetaxnz.nz 

Mark Synnott 

Chief Executive of 

Colliers International 

New Zealand. 

New Zealand is currently 

enjoying a major tourism 

boom, with more than three 

million international visitors 

visiting our shores for the first 

time in a one- year period. This 

represents an 8.1% increase on 

the previous twelve months, 

and our hotel property market 

is reflecting that. 

Colliers Hotel division is 

witnessing the first stages 

of the next transaction cycle 

with more than $290 million 

in sales recorded in 2015, up a 

staggering 500% over the same 

period in 2014.

February 15, 2016 BUSINESSLINK 

9 

Cash flow problems hit new ventures 

Luke Parker 

The ability to generate 

cash flow in the infant 

stages of a new start-up 

can be a deciding 

factor as to whether a business 

survives or fails. 

With roughly a quarter 

of Kiwi businesses failing 

within the first three years, it 

is important to have a good 

foundation and take the right 

decisions around money. 

Simeon Burnett, Chief 

Executive and Co-Founder of 

‘Snowball Effect,’ an Equity 

Crowdfunding Platform, said 

that one of the classic mistakes 

start-ups make is not having a 

clear plan around cash flows. 

Planning vital 

“A good idea would be to 

map out the next 18-24 months 

of cash flow on a monthly 

basis, run multiple scenarios to 

get a sense of how much cash 

you’ll need to get through, then 

plan out how you will fund it. 

“Your forecasts will always 

be wrong, and hence it is 

important to test them. You 

should understand what a 

‘worst case’ may look like and 

plan accordingly,” he said. 

Messy debts 

Mr Burnett said that the 

reality for most start-ups is that 

they sail into the unknown, 

things cost more and generally 

take longer than they may think. 

“If you do not have a financial 

background, see if you can find 

an experienced mentor who can 

review your forecasts and plans, 

and challenge you on how 

realistic they are,” he said. 

According to him, depending 

on the number of founders 

that the business has, things 

Things that can cause cash flow issues 

• Things that can cause cash flow issues. 

• Not invoicing sales or collecting debtors in a timely 

fashion. 

• Paying suppliers upfront 

• Buying excessive amounts of stock This is potentially a 

double whammy as it can also impact overheads such 

as storage costs. Only order enough stock to satisfy 

estimated sales in your lead time plus a week or two. 

• Under-performing overheads such as staff. This 

includes a sales team who are not hitting KPIs or 

marketing that is not generating enough leads. 

• In the early stages, keep personal drawings to a minimum 

and use the profits to grow the business. 

Money, money everywhere but not a penny in the till 

Luke Parker 

like loans and credit cards 

when cash flow is tight can 

get messy and cause issues 

down the track. 

“If your start-up has legs, 

chances are that you must 

bring in a good tranche 

Simeon Burnett 

of capital to get things 

moving. Get your company 

to the point where you have 

validated your product and 

service in the lowest-cost 

manner possible, then draw 

up a capital plan to see you 

through the next 12-18 months,” Mr 

Burnett said. 

More advice from 

Simeon Burnett 

on improving cash flow 

• More advice from Simeon 

Burnett on improving cash flow 

• Understand the major costs 

levers of your business. 

• Is it labour costs which are 

relatively fixed, or customer 

acquisition costs and marketing 

which can be more variable? 

• If you do not have a strong 

financial background, seek 

support and guidance from those 

who do. 

• You will need financial nous in 

your business. Therefore, deal 

with this. 

• Make sure that you know your 

numbers and take time to review 

historical performance as well 

as how realistic your forecasts 

are. At times forecasts should be 

revised. 

• Set up an accounting software 

early and be rigorous in getting 

familiar with how it works. 

Make it central to your business 

activities. 

• If a cash flow problem arises, 

attend to it immediately rather 

than hoping that it would go 

away. 

Luke Parker is Online Content Specialist at 

Westpac. The above article was posted under Red 

News on the Bank’s website (www.westpac.co.nz) 

on December 15, 2015.


11 

Chinese economy begins to worry the world 

Cameron Bagrie 

The vibe from my recent 

trip to Asia has not 

inspired confidence 

regarding the region’s 

near-term growth prospects,but 

we still believe in the positive 

medium-term story. Risks and 

challenges are clear. 

Although the domestic economy 

is still chugging along well, 

it reinforces that the risk profile 

for the Official Cash Rate (OCR) 

is still skewed lower. 

We continue to closely watch 

the five factors we listed last 

year (China, funding markets, 

domestic inflation, credit growth 

and the New Zealand Dollar) to 

determine whether a change 

in our view of a stable OCR is 

warranted. 

However, for now, across real 

economic barometers we expect 

the positive vibe apparent in 

late 2015 to extend into 2016;the 

economy is looking okay. 

Interest Rate Strategy 

Concerns over the outlook for 

China and lower oil prices are 

expected to keep markets on 

edge. Low domestic inflation 

and a benign short-term 

inflation outlook are expected to 

support receiving-side interest, 

with market pricing for OCR 

cuts to intensify, despite the 

NZD’s adjustment to date. 

Risks for NZD/USD remain 

firmly skewed to the downside 

with China and commodity 

prices clearly warning of further 

weakness. However, in the 

short term, sentiment is already 

weak and technical indicators 

are oversold. We prefer to sell 

rallies rather than position for 

further immediate declines. 

NZD/AUD strength demonstrates 

that markets expect the 

New Zealand economy to hold 

up better than the Australian 

economy, a theme we concur 

with and expect to be borne out 

in the data. 

Views on China’s ‘actual’ 

growth story – and prospects for 

wider Asia more broadly – were 

much more subdued relative to 

prior trips. There were some 

genuine worries over whether 

Chinese authorities have 

actually lost control of some 

key market variables. 

Views seemed to oscillate 

from day to day on this, in part 

because market participants 

were dealing with regulatory 

changes on a daily basis, 

hinting of heavily reactive 

policies. One policy response 

often created leakage elsewhere, 

somewhat akin to the game 

whack-a-mole;you whack one 

mole with your hammer and 

another pops up! 

The consensus was that 

China’s RMB was going down, 

either in a managed fashion or 

potentially in a one-off hit. A 

weaker currency exports one’s 

problems. It also means a NZD 

on aTWI basis that will struggle 

to push materially lower despite 

recent movements in the NZD/ 

USD. 

We heard many stories about 

capital flight from China; in 

some instances, a capital loss 

was being accepted simply 

because it was the lesser of 

two evils versus waiting for 

currency depreciation. 

Any views were low-conviction 

ones, if they existed at all. 

We were constantly asked for 

our thoughts on the state of 

play; we had a view, but found 

the question ironic given we 

observe the region from afar 

(though sometimes that can be 

an advantage). 

Cameron Bagrie is Chief 

Economist at ANZ Bank. The 

above is a shortened version of 

his original analysis which can 

be accessed at www.anz.co.nz 

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12 HOMELINK 



Issue 340 | February 15, 2016 

Film betrays the Kuwaiti Theatre 

Airlift’ may be an entertaining 

film but the increasing 

number of dissenting 

comments have prompted 

this Leader. 

Just as Iraq invaded and 

occupied Kuwait on August 2, 

1990, the Amir of Kuwait (the late) 

Jaber Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah 

fled to Saudi Arabia (he remained 

in Taif until liberation on February 

28, 1991) and soon obtained the 

sympathy and support of the five 

other countries of the Arab Gulf 

Cooperation Council (Bahrain, 

Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and 

the United Arab Emirates), which 

in turn sought the support of the 

United States of America. 

The Grand Alliance of many 

powerful countries (led by USA 

and Great Britain) began, although 

the Union of Soviet Socialist 

Republics (USSR) and France had 

their reservations. It was this 

group of allies that imposed strangulating 

sanctions against Iraq, 

stepped their military presence 

in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and 

prepared for ‘Operation Desert 

Shield,’ and later ‘Operation Desert 

Storm.’ Interestingly, many other 

countries including India followed 

their policy of ‘Non-Alignment,’ 

although New Delhi had to 

strike a deal with Iraqi President 

Saddam Hussain (see our stories 

in this issue) to prevent him from 

using more than 170,000 Indian 

expatriates in Kuwait as ‘human 

shields’ (a threat that he issued 

openly) and close the Indian 

Embassy in Kuwait. 

Saddam’s argument was simple: 

Kuwait was not a sovereign 

country – it had become the 19th 

Province of Iraq – and hence had 

no place for diplomatic missions. 

Most other countries including 

the United States of America and 

United Kingdom refused to shut 

their embassies but simply asked 

all staff to return home or relocate 

to Baghdad or Jordan. 

Great Evacuation 

There were many developments 

that occurred following the 

arrival of the Iraqi troops at 2 

am on that fateful day in August 

(2.8.1990). Minutes later, a British 

Airways commercial aircraft 

landed with American and British 

passport holders, many of them 

of Indian origin. They could not 

leave Kuwait since all commercial 

flights were banned by the allied 

forces. Fearing for their lives, 

many of them destroyed their 

American and British passports to 

join the exodus that later came to 

be known as ‘the Greatest Human 

Evacuation in History.’ 

Throughout the occupation of 

Kuwait, there were no reports of 

the Iraqi troops harming foreigners, 

although Saddam constantly 

threatened to do so. A few lost 

their lives, mostly caught during 

cross-fires or openly defying the 

trigger-happy Iraqi military that 

was roaming the streets. 

Although Kuwait was totally 

destroyed (the Editor of this 

newspaper is an eyewitness to the 

massacre), there were no mass 

executions. Hundreds of Kuwaitis 

used to hold secret meetings to 

discuss the possibility of electing 

a more powerful Parliament 

(Kuwait was the first country to 

have an elected House of People’s 

Representatives in the Arab Gulf 

but was forever at loggerheads 

with the government) but they did 

not yield the desired results. 

Goodwill visit 

India’s External Affairs Minister 

Inder Kumar Gujral visited Iraq 

and met Saddam at his Baghdad 

Palace in September 1990, about a 

month after the Kuwaiti occupation. 

That visit paved the way for 

the ‘Greatest Human evacuation 

in History,’ with Mr Gujral himself 

taking about 120 Indian expatriates 

in his special Indian Airforce 

aircraft. Among them were a few 

people of Indian origin who were 

holed up at Al Rashid Hotel. 

While thousands of Indians 

left Kuwait when the Indian 

government commenced its 

evacuation operations, it is wrong 

to assume that it involved all the 

170,000 Indians estimated to have 

lived in the oil-rich Gulf State at 

that time. Thousands preferred 

to stay back and carry on their 

lives. Since evacuation through 

Saudi Arabia was not possible, the 

Indian government decided to do 

so through Amman, the Capital 

of Jordan. There were no direct 

flights from that city to India, and 

as an offline station, Amman was 

serviced by Air India, Bahrain. 

Spreading fear 

Again, the fear complex was not 

restricted to Kuwait. Hundreds 

of Indians living in Saudi Arabia 

and Bahrain were also allowed to 

leave the respective countries (it 

was their choice) terminating their 

employment contracts and taking 

all benefits including leaving 

indemnity, one-way air ticket and 

other allowances. 

While the first batch of evacuees 

who accompanied Mr Gujral did 

not have any time to even pack 

their belongings, those living 

in Kuwait had sufficient time 

to do so. It was undoubtedly a 

harrowing experience for Indians 

but their safety was assured by 

Saddam and his military. In fact, 

as Captain Zain Juvale mentions 

in his articles appearing in this 

Section and under Homelink, Iraqi 

soldiers were empathetic towards 

Indians even during the early days 

of occupation. 

To those of us who have 

witnessed the developments in 

Kuwait and other neighbouring 

countries during the months that 

ran from August 1990 to March 

1991, ‘Airlift’ would be betrayal of 

the worst kind. 

We will carry more of these and 

an opinion piece that appeared in 

leading Indian newspapers in our 

next issue. 

Indian Newslink is published by Indian Newslink Limited from its offices located at Level 1, 

Number 166, Harris Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 2013 and printed at Horton Media Limited, 

Auckland. All material appearing here are the copyright of Indian Newslink and reproduction 

in full or part in any medium is prohibited. Indian Newslink and its management and staff do 

not accept any responsibility for the claims made in advertisements. 

Managing Director & Publisher: Jacob Mannothra; Editor & General Manager: Venkat Raman; 

Production Manager: Mahes Perera; Graphic Designer: Shine Kumar 

P O Box 82338 Highland Park, Auckland 2143 Phone: (09) 5336377 

Email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Websites: www.indiannewslink.co.nz; www.inliba.com; www.inlisa.com 

There was nothing like 

‘Airlift’ 

The Hero is also a myth 

First of three parts 

Captain Zain Juvale 

My mind goes back to 

that fateful day of 

August 2, 1990, and 

the events which 

unfolded thereafter. I was 

the Captain (Master) of the 

Panamanian ship ‘Safeer’ in 

Port Shuwaikh, Kuwait. On that 

memorable day, Iraqi forces 

invaded Kuwait, and took control 

of that country. We faced 

a tense and nervous moment 

when a fleet of 15 fighter planes 

flew over our ship and dropped 

bombs all around us. 

Fortunately, none of them hit 

our ship. 

In captivity 

On the following day, I and 

my crew of 25 were captured 

by the invading Iraqi forces. We 

were all forced to line up on the 

wharf in a straight line, with 

our hands on our heads, and 

each one of us faced the barrel 

of the fierce looking guns, 

barely six inches from our eyes, 

and with their fingers ready on 

the triggers. 

Additionally, each one of us 

had a soldier behind our backs 

with their rifles pointing at our 

heads. It was like facing a firing 

squad at point blank range 

from both sides. 

All our eyes were nervously 

transfixed on the fingers 

waiting to pull the triggers, 

with our hearts beating faster, 

trembling with fear, a prayer 

on our lips, and thoughts of our 

families back home running 

through our minds. 

Mercifully, to our great relief, 

the triggers were not pulled at 

that time, but still we waited 

with abated breath pondering 

about our fate. 

35 ordeal days 

It was the beginning of our 

35 days of ordeal, and trauma 

of captivity and uncertainty. 

