Indian Newslink 15th May 2018 Digital Edition

MAY 15, 2018
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The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999)
ISSUE 392 | MAY 15, 2018
Remembering Girmityas
with love and honour
It was just a day ago (May 14)
that people of Indo-Fijian origin
in Fiji, New Zealand and other
parts of the world observed
the 139th Anniversary of ‘Girmit,’ an
inglorious period of 37 years (1879-
1916) during which indentured labourers
from India were subject to
humiliation, subjugation and even
inhumane treatment.
Grim reminder
‘Girmit Day’ that commemorates
the arrival of the first shipload of indentured
labourers in 1879 is not a
celebration but a grim reminder of
one of the darkest eras in human
history.
Several events were held
in Auckland at press time,
one of which was the ‘Girmit
Commemoration Meeting’ organised
at Ram Mandir, in Henderson,
Auckland.
The event was marked as one of
solidarity, determination and will to
ensure sufferings for the sake of the
future generations. Indo-Fijians owe
their status including good education
and economic prosperity to the
sacrifices made by their ancestors.
It is their blood, sweat and tears that
have made them to strive harder
and win recognition not only in Fiji
but in every part of the globe, which
is their home today.
Homage to Girmityas
The Divas (the day) is not so much
Challenges facing New
Zealand banks
The appointment of a Royal
Commission of Inquiry
into some of the practices
of Commercial banks in
Australia has sent ripples of anxiety
in New Zealand’s banking sector.
The Royal Commission, appointed
by the Australian government, is examining
misleading and deceptive
behaviour in the industry and the
conduct which fell ‘below community
standards and expectations.’
The complaints
As Commissioner Kenneth Hayne
said, Australia has one of the strongest
and most stable financial service
sectors in the world but there have
been many established examples of
misconduct, raising questions about
cultural and governance practices.
Along with Banking, the Inquiry
would look at Superannuation
(Pension Contributions), Insurance
and Wealth Management
industries.
Australia’s ‘Big Four,’ namely,
Commonwealth Bank (CBA), ANZ,
National Australia Bank (NAB)
and Westpac, collectively have
about 80% of the country’s banking
market.
As on May 4, 2018, the Royal
Commission had received 5019 public
submissions, of which 64% related
to banking, followed by equal
number of submissions relating
a celebration as a commemoration
to pay homage to the Girmityas,
praise their courage and express
gratitude and appreciation for their
sacrifices. It is also to educate and
inform the present generation of
Indians, mainly the descendants of
Girmityas, of the hardships their ancestors
had to endure and the sacrifices
they made to provide a better
life for their children.
Their gift was the huge investment
they made in providing for the
education of their children. The colonial
government made no provision
for the education of Indian
children in the early days since the
abolition of indenture.
There has always been a place for
Indians in Fiji and the community is
an integral part and instrument of
the country’s destiny.
We live in a globalised world today.
Indians are citizens of Fiji and
they must make their future according
to their will and aspirations. It
is the responsibility of their leaders
to see that they are treated with respect
and dignity.
We salute Indo-Fijians on the
139th anniversary of Girmit, pay
tributes to their ancestors, congratulate
them on the dawn of a new era
of their freedom from racism, political
discrimination and corruption
and wish them success in all their
endeavours.
to superannuation and financial
advice.
Response in New Zealand
New Zealand banks and insurance
companies have been quick to
distance themselves from the evidence
found by the hearings before
the Royal Commission.
But as Wellington based
Transparency International Inc
Chief Executive Suzanne Snively
said, the challenge is that New
Zealand’s largest four registered
banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac)
are subsidiaries of Australia’s
four largest banks. AMP is one of
New Zealand’s largest insurance
companies.
“It is naive to believe that the
New Zealand system is different
without solid evidence. It is
not enough to have the industry
self-disclose. This after all, is what
happened prior to the current
Australian inquiry,” she said.
The Australian Royal
Commission’s early findings provide
a wakeup call to New Zealanders.
We need to make sure that we have
authenticated evidence that our
New Zealand banking and financial
services practices and operations,
undertaken for the banks own customers,
have been conducted with
integrity and in the best interests of
their customers.
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Co-Working takes a new form
with all care in the world
‘Cloud39’ opens in Botany South on May 19
Venkat Raman
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz
With flexible working
hours, work-life
balance and proximity
to family and
children becoming the norm, Co-
Working is emerging as a sound
alternative for people to pursue
their profession.
