July 1 2017 Digital Edition

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The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999)
Issue 372 | JULY 15, 2017
Bill and Andrew deserve condonation
New Zealanders are perhaps
among the most unforgiving
beings when it comes to
politics and political leaders.
Possibly because public memory is short,
they demand immediate reparation from
defaulting leaders- which is often removal
from the political landscape.
Helen and John
Some political leaders have survived
the worst crises in their careers- Helen
Clark and John Key are among the most
prominent Prime Ministers who mastered
the art of survival.
Both left New Zealand politics- the
former after a humiliating defeat of her
Party at the polls (although she herself won
her seat in Mt Albert with almost 60% of
the votes cast) and the latter when he was
at the pinnacle of popularity.
Both have re-emerged into public
life- she as a world leader, heading a UN
organisation and the latter as a corporate
leader.
Ms Clark and Mr Key were of course
seen as leaders of unimpeachable integrity
and hence the otherwise unrelenting
public left them alone after initial outburst
whenever a scandal or an accusation of
transgression surfaced.
Bill and Andrew
Prime Minister Bill English belongs to
another school of another time. Many of us
knew him as the Leader of the Opposition
for a couple of years when Mr Key entered
politics. He was at the helm of National
when the Party was in its worst form with
depleted morale and divisive forces.
But riding the wave of the Party’s
popularity, he became Mr Key’s deputy
and in charge of the national exchequer.
Together, they struck a great partnership
and were the chief architects of the Party’s
political fortunes.
Voter apathy must end
Although voting is not
compulsory in terms of the
existing provisions of the New
Zealand Electoral Act, the
country has been consistently witnessing
a high turnover at the polling booths for
several years.
Declining trend
Electoral Commission statistics show
that New Zealanders are keen to exercise
their franchise with a high percentage
of votes polled in 1987 (89.1%), 1990
(85.2%), 1993 (85.2%), 1996 (88.3%),
1999 (84.8%), 2002 (77%) 2005 (80.9%),
2008 (79.46%), 2011 (74.21%) and 2014
(77.90%).
Elections have always excited people,
although some surveys showed apathy
among the younger members of the
society, which is likely to reverse on
September 23, 2017, given the fact the
race is open as of now.
Indian votes
The Indian community, which is
likely to account for about 75,000 votes
throughout the country, has thus far been
somewhat indifferent towards politics. In
a number of constituencies which account
for a large number of Indian population,
especially Mt Albert and Mt Roskill in
Auckland, the winning candidates were
both from Labour.
Voter turnout is even more critical
in the ensuing election than ever before
and both Labour and National have been
wooing voters to cast their party votes in
their favour – an odd system in which a
candidate, defeated at the electorate, can
still make it to parliament through the
party list. Minority parties (especially
Greens and New Zealand First) have
thrived on party votes.
People rise to their jobs, it is often said,
and perhaps that bill fits both Mr English
and Labour Party Leader Andrew Little.
The Irony
Both Mr English and Mr Little have had
engagements with their opposite political
party. Mr English was an employee of
the Treasury when Roger Douglas was
the Finance Minister under a Labour
Government, while Mr Little, as the son
of a devout National Party supporter, used
to distribute publicity material to homes
and offices.
While Mr English has had a second-chance
as the Leader of National – the
Party that was unkind 15 years ago, Mr
Little has one fact to his credit- he is the
only leader to remain unchallenged for
almost three years. Other than that, he has
had to face uncharitable disposition of the
mainstream media.
Leaders like Mr English and Mr Little
appreciate the principled approach of small
media organisations like Indian Newslink
and Radio Tarana.
The Todd Barclay fiasco that left Mr
English on the defence and the indiscretion
of Matt McCarten that embarrassed
Mr Little have had the potential to kill
but luckily, both leaders appear to have
survived.
Give them a break
Political leaders- Prime Ministers and
their Shadows – are constantly placed under
the microscope and dissected. While it
is important to hold them to account, they
should be given leverage, an elbow room
to manoeuvre and deliver. They should
be treated with a little more empathy and
understanding and allowed to function
without deviation.
They should however be responsible
for their own acts of omission and
commission.
That is one of the vagaries of the Mixed
Member Proportion (MMP) system,
which few of us have understood.
