INL April 15 2019 Digital Edition

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Labour shortage rots fruits in Hawke’s Bay 

Michael Cropp 

Fruit is rotting on the ground 

in Hawke’s Bay amid a 

massive worker shortage 

and orchardists warn that 

overworked pickers are suffering 

more accidents. 

The official labour shortage first 

declared for Hawke’s Bay six weeks 

ago, with 192 tourists granted approval 

to work in orchards, expired 

on Friday, April 5, 2019. 

Too little, too late 

It was immediately extended, but 

growers say it’s too little, too late. 

Phil Paynter from Johnny Appleseed 

Holdings had to say ‘Goodbye’ 

to 22 hard-working pickers last 

week. 

He said that with a little more 

warning, he could have kept them. 

“When the labour shortage 

expired last Friday, we laid off 22 

staff. There are no tourist numbers 

by the time you get into April to find 

those people (again),” he said. 

Many workers would have needed 

to re-apply for visa variations, 

which take about a week to process, 

Mr Paynter said. 

Visa Variations 

Immigration New Zealand 

Manager Matt Hoskin said that Visa 

variations could be granted only 

“for the duration of the declared 

labour shortage.” 

“If an individual was initially 

granted a variation of conditions 

for the Hawke’s Bay and wants to 

continue working following the 

Yummy Apples from Hawke’s Bay 

Yummy Apples from Hawke’s Bay 

extension of the labour shortage, 

they should reapply for a further 

variation of conditions,” he said. 

Mr Paynter said that he also had 

115 overseas workers under the 

Recognised Seasonal Employer 

Scheme (RSES) this year, but they 

were only confirmed a fortnight 

before the harvest began and that 

more certainty was needed. 

Orchards suffer 

Anthony Rarere runs the Pick 

Hawke’s Bay Co-op, which supplies 

labour to its 50 member orchards. It 

was still about 70 pickers short, he 

said, and that meant some orchards 

could not get the fruit off the trees 

quickly enough. 

“We have one of our orchards 

in particular, whose summer fruit 

just rotted on the tree and fell off. 

So obviously that’s going to hurt his 

bottom line,” he said. 

Mr Rarere said that because of the 

shortage, pickers were working up to 

70 hours a week. 

“It is hard yakka. It is up in the 

morning at 530 am or 6 am. It is 

working in cold conditions including 

rain and wind,” he said. 

The industry estimates that 

workers need to climb about 20 kms 

vertically on ladders, with about 20 

kgs hanging around their necks, to 

pick a hectare of apple trees. 

Increasing accidents 

The long hours due to the shortage 

were leading to fatigue and an increase 

in accidents, Mr Rarere said. 

The industry said the pay was 

good, with experienced pickers 

earning $20 to $25 an hour. 

Shelley Hannah-Kingi, who coordinates 

the Tairāwhiti Beneficiary 

Advocacy Trust , said that was still 

not high enough to make up for the 

precariousness of seasonal work for 

out-of-towners. 

“If you go there and you are there 

only for eight weeks, how do you 

get back? Because a lot of the time 

even though you are making a good 

income, you are living in areas 

where you are living off takeaways,” 

she said. 

That, plus accommodation 

expenses, meant many could not 

save much money, she said. 

Housing shortage 

Housing is also a factor - there is 

a shortage in Hawke’s Bay - and Ms 

Hannah-Kingi said that the people 

she worked with in the Gisborne 

area did not want to leave and 

sacrifice their spot on social housing 

waiting lists because they would be 

at the bottom if they came back. 

Phil Paynter agreed that more 

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accommodation would make a 

difference. 

“If you have some certainty on 

the dynamics of the system and the 

availability of labour, then you have 

the confidence to invest in housing 

and that is something we desperately 

need to do,” he said. 

Growers are also pushing for 

changes to the RSES, including 

a higher cap and more forward 

planning. 

The government is reviewing the 

Scheme, analysing 641 submissions, 

with changes expected to be 

announced mid-year. 