We lived in constant fear and 

trepidation with the Sword of 

Damocles hanging over our 

heads. 

During this period, we had 

no communication with our 

families in India, or with 

anyone in the outside world. 

The ship's local agents had run 

away from Kuwait, and even 

the ship's owners were not 

contactable. 

As we were isolated inside 

the Port from the rest of the 

world, we had no clue as to 

what was happening in Kuwait 

or anywhere else. 

One day, escorted by the Iraqi 

soldiers, I and my Chief Officer 

went in search of our passports, 

which I believed were kept in 

one of the ransacked Immigration 

Offices on the wharf. While 

we did so, the Iraqi soldiers 

were helping themselves to all 

the electronic gadgets including 

computers and telephones. 

Just then I noticed a phone in 

a cabin with the door left ajar, 

and the key in the door. 

I quickly shut the door and 

locked the cabin and kept the 

Thousands of Indians were evacuated from Kuwait in 1990 following the Iraqi occupation. 

The picture here shows one plane load of anxious Indians 

key with me. 

Only lifeline 

This phone was to later 

become my only lifeline to the 

outside world (outside the port). 

At night, under the cover of 

darkness, I used to sneak out of 

my ship and tread very quietly 

to the wharf, (not taking the 

risk of being seen by the Iraqi 

soldiers), and try to contact 

some people in Kuwait. 

To my utter disappointment, 

most of the local phones were 

dead, and no international calls 

could be made. However, at a 

much later stage, after many 

futile attempts, I managed to 

establish my first contact with 

the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, 

after dialling their number 

non-stop for over two hours, in 

total darkness. 

A few days into captivity, the 

stock of water and provisions 

on board had depleted. The 

original stock itself was limited 

since our plan was to sail to 

Dubai after two days of halt 

in Kuwait with replenished 

food and water. No one had 

anticipated this invasion and 

our detention. Initially, we had 

to resort to rationing, so as to be 

prepared for the worst. 

But thankfully, with tactful 

negotiations with Iraqi soldiers, 

we managed to get some 

provisions and water. 

I have often wondered 

thereafter as to how I gathered 

the courage to stand up to the 

armed Iraqis (who were in a 

murderous and plundering 

mood) and negotiate with them, 

at times even challenging some 

of their decisions. 

Establishing trust 

They must have secretly admired 

my courage and at times 

even went out of their way to 

accommodate my requests. As 

our captivity came to an end, I 

had the audacity to believe that 

I was calling the shots with full 

cooperation of the Iraqis! 

Trust, politeness and courtesy 

often yields good results, and 

this is true of even militants, 

as I discovered with the Iraqis. 

Persistence and perseverance 

also helped in our situation. 

The Iraqis even acceded to my 

request for us to play Cricket on 

the wharf, under their watchful 

eyes. 

They surrounded us in a 

circle, with perplexed looks on 

their faces, and wondered about 

this strange game. 

However, the entire situation 

could have changed at any time, 

had they received orders from 

the top to just shoot us all. Our 

main worry was that if a full 

scale war broke out, the Americans 

would attack the port area 

first, and any chances of our 

escaping would be doomed. 

We could even be caught in a 

cross-fire. 

(To be continued) 

Editor’s Note: Those of us who lived in Kuwait and/or covered 

the occupation of the Arab Gulf State by Iraq from August 2, 

1990 and the ‘Gulf Storm’, the First Gulf War that led to the 

liberation of Kuwait on February 28, 1991 (after five days of 

war), would know that the recently released Hindi film ‘Airlift’ 

is nothing more than a hero-centred imagination and divorced 

from truth. While the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait 

through Amman, Jordan and not through Saudi Arabia (which 

would have been easier and faster) was undoubtedly the single 

largest human exercise of the modern era, it was nothing like 

what the film portrayed. I was among those who was in Kuwait 

the days following its liberation and what I saw and reported 

was more heart-rending and tragic than anyone could have imagined. 

The film has become a topic of discussion and Captain 

Zain Juvale has written a three-part report (in addition to one 

appearing under Homelink) which will be complemented by 

my remarks. If you have been involved in the Kuwaiti Theatre 

during the Iraqi occupation, 

please write to editor@indiannewslink.co.nz


13 

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14 BUSINESSLINK 


We are at least talking of trade boost with India 

Grahame Morton (New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India), Sunil Kaushal, Subhas 

Aggarwal, (Chairman, National Council on Microfinance, ASSOCHAM), Arvind Kumar 

(Advisor, ASSOCHAM), Babu Lal Jain (Member of Managing Committee, ASSOCHAM) 

Venkat Raman 


New Zealand and India 

have spent almost ten 

years speaking about 

the need to get closer 

on economic cooperation and 

bilateral trade but statistics 

prove that the desire is yet to 

become reality. 

While China has become 

our largest trading partner 

within this period, two-way 

merchandise exports and 

imports between New Zealand 

and India remains modest 

at about $1.2 billion and the 

much talked-about Free Trade 

Agreement (FTA) remains as 

distant it was in November 2007 

when ‘serious intensions’ were 

expressed by both governments. 

However, that does not mean, 

there are little or no opportunities 

to foster better ties 

with India governmental and 

non-governmental levels. New 

Zealand now has an opportunity 

to witness the transformation 

and resurgence of a young, 

confident and optimistic nation 

that will be the new hero in 

tomorrow’s global drama. 

Our engagement with India is 

very timely and strategic. 

Complex Economy 

As we have always said, 

India is a complex country with 

diversity of views and needs 

and any dialogue on bilateral relations 

should take into account 

the ambitions of its teeming 

millions and the economy’s 

changing requirements. 

Negotiators, diplomats and 

experts on India have often 

said that governments of either 

country should direct their 

energies in supporting private 

initiatives and encourage business-to-business 

relationship 

and people-to-people dialogue. 

The federal government in 

New Delhi is promoting its 

new concept of ‘Make in India’ 

Programme, as a measure of not 

only increasing productivity but 

also becoming a global supplier 

of goods, in addition to services, 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi with (from left) Sujata Sudarshan (Regional Director, ASEAN & 

ANZ, CII); Sunil Kaushal, Jane Cunliffe (Trade Commissioner, North India), Subhabrata 

Haldar (Senior Vice-President IIDC), Rajesh Menon (Deputy Director General, CII) A V 

Rajamany (Deputy Director ASEAN & ANZ, CII) 

which it has been providing 

through its engineering, software 

and consultancy skills. 

PPP works 

Public-Private Partnership 

also works, as evidenced in 

Auckland on February 11, 2016 

when the India New Zealand 

Business Council organised a 

meeting enabling the Indian 

High Commission Charge de 

Affaires Sandeep Sood to speak 

about the ‘Make in India Week’ 

(marked in India from February 

13 to 18, 2016). 

A separate report of this event 

appears elsewhere in this issue. 

India Trade Alliance (ITA) 

established about six months 

ago, created similar impact in 

January by forging relationships 

with a number of industry 

organisations in Delhi. 

ITA General Secretary Sunil 

Kaushal signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding (MoU) each 

with the Associated Chambers 

of Commerce & Industry (ASSO- 

CHAM) and the Confederation of 

Indian Industry (CII). 

“ASSOCHAM has in its 

fold more than 400 Industry 

Chambers, Trade Associations 

and serves more than 450,000 

Corporate Members from all 

over India. Speaking to its 

members, New Zealand High 

Commissioner Grahame Morton 

reiterated our government’s 

commitment to engage with 

India bilaterally, culturally, 

academically and in sporting 

relations,” Mr Kaushal said. 

CII is India’s premier business 

association with more than 

7100 members, from the 

private as well as public sectors, 

including multinationals and 

small and medium enterprises 

and an indirect membership 

of over 100,000 enterprises 

from around 240 national 

and regional sectoral industry 

bodies,” he added. 

Common platform 

ITA Chairman Giri Gupta 

claimed that his organisation 

has commenced 2016 strengthening 

links with these premier 

bodies. 

Sunil Kaushal with India’s Foreign 

Secretary Dr S Jaishankar 

“For New Zealand businesses 

to work closer with Indian counterparts, 

we need collaborative 

working relationships with 

businesses in India to establish 

a platform for Kiwi firms to 

engage at the business level,”he 

said. 

Among those present at the 

MoU signing ceremony with 

CII were National Member of 

Parliament Kanwaljit Singh 

Bakshi, New Zealand Trade 

Commissioner (North India) 

Jane Cunliffe. 

While in India, Mr Kaushal 

also met senior Indian officials 

at External Affairs and Trade 

Ministries, including Foreign 

Secretary Dr S Jaishankar, Trade 

Negotiator Arvind Mehta and 

Joint Secretary (South)J aideep 

Mazumdar. 

He also met India’s new High 

Commissioner to New Zealand 

Sanjiv Kohli. As reported in our 

January 15, 2016 issue, he is 

expected to arrive in Wellington 

to begin his tour of duty in New 

Zealand this fortnight. 

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15 

Radical 

reforms to 

‘Make in 

India’ 

work 

KS Bakshi (extreme right) with Bhav Dhillon, Clayton Kimpton, Sandeep Sood, Wenceslaus Anthony and INZBC Executive Member Sameer Handa 

its own ‘Challenge of Change.’ “The 

federal government should ensure 

the participation of all States to 

enable the success of ‘Make in 

India.’ The manufacturing sector 

in India currently accounts for 

only 6% of the GDP and the plan is 

to increase it to 25%. This in itself 

offers mammoth opportunities for 

New Zealand businesses but we 

should be aware of our capabilities 

and limitations. Our small size 

does not help us achieve economies 

of scale but partnership in ‘Make 

in India’ campaign will accrue 

benefits,” he said. 

Mr Kimpton said that market 

intelligence and right connections 

were important to be successful in 

India and hoped that companies 

and entrepreneurs interested in 

engaging with India will seek the 

assistance of NZTE. 

Among the other speakers at the 

Seminar were INZBC Treasurer 

Bhav Dhillon and former Chairman 

Wenceslaus Anthony. 

Sandeep Sood describing ‘Make in India’ Campaign 

Venkat Raman 


India is on the 

threshold of exciting 

developments with the 

federal government in 

New Delhi implementing 

a series of radical reforms 

that would not only achieve 

sustainable development 

but also seek, establish and 

foster foreign partnerships, 

a senior diplomat has said. 

Speaking at the ‘Make in 

India’ Seminar organised 

by the India New Zealand 

Business Council (INZBC) 

at the Westpac Head 

Office in Auckland City on 

February 11, 2016, Indian 

High Commission Charge 

de Affaires Sandeep Sood 

said that the reforms are 

also witnessing a change in 

approach – from ‘Red Tape 

to Red Carpet.’ 

Hidden Treasures 

The ‘Make in India Week’ 

being held in Mumbai 

from February 13 to 18, 

2016, is an opportunity for 

businesses to discover the 

‘hidden treasures of India’ 

and learn of the facilities 

and incentives that are 

being offered to Indian 

and foreign companies 

to participate in India’s 

industrial and commercial 

development. Massive 

changes have occurred in 

terms of simplified systems 

and procedures and issue 

of licences and permits,” he 

said. 

According to Mr Sood, 

the challenge for India 

is to achieve an average 

economic growth of 10% 

per annum over the next 

ten years, ensure ease of 

doing business and become 

a part of the global chain. 

“The government has 

taken steps to offer a 

number of incentives and 

innovative programmes 

that would create new 

avenues for growth. The 

concept of restricted foreign 

equity has undergone 

major changes and today 

Foreign Direct Investment 

(FDI) is available in several 

areas. Foreigners can now 

own 100% equity in the 

Telecommunications 

sector,” he said. 

Digital India 

He cited ‘Digital India,’ 

Clean India Campaign’ and 

the existing and emerging 

opportunities across several 

industries including automobile, 

textile, agriculture, 

information and communications 

technology, and 

many others. 

“India has a large 

consumer market and is a 

vibrant nation,” he said. 

National Member of 

Parliament Kanwaljit 

Singh Bakshi, who recently 

returned from India after 

attending several meetings 

and events (some of which 

have been published 

elsewhere in this issue) 

said that India offers ‘real 

opportunities’ and that it 

is the right time for New 

Zealand businesses to take 

advantage of them. 

“India has opened its 

huge markets to international 

companies, businesses 

and individuals and both 

John Key and Narendra 

Modi (Prime Ministers of 

respective countries) are 

keen to strengthen our 

friendly relations,” he said. 

The Challenges 

New Zealand Trade 

& Enterprise Regional 

Director Northern Emirates 

and Consul General based 

in Dubai Clayton Kimpton, 

who is in New Zealand to 

attend a series of meetings 

of Trade Commissioners, 

said that the ‘Make in India’ 

campaign will be attractive 

to foreign businesses only if 

India successfully addresses

16 COMMUNITYLINK 


Temples should foster cultural plurality 

Venkat Raman 


New Zealand perhaps 

has the largest number 

of places of worship 

including Hindu 

Temples, Sikh Gurdwaras and 

Churches for Indian congregation 

but the need to promote 

cohesiveness and work together 

for the common good is more 

pronounced now than before. 

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan 

of New Zealand Inc has taken 

the first initiative in this connection 

by organising a Summit at 

its Complex (12 Princes Streets, 

Onehunga, and Auckland) on 

February 27 and 28, 2016. 

The Conference is however 

The Deities of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lakshman and Lord Hanuman 

Lord Dattareya, also known as ‘Trimurthi’ 

What: 

Who: 

Shirdi Sai Devotees 

Summit- The Role of 

Temples in Community 

Development 

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba 

Sansthan of NZ Inc 

When: Saturday, February 27 

from 9 am 

Sunday, February 28 at 

230 pm; 

Cultural Programme 

from 630 pm 

Where: 

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba 

Temple Complex 

12 Princes Street, 

Onehunga, Auckland 

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Complex 

confined to the ‘Shirdi Sai Baba 

Movement’ but it is a first step 

towards a larger, macro event 

that could be held later. 