Voter turnout from the Indian
community would also be critical to both
parties since party votes in some key
constituencies could tilt the balance in the
final analysis.
It is often argued that Indians will not
vote if they feel that an election does
not offer a chance of real change, what
is termed a ‘mobilising election.’ Such
change can come either from the party in
power or from the one that aspires to get
to the beehive.
Increasing awareness
Experience here and elsewhere has
proved that when an election can make
a difference, turnout rises. On that score,
Election 2017 could create history; for,
the electorate in general and the Indian
community in particular, is increasingly
becoming aware that a few hundred votes
could change the fortune of a candidate or
the party in question. Some say that people
badly want the government out, they
will go to the polls in greater numbers.
But for the moment, they are apathetic, if
not content.
In theory, votes should be decisive.
People are consulted, a new government
is formed; the losers accept the result and
political discussions begin again on a new
basis and the government and the nation
carry on until it is time to poll again.
Elections, in fact, are just one part
of the network of institutions (like
honest courts) that need to be in place for
democracy to work properly.
Without those institutions, voting
sometimes seems, at least in the short
term, to make things worse.
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 and on our web editions 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; Assistant Editor: Ratna Venkat;
Financial Controller: Uma Venkatram CA; Phone: (09) 5336377 Email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz
Websites: www.indiannewslink.co.nz; www.inliba.com; www.inlisa.com
JULY 1, 2017
Tinkering makes noise but does not fix problems
Action needed to make our communities safer
Priyanca Radhakrishnan
Everyone has the right to be
safe – at home, at work and on
the streets.
However, people are feeling
less safe in New Zealand.
According to the 2016 Public
Perceptions of Crime Survey, 71% of
respondents felt that total national crime
had increased since the previous year.
Last week, on a wet and windy
Wednesday evening, I held the third public
meeting of my electorate campaign.
It was on community safety and was
held in Ellerslie, where the local community
has been up in arms at the closure of
their community police station.
Rising Crime
Across Auckland last year, there were
1941 incidents of reported crime victimisation
each week. Mt Wellington, which
is also in the Maungakiekie electorate, has
the highest rate of reported burglaries in
the country.
Across Auckland, the burglary resolution
rate was under 10%. That means, in
over 90% of cases, burglars get off free.
Shutting community police stations as
crime continues to rise makes no sense.
Media reports last year indicated that
closure of 30 police stations could result in
saving $3 million. If it is at the expense of
community safety, is it really a saving?
In this article, which is the first of two
on the topic, I will explore government
spending on law and order. In the next
article, I will discuss relevant international
crime prevention models that are considered
best practice.
In 2005, the Corrections Operational
Budget was $526 million. In 2015, it was
just over $1.3 billion. The Corrections
Operational Budget is $800 million a
year more now than it was a decade ago.
In addition, about $4 billion is spent on
prisons since 2005.
The opportunity cost of increasing
government spending on prisons appears
to be an under-resourcing of the Police
force.
In 2016, then Police Minister Judith
Collins signed off a four-year Police
strategic plan which stated that there
would be no increase of Police numbers
for the four-year duration.
Declining Ratios
Labour MPs were upset and reminded
the then Prime Minister Jon Key of his
2008 election year promise, which was to
increase in Police numbers to account for
one Police Officer for 500 people. He also
promised that the ratio of Police to citizens
would keep up with population increase.
At present, we have one Police officer to
526 persons.
A few months after the furor, National’s
first election year promise was for 880
additional Police officers over four years.
How did they go from no increase in
Police numbers to an increase of 880 in a
few months?
A Cabinet Minute obtained by the
Labour Party through the Official Information
Act gives us some background to
that decision change. Ms Collins took a
paper to her Cabinet outlining a proposal
for 1165 more Police officers costing $555
million.
According to the Police, increasing
Police numbers by 1165 would result in
10% reduction in serious crime.
While that may not sound like a big
deal, it is a start.
Proposal rejected
Unfortunately, the Cabinet rejected the
proposal. The Minister’s next proposal,
which was for 880 Police officers, was
met with this response from the Police:
“There will be no dedicated extra resources
for rural New Zealand or Auckland
and limited additional crime prevention
capacity.”
So once again, the Government
tinkers around the edges, increases Police
numbers to look like they are taking
action on the face of political pressure but
does not do enough to actually warrant a
positive change.