Michael Cropp is a Reporter at Radio 

New Zealand. The above story 

and pictures have been published 

under a Special Agreement with 

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APRIL 15, 2019 

Homelink 

Visa delays hurt New Zealand businesses and people 

Gill Bonnett 

Businesses say they are missing out on staff 

and immigrants are facing long waits 

for news as delays to visa processing 

continue. 

The Immigration Advisers’ Association says it 

takes two days to get a business visa in Australia 

but has heard of it taking up to six months in 

New Zealand in recent months. 

One man, Dhanush Laxman, from Mumbai, 

has not seen his baby since he was a month old 

while he waits for his partner’s work visa to 

arrive. 

“I am really missing his childhood,” he said. 

“This delay is taking a toll on us.” 

Lengthening timelines 

British helicopter pilot Neil Walden said the 

timeframe he was given by Immigration New 

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Zealand (INZ) had almost doubled, and it was 

hiding behind the Christchurch attacks to excuse 

the lengthening delays. 

When he applied for a $465 Silver Fern Job 

Search visa on January 9, 2019, the advertised 

waiting time stood at 47 days. 

“I understood that it might be a busy time of 

year for them as they have said, so it may be a 

few days longer than that, so I came with enough 

money to support myself for a certain amount of 

time,” he said. 

“But now I’m here not far off 90 days later and 

still waiting, my application sat in a case officer’s 

file for the whole of the month of March and I 

just found out on April 1 that it’s been handed 

to a different case officer to sit in their file for 

however long this is going to take now.” 

He cannot get a job offer until he has the visa. 

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Dhanush Laxman with wife Subha Nair and son Aryan 

(Photo Supplied) 

There’s a lot of helicopter use in New Zealand 

because of the geography of the place,” he said. 

Companies 

“And companies in other industries are also 

crying out for people. I’ve asked other people’s 

opinions of the immigration system they say, ‘oh 

yeah we’re waiting for somebody to do this that or 

the other to be approved as well.’ 

Student Visa yet to come 

“I love the country, the country’s great. But the 

dealings I’ve had with Immigration New Zealand 

really does take the shine off it.” 

Arun Paul from Kerala in India is due to start a 

Wintec course in applied information technology 

on 29 April. It has been almost three months since 

he applied for a student visa and has not heard 

anything from INZ. 

He has several friends who had no progress in 

their student visas after more than 100 days of 

waiting - and their courses were due to start in 

February, he said. 

EMA Content 

The Employers and Manufacturers Association 

said it was hearing a lot of complaints from 

businesses and it was getting worse. 

“It seems to be a resourcing issue within MBIE 

in terms of processing and bringing them into the 

country,” its general manager of advocacy, Alan 

McDonald said. 

“By the time you add accreditation it’s taking 

four or five months.” 

Growing pains 

The Association of Migration and Investment 

said INZ was going through growing pains, with 

case officers who were not fully equipped to deal 

with the applications. 

In one case, INZ asked for proof that a job had 

been advertised, when the role was on the skills 

shortage list and no advertisement was necessary. 

“Employers, when they make up their mind, 

they have to recruit somebody [overseas] they’re 

doing it because they cannot find somebody in 

New Zealand to do it,” its chairperson June Ranson 

said. 

“And then they find they have to wait three 

months in some instances, and they are businesses, 

they can’t operate like this, it’s affecting the 

economy and also the successful running of the 

business.” 

When advisers, lawyers or immigrants called 

the contact centre, they were not told who the case 

officer was or where they were in the queue, she 

said. 

“You’re just in the dark. When you look at 

what happens in Australia you can get a business 

visa through in two days. It’s far too slow and 

cumbersome.” 

Tourism woes 

Tourism Industry Aotearoa Chief Executive 

Chris Roberts said the delays are affecting visitors 

as well as businesses in the sector. 

“There’s nothing that annoys an employer more 

than an unexpected delay on getting a visa for a 

much-needed employee,” he said. 

“The time to get a visitor visa is also lengthening 

at the moment quite quickly, so 20 percent of all 

visitor visas are taking longer than three weeks 

and for the Indian market 20 percent of the visas 

are taking more than a month.” 