Trustees’ Summit 

The two-day Summit will be 

inaugurated by Dr Chandra 

Bhanu Satpathy, Founder-President 

of Shirdi Sai Global 

Foundation and former Uttar 

Pradesh Director General of 

Police. About 40 Trustees and 

Managers of Sai Temples in Australia, 

Germany, India, Malaysia, 

United Kingdom and United 

States of America are expected 

to attend the Conference. 

Sansthan President Bhaskar 

Duvvuru is a long-serving devotee 

of Sai Baba and has held 

various posts in the Sansthan 

including Member Executive 

Committee, Secretary, Vice-President 

and President. Donors, 

devotees and the community 

assisted him, and his team 

of trustees and volunteers to 

construct the $6 million Temple 

Complex in Onehunga, which 

was inaugurated on February 6, 

2014, almost 12 years after the 

inception of the Sansthan. 

Challenging Task 

“Running a Temple is more 

challenging and time-consuming 

exercise than building 

it. There are several issues 

involved but the most important 

consideration is its relevance 

to the country, society and 

the community. I hope that 

the forthcoming Summit will 

address the topic,” he said. 

Mr Duvvuru said that 

devotees were eagerly looking 

forward to the keynote speech 

of Dr Satpathy who is ‘always 

inspiring and pious.’ 

“We propose to discuss 

topics connected to the ‘Role 

of Temples and Non-Profit 

Organisations in Community 

Development’ and ‘Spiritual and 

Lord Venkateswara and Goddess Padmavathi 

Holistic Living’ at the 

two-day Summit,” he 

said. 

Starship Foundation 

As a part of its 

commitment to support 

community and social 

welfare programmes, 

the Sansthan will 

donate $12,000 to 

Starship Foundation, 

which it will adopt as a 

Project for continuous 

support. 

The Sansthan will 

present a cheque to 

the Foundation Chief 

Executive Brad Clark 

at the Summit on 

February 27. 

Apart from participating 

in the Summit, 

delegates and other 

devotees can also 

attend the cultural 

programme scheduled 

to be held on February 

28, 2016. 

Impressive growth 

The Shri Shirdi 

Sai Baba Sansthan 

has come a long way 

from its early days. 

In Indian Newslink 

November 1, 2003 

issue, Sunkari Laxman, 

its Founder-President 

wrote, “One of the 

main objectives is 

to build a Sai Baba 

Temple in Auckland, in 

aid of which a number 

of members are 

conducting fund raising 

programmes. One such 

is ‘Donate a Brick.’ 

Devotees are responding 

overwhelmingly 

to this project. Many 

such fundraising 

programmes are due 

be held for which 

community support is 

sought.”

February 15, 2016 COMMUNITYLINK 

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through the mobile app, is 

tailored specifically for Muslim 

consumers - a sector predicted 

to grow to US$200 billion in the 

next four years. 

Extensive choice 

Consumers can choose a tour 

package to suit their needs from 

options such as type of holiday, 

which region of the world to 

duration. Each package is also 

rated on how Muslim-friendly 

it is by Halal Trip’s sister firm, 

Crescent Rating –a leading 

authority on Halal travel. 

Halal Trip Chief Executive 

Fazal Bahardeen said,“It is 

widely recognised that the 

Muslim travel market is becoming 

increasingly important and 

lucrative to the travel sector and 

the launch of these exclusive 

worldwide tour packages is a 

A perfect morning at Nusa Dua beach, Bali, Indonesia. 

reflection on this fact. Muslim 

consumers are keen to explore 

new destinations and experience 

different cultures, which 

is why we have launched these 

tailored packages that cater for 

every occasion together with 

satisfying needs such as Halal 

food and prayer facilities.” 

“Whether it is experiencing 

Great White Sharks in South Africa, 

taking in some culture and 

history in Spain, honeymooning 

in Maldives or shopping in 

Dubai, we have something for 

every need,” he added. 

The packages not only include 

tours to the world’s most 

popular destinations such as 

Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Cape 

Town, Maldives, and London 

but also cities such as Tbilisi, 

Dubrovnik and Kunming. 

Halal Trip plans to add more 

destinations in the coming 

months. 

As part of the tour packages 

launch, Halal Trip has also 

Photo:Tanti Ruwani/flickr 

partnered with MasterCard to 

provide exclusive benefits to 

MasterCard cardholders. 

Good Rating 

CrescentRating has rated each 

tour package from Bronze to 

Gold against a range of criteria 

that includes the availability of 

Halal food and prayer facilities. 

The Muslim travel market is 

now widely recognised as a key 

growth tourism sector projected 

to be worth US$200 billion by 

2020 according to the Master- 

Card-CrescentRating Global 

Muslim Travel Index 2015. 

Please visit www.halaltrip. 

com or download Halal Trip 

mobile application for iOS or 

Android devices. 

Five Top Packages 

• Gems of Islamic Spaineight-day 

tour that 

highlights Madrid and visits 

the three most celebrated 

cities of Al Andalus including 

Cordoba, Granada and 

Seville. 

• Sweet Escape- three-day 

Honeymoon Package to Bali 

• Amazing Balkan- 12 Days 

Tour to Greece, Macedonia, 

Albania, Montenegro, Croatia 

and Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

• Shark Cage Diving - Full-day 

unforgettable underwater 

experience with the Great 

White Sharks near Cape 

Town. 

• Dubai Shopping Festival-Five 

days of shopping extravaganza 

including a desert 

safari with a BBQ Dinner, 

tour of Dubai and a visit to 

the Marina Dhow Cruise with 

dinner. 

Material Supplied 

Tax Agent 

withdraws 

status appeal 

The company of tax evader 

Accountant Imran Mohammed 

Kamal has withdrawn its appeal 

of a Wellington High Court 

decision that it should lose its tax agency 

status. 

The appeal by Accountants First Ltd 

was due to be heard in the Court of 

Appeal in Auckland in November 2015, 

but was withdrawn shortly before the 

hearing’s scheduled date. 

This means the company is no longer 

a tax agent and cannot promote itself as 

such. 

Inland Revenue Department (IRD) 

Deputy Commissioner (Service Delivery) 

Arlene White was pleased that the 

October 2014 High Court decision stood 

and that the matter has ended. 

“Tax agents play an important role in 

New Zealand’s tax system by helping 

taxpayers to understand and meet 

their tax obligations. Tax agents who 

are approved by IRD hold an elevated 

position of trust and are expected 

to model exemplary compliance 

behaviours,” she said. 

Key player 

Kamal was a key player in the high 

profile tax evasion case involving 

Brent Gilchrist, Scott Anderson, and 

Accountants First Ltd. 

Following the convictions of Kamal 

and Accountants First Limited in 2013, 

IRD decided to remove the company 

from its list of approved tax agents. 

The Department had considered that 

the company could not be trusted as a 

tax agent to comply with the law. Under 

the Tax Administration Act 1994, IRD 

can revoke a tax agent’s status if the 

integrity of the tax system would be 

adversely affected. 

Ms White said that the offending 

involved significant deception and 

dishonesty, including creation of false 

invoices and money being paid overseas 

and channelled back to a bank account 

of Kamal’s in Vanuatu. 

“It is important that taxpayers can 

trust their tax agent, and in turn those 

companies and agents have a duty to 

uphold the integrity of the tax system,” 

she said. 

Inland Revenue Department Press 

Release 


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(Including GST and Postage) 

Call (09) 5336377/ (09) 3910203 

Email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz



Black, White, Blue, God gives everyone’s due 

God is every colour because he is a spirit, and he changes colours 

Carey Kinsolving 

www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org 

Nine-year-old Brittany 

says,” God is light blue 

and white, because I 

think He watches us 

from the clouds.” 

There is a sense in which God 

watches over His people from 

the clouds. 

When the Lord brought Israel 

from the bondage of Egypt into 

the wilderness,He led them 

with a pillar of cloud by day and 

pillar of fire by night (Exodus 

13:21). 

The heavens speak to us 

every day, if we have the eyes 

to see. The Psalmist wrote: “The 

heavens declare the glory of 

God and the firmament shows 

His handiwork”(Psalm 19:1). 

Chris, who is ten years old, 

said the she always thought 

that God was tan. “I guess it is 

because the colour of my skin is 

tan,” she said. 

Chris, thanks for your honesty. 

Instead of reading the Bible and 

asking God to reveal Himself, 

it is easy to assume God is just 

like us. 

“I think God is gold in colour, 

because He shines like gold. I 

think God is so beautiful and 

his son, Jesus, is beautiful, too!” 

Justin (8) said. 

The Zeal 

What would you think of 

someone who rented a safe 

deposit box to store asphalt? 

If people Sought God with the 

same zeal they seek and hoard 

gold, their lives would change 

radically. 

That is exactly what Jesus 

proposed when he said that 

we should seek the Kingdom of 

God first and let Him fill in the 

details of your life on Earth. 

“God is a rainbow colour because 

He loves all people,” says 

seven-year-old Hunter. When 

you stand before God’s throne, 

Hunter, you will see a rainbow 

surrounding it (Revelation 4:3). 

God’s Promise 

We know that the Rainbow is 

a sign of God’s promise not to 

destroy the Earth again by flood. 

But in heaven, the Rainbow 

represents more than God’s 

promise to Noah. It is a part of 

the glory cloud that surrounds 

the Lord Jesus. 

“I think that God is all colours, 

because all the people of the 

world are in different colours,” 

says Jane (10).“God could be 

black, white, peach and maybe 

light brown. He is God, so He 

can choose.” 

Try multi-coloured, says 

eleven-year-old Carter. 

“I do not think that God is of 

any race or colour. I think He 

has a little bit of every colour in 

Him, because He loves us all the 

same.” 

Nina, 9, answers the question 

this way: “People saw a bright 

light when Jesus came.” Hunter, 

Jane, Carter and Nina are on the 

same trail, because pure light 

contains all the Colours of the 

rainbow. 

Apostle Matthew referred to 

Jesus when he quoted Prophet 

Isaiah: “The people who sat 

in darkness have seen a great 

light”(Matthew 4:16). 

Jesus himself said,“I am the 

light of the world”(John 8:12). 

“God is every colour because 

he is a spirit, and he changes 

colours,” says Taylor (10). 

But Austin,who is also ten 

years old, says: “God does not 

have colour. He is so glorious 

that He does not need one. 

When we go to heaven, we will 

not care about His colour.” 

Author CS Lewis said that 

all our questions will seem 

short-sighted and small during 

the first moment in heaven. 

They will be eclipsed by an 

overwhelming vision of God’s 

infinite glory. 

Think about what Dave (9) 

said: “God is not a colour. God is 

spirit.” 

Memorise this truth: “God is 

Spirit, and those who worship 

Him must worship in spirit and 

truth”(John 4:24). 

Ask this question: Do you 

know Jesus as the light of this 

world and the next? 

Carey Kinsolving is an Auckland 

based storywriter and the above 

is a part of ‘Kids Talk about God’ 

distributed by Creators Syndicate. 

To access free, online ‘Kids Color 

Me Bible’ books,‘Mission Explorers’ 

videos and all columns in a Bible 

Lesson Archive, visit www.KidsTalk- 

AboutGod.org. To read journey-offaith 

feature stories written by Carey 

Kinsolving, visit www.faithprofiles. 

org; © 2016 Carey Kinsolving


19 

Strong partnership ensures enduring safety 

Richard Chambers 

Lunar New Year is 

celebrated by the Korean, 

Chinese, Vietnamese, 

and other Asian ethnic 

groups throughout the world. 

2016 is the Year of the ‘Fire 

Monkey.’ 

Asian people are always 

happy to work with the New 

Zealand Police to reduce crime 

and victimisation. 

My understanding of the ‘Fire 

Monkey’ is that it is about wit, 

intelligence and energy and 

hence I hope that our friends 

within Asian communities have 

the opportunity to celebrate 

and enjoy the year with family, 

friends and loved ones. 

I hope that they have fun, can 

laugh a lot and make intelligent 

decisions when it comes to their 

safety and the safety of others. 

Partners in Safety 

It is the role of my staff and 

I to ensure that people feel 

safe and are safe in this great 

multicultural city. 

But this has to be done in 

partnership. 

We need to work together to 

help prevent crime and victimisation 

and we are always very 

grateful to our partners in Asian 

communities for helping us to 

get these prevention messages 

out to the community. 

Please keep up the good work. 

If you are out at night, be aware of your 

surroundings keep yourself and your 

valuables safe. 

I know that many in the 

Asian communities often feel 

that they are easy targets for 

victimisation but we can all be 

easy targets if we do not take 

good care of ourselves and our 

property. 

Good neighbourliness 

If you are out at night, be 

aware of your surroundings 

- keep yourself and your 

valuables safe. If you are going 

away, make sure that your 

homes are secured and ask a 

neighbour to keep an eye on the 

place for you. 

You live in a nation where 

your neighbours can become 

your best friends and most 

people want to ensure that their 

neighbourhoods are safe, so 

always ask for help. 

As a growing city, with growing 

wealth, Aucklanders are also 

often targets for fraudsters. 

If you are going away, make sure that your 

homes are secured and ask a neighbour to 

keep an eye on the place for you. 

I am aware that this is 

something which is becoming 

a growing issue within Asian 

communities. My advice to you 

is simple: if the offer seems too 

good to be true, it probably is. 

We have teams dedicated to 

tackling dishonesty crime. 

I encourage you to report 

suspicious behaviour and 

criminal activity. 

Most importantly, please 

remember to smile, laugh and 

Richard Chambers and Jessica Phuang 

enjoy each other’s company this 

year and make good decisions 

when it comes to looking after 

yourselves, your loved ones and 

your families. 

Superintendent Richard 

Chambers is District Commander 

of the Auckland City District 

Police. The above article is based 

on an interview that he had with 

Asian Liaison Officer Jessica 

Phuang at the start of the Lunar 

New Year. She enjoys working 

with the Asian communities not 

only within the Auckland City 

District Police but also other parts 

of New Zealand. 