We are spending more money on
prisons, locking up more people and it is
clearly not working.
In addition, health and education
funding cuts in real terms and an abject
failure to address the housing crisis only
serve to widen the inequality gap that also
contributes to increasing crime.
We need a better solution to keep our
communities safe.
Priyanca Radhakrishnan was born in
India, educated in Singapore and New
Zealand. She has been with the Labour
Party for about 11 years in various
capacities. She is the Party’s candidate
in the Maungakiekie constituency in the
general election scheduled to be held on
Saturday, September 23, 2017.
Inspired leadership opens opportunities to succeed
Venkat Raman
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz
Ten years ago, in our July 1, 2007
issue, we had quoted Steve
Bovaird (who was then Principal,
Lynfield College, Auckland)
paying tributes to the leadership qualities
of a Form Seven student.
Less than a year later, in our March
1, 2008 issue, we had reported that the
young student – Pauras Rege – had been
awarded the PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC) Foundation Aspire Scholarship
for his ‘consistent academic success and
contribution to school and community
life.’ He also represented New Zealand at
the UNESCO World Heritage Forum in
2008.
Corporate Solutions
Now, a decade later, we found the
young man leading the way for New
Zealand’s Business Sales and Capital
Solutions Sector.
As Investment Manager for Colliers
International New Zealand, he has
emerged as a market leader in the sector,
guiding deals for businesses valued at
more than $2 million.
Analysing industry prospects and
sourcing new clients, he brings each deal
to its logical and successful conclusion.
He also raises funds by securing
capital commitments and developing
relationships.
“I aim to position myself in the Indian
community as a market leader in the
Business Sales and Capital Solutions field
and help people realise their objectives,”
he said.
Impressive Career
Born and raised in Mumbai, he
migrated to New Zealand when he had just
turned a teenager, with his father, Chief
Marine Engineer in Merchant Navy and
mother, employed at ASB Bank.
A Chartered Accountant, he
commenced his career at PwC, acquiring
invaluable experience in financial
accounting, financial analysis and financial
Pauras Rege (right) with and colleagues Shelley May and Marcus Jacobson
(Picture Supplied)
reporting. His portfolio extended to major
clients in retail, distribution, not-for-profit,
technology, manufacturing, real estate,
software and telecommunications fields.
Later, his role as an Internal Advisory at
ASB Bank afforded opportunities to lead
internal reviews comprising small-sized
teams and develop advice-based relationships
with internal business partners.
Opportunities at Colliers
Colliers International offered him
challenges and opportunities to pursue
his career ambitions in expanding his
capability in finance, accounting,
entrepreneurship and leadership in finding
successful business solutions to small and
medium enterprises that dominate the
New Zealand economy.
“Joining Colliers International allowed
me to synthesise these skills and join a
highly motivated, collaborative team with
over 40 years of combined experience.
We have a diverse range of skills that
complement in providing quality business
investment opportunities backed by
industry research and market knowledge,”
Mr Rege said.
Recipe for success
Personalised service, supported by
a sound knowledge of the needs and
financial disposition of every client,
market intelligence and negotiation
skills enable Mr Rege and his team to
deliver high quality service with expertise,
integrity and honesty for which Colliers
International has an indubitable record
worldwide.
He and his team are currently
marketing a strategically located Auckland
quarry that is awaiting a new owner to
unearth its mineral wealth and develop the
site into a potential future suburb.
Indian community potential
Mr Rege is keen to tap the increasing
potential of the Indian community and its
propensity to invest and create wealth.
“My education and work experience
will enable me to help provide high
quality professional service in Business
Sales and Capital Solutions for the
fast-growing Indian community in New
Zealand,” he said.
Beyond his profession, Mr Rege is a
member of ‘Prayas,’ an Indian Theatre
Company, and ‘Indiance,’ a School
specialising in Bollywood dances. He has
been featured in New Zealand based TV
soaps such as Shortland Street.
He is also currently a member of
the Auckland University Cricket Club
(Premier Reserves & Senior A-Men’s
cricket) and was previously Captain of
the Eden Roskill Cricket Club (Premier
Reserves-Men’s cricket) from 2010-2014.
Pauras Rege can be reached on (09)
3578604 or 021-1558107. Email:
Pauras.Rege@colliers.com