Meanwhile, Dhanush Laxman is flying home 

so as not to miss his three-month-old baby’s first 

Vishu New Year this month. 

“When I tried calling up INZ in New Zealand, 

there is no response. There is an option to receive 

a call back, I did that after holding for 10 minutes. 

But when you receive the call back, the automated 

messages keep rolling and it’s not an actual call 

back from a representative. I waited 46 minutes 

and got frustrated and hung up the call,” he said. 

Gill Bonnett is Immigration Reporter at Radio 

New Zealand. The above Report and Picture have 

been published under a Special Arrangement with 

www.rnz.co.nz 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi 

National List MPbased 

in 

Manukau East 

Contact 

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Homelink 

Study to assess employment experience of Indian migrants 

Online survey now open at http://psych-research.massey.ac.nz 

Venkat Raman 

New migrants, 

especially those of 

Indian origin commonly 

experience the 

trauma of job-hunting upon 

their arrival in New Zealand, 

compounding which are 

racial discrimination, social 

segregation and other forms of 

‘passive harassment.’ 

Indian Migrants in Catch 22 

It is also not uncommon 

for many new migrants 

to undergo the ‘Rethink 

Syndrome’ (some of them have 

returned to the countries from 

which they arrived), while a 

majority endure, partly with 

the challenging sprit and partly 

to provide a better future for 

their children. 

While Indian Newslink 

has carried several stories of 

frustration, failure, success 

and change of profession of 

new migrants over the past 20 

years, research studies have 

tried to larger impact on employers 

and the government. 

On that score, a thesis 

underway by a Massey University 

Research student could 

become a watershed for this 

perennial ‘Catch 22’ situation 

of ‘New Zealand experience 

and job hunt.’ 

Sumedha Hariswamy of 

Massey University (Albany 

Campus, Auckland) has under- 

Image Courtesy: Newsroom, Wellington 

taken the Study as a part of 

the fulfilment of her Master’s 

Degree in Psychology under 

the guidance of Organisational 

Psychology Professor Stuart 

Carr. 

She has invited people of 

Indian origin to recount their 

pleasant or other experience 

of their ‘Journey of Employment’ 

in New Zealand. 

Online Survey Criteria 

This is an online survey 

and among the criteria for 

respondents are that they 

should (a be people of Indian 

Origin (b) have arrived in New 

Zealand as Indian migrants 

(c) be of 18 years or older (d) 

speak fluent English and (e) be 

currently unemployed, seeking 

employment, underemployed 

(entry or intermediate level or 

be fully employed in a match 

that matches their qualifications 

and skills 

Sumedha said that the 

Online Survey would take 

about 10 to 15 minutes for 

completion. 

“We would ask you about 

the critical incidents in your 

job-hunting journey of looking 

for work in New Zealand. 

Critical incidents are simply 

short stories detailing positive 

outcomes where you found 

success (i.e. got a job) and 

negative outcomes where you 

faced barriers (i.e. did not get a 

job),” she said. 

Please visit http://psych-research.massey.ac.nz 

under the 

research title ‘Indian Migrants’ 

Stories at Different Degrees of 

Employment 

Survey Implications 

Like all research studies, 

the Research undertaking of 

Sumedha also carries with 

it a few factors which are as 

follows: (a) Completion and 

submission of the survey implies 

consent of data provided 

(b) All identifiable information 

revealing your identity, or any 

organisation will be removed 

(c) You have the right to ask 

any questions about the study at any time 

during participation, decline to answer any 

question(s), and choose not to submit the 

questionnaire at any point (d) However, once 

submitted, you will not be able to alter your 

responses nor withdraw from the research 

as all responses are anonymous (e) Your 

data will be held in a secure file at Massey 

University for five years, after which it will 

be destroyed and (f) Upon completion of the 

thesis, findings will be made available online 

and can be accessed at https://mro.massey. 

ac.nz under the research title “‘Indian 

Migrants’ Stories at Different Degrees of 

Employment.” 