She can be contacted on 

(09) 3026421 or 021-1920935; 

E: jessica.phuang@police.govt.nz 

Ilango Krishnamoorthy 

Product Supporter of 

Thiru Subramaniyar Aalayam 

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Reunion reinforces the strength of Fo Guang Shan 

Abbess Manshin speaking at the Ceremony 

Offering of the ‘Six Dusts’ by the Buddhist Light International Association Members 

Ratna Venkat presents an Indian Dance to 

the Chinese Song, ‘My Heart is Pure as Fresh 

Water Springs’ 

The Charming Scenery in South China 

The ever-popular Dragon Dance 

Pictures by Fo Guan Shan New Zealand 

Venkat Raman 


The teachings of 

Buddha, the spirit of 

tolerance, simplicity 

and piety and the 

understanding of humanity 

were all at the fore at the Fo 

Guang Shan in Auckland as 

the famous Buddhist shrine 

marked its annual Reunion 

Dinner on January 23, 2016. 

More than 1000 people 

including politicians, community 

leaders, Buddhist 

monks, religious people, 

ordinary members of the 

society and volunteers 

attended the event held at 

the sprawling complex of 

the Temple located at 16, 

Stancombe Road in Botany. 

The event also marked the 

advent of the Chinese New 

(Lunar) Year of the Monkey. 

In his New Year Message 

shown at the event, 

Venerable Hsing Yun, the 

88-year-old Founder and 

Leader of Fo Guang Shan, 

said that the Year of the 

Monkey would also mark 

the Golden Jubilee of the 

Movement. 

Human Development 

“The Spring breeze (in 

the Northern Hemisphere) 

continues to send forth the 

fragrance of flowers. In the 

New Year, I sincerely wish 

that everyone can be smart 

and agile, and be blessed 

with merits and wisdom,” 

he said. 

“It is the people who 

propagate the Way, not the 

Way that propagates people. 

I have paid special and 

extra attention to education 

since it is vital for human 

development,” he added. 

Dharma Ceremony 

The annual event began 

with a magnificent blessing 

Dharma Ceremony led 

by Venerable Abbess 

Manshin,who paid tribute 

to Hsing Yun. 

“The Chinese tradition of 

Reunion Dinners reinforces 

the goodness in every 

human being. The Venerable 

Master wishes everyone 

to be full of energy and be 

complete with compassion 

and wisdom so that people 

can uncover their potentials, 

purify their body 

and mind and benefit the 

society,” she said. 

Among the other speakers 

were Jami-Lee Ross, 

National Party’s elected 

Member of Parliament 

from Botany and the Editor 

of this newspaper. 

“Every visit to this Temple 

brings me joy, wisdom 

and fortune. The people 

of Botany are fortunate 

to have Fo Guang Shan 

in their neighbourhood, 

where the motto of “Three 

good deeds and Four kinds 

of giving” promotes a safer 

and better community,” he 

said. 

Steven Xu, North Island 

President of the Buddhist 

Light International 

Association (BLIA) said 

that Humanistic Buddhism 

promoted by Hsing Yun 

enables people to lead 

quality lives with peace and 

understanding. 

“By working hard and 

by being together we will 

surely create a peaceful and 

harmonious multicultural 

nation in New Zealand,” he 

said. 

The Programme 

The entertainment programme 

presented during 

dinner included a variety 

of dances depicting Nature, 

Buddhism, Humanity and 

Spirituality. These included 

the ‘Lion Dance,’ Six Kinds 

of Offerings,’ ‘Blessing 

Ceremony,’ ‘Drum Solo,’ 

‘Charming Scenery in South 

China,’ ‘Chan Martial Art,’ 

‘Uyghur Dance: Girls from 

Da Ban City,’ Group Dance, 

‘Three Virtues,’ Indian Solo 

Dance: ‘My Heart is Pure 

as Fresh Water Springs,’ 

Rhythm of the World Song: 

‘Giving,’ Rendition 100: 

Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva,’ 

Native Taiwanese 

Dance: ‘Song of Offering to 

the Sea,’ Group Choir: ‘My 

Hometown in Fo Guang 

Shan,’ and a Grand Finale. 

The Great Movement 

Fo Guang Shan, which 

means,‘Buddha’s Mountain 

of Light,’ is an international 

Chinese Buddhist Religious 

Movement based in the 

Republic of China (Taiwan). 

The Headquarters of the 

Movement based in Dashu 

District of Kaohsiung, is the 

largest Buddhist Monastery 

in that country. Fo Guang 

Shan is one of the largest 

charity organisations in 

Taiwan and the Order 

calls itself,‘International 

Buddhist Progress Society.’ 

Established in 1967 

by Hsing Yun, the Order 

promotes ‘Humanistic 

Buddhism.’ 

Hsing Yun’s stated 

position within Fo Guang 

Shan is that it is an ‘amalgam 

of all Eight Schools of 

Buddhism, including but 

not limited to Chan.’ 

MadanMohan 

Kalyan 

(Keyboard) 

Jerish Josep 

(LeadGuitar) 

Vishnu Sreekumar 

(BassGuitar) 

Balu Mallela 

(Octapad) 

Geerthana Nanthakumar 

(Keyboard &Violin) 

Divya Nanthakumar 


Manisha Nanthakumar 


ALive Instrumental &Vocal Concert 

At 

Auckland Normal Intermediate 

School Hall 

On 

27th of February 2016 

Start Time: 6pm(please be in by 5.45pm) 

Entire Ticket Sales Collection 

will bedonated to the 

NZ Thirumurugan Temple Society 

Building Fund 

Ticket Details: 

Family: $25 /Adult: $10 

Senior Citizen /Child: $5 

Master of Ceremony: 

Shivarama Yogakumar 


Sound: 

Arumugarajah Yogakumar 

Sponsored By: 

Mr Packiyanather Gunathas 

Mr Ponnuduray Kumarasamy (St Johns) 

Dr Vallipuram Sivakumar 

Dr Rama Velalagan 

East Tamaki Healthcare 

(names in surname order) 

Dr Suresh 

Ramachandra 

(Tabla) 

Joseph Alexander 

(Electronic Drums) 

Joscel Alexander 

(Acoustic Drums) 

Coordinatedby: 

Nadesan Nanthakumar 

09 625 1300 /021 182 9381/musicaljourney@hotmail.co.nz


21 

From dining to dancing, it was 

an evening to remember 

Hundreds greet bridal couple Gawanjit Singh Bakshi and Maneet Kaur 

Venkat Raman 


The Wedding Reception of 

Gawanjit (Gawan) Singh 

Bakshi and his bride 

Maneet Kaur Bakshi 

was anticipated with anxiety, 

because it was expected to be a 

grand affair. 

For about 320 guests who 

attended the event at Langham 

Hotel on Saturday, January 30, 

2016, it was more than sublime. 

It was a superb example of 

hospitality, good food, soulful 

(although extremely loud) music 

and most important of all the 

love and respect with which 

Gawan’s parents (National MP) 

Kanwaljit Singh and Irvinder 

Kaur are held by people. 

Maneet’s parents Navleen 

Singh and Satinder Kaur Kohli 

live in Bangalore but the 

Wedding was held in Delhi 

on Monday, January 18, 2016, 

which was attended by a 

number of friends of the family. 

Impressive Guests 

The Reception witnessed 

the presence of ‘Who is Who,’ 

Rijakjit Singh Bakshi, the Master of Ceremonies 

Prime Minister John Key speaking at the Wedding Reception 

The bridal couple Gawanjit Singh and Maneet Kaur Bakshi 

David Wong Tung, Judith Collins, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Counties Manukau Police District 

Commander Superintendent John Tims and Mrs Tim 

John & Bronagh Key with (from left) Kanwaljit Singh, Maneet Kaur, Gawan& Irvinder Kaur Bakshi 

John Key and Steven Joyce dancing at the Reception 

in New Zealand and as H P 

Luthera, a family friend said in 

his speech, “Prime Minister John 

Key (who was present with his 

wife Bronagh) has the quorum 

here to convene a Caucus 

meeting.” 

Indeed, there were no less 

than nine ministers present 

with their families. 

Among them were Chester 

Burrows (Deputy Speaker of 

Parliament) Steven Joyce (Economic 

Development Minister) 

and his wife Suzanne, Jonathan 

Coleman (Health Minister) and 

his wife Sandra, Hekia Parata 

(Education Minister) and her 

husband Sir Wira Gardiner, 

Judith Collins (Police Minister) 

and her husband David Wong 

Tung, Michael Woodhouse 

(Immigration Minister) and his 

daughter Emily, Todd McClay 

(Trade Minister) and his wife 

Nadene, Peseta Sam Lotu-liga 

(Ethnic Communities Minister) 

and his wife Jules, Nikki Wagner 

(Customs Minister) and her 

husband David, and Commerce 

Minister Paul Goldsmith and his 

wife Melissa. 

As well as National Party 

President Peter Goodfellow and 

several Members of Parliament 

and close friends of the Bakshi 

family were present at the 

Reception. 

Gawan’s younger brother 

Rijakjit was the Master of 

Ceremonies. 

Significant occasion 

Earlier in his speech, Mr Key 

highlighted family values and 

the significance of marriages 

that brought together families 

and friends. 

Harinder Pal Singh Luthera, a 

friend of the Bakshi family, spoke 

about the parental qualities of 

Kanwaljit Singh and Irvinder 

Kaur Bakshi and the upbringing 

of their two sons and proposed 

a toast for the bridal couple.



Young Zoros vow to carry traditional values 

Staff Reporter 

Young Zoroastrians 

vowed to carry the 

traditional, religious and 

social values of their 

fast depleting community and 

promote the life and spirit of 

Parsis across the Continents at 

a global event held in Auckland 

recently. 

More than 250 young people 

from various parts of the world 

deliberated on a number of 

social, community, religious 

and other issues at the six-day 

Sixth World Zoroastrian Youth 

Congress held at King’s College 

in Otahuhu. They were supported 

by their parents, caregivers 

and elders with money, time, 

effort and most important of all, 

encouragement. 

A group of young Parsis 

in Auckland, led by Tinaz 

Karbhari as the Chairman of the 

Organising Committee worked 

for almost four years to put 

together the Congress, which it 

had its hours of seriousness and 

evenings of fun and entertainment. 

Intellectual stimulation 

Sanaya Master, who has been 

writing for Indian Newslink, 

said that six days of fun, frolic 

and intellectual stimulation 

had the delegates from several 

countries including Australia, 

Canada, Hong Kong, India, New 

Zealand, North America and 

United Kingdom treated to a 

plethora of activities. 

The Organising Committee 

These ranged from ‘The City 

Blitz,’ amazing race around 

Auckland that had them make 

human pyramids, a laugh-aminute 

Hypnotist Show that had 

everyone in splits and talking 

in Moon language, a highly 

entertaining Zoro X-Factor in 

which team Canada proved 

that they reigned supreme 

on Traditional Night and the 

fabulous ‘Glo’ (in the dark) New 

Year Eve Celebration at which 

1500 white balloons magically 

descended from the ceiling at 

the stroke of 12. It was indeed a 

sight to behold,” she said. 

Ecological Event 

Promoted as an ‘Ecologically 

conscious Conference,’ the 

programme incorporated for 

the first time the ‘12 Legacy 

Series’(honouring selected Zoroastrian 

individuals, families and 

organisations that have made 

a difference in the community 

as well as humanity) and the 

launch of two books. These 

were the highly acclaimed ‘An 

Uncensored Life,’a biography 

of British lawmaker Zerbanoo 

Gifford (by Farida Masters), 

published in Indian Newslink 

December 15, 2015 and January 

15, 2016 issues; and ‘Gatha’ 

by Dr Irach JS Taraporewala 

(edited by Behramshaw Jal 

Kalianwala). 

The Dignitaries 

Among those present at the 

opening ceremony on December 

28 were Michael Fisher 

(Fisher and Paykel), Members 

of Parliament Su’a William Sio 

(Labour) and Alfred Ngaro, 

Speakers Ms Gifford, Jimmy 

Proud parents who supported the Conference organisers 

Madon and Jimmy Antia and the 

Editor of this newspaper. They 

were earlier accorded a traditional 

‘Aacho Michoo’ welcome 

by Navaz Karbhari and Delzin 

Balsara. 

True to the Kiwi spirit, the 

visiting delegates witnessed 

Powhiri by the Kapa Haka 

group. 

Jazeel Mistry was the Master 

of Ceremonies at the inaugural 

ceremony and an enthusiastic 

participant in the proceedings 

of the Conference. 

Heart into future 

In her farewell speech, Tinaz 

quoted the late Sir Winston 

Churchill, saying that “The positive 

thinker sees the invisible, 

feels the intangible and achieves 

the impossible.’ 

“Take this week-long of 

experiences, knowledge and 

understanding that you have 

collected and return to your 

homes not just thinking, but 

doing and actively making the 

changes that need to be made to 

achieve the impossible. We are 

the heart and soul of the future, 

so let us continue reflecting just 

that.” 

Members of the Organising 

Committee as seen in the 

photography here are (from left) 

Burzin Fatakia, Xerxes Sukhia, 

Sanaya Master, Tinaz Karbhari, 

Karmin Homavazir, Roxanne 

Medhora, Cyrus Daji, Nazneen 

Sukhia, Delzin Balsara and 

Piran Tata. 

With reporting by Sanaya Master. Another 

report of the Sixth World Zoroastrian Youth 

Congress will appear in our next issue. 

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23 

Godinhos take a Pearl out of 

their Wedding 

Television spotlight on 

Arranged Marriages 

Joanne and Vincent Godinho with their daughter Alesha at their Pearl Wedding Anniversary on December 18 in Auckland 

Venkat Raman 


To their family and 

friends, Joanne and 

Vincent Godinho have 

always appealed as 

genuine people, with a high note 

of hospitality, goodwill and the 

true Christian spirit of love and 

compassion. 

As businesspersons, both have 

been successful entrepreneurs 

in distinctly different areas- she 

as a beautician and he as a 

restauranteur, coffeemaker, 

property investor, liquor dealer 

and many more. But both have 

forged one common bond- of 

genuine friendship towards all 

and malice towards none. 