While work stations fostering
the Co-Working concept have
been functioning in the USA and
some parts of Europe for a few
years now, arguably the first of
its kind is set to open in New
Zealand next week.
Called, ‘Cloud39,’ the impressive,
purpose-built facility located
at 39 Bishop Dunne in Botany
South Auckland could herald the
future of the workplace.
True to its form and style,
the launch of the Centre will
be marked as ‘Open Day,’ on
Saturday, May 19, 2018 from 11
am to 3 pm.
Something for all
There is something for everyone,
a place to work, a place to
relax, a place to eat, a place for
children to be cared after school
hours, and even a place where
one could talk in privacy to one’s
partner (and perhaps say, ‘Sorry’
and make up). If you have heard
or read about ‘Cloud 9,’ then
‘Cloud39’ would confirm to the
modern-day youth: ‘Cool.’
The facility is owned and promoted
by the ‘FURM Group’
which Director and Project
Manager Nader Luthera said is
an acronym for ‘Free Up Your
Mind.’
The young man conceived
the Project and implemented it
with the support of his parents
Harinder Pal (HP) and Darshi
Luthera who have been successfully
running ‘Kiwi Supertots,’ an
education and childcare centre
within the same complex (and at
Royal Oak and Papakura) for the
past 26 years.
Nader, is a chip off the old
block, with the attributes of honesty,
integrity and the urge to
‘do something bigger, better and
more in-tune with the evolving
trends.’
The challenge of success
“My parents have worked hard
for a long time and established a
business that provides childcare
during and after school hours,
enabling parents to lead their
professional lives without interruption
or worry. The challenge
that I undertook was build on
their success and integrate an individual’s
professional aspirations
within the framework of
family and child welfare. The future
of the work is changing,” he
said.
It is common for young minds
to reach for the stars, true to
which, Nader, globetrotting
for two years (especially visiting
work centres in the USA and
Europe), concluded that it was
time to provide New Zealand entrepreneurs,
professionals and
even employees of companies
the ability to perform their daily
work in a professional and con-
Go ahead Son, there is a lot to do” H P Luthera (back) with Nader Luthera at Cloud39
Group Discussions and articulation of ideas can be fun at Cloud39 (Pictures Supplied)
genial environment.
That in a nutshell is the concept
of ‘Cloud39.’
Ideal Hub
Nader said that Cloud39 is an
ideal hub for city employees
looking for a remote co-working
operation closer home, through
to young parents in business
wanting to be closer to their children
and neighbouring schools.
“Our Mission is to provide people
with a positive and productive
environment. Cloud39 will
act as a place for opportunity,
where individuals or groups can
effectively better their working
habits and wellbeing,” he said.
Family Care with a focus on
children is at the core of operations
of Cloud39.
Combining the vision of Nader
and the business acumen of HP,
the new building boasts of a
number of facilities to keep customers
in comfort zone. These
include a Common Area, Event
Centre, Child Care, Meeting
Rooms, Out of School Care, Zen
Room, Cafeteria and more.
“Cloud39 Coworking is the perfect
location for young parents,
start-ups, entrepreneurs and employees
living near and around
South East Auckland. With convenient
and easy access from
anywhere in Flatbush, Botany,
Howick, Manukau, East Tamaki
and other parts of South and
East Auckland, Cloud39 is the
perfect location to co-work closer
to your home and your family,
and away from traffic.”
“Away from traffic” are the
magic words in today’s Auckland
where gridlocks keep people in
their cars for long hours.
Membership Categories
Nader said that membership to
Cloud39 is available with several
options. These include (a) Day
Pass (b) Full-Time Dedicated (c)
Full-Time Flexi (d) School Hours
Only (e) Part-Time Dedicated (f)
Part-Time Flexi and (g) Huddle
Desk.
“Cloud Members will get access
to shared office co-working
facilities, our network, and invitations
to our family-friendly
events. They will also be entitled
to our ‘exclusive, members-only
rates’ for Out of School
Care, Holiday Programmes and
Quality Childcare,” Nader said.
A few years ago, a
PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK)
survey titled, ‘The Future of
Work: A journey to 2022,’ said
that tremendous forces were
radically reshaping the world of
work.
“Maximum operational flexibility,
lean staffing models, collaborative
partnerships and
minimal fixed costs are critical
enablers of Orange firms (where
‘big would be bad’). These companies
make extensive use of
technology to run their businesses,
coordinate a largely external
workforce and support their relationships
with third parties.
They take advantage of disruptive
technology when appropriate
and stay abreast of new
developments to ensure they are
up to speed in their sector.”