Counselling Services 

Sumedha said that anyone experiencing 

any unpleasant memories of job hunting 

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Massey University Logo from Website 

should feel free to access the charitable and/ 

or counselling services of Auckland Regional 

Migrant Services on (09) 6252440, Shakti 

Legal Advocacy and Family Social Services 

on 0800-742584, Migrant Action Trust on (09) 

6293500 (Email: info@migrantactiontrust. 

org.nz), Refugees as Survivors on (09) 270 

0870 and Lifeline Aotearoa on 0800-543354. 

Sumedha can be contacted by email: 

sumedha.hariswamy.1@uni.massey.ac.nz 

and Professor Stuart Carr on s.c.carr@ 

massey.ac.nz 

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04 


Homelink 

Love emerges stronger than hate after terrorist attack 

Michael Wood 

The terrorist attack on innocent 

Muslim worshippers 

in Christchurch 

on March 15, 2019 was 

one of the darkest acts in New 

Zealand history. 

However, in the weeks since 

that day, we have also seen great 

light in our country. 

During my visits to Mosques 

and Muslim community groups 

across the country, Muslims have 

universally told me that they 

have been overwhelmed by the 

love, practical support, and solidarity 

that their fellow Kiwis 

have demonstrated. 

New Zealanders have come together 

to express our grief, and 

to show our solidarity with the 

Muslim community. We have 

united to reject the hateful ideology 

that inspired this attack, and 

we have begun the long journey 

of healing. 

Strongly affirming our values 

of compassion, tolerance, and 

manaakitanga is a crucial way 

we can make sure New Zealand 

is safe for everyone. 

Inquiry and further steps 

The Government is determined 

to find out how the attack could 

happen, and to make sure it can 

never happen again. 

We have agreed to hold a Royal 

Commission of Inquiry into the 

Christchurch attack. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaking at 

Masjid-e-Umar, Mt Roskill on March 23, 2019 

Royal Commissions are reserved 

for matters of grave public 

importance, and this inquiry will 

look into the suspected terrorist’s 

activities leading up to the attack. 

It will also look at government 

agencies and departments, including 

the intelligence community, 

to understand what opportunities 

they might have had to prevent 

the attack. 

The Royal Commission will 

identify what steps can be taken 

to make sure this never happens 

again. 

Changing Gun Laws 

One way to protect New 

Zealand is to make sure we have 

safe and effective gun laws. 

That’s why, six days after the attack, 

the Government announced 

Michael Wood speaking at Masjid-e-Umar, Mt Roskill on 

March 23, 2019 

a ban on military style semi-automatic 

weapons and assault rifles. 

Parts used to convert other guns 

into military style semi-automatics 

are also being banned, along 

with all high-capacity magazines. 

Every weapon used in the 

Christchurch terror attack is now 

banned in New Zealand. 

Parliament is united on the 

need for this change, and I want 

especially to thank the National 

Party for its immediate support 

for the Government’s actions. 

There has also been widespread 

support amongst the firearms-owning 

community. 

Fish and Game, the New 

Zealand Deerstalker’s Association, 

Hunting and Fishing, and 

Federated Farmers have endorsed 

the reforms, and I want to thank 

them for their pragmatism and 

solidarity. 

Firearms do, of course, serve legitimate 

purposes in our farming 

and hunting communities, and 

those responsible gun owners will 

not be affected. 

The new laws will have exemptions 

to allow the use of 0.22 calibre 

rifles and shotguns commonly 

used by farmers and hunters. 

Questions on Social Media 

Since the attack, New Zealanders 

have used social media to share 

tributes, and words of comfort. 

We have turned to social media 

for updates and information, and 

we have organised memorials and 

vigils attended by thousands. 

Social media can be used as a 

force for good, as we’ve seen since 

the attack. 

But sadly it can also be used as a 

force for hate. 

That’s why the Government is 

asking tough questions about the 

role social media has played in the 

attacks themselves. 