Successful Marriage 

And when the couple marked 

their 30th (Pearl) Anniversary 

at St John’s Vianney Catholic 

Church in Hillsborough in 

Auckland on December 18, 

2015, there were many of 

their well-wishers and friends, 

who were unanimous in 

their opinion: That the Pearl 

couple are one of a kind and are 

shining example of matrimonial 

happiness. 

Joanne said, “This is an 

Anniversary to celebrate; the 

happiness of today; the treasured 

memories of yesterday and 

the hopes of tomorrow.” 

She said that compatibility 

and happiness depend on the 

couple and each has to give his 

or her best to make a marriage 

work. 

“In my case, I have been 

blessed with an understanding 

husband who has left no stone 

unturned to ensure that our 

family is always happy. Our 

daughter Alesha is God’s gift to 

us. She is our joy and the reason 

for our happiness,” Joanne said. 

The presence of Alesha, an 

important executive at a multinational 

in Sydney, Australia, 

added joy to the ‘Pearl Couple’ 

and guests. 

The Editor of this newspaper spoke at 

the event and proposed a toast to Joanne 

and Vincent Godinho. 

Bikranjit and Prabhjot Kaur Sindhu 

Staff Reporter 

Info@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Are you currently in the 

process of arranging 

the marriage of a son, 

daughter or someone 

close to you? 

Perhaps you are the bride or 

bridegroom getting ready for 

matrimony, arranged by your 

parents, elders or caregivers. 

If the answer is ‘Yes,’ then an 

upcoming new series on TV3 

would interest you. 

New Series 

‘Notable Pictures’ is producing 

the eight-part series focusing on 

traditional, arranged marriages 

or semi-arranged betrothals. 

Researcher Nicole Wood said 

that the company is looking 

for couples who are about to 

embark on a life together. 

“It might be in the lead up to 

their engagement ceremony or 

Photo: Notable Pictures 

wedding, or when they, along 

with their families, are beginning 

the search for a suitable 

spouse. It could also be their 

fiancé is moving from overseas 

to settle here or they are going 

back to their homeland to get 

engaged or married,” she said. 

Celebrating diversity 

According to her, the series is 

about celebrating the wonderful, 

rich and unique aspects of 

traditional cultural arranged 

weddings and New Zealand’s 

increasing ethnic diversity. 

“The couples could be from 

Indian, Pakistani, Fijian, 

Afghani, South East Asian, Sri 

Lankan, and African backgrounds 

and from any number 

of religions, including Hindu, 

Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, 

and Sikh,” Ms Wood said. 

Filming will continue until 

the end of April 2016. 

If you are interested or would like to recommend someone, who is embarking on his or her 

engagement or is in search of a spouse, please contact Nicole Wood on (09) 9735731 or 021-944729. 

Email:research@notablepictures.com 

Kuchipudi 

takes a new spin in New Zealand 

LIFE IN A 

FULL CIRCLE 

A feast for the eyes, a treat for the ears 

And a tribute to a timeless art 

Head to Dorothy Winstone Centre 

(Auckland Girls Grammar School) 

to witness this unique event 

Want to know more? 

Another fortnight would be 

worth the wait!



Global meet to mark Art of Living milestone 

A 

global forum of leaders, 

a cultural festival 

highlighting the rich 

heritage of humanity 

and other avenues of 

promoting peace and 

goodwill are on the 

cards for more than 

3.5 million people 

expected at a single venue next 

month. 

Grand festivities 

India’s President Pranab 

Mukherjee, Prime 

Minister Narendra 

Modi and 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

several other political, religious and 

community leaders will join Sri Ravi 

Shankar, Founder of the Art of Living 

Foundation at its 35th Anniversary to 

be held at a sprawling multi-hectare 

land near New Delhi from March 11 to 

March 13, 2016. 

A massive stage accommodating 

more than 30,000 dignitaries will be 

among the exclusive and never-before-tried 

features of the five-day 

festival that will bring together people 

from all over the world. 

‘The World Cultural Festival,’ as it is 

called, will propagate the Foundation’s 

working philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva 

Kuttumbakam’ (World is one Family) 

and celebrate life on earth as a boon 

and inspire people to love and not 

hate each other. 

The Delhi local government has 

announced a five-day holiday for 

schools and colleges and is set to 

deploy 17,000 additional buses for 

conveyance of people to and from 

the Festival, while organisers are 

preparing themselves to provide food 

for about 400,000 people every day for 

the three days of Festival. 

Cultural fusion 

Auckland based Art of Living 

Teacher and Volunteer Rashmi Bhatia 

said that as well as Vedic chanting 

by 1000 pundits, more than 8500 

musicians on 40 types of musical 

instruments will present the ‘Art of 

Living Grand Symphony,’ joined by a 

number of film celebrities. 

“About 1000 Bharata Natyam 

dancers, 1500 Kuchipudi dancers,and 

1000 Kathak dancers,whose dances 

are being choreographed by world 

renowned Kathak Master Pandit Birju 

Maharaj will perform at the Festival. 

They will be joined by 1500 Naati 

dancers from Himachal Pradesh, 

1000 dancers from Gujarat, 1000 

Bhangra dancers from Punjab, 1000 

Panthi dancers from Chhattisgarh, 

1000 dancers from Kerala presenting 

Kathakali and Mohiniattam, dancers 

and performers from Sikkim and 

Darjeeling, 40 Naadaswaram artistes 

from Tamil Nadu. There are several 

more and the list is too long to be 

mentioned here,” she said. 

Magnetic Personality 

Sri Ravi Shankar visited Auckland 

on April 5, 2010 and attracted more 

than 5000 people at the Trusts 

Stadium where he demonstrated a 

number of Art of Living techniques 

and spoke on the significance of peace 

and the need to avoid conflicts. 

In our February 1, 2010 issue, we 

had quoted Glenn D’Souza, former 

President of the Foundation’s New 

Zealand Chapter as saying that Sri 

Ravi Shankar’s self-development 

programmes andsocial initiatives 

bring peace to individuals, and in 

turn, empower many to serve and 

transform their communities. 

“A globetrotter, he travels to more 

than 40 countries every year to share 

his message of social responsibility. 

His teachings of love, practical wisdom, 

and service promote harmony 

among people. His vision is to create 

a world free of stress and violence 

through acquisition of wisdom,” he 

said. 

Established in 1981 an international, 

non-profit, educational and 

humanitarian organisation, the 

Foundation has been working with 

global bodies and local communities 

with its own chapters and branches 

in more than 150 countries, across the 

Continents. 

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Organisation in the world and 

Sri Ravi Shankar’s teachings and 

programmes benefit more than 25 

million people worldwide. 

The formation of the International 

Association for Human Values 

in 1997 at the behest of Buddhist 

Monk the Dalai Lama and other 

world spiritual and political leaders 

cast a significant milestone for the 

Foundation. 

The Organisation has grown to 

advance human values in political, 

economic, industrial, and social 

spheres, celebrating the diversity 

of cultural, ethnic and religious 

identities. 

The Foundation’s programmes 

assist misguided youth from 

discarding gang life, violence and 

drug addiction and transform 

themselves into useful members of 

the society. Teachers and volunteers 

visit prisons regularly to coach 

hard core inmates the ‘Art of 

Living’ peacefully, giving and taking 

compassion and care, Mr D’Souza 

had said. 

“Sri Ravi Shankar’s social initiatives 

include conflict resolution, 

disaster and trauma relief, prisoner 

rehabilitation, youth leadership, 

women’s empowerment, female 

foeticide, child labour, and access to 

education.” 

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February 15, 2016 ARTLINK-with Ratna Venkat 

25 

Persistence gets into the groove of music 

Footsteps on the sands of time along a colourful journey 

Second of Three Parts 

Wenceslaus Anthony 

Ratna Venkat’s foray 

into the world of fusion 

began in 2012, when 

she met the Auckland 

based band ‘Gurus of Groove.’ 

Her suggestion to collaborate 

with them seemed unusual in 

the first instance since the band 

had no previous connection 

with classical dancers and were 

focused on playing Hindi and 

Western melodies. 

However, the band, convinced 

of their own need to diversify 

and add variety to their performances, 

agreed to change their 

tune to the née concept. 

“When I introduced this idea, 

they were a little uncertain as 

this was an entirely new concept. 

But after careful planning 

and countless rehearsals, we 

came together and inaugurated 

our fusion acts at the ‘Indian 

Newslink Indian Business 

Awards 2012’ in Auckland, at 

which the Guest of Honour 

was grandson of Mahatma 

Gandhi and Chakravarthy 

Rajagopalachari and former 

West Bengal Governor Gopal 

Krishna Gandhi. 

“The response was overwhelming. 

The audience just 

loved our innovation as most of 

them had not seen this kind of 

fusion before,” Ratna said. 

Dance, like music, transcends human barriers- Ratna presenting a semi-classical dance 

Featured Artiste 

Her collaboration with the 

band significantly changed 

people’s views about classical 

dance and since then, she 

has been receiving regular 

requests from many national 

and local government agencies, 

multinationals, large companies 

and cultural organisations to 

perform both traditional and 

fusion dances at their events. 

Following ‘Gurus of Groove’ 

of which she is now the 

band’s featured dancer at 

the annual ‘Indian Newslink 

Indian Business Awards,’ Ratna 

collaborated with ‘Idhayam,’ 

a Carnatic fusion group based 

in Wellington in 2014, and is a 

member of the newly formed 

‘Sargam Fusion’ band in 

Auckland, comprising musicians 

from Carnatic, Hindustani 

and Western backgrounds. 

She has also worked with 

international artistes including 

an exclusive music-dance duet 

with Tabla maestro Avirbhav 

Verma in 2013. 

Foot-Bell Percussionist 

Ratna’s dancing abilities led 

her to make her mark as a 

musician too, notably as ‘footbell 

percussionist’ thanks to her 

training in the Maharashtrian 

folk dance Lavni, and the North 

Indian classical dance, Kathak. 

Footwork is the hallmark of 

these two styles. 

“Lavni and Kathak dancers 

are skilled in controlling the 

sound of their ghunguroos 

(ankle bells) and executing 

complicated rhythms on stage. 

Inspired by their dexterity, I 

Fusion helps to project traditional values- 

Ratna presenting Lavni, a folk number 

wanted to incorporate this interesting 

element into my shows. 

In addition, I could contribute 

myself musically as a foot-bell 

percussionist to the band, and 

this has been welcomed by my 

co-artistes,” she said. 

The Scribe 

Besides her outstanding dance 

work, Ratna is a talented writer 

and an orator, and holds a 

graduate BA degree with double 

majors in Linguistics and Asian 

Studies from Massey University, 

New Zealand. She is Editor of 

‘Artlink’, a section that she runs 

in Indian Newslink.’ 

She is also a part-time model 

promoting various hair care 

and beauty products. 

Interestingly, she has merged 

her academic qualifications 

with her dancing ambitions, 

Let there be light and brighten hearts and 

minds- Ratna at BNZ Diwali 2014 

adding another feather to her 

already elaborate cap. 

“My love for exploring 

cultures, languages and songs 

from different parts of the 

world has been apparent since 

my childhood, and now with a 

degree in Linguistics and Asian 

Studies, I have found ways to 

bridge my Indian dance styles 

with music styles from different 

cultures,” Ratna said. 

Wenceslaus Anthony is the 

Chairman and Managing Director 

of WAML Group. The above is the 

second in a series of three articles, 

which appeared in ‘Indus Age’ 

Australia, reproduced with the 

permission of the publication. 

This Dreams thing seems to be real 

A vivid spectrum of colours 

The visions of a dream 

Sunshine glow 

Praneeta Kochhar is a young thinker who writes on subjects that 

we only dream about and fear to dwell. She lives in Hamilton. 

Praneeta Kochhar 

Photographer/Visual Artist 

Humans are dreamers. 

Our dreams take us 

to places we have 

never been, and help 

us achieve things that seem 

impossible in the world of logic. 

Years ago, people talking on 

the telephone was a fantasy,but 

today, mobile phones have 

become smarter, and are taking 

over the communication and 

audio-visual industries with a 

bang. 

Freudian Philosophy 

There are many notions in 

different cultures about dreams 

and their interpretation. Father 

of psychology, Dr Sigmund 

Freud based his school of 

thought on human dreams and 

their interpretation. 

While the views on dreams 

and their interpretation have 

been varied, no one has ever 

refuted them as irrelevant. 

We have all seen, admired 

and witnessed many dreams 

coming true, in our own lives as 

well as that of others. 

Dreams work 

But one fact always prevailsdreams 

do come true. 

But how do they work? Are 

dreams a part of our intuitive 

ability, or a future vision that 

we have, or are they a mere 

manifestation of our desires? Is 

it just a matter of wishing upon 

a star, or is it a true calling of 

our soul? 

The questions are many, and 

the possibilities are endless. 

Parallel World 

I believe that a dream is 

nothing but a reality of a 

parallel world. A world where 

you either want to be, or where 

you have already been. 

But, Dreams are also a funny 

reality. They show us a world 

that we never knew existed, 

and it makes our mind work 

towards it. 

They show us a vision and 

suddenly it all looks more real 

than the world we live in. They 

reveal our deepest desires, and 

express our worst fears, yet 

they are mere illusions. The 

dream world is more real than 

the world we live in, as it is the 

world created by us. It shows 

us what we truly want, how we 

truly feel and what we really 

want to say. 

Dreams guide your path and 

help you in understanding your 

deepest expressions. And it is 

only in dreams, that we truly 

live and express. 

So, the question now 

is,“Which is truly the real 

world?”

26 ARTLINK-with Ratna Venkat 


Sunny life begins with love at sea 

Outdoor Exhibition with outstanding photography 

Every mile of every 

journey brings surprises. 

Every turn of one’s 

journey has new 

adventures and new stories, 

waiting to unveil themselves to 

the traveller. 

In the last week of January, I 

got a pleasant New Year’s gift 

– an opportunity to have series 

of outdoor exhibitions at one 

of the most sought after spaces, 

The Civic Square, Hamilton. 

I have named it ‘Kaleidoscope,’the 

first exhibition of its 

kind, showcasing the varied 

colours of life and nature, 

as captured by the eyes of 

a photographer, and more 

essentially, a traveller. 

Varied genres 

It is a collection of various 

images, across varied genres 

that display a range of visuals, 

where every photograph has a 

story to tell. Shot over the years 

with almost four decades of 

memories,‘Kaleidoscope’ would 

be the first such compilation of 

my works. 

The exhibition is being 

organised in association with 

the Hamilton City Council and 

Creative Waikato, two of the 

most revered organisations in 

Waikato, known for the creative 

contribution towards the field 

of arts. 

‘Kaleidoscope’ would portray 

a collection of photographs, 

highlighting Photography as an 

art form, which has more to it 

than just owning a good camera 

and creating visually stunning 

photographs. Through a single 

well-thought photograph of a 

passionate lover of this art form, 

one can discover the photographer’s 

life, his thoughts, ideas 

and beliefs. 

Creative Commune 

Presently, I am in the 

process of spreading the 

idea of ‘Creative Commune,’ 

where participants share their 

knowledge selflessly and in turn 

create a pool of knowledge and 

experience for all photography 

and creative enthusiasts. 

I believe in ‘teaching by 

demonstration and learning by 

observation.’ 

This is a new thought of 

collective approach towards a 

big goal of sharing knowledge 

and experience towards 

widespread learning. 

I have been spreading the idea 

for the last five years through 

various talks and workshops 

and through demonstrations. I 

am happy that fellow creative 

friends were also looking 

forward to such an initiative. 

The Exhibition in Hamilton 

is a free, outdoor event, where 

people from all walks of life can 

have a feel of this form of art. 

I would appreciate support 

from all friends and well-wishers 

to support the event. 

Here is an Invitation to all 

Indian Newslink readers and 

friends along with few images, 

which I will showcase during my 

Creative Photography Exhibition. 

Ashok Kochhar is an international photographer with hundreds of thousands of photographs on varied subjects under and around 

the Sun to his credit. His versatility has been decorating the pages of Indian Newslink since September 1, 2015. We hope to carry 

many of his creations in our future issues. 

Garb in a hay sack 

Please her or get yourself another friend


ARTLINK-with Ratna Venkat 

27 

Passion brings the best out 

of vocalist 

Venkat Raman 


When Neha Sinha 

appears for the 

first time on a New 

Zealand stage later 

this month, she would demonstrate 

the fact that passion and 

humility are two attributes that 

elevate talent and foster the 

quality of music. 

The youngster, whose parents 

Abhay and Varsha Dhoke 

(now residents of Melbourne, 

Australia) are friends of 

Indian Newslink, is scheduled 

to participate in a forthcoming 

musical show of Amit Kumar 

and his group. 

Amit Kumar Concert 

Gopal Bhatia is organising 

the programme called, ‘Bade 

Acche Lagte Hain’ on behalf of 

his ‘Sursargam Events’ at Logan 

Campbell Centre on Saturday, 

February 27, 2016. 

Amit Kumar and Neha Sinha 

will respectively be the lead 

male and female singers at the 

Concert with a number of local 

talents including Mr Bhatia, 

Makrand Patankar and Guncha 

Singh. They will be supported 

by an Orchestra from Mumbai 

comprising Ajay Atre (Rhythms), 

Chintan Modha (Keyboard), K 

Mahendra (Saxophone) and 

Vijay Murthy (Lead Guitar). 

Local artistes will include 

Araad (congra,Tumba and Side 

Rhythm) Hemant Thaker (Key 

Board), Manjeet Singh (Tabla) 

Shivan Padayachi (Bass Guitar). 

For tickets and other details, 

please contact (09) 6246330 or 

021-567429. 

While the ensuring Concert 

would be the first for Neha with 

Amit Kumar in New Zealand, 

she has appeared on stage with 

many other well-known artistes. 

They include Mukund 

Phansalkar, Hrishikesh Ranade, 

Madura Datar, Vibhavari Apate, 

and Jasraj Joshi. 

“I am excited to perform with 

Amit Kumar Ji,” she said. 

Turning Point 

“As a professional artiste, I 

always face the challenge of 

being prepared to perform at 

a short notice,” she said and 

recounted a programme at 

which she was invited to sing, 

since the artiste booked earlier 

was unable to perform. 

She had less than two days to 

prepare to render 20 old Hindi 

film songs of Lata Mangeshkar 

as solo and duet. Her passion 

for the art and the ability to rise 

to the occasion enabled her to 

present a splendid performance, 

following which she began to 

receive opportunities to sing at 

many other programmes. 

Neha considers that moment 

as the turning point in her 

career. 

“I became a regular artiste 

in all their future programmes 

Even today I feel happy that 

I accepted the challenge and 

achieved success with the Grace 

of God and the patronage of 

organisers and the listening 

public,” she said. 

Participating in competitions 

and winning top prizes before 

she became a professional 

artiste was almost a habit for 

Neha. 

Among them was ‘Kya Masti 

Kya Dhoom,’ a show on ‘Star 

Plus’ hosted by actress actor 

Sonali Bendre. 

Seasoned artiste 

Neha is today a seasoned 

artiste and faces multicultural 

and multi-ethnic audiences with 

confidence and poise. So would 

it be at the Amit Kumar Show in 

Auckland this month. 

She attributes her success to 

her mother, saying, “Her tireless 

efforts to bring out the talent 

in me have brought me to this 

level. I am always thankful to 

my Guru Dr Purnima Duhamale 

for training me patiently over 

the years and encouraging my 

talent in light music despite 

being a great Hindustani 

Classical singer. 

As well as in public performances 

and sound tracks, 

Neha’s work as a producer of 

jingles is also known to radio 

producers. She has created 

more than 50 jingles for Radio 

Mirchi based in Pune. 

“Since childhood I am passionate 

about singing songs and 

always dreamed of becoming 

a playback singer.My Idols are 

Lata Mangeshkar and Shreya 

Ghoshal who keep motivating 

me with their songs and performances,” 

Neha said 

Neha Sinha 

Uttarakhandis showcase their culture 

Show organisers in Auckland keep us so busy with their cultural and entertainment programmes (sometimes four or five on the same day) that we 

sometimes almost miss important events. One such is the cultural programme of the Uttarakhand Association of New Zealand held at the Mahatma 

Gandhi Centre in Auckland on December 25, 2015. 

Anil Thapliyal, a Member of the Executive Committee of the Association, sent us the following report: 

Anil Thapliyal 

About 400 persons of 

Uttrakhand origin from 

different parts of New 

Zealand attended and 

danced to music at a cultural 

festival held on Christmas Day 

in Auckland. 

Singers Virendra Singh, Sahib 

Singh Ramola and Heema Negi 

Karasi presented folk songs 

and dances with the support 

of Vinod Kumar (Keyboard), 

Gaurav Maithani (Tabla) and 

Ranjeet Singh (Dholak). 

The concert began with 

‘Nanda Zagar’ and ended with 

heritage song ‘Bedu Pako Bara 

Masa,’ a favourite of the late 

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the 

first Prime Minister of Independent 

India. 

Earlier, the idol of Nanda 

Devi, brought from Hamilton, 

was carried on shoulders to the 

stage with beating of Dhol-Damon 

a traditional musical 

instrument of Uttrakhand. 

Youngsters inspire 

Speaking on the occasion, 

Association Chairman Ram 

Lakhera said that the participation 

of the younger generation 

Talent comes alive on stage 

was encouraging and hoped that they 

would continue to evince interest in their 

tradition and culture. 

In a message read out at the event, 

Uttrakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat 

greeted the members of the community 

in New Zealand and congratulated the 

Association for organising the cultural 

festival. 

Established on March 30, 2013, the 

Uttarakhand Association of New Zealand 

aims to “bring all people of Uttrakhand 

on one platform, promote, popularise and 

pass on the rich cultural heritage of the 

State among the people of New Zealand.” 

Women added value with traditional dance 

Enthusiastic citizens of Uttarakhand at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre threshold

28 ENTERTAINMENTLINK 


Young musicians assemble for Temple fund 


Geerthana and Divya Nanthakumar 

Venkat Raman 


If the report hereunder 

resembles that of our 

feature in Indian Newslink 

February 15, 2015 issue, it 

is meant to be so; for, only the 

year changes but the passion for 

community service and more 

importantly, raising funds for a 

Complex that serves as a Temple 

and Community Centre, gets 

stronger by time. 

That is indeed true of Aucklander 

Nadesan Nanthakumar 

who sets on a musical journey 

in February, collecting not just 

milestones but money for a 

Temple. 

Sincere work 

As we have mentioned earlier, 

he meticulously works to reach 

his self-assigned targets in life, 

career and the community, in 

that order. 

As well as circulating and 

updating events conducted by 

various Indian, Sri Lankan and 

other organisationsto people 

on his extensive database, he 

took upon himself last year to 

organise musical events in aid 

of the ‘Thirumurugan Temple’ 

of the New Zealand Thirumurugan 

Temple Society, located at 

145 Church Street in Otahuhu. 

The first two legs of the 

‘Musical Journey,’ witnessed in 

2014 and 2015 collected $16,500 

to the Temple, encouraged by 

which Mr Nanthakumar has 

planned a similar event next 

weekend. 

Called, ‘Musical Journey: Beats 

& Melodies,’ the programme 

will be held at Auckland Normal 

Intermediate School Hall on 

Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 

6 pm. 

Tickets are now on sale, 

details of which can be obtained 

from Mr Nanthakumar on 

021-1829381. Email: musicaljourney@hotmail.co.nz 

The Singers 

As reported in our January 

15 and February 1, 2016 issues, 

a number of local artistes will 

participate in the programme. 

They include sisters 

Geerthana, Divya and Manisha 

Nanthakumar, Akhilesh 

Madhur, Balu Mallela, Jerish 

Jose, Joscel Alexander, Joseph 

Alexander, Madan Mohan and 

Vishnu Sreekumar. 

Violin Sisters 

Geerthana and Divya are 

versatile Violin and Keyboard 

players and have scores of 

programmes to their credit over 

the past ten years. They are 

adept in rendering wide-ranging 

musical compositions, including 

songs from Tamil and Hindi 

films, Western and Carnatic 

Music, Devotional and Fusion 

melodies. 

Affectionately called, the 

‘Auckland Violin Sisters,’ 

Geerthana and Divya have 

been members of the popular 

‘Swarangal,’ musical group. 

Their other appearances include 

the ‘Mukesh & Usha Raaj,’ the 

‘M Kalyan Violin Concert’ and a 

charity show in Melbourne. 

Auckland Normal Intermediate 

School Year 9 student 

Manisha is now collaborating 

with her two elder sisters to 

expand their musical horizon. 

Tribute to Mohammed Rafi calls for next edition 

Venkat Raman 


The greatest tribute that 

can be paid to living or 

past legends is to emulate 

their legacy and eulogise 

their work; in the case of 

celebrity singers like the Great 

Mohammed Rafi, rendering 

their songs with dedication 

and talent would be justice 

rendered. 

That was how it was at the 

Eighth Edition of ‘Old is Gold’ 

held on Waitangi Day (February 

6) at Dorothy Winstone Centre, 

Auckland Girls Grammar 

School. 

Contrary to earlier apprehension 

that it was too early 

in the year to organise an 

entertainment programme, 

the auditorium was filled to 

capacity, demonstrating the fact 

public support of quality events 

is timeless. 

Organised by the Mohammed 

Rafi Academy of Music, more 

significantly by its Director & 

Principal Amit Sengupta, it was 

an event to remember with 

almost 30 performers on stage, 

rendering numbers that made 

Rafi’s voice and the films in 

which his songs were featured 

immortal and inimitable. 

Thriving talent 

Amit deserves credit for 

continuing to put together 

shows that give vent to local 

talent, rather than depending 

on the whimsicalities of singers 

from Mumbai. 

He however did not maintain 

his record of commencing the 

show two minutes early. 

‘Old is Gold VIII’ commenced 

on the dot at 7 pm. 

Thereafter, there was no 

stopping. Unlike most other 

entertainment programmes, 

the flow was smooth, and the 

performers confident of their 

delivery. Despite apprehensions, 

the auditorium was packed to 

capacity. 

Picking 34 songs out of more 

than 25,000 songs rendered by 

the late Rafi is no easy task but 

Amit deserves credit for having 

done good homework to satisfy 

the tastes of a cross-section of 

the society. He would however 

do better to intersperse buoyant 

and fast numbers along with 

melancholic and mellow 

numbers to achieve better 

Local talents extol a great singer 

balance. But none of these 

comments would cast a spell on 

the quality of the show. 

Beginning the programme 

with ‘Ramji Ki Nikli Sawari’ 

(from Sargam) Amitand other 

performers) set the tone for the 

evening with ‘Tum Mujhe Yun 

Bhula Na Paoge (Pagla Kahin Ka). 

Courageous attempt 

While most singers proved 

their mettle as singers, it took 

courage for a number of female 

singers to attempt the songs of 

Rafi; that they succeeded was a 

compliment to the Academy and 

its Director. Rohitesh Prasad

February 15, 2016 ENTERTAINMENLINK 

29 

Face the world with a glowing skin 

Why do we do facials? 

It is not just a 

treatment of the 

face but an exercise 

to pamper and rejuvenate your 

skin. 

Facials are also meant to have 

a corrective effect on manifestations, 

fix visible skin problems, 

which many of us have but 

ignore until it gets worse. 

Facial treatment should 

be a loving and pampering 

experience, helping to prevent 

ageing and restore the skin to a 

balanced normal PH (Potential 

Hydrogen) level. 

PH is the measure of hydrogen-ion 

concentration in any 

fluid- higher the reading, more 

alkaline and oxygen content 

and vice-versa. 

PH Level 

High PH level makes the skin 

very oily, causing a number of 

skin-related problems, including 

comedones, blackheads, 

pimples, pustules and acne. 

An experienced and expert 

therapist can normalise your 

skin PH balance and treat each 

skin type and with proper cure 

and without causing reactions. 