A part of of the Government’s 

job is to make sure New 

Zealanders are not exposed to 

traumatic and distressing material 

online, or material that incites 

violence. 

Global thinking 

As the Prime Minister has said, 

we need to think globally about 

how we can stop hateful materials 

appearing and reappearing on 

social media platforms in the first 

place. 

We have made our expectation 

clear, that internet companies 

and social media platforms do all 

they can to ensure the video is not 

distributed. 

New Zealand will be a leading 

part of the global conversation on 

stopping the spread of hate on social 

media. 

The Government is taking every 

action to ensure the safety of New 

Zealanders. Our threat alert level 

remains “high.” 

This means that the police and 

security services will provide extra 

protection, at the border and in 

public places. It is important that 

we maintain a high level of vigilance 

in the aftermath of an attack 

like this. 

We have witnessed the worst 

terror attack ever in New Zealand, 

and our history has changed forever. 

But we can make sure it never 

happens again. 

Most fundamentally that takes 

resolve and unity. It takes the kind 

of resolve and unity that New 

Zealanders have shown in abundance 

in recent days. 

With your help, love can and 

will triumph over hate. 

Michael Wood is elected 

Member of Parliament from Mt 

Roskill and is Parliamentary 

Under-Secretary for Ethnic 

Communities Minister. 

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Armed Police at some ANZAC 

Celebrations likely 

Brooke Jenner 

Homelink 

05 

With heightened 

security measures 

in place 

and increased 

police presence throughout 

the country since the March 

15, 2019 Mosque attacks, the 

Returned Services Association 

(RSA) has said it would be 

working with the Police to 

ensure public safety ahead 

of this year’s ANZAC Day 

services. 

No specific threat 

Police Assistant Commissioner 

Mike Rusbatch said 

there was no specific threat 

at Anzac Day services, but 

they would be providing a 

visible presence nationwide to 

reassure the public. 

He said that under the firearms 

directives and officers 

would be armed, but it could 

be reviewed. 

RSA president BJ Clark said 

that he supported the Police 

being armed on the day. 

“It was “responsible 

action” that would make 

remembrance services safe 

for everyone. This is a public 

service and so, whilst we are 

not aware of any threat, we 

need to ensure that the public 

are kept safe,” he said. 

Combined Services 

Mr Clark said that some 

Armed police will patrol some of this year’s Anzac Day services (AFP/RNZ Picture) 

RSAs would combine their 

services to make it easier for 

the Police to patrol after advice 

from the police. 

However, it would be up 

to each district to decide how 

their services would run. 

Mr Clark said he was 

saddened to hear a Muslim 

prayer honouring victims 

of the Christchurch mosque 

attacks was pulled from the 

Porirua service due to threats 

by members of the public. 

Mr Clark said a Muslim 

prayer was more likely to be 

included in civic services on 

ANZAC Day instead of dawn 

services. 

“I think a civic service 

later on, where the public are 

more involved, is probably 

the appropriate occasion to 

acknowledge the tragic events 

in Christchurch,” he said. 

No hatred, please 

He said there would be no 

tolerance for hatred of any 

kind at this year’s services. 

“There is no room for this 

sort of behaviour in our nation; 

it just makes things worse and 

vitriol of this kind will not be 

accepted by anyone.” 

Mr Clark said this was not 

the first time protests and 

other unwanted behaviour 

had taken the attention away 

from ANZAC Day services, and 

people needed to remember 

what the day is about. 

“This is about remembering 

the people that have served 

our country.” 

He said that the number of 

people attending ANZAC Day 

commemoration services had 

increased in recent years and 

did not expect the increased 

security measures to impact 

this year’s attendance figures. 

The above Report and 

Picture have been published 

under a Special Arrangement 

with www.rnz.co.nz

06 


Educationlink 

Seminar to discuss ways to improve mental health 

Event on April 27 at 230 pm, Jubilee Building, 545 Parnell Road, Auckland 

Venkat Raman 

A 

holistic approach to the 

human condition, ways 

and means of improving 

mental health and the 

challenges posed by modern 

lifestyles will be among the subjects 

of discussion at a Seminar scheduled 

to be held later this month in 

Auckland. 