If the skins PH level is 

acidic, it will be dry, leading to 

sensitive and flaky skin. Dry 

skin can accelerate 

manifestations 

with visible signs of 

ageing such as fine 

lines and wrinkles. 

Skin problems 

can also be caused 

by factors such as 

poor diet, hormonal 

problems, stress, illhealth 

or malfunction(breakdown) 

of 

the body system. 

Other causes 

These problems 

are known 

as internal or 

endogenous factors 

meaning they are 

caused from inside and show 

through on the skin. 

Other causes can be air 

conditioning, UV rays from 

the Sun and use of incorrect 

peskinesses external factors can 

cause not only embarrassment 

but also pain. 

The Treatment 

The first important aim is to 

determine the clients PH level 

of the skin so you can select the 

appropriate products and active 

ingredients to bring back to a 

healthy PH balance. 

The second aim will be to plan 

a facial according to your skin 

type by analysing the skin. 

Beauty therapists offer 

treatment designed to suit 

specific skin types and needs. 

You should feel safe hands 

with professionals. 

Beauty tips for healthy skin: 

Take olive oil or coconut oil 

both of which are good for 

your skin. Best for your skin. 

Avoid excessive alcohol. Do not 

overindulge in chocolates and 

sweets it gives lots of breakouts. 

Adequate sleep is very 

important for healthy skin. 

Disclaimers: Ronita Sharma, Forever Shine & Beauty and Indian Newslink absolve themselves of any responsibility relating to the 

ingredients, methods and other matters relating to ‘Shine Forever with Ronita’ column. Some products may not be available at all 

places at all times and some products may cause allergies or other-side effects in some people. Caution must therefore be exercised 

before using all products, therapies or other methods suggested in the above column. Please consult Ronita Sharma, your General 

Practitioner, Nutritionist or any other qualified and authorised consultant. 

Ronita Sharma can be contacted on (09) 3580830; Email: forevershine_beauty@yahoo.co.nz 

Rachit Bhatia in his elements 

Siddharth Krish renders ‘Yun To Humne Lakh’ 

Guncha Singh: Ehsan ‘Tera Hoga’ 

Rita Krishnamurthy- ‘Dil Jo Na Kehna Saka’ Rohitesh Prasad: ‘Aasman Se Aaya Farishta’ Abhaya Puthigae (11) was the youngest Ratna Venkat and Divya Krishnamurthy dancing to ‘Madhban Mein Radhika’ 

deserves a special mention for 

having rendered ‘Aasman Se 

Aaya Farishta,’ this reporter’s 

request with elegance- taking 

the mind back to 1967 watching 

the song sequence in ‘An 

Evening in Paris.’ 

Rachit Bhatia proved his 

singing prowess again as he 

presented ‘Madhuban Radhika 

Nachere’ with dancers Ratna 

Venkat and Divya Krishnamurthy, 

adding colour and rhythm 

to the ever-green song featured 

in ‘Kohinoor.’ 

Ratna was back later with 

Nirmita Ghosh to present ‘Tu 

Hai Mera Prem Devta’ (Kalpana) 

to the voices of Siddharth Krish 

and Amit. 

Siddharth stimulates 

Earlier, Siddharth was in his 

elements rendering ‘Yun To 

Humne Lakh Haseen Dekha Hai’ 

(Tum Sa Nehi Dekha). 

Among the other notable 

numbers heard at the event 

were ‘Abhi Na Jao Chodkar’ 

(Hum Dono) by Siddharth & 

Akhila Puthigae; ‘Parda Hai 

Parda’ (Amar, Akbar Anthony) 

by Amit Sengupta; ‘Jo Wada 

Kiya Tho Nibhana Padega’ (Taj 

Mahal) by Amit & Rita Krishnamurthy; 

‘Hum Intezar Karenge’ 

(Bahu Begam) and ‘Ehsan Tera 

Hoga’ (Junglee) by Guncha 

Singh; ‘Mujhko Apne Gale 

Lagalo’ (Humrahi) by Vibha 

Trivedi& Amit; ‘Jan Pahchan 

Ho’ (Gumnam) and ‘Pardesiyo 

Se Na’ by Akhila Puthigae, and 

‘Deewane Ka Naam To Poocho’ 

(An Evening in Paris), by 

11-year-old Abhaya Puthigae the 

youngest member of the Group. 

The ‘Old is Gold’ is well 

established on the entertainment 

scene of Auckland. The 

mellifluous music that ruled 

Hindi films up to the 1970s may 

not appeal to all, but it still has a 

growing number of young fans. 

That alone should justify Amit 

and his Group prepare for ‘Old 

is Gold IX’ next year.

30 CLASSIFIEDLINK 


Classifieds 

Accommodation 

Accommodation Two or Three 

bedroom in Kashmir, Lautoka, 

fully furnished, fully fenced, 

cooking facilities, washing 

machine, 40” TV fully air-con hot 

and cold, NZ$ 55 daily, with a car 

NZ$ 107 daily; NZ$ 360 weekly 

Contact 

New Zealand 

021-535583 or 

Fiji 

9234033/9520196 

Open Heart Surgery 

The Ministry of Health Fiji,will 

perform open heart surgery 

(CABG)at the CWM hospital, Suva 

this month. Screening of patients 

(free) will be from 4.2.2016 to 

12.2.2016; Angiogram from 4.2.2016 

to 20.2.2016 and CABG from 

14.2.2016 to 26.2.2016. 

For further information, please 

contact during official hours 

from Monday to Thursday 8am to 

430pm and Fridays 8am to 4pm 

Manjula W Lal (Ministry of 

Health,Fiji) 

+9805025 or +3306177 (Ext 340165); 

Gopal Ayyar (New Zealand) 

+64 21556111. 

Situation Vacant 

Wanted a full time 

Goods Driver/Labourer 

in a Building Company. 

Must have clean Drivers 

licence, be fluent in 

English and possess 

possess excellent people 

skills. Immediate start. 

Apply immediately to 

P O Box 26500 Epsom 

Auckland 1344 or email 

your resume to 

k.randhawa@xtra.co.nz 

Staff Wanted 

Need a fulltime staff member 

in a dairy shop in Mt.Eden Road 

Email your cv to 

supree.mteden@gmail.com 

Seminars (Free Admission) 

Citizens Advice Bureau Eden Albert 

will hold an information session 

on ‘Education in New Zealand’ on 

Friday, February 19, 2016 from 10 

am to 1 pm at 82, St Luke’s Road 

(adjoining the Library). Adel 

Salmanzadeh of Education Ministry 

will speak on Early Childhood 

Education, Primary and Secondary 

schools, Adult Education and other 

subjects. To register, please call (09) 

8464023 Email training.cabac@cab. 

org.nz 

Citizens Advice Bureau New Lynn 

will hold an information session 

on ‘Kiwi English and Culture’ on 

Saturday, February 20, 2016 from 

10 am to 1 pm at English Language 

Partners, Level 1, 3091 Great North 

Road, New Lynn, Auckland. To 

register, please email call (09) 

8274731 or (09) 8277830. Email: 

newlynn@cab.org.nz 

Citizens Advice Bureau Northshore 

will hold an information session on 

‘Education and Schooling in New 

Zealand’ on Thursday, February 

25, 2016 from 10 am to 12 pm at 

Browns Bay Community Centre, 

2 Glen Road, Browns Bay. Adel 

Salmanzadeh of Education Ministry 

will speak on Schooling in New 

Zealand, Enrolments (Zoning), Board 

TAKEAWAY 

(PURE VEGETARIAN) 

of Trustees, National Certificate of 

Education Achievement (NCEA) and 

other subjects. To register, please 

phone Esther on (09) 4893873. Email: 

settlement.northshore@cab.org.nz 

Citizens Advice Bureau Auckland 

Central will hold an information 

session on ‘Housing in New Zealand’ 

on Friday, February 26, 2016 from 

10 am to 12 pm at Level 1, Tasman 

Building, 16-22, Anzac Avenue, 

Auckland Central. Lesley Bradley of 

CAB and Maddox Ahuja of Auckland 

Community Law Centre will speak 

on ‘How to find, keep and enjoy 

safe and suitable housing, renting, 

and flatting in New Zealand’ and 

other subjects. No prior registration 

necessary but you could email 

training.cabac@cab.org.nz 

Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga 

holds an information seminar on 

‘Positive Parenting Programme’ for 

all migrant parents on all Fridays 

in March (4 to 26) from 10 am to 12 

pm at Pakuranga Library, Aylesbury 

Street, Pakuranga (Plaza Complex). 

Subject discussed would include 

child-disobedience, manging fight 

and aggression, establishing good 

bed-time routine and hassle free 

shopping with children. To register 

and to get more information please 

call (09) 5768331 or text to 021-459520. 

Email: Pakuranga@cab.org.nz 

Open 7days 

10am -9pm 

We are authentic South Indian Caterers caters 

•Masala Dasa •Rava Dosa •Onion Uttapam 

Idli Sambar •Mini Idly with Sambar •Vada •Rolls, 

Madurai Kuska and Variety Rice. 

Phone Order: (09) 849 4234 

578, Sandringham Road, Sandringham 

Wanted 

Building Assistant 

For a Medium-sized construction company 

an energetic, hard working and enthusiastic 

person willing to further his/her building 

knowledge and skills. 

Duties include building site coordination, managing health and 

safety, construction schedule and budgets. Some physical work and 

van driving would be required and a clean NZ Driving license is a 

must. 

Focused candidates with a ‘can do’ attitude and ability to work well 

under pressure may apply immediately to 

P O Box 26500 Epsom Auckland 1344 or email your 

resume to k.randhawa@xtra.co.nz 

All types of groceries available 

We do Home deliveryand Courier* 

We arespecialised in 

South Indian Groceries 

and all Pooja items 

*(conditions apply) 

Open 7days 

MondaytoSunday 

9am to 10pm 

Tel: (09) 849 4234 

578, Sandringham Road,Sandringham 

Fiji fails to impress in Wellington Sevens 

But the team makes up in Sydney 

Sheevas Dayal 

The World Series 

Champions failed to 

impress as they moved a 

place down from second 

following their loss in semi-final 

in Wellington. 

Fiji lost to South Africa 0-31 on 

January 31, 2016 after defeating 

United States of America 21-10 in 

the quarter final. 

On the evidence of Day One, 

New Zealand’s size was destined 

to trouble the team. Likewise, 

very few teams have the pace 

of South Africa. But the entry of 

Fijians caused much excitement 

since they had combined strength 

of the two teams. 

There is no other team that is 

as celebrated as the Fiji Team 

on the Sevens Circuit. The 

players romped away with Pool 

B, following their 45-7 win over 

Japan, subsequent 33-7 victory 

against Wales and then 31-10 

mauling of Argentina. 

Crowd cheers 

Team Fiji was roared at every 

move by a large contingent of 

Fijian supporters in their gear at the Wellington Sevens 

countrymen and women, while 

other re-affirmed its status as 

everyone’s second favourite. 

Things turned sour on the 

second day. 

Fiji lacked pace and flair for 

which they are renowned. 

Playing against South Africa, 

they looked a shadow of the 

team that played the previous 

day. Two Fijian players received 

yellow cards which showed 

that the Team was under heavy 

pressure. Fiji also lacked speed 

of the mark, line breakers 

and offloads were not evident 

and their plays were easily 

intercepted. 

Players slackens 

The South Africans controlled 

possession and tackled as a 

group which made it worse 

for the Fijians. They had an 

umbrella defense.The boys from 

Fiji have depth and what it takes 

to win, but did not understand 

that playing South Africa was 

an intense game.It showedthat 

the competition has grown 

stronger. 

Former National Coach Waisale 

Serevi thanked the Vodafone 

Winger Josaia Raisuqe dashing to the tryline 

Fiji 7s team on his Facebook 

page for its performance in 

Wellington and for representing 

Fiji and Fijian Rugby fans around 

the globe. 

“We are all disappointed but 

imagine the Coach, players and 

their families who are more hurt 

than us; we lost one game, but it 

does not mean that Coach Ben 

Ryan and the boys are no good. 

The only way we learn is when 

we stumble and fall in life or 

lose a game of Rugby;the boys are 

hurting right now, but I know that 

they want to prove themselves this 

weekend.” the King of sevens said. 

Team strength 

Fiji should play as a team, not 

as individuals. They have a good 

coach in Ryan. I am sure that they 

will fix their errors and move 

on. Fiji is pooled with Argentina, 

France and Samoa in this fourth 

leg of World Sevens Series. 

Editor’s Note: Fiji beat South 

Africa 26-12 in Sydney on 

February 7, 2016 to gain the 

third place. New Zealand won the 

Cup final beating Australia 27-24

February 15, 2016 SPORTLINK 

31 

Important Changes to Sports Awards 

Ravi Nyayapati 

isa2016@peaceconsulting.co.nz 

In deference to the wishes 

of a number of readers 

and potential participants, 

we have included two new 

categories, namely, ‘Best Under 

12 Player of the Year – Other 

Sports’ and ‘Best Over 12 Player 

of the Year – Other Sports.’ 

The total number of categories 

remains the same- 12 individual 

categories and the ‘Best Sportsman 

of the Year’ and the ‘Best 

Sportswoman of the Year.’ We 

have also simplified the entry 

procedure with a ‘Single Entry 

Form,’ common to all individual 

categories. 

Our Independent Panel of 

Judges will decide the ‘Best 

Sportsman of the Year’ and 

the ‘Best Sportswoman of the 

Year’ from the winners of the 

individual categories and hence 

there is no direct nomination of 

direct entry to these two major 

awards. 

In instituting the Indian 

Newslink Indian Sports Awards, 

we hope to fill the void in this 

area. These Sports Awards will 

recognise and reward not only 

established players and veterans 

but also young aspirants. 