Hosted by the Centre for 

Conscious Awareness New Zealand 

(CCANZ), the event will be held on 

Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 3 pm 

at Parnell Community Centre, 545 

Parnell Road. 

Research benefits 

We hope that the Programme will 

include the adequacy or otherwise 

of governments and other stakeholders 

in tackling socio-economic 

issues and the increasing incidence 

of violence and suicide that may 

be related to deteriorating mental 

health. 

CCANZ Chief Executive Sanjay 

Kumarasingham said that the 

Seminar will showcase a few 

researched areas which have given 

tangible benefits to the wellbeing of 

individuals and communities. 

“The human mind has been the 

focus of many schools of Philosophy, 

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Sanjay Kumarasingham 

Psychology, Spirituality and 

Research. We believe that bringing 

together all the disciplines and 

improving our understanding will 

pave the way to improved ways of 

dealing with mental wellbeing and 

health,” he said. 

Distinguished Speakers 

Guests Speakers at the Seminar 

include Tina Jones (Counsellor, 

Founder & Director of Youth at 

Transition Charitable Trust), 

Professor Anil Thapliyal (Chair of 

e-Mental Health Working Group 

at the International Initiative for 

Mental Health), Gareth Edwards 

(Psychologist, Musician and Founder 

of ‘Positive Thinking’) and Srinivas 

Arka (Author, Philosopher, Developer 

of Human Positive Potential 

Programmes and Founder of Centre 

for Conscious Awareness Charities 

and Arka Foundation). 

Seminar Objectives 

“These speakers will show 

tangible methodologies used in 

many parts of the world which 

have proved to help the human 

mind. While we are good at looking 

after our physical wellbeing, the 

event aims to focus on the mental 

wellbeing aspects. The Seminar will 

provide an opportunity to share 

key findings from researches,” Mr 

Kumarasingham said. 

He said that the Seminar will 

provide an opportunity to listen 

and share key findings from fellow 

researchers on holistic methodologies 

to augment existing fields of 

knowledge on mental health and 

wellbeing. 

“The aim of the event is to 

illuminate the interrelation 

between the different areas of 

expertise and enlighten researchers, 

students, scholars and the general 

public about the positive potential 

of the body and mind, in creating 

well-being and health both in the 

mental and physical aspects,” Mr 

Kumarasingham said. 

Understanding human condition 

He said that CCANZ has been 

working to help individuals gain 

better understanding of the human 

condition and offer a platform for 

research based holistic methods 

to be made available for better 

wellbeing outcomes. 

“Individuals can achieve a 

balanced approach towards 

understanding the external world 

and experience their inner intuitive 

consciousness to gain well-being and 

continued peaceful progress. This 

in turn will naturally contribute to 

the development of humanity and of 

collective consciousness, helping humanity 

to become more consciously 

aware of our universe, the relations, 

the meaning of life and the purpose 

of the questioning mind and its 

root,” Mr Kumarasingham said. 

About CCANZ 

A non-religious, registered charity, 

CCANZ has been serving the community 

needs of New Zealanders for 

more than two decades. 

“The mind is a common aspect to 

all human beings. The recognition 

that there is an issue of mental 

wellbeing in our communities 

is why CCANZ has focused on 

having such events for the benefit of 

communities. 

“The Organisation is wholly and 

deeply committed to helping individuals 

through practical philosophical 

training programmes to build their 

own knowledge, confidence and 

assist them to develop their structural 

and rational consciousness, 

which is parallel to achieving heart 

based intuitive phenomenological 

experience. This is achieved not only 

through a rationalistic philosophical 

enquiry but also by observing and 

interviewing individuals who have 

attained transformation and/or 

raising of self-awareness through 

personal inquiry and experiences,” 

Mr Kumarasingham said. 