Awards Categories 

• Best Under 18 Cricket Player 

of the Year 

• Best Senior Division Cricket 

Player of the Year 

• Best Under 12 Soccer Player 

of the Year 

• Best Under 18 Soccer Player 

of the Year 

• Best Senior Division Soccer 

Player of the Year 

• Best Rugby Player of the 

Year 

• Best Rugby League Player of 

the Year 

• Best Netball Player of the 

Year 

• Best Hockey Player of the 

Year 

• Best Golfer of the Year 

• Best Under 12 Player of the 

Year - Other Sports 

• Best Over 12 Player of the 

Year - Other Sports 

• Best Sportsman of the Year 

• Best Sportswoman of the 

Year(Winners of individual 

categories will be automatically 

entered) 

Entry Process 

Entries can be nominated by 

Schools, Sports Clubs, Sports 

Associations, Coaches, Umpires, 

Referees, Parents, Teaches 

and others well known to the 

recommended candidates. 

Conditions of Entry: 

Entries must be in electronic 

format sent by email. Those sent 

by post, fax or other means will 

not be accepted. 

A panel of judges, independent 

of Indian Newslink will 

evaluate the entries, select 

the finalists and winners and 

announce their names at the 

Awards Presentation and 

Dinner Night to be held in May 

2016, details of which will be 

announced in Indian Newslink 

(www.indiannewslink.co.nz), 

this website and on the Indian 

Newslink Indian Business 

Awards website (www.inliba. 

com) 

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. 

Forms from this Website 

Download Entry form (one 

Form for all)from www.inlisa. 

com or write to 

editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Completed entries must be sent 

on or before Thursday, March 

31, 2016 to 


Winners will be presented 

with Awards at a Gala Dinner in 

May 2016 in Auckland, details of 

which will be announced later. 

Sponsorship Opportunity 

We invite commercial 

organisations and others with 

a passion for sports to avail of 

the sponsorship opportunities 

and enhance their image in the 

market. The Indian community 

is one of the most significant 

segments of the economy and 

such Awards programmes 

accrue considerable benefits to 

sponsoring organisations. 

Further details can be 

obtained from on (09) 5336377; 

(09) 3910203 

Email: info@indiannewslink. 

co.nz 

News in Brief 

Chinese spending 

spree aims at goalpost 

Matthew D’Souza 

The winter football 

transfer window has 

just closed with a huge 

number of signings 

completed on the deadline day. 

The following are the top 

transfers of the 2015-2016 

Winter Transfer Window. 

The China Super League spent 

a whopping €136 million as the 

top teams offered irresistibly 

large sums of money to players 

willing to make the move. 

Gervais €18m 

Roma Forward Gervais Yao 

Kouassi took the €18 million 

offer to move to Hebei China 

the move as ‘a dream come 

true.’ His former Club will 

be watching his performance 

closely. 

League Transfers 

Paloschi €9.5m 

In the English Premier League 

Transfers,Swansea City completed 

a €9.5 million Agreement 

involving Italian striker Alberto 

Paloschi to bolster their attack 

for the rest of the season. 

Ivory Coast striker Seydou 

Doumbia has completed a € 1.30 

million loan move to Newcastle 

United as they look to escape the 

relegation zone this season. 

Crowning glory for 

All Blacks Sevens 

The All Blacks Sevens with the Cup 

Sheevas Dayal 

Three late tries, one after 

the final hooter, saw New 

Zealand fight back to 

beat South Africa 24-21 

in the Cup final at the Wellington 

Sevens, the third leg of 

the HSBC World Rugby Sevens 

Series on January 31, 2016. 

This was New Zealand’s first 

win on the 2015-2016 circuit 

and saw them move up to third 

position on the table behind 

South Africa and Fiji. 

The All Blacks Sevens also 

won the Tournament held in 

Sydney (February 6 & 7, 2016) 

beating Australia 27-24 full time. 

Wellington was buzzing with 

talks of the All Blacks Sevens 

making its debut at the Summer 

Olympics in Rio de Janeiro 

(August 6 to 11, 2016). 

Team under pressure 

The boys in Black weredetermined 

not to give up when 

they were down by 14 points 

in the second half. The pep talk 

from Coach Sir Gorden Tietjens 

inspired them to spring back 

into action. 

Captain Tim Mikkelson said 

that the New Zealand team 

put itself under pressure but 

knewthat it can win if they got 

the ball in their hands. 

“We talked all week that we 

needed a lot of heart, a lot of 

ticker.Flanker Liam Messam 

talked about putting the 

mana(pride) back in the jersey 

as he did for the Chiefs after the 

last two tournaments.That is 

what we wanted to do,”he told 

Indian Newslink. 

South Africa leads 

Team South Africa,which 

went into the Wellington 

round as joint leaders with Fiji, 

dominated much of the final 

and was up 21-7 early in the 

Our Reporter Sheevas Dayal with 

Coach Sir Gorden Tietjens 

second half. 

Captain Philip Snyman and 

Rosko Specman scored in the 

first half with Akira Ioane 

replying for New Zealand. 

Ioane also pulled off a try-saving 

tackle when Specman was 

bundled out in the corner on 

the stroke of half-time as South 

Africa turned with a 14-7 lead. 

Sonny offloads 

They moved further when 

Seabelo Senatla pounced on a 

misdirected offload by Sonny 

Bill Williams early in the second 

spell with Cheslin Kolbe adding 

his third conversion. 

But after Specman was 

yellow-carded, New Zealand 

moved up a gear. 

Reiko Ioane scored twice in 

quick succession before Joe 

Webber capped off a length 

of the field move to score the 

winning try. 

The home teamwas not tested 

Gervais 

Fortune. This resulted in a profit 

of €10 million for the struggling 

Italian Football Club. 

Columbia-born Fredy Guarin 

received €13 million to move to 

Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. 

Some China League clubs 

completed bigger transfers with 

29-year-old Atletico Madrid 

striker Jackson Martinez to 

play for Guangzhou Evergrade 

for €42 million and Chelsea 

FC Midfielder Ramires made 

his move to Jiangsu Suning for 

€32.50 million. 

Overall, the China Super 

League expenditure was almost 

three times the money spent by 

Serie A for this transfer window. 

Former AC Milan star 

striker Alexandre Pato has been 

assigned to Chelsea FC on loan 

for six months. Pato described 

through the knockout rounds, 

beating Kenya 36-0 and then 

England 25-5. 

South Africa, after a 26-14 win 

over Australia in the quarter-finals, 

beat Fiji in a bruising 

semi-final 31-0 with two Fijian 

players, Semi Kunatani and 

Vatemo Ravouvou, yellow-carded 

in the second half. 

Fiji composed 

The Fiji team regained its 

composure to beat England 

24-12 in the play-off for third. 

After three of the 10 legs, South 

Africa has 54 points followed by 

Fiji (52), New Zealand (47) and 

England (41). 

The only changes to the New 

Zealand Sevens side for the 

Sydney Sevens is Waikato’s 

Dylan Collierreplacing Sam 

Dickson, who sustained a minor 

hip injury in Wellington. 

The Super Rugby and All 

Paloschi 

Serie A Transfer 

ACFFiorentina has signed 

Spanish winger Cristian Tello 

on loan from FC Barcelona for 

the remainder of the season. 

Inter Milan has signed Unione 

Calcio Sampdoriaand Italy 

forward Martin Eder on loan for 

€ 2 million. AC Milan forward 

Stephan El Shaarawy has signed 

a contract with Roma for €1.4 

(loan).The young Italian forward 

has already impressed selectors 

and Football critics after only 

one game at Roma. 

In a shocking last minute 

development, AC Milan midfield 

ace and former Manchester City 

man Nigel de Jong completed 

a deadline day transfer to Los 

AngelesGalaxy in the MLS 

(American Soccer League) 

where he will join England 

veterans Ashley Cole and Steven 

Gerard. 

Blacks stars remain for the 

inaugural Sydney Seven. 

Sonny Bill Williams, Ardie 

Savea, Ben Lam, Akira and 

Rieko Ioane, retain their places 

in the side, as does magical 

Augustine Pulu. 

The Score Board 

Finals Results: Shield final: 

France 14 - 7 Russia; Bowl final: 

Scotland 7 - 19 Samoa 

Plate final: Argentina 5 - 21 

Australia; Bronze final: England 

12 - 24 Fiji; Cup final: 

New Zealand 24 - 21 South 

Africa 

Upcoming Tournaments: 

Las Vegas: March 4 to 6, 2016; 

Vancouver: March 12 & 13, 

2016; Hong Kong: April 8 to 10, 

2016; Singapore: April 16 & 17, 

2016; Paris: May 13 to 15, 2016; 

London: May 21 & 22, 2016; 

Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: 

August 6 to 11, 2016

32 SPORTLINK 


Let us get the best into our Sports Awards 

Apurv Shukla 

The Fifth Annual Indian 

Newslink Indian Sports 

Awards(INLISA) will be held 

in May this year. 

Instituted in 2012, these Awards 

acknowledge and honor sportspersons 

of Indian origin in New 

Zealand who have brought laurels 

to their sports clubs,schools, associations, 

regions and the country. 

This years’ event,which promises 

to be the biggest and brightest so 

far,contains 12 individual categories 

and the Sportsman of the Year and 

Sports Woman of the Year Awards, 

the last two of which are chosen 

from among category winners. 

Growing involvement 

People of Indian origin are among 

the fastest growing ethnic groups 

in New Zealand.It is therefore 

obvious that their involvement in 

various aspects of New Zealand will 

also increase. New Zealand offers 

an ideal work life balance and 

encourages people to pursue their 

sports and hobbies and fulfill their 

potential. 

High quality infrastructure, 

government encouragement and 

professional help to promote 

various forms of sports in this 

process. 

Award Entries 

Entries are now open to the Fifth 

Annual INLISA. We invite Schools, 

Sports Clubs, Sports Associations,Individuals,Coaches,Umpires,Referees, 

and Teachers and even parents to 

nominate sportspersons to various 

categories. 

Details of the Awards and entry 

forms can be downloaded from our 

Sports Awards website www.inlisa. 

com Completed forms should be 

sent by 5 pm on Thursday, March 31, 

2016 by email to isa2016@peaceconsulting.co.nz 

Please do not fax, post or courier 

entry forms. 

While the forms should carry 

nominations and comments, these 

should not be accompanied by 

certificates, citations and such 

other material. They will neither 

be considered not returned to the 

sender. 

The Categories 

There are 12 individual categories 

in addition to the overall 

winners as Best Sportsman and 

Best Sportswoman of the Year. We 

have chosen categories of sports 

in terms of popularity among the 

people of Indian origin and will be 

happy to add new categories if there 

is substantial demand and if there 

are recommendations from readers, 

parents and those involved in sports. 

These are ‘People’s Awards’ and 

as such, we look forward to your 

participation. 

For instance, the ever-popular 

football, played and watched by 

millions of people across the world 

inspired us to include three distinct 

categories, namely, ‘The Best Under- 

9 Player of the Year.’ 

Great Soccer 

The most popular sport in the 

world- Soccer has three categories 

at INLISA. We award the Best 

Under 12Soccer Player,Best Under 

18 Soccer of the Year and Best 

Division Soccer Player of the Year 

in recognition the growing number 

of Indians playing the game. As per 

records, more than 200 countries 

play Soccer. 

A shining example of a player 

of Indianorigin in the game here 

is Roy Krishna.Winner of the Best 

Sportsman of the Year of our Sports 

Awards in 2014, the striker is an 

integral part of the Wellington 

Phoenix team. 

The best golf player in the world 

today is Lydia Ko. The Korean-born 

Kiwi golfer isgood evidence of the 

superb facilities and equal opportunities 

this country provides.We hope 

to encourage this sport even more in 

the Indian community by awarding 

the Best Golfer of the Year award. 

The Black Caps and the White 

Ferns are having an excellent 

summer, thus fueling even greater 

interest in the most popular sport 

amongst Indians, Cricket.Our 

Awards have two categories dedicated 

to this Game, which is increasingly 

attracting women players. 

Indian Newslink Indian Sports 

Awards seek to provide a platform 

to showcase the best of sporting 

talent in New Zealand. Through this 

endeavor we hope an even wider 

audience. 

What : Indian Newslink Indian 

Sports Awards 2016 

Who : For Sportspersons of Indian 

Origin 

Entries : Open until March 31, 2016 

Forms : Download from www.inlisa. 

com 

Completed Forms: 

Email isa2016@peaceconsulting.co.nz 

Contact : Ravi Nyayapati Email: ravi@ 

peaceconsulting.co.nz 

editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Raj Singh presenting the ‘Under 21 Cricket Player of the Year Award’ 

to Sharhat Singh at the Indian Newslink Indian Sports Awards 2015 

held on April 22, 2015. 

Calling for 

Entries to the 

FIFTH Annual 

Indian Newslink 

Indian Sports 

Awards 

AN EXCITING 

OPPORTUNITY TO 

RECOGNISE AND 

REWARD OUR 

SPORTS 

ACHIEVERS 

AWARD CATEGORIES: 

•Best Senior Division Cricket Player of the Year 

•Best Under 18 Cricket Player of the Year 

•Best Senior Division Soccer Player of the Year 

•Best Under 18 Soccer Player of the Year 

•Best Under 9Soccer Player of the Year 

•Best Rugby Player of the Year 

•Best Rugby League Player of the Year 

•Best Netball Player of the Year 

•Best Hockey Player of the Year 

•Best Golfer of the Year 

•Best Under 12 Player of the Year- Other Sports 

•Best Over 12 Player of the Year- Other Sports 

Best Sportsman of the Year 

Best Sportswoman of the Year 

(Winners of individual categories will beautomatically entered) 

In response to the wishes of our readers, we have included two new categories, 

namely, ‘Best Under 12 Player of the Year –Other Sports’ and ‘Best Over 12 Player 

of the Year –Other Sports.’ 

Entries can be nominated by Sports Clubs, Sports Associations, Coaches, Umpires, Referees, 

Parents, Teaches and others well known to the recommended candidates. Download entry forms 

from www.inlisa.com or write to editor@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Completed entries must be sent on or before Thursday, March 31, 2016 to 


Winners will be presented with Awards at aGala Dinner in May 2016 in Auckland, 

details of which will beannounced 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 beentertained in this 

connection. The management and staff ofIndian Newslink and the 

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INDI AN 

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AWARDS 

2016

Indian Newslink Feb 15, 2016 Digital Edition

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