Further details can be obtained on 

(09) 2799025; Email: kumarasingham@gmail.com; 

Website: www.newzealandcca.nz 

Hindi Language School gets $15,000 community grant 

Supplied Content 

A 

Hindi language 

school in West 

Auckland is set 

to benefit from a 

charitable initiative which 

saw $1 million donated to 

almost 50 organisations. 

Over the course of three 

weeks, 200,000 votes were 

cast which saw 48 groups 

secure funding for their 

projects, with some charities 

raising thousands of 

dollars a day by coordinating 

their supporters to go 

online. 

Social initiative 

The Million-Dollar Mission 

is an initiative developed 

‘The Trusts,’ a West Auckland 

based social enterprise, 

which redistributes the 

profits from the retail sales of 

food and beverages through 

its hospitality venues and 

off-license outlets around the 

region. 

New Zealanders were 

able to vote online for the 

cause of their choice with 

each vote providing $5 to 

the group to help complete 

projects of benefit to the 

local community. 

The Trusts Chief 

Executive Simon Wickham 

said that education charities 

were some of the biggest 

winners in this year’s 

round of funding with 

their combined donations 

reaching more than 

$350,000. 

The Waitakere Hindi 

Language and Cultural 

School teaches Hindi by 

promoting and developing 

the primary skills of listening, 

speaking, reading, and 

writing. 

The Trusts Chief Executive Simon 

Wickham (Photo Supplied) 

The School will use the 

funding grant of $15,000 

to upgrade their overall 

administration office and 

event-related equipment. 

About ‘The Trusts’ 

The Million Dollar 

Mission is in its third 

year of operation and has 

Some of the teachers, students and parents of the Waitakere Hindi Language and Cultural School (Picture from Facebook) 

provided $3 million in 

funding to almost 100 

community groups since 

it began. 

The Trusts is a business 

which has exclusive 

rights to retail 

liquor in the West 

Auckland region. 

Formed in 1972, it is the 

largest of the entities of 

its kind in New Zealand 

and is tasked with reinvesting 

profits from 

the sale of alcohol back 

into community programmes, 

grants and 

sponsorships. 

Mr Wickham said that 

the million dollar charitable 

initiative is an 

example of how the licensing 

model is able to 

support charities while 

at the same time better 

manage the sale of 

alcohol. 

Past initiatives have included 

the multi-million dollar 

support for The Trusts 

Stadium and the provision of 

free smoke alarms and fire 

extinguishers to every resident 

in the region. 

“Most of the profits from 

liquor sales around New 

Zealand are retained by 

store owners. Under the 

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model we operate within, 

the proceeds are returned to 

the community,” he said. 

He said that the causes 

were chosen by a judging 

panel including Linda 

Vagana, Duncan Garner and 

Sir Bob Harvey who selected 

48 finalists from over 100 

applicants. 

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Fiji revokes big Chinese resort’s rights in Malolo 

Mark Jennings and Melanie Reid 

The Chinese developer of a 

new resort on a Fijian Island 

faces a massive clean-up bill 

after Fiji’s Department of 

Environment cancelled the Project’s 

approval. 

The cancellation came a day after 

Newsroom journalists who have 

been investigating the development 

on Malolo Island were freed after 

being detained by police in the 

capital, Suva, after seeking answers 

from the developer Freesoul Real 

Estate. 

Newsroom Co-Editor Mark Jennings, 

Investigations Editor Melanie 

Reid and Cameraman Hayden Aull 

had been arrested after staff at 

the Suva office of the developer, 

Freesoul Real Estate, accused them 

of trespassing. 

Environmental Destruction 

Newsroom’s investigations have 

revealed significant environmental 

destruction taking place on Malolo 

as the Chinese developer continued 

building a 350-bure resort without 

the required permits. 

The High Court in Suva was to 

hear an application for an interim 

injunction this morning to halt work 

at the resort. It was being brought 

by the adjacent land owners who 

say that the developer has wrecked 

part of their land and caused extensive 

damage to the foreshore. 

Their lawyer, Dr Kenneth 

Chambers, said he was called by 

Freesoul’s lawyer late yesterday 

afternoon and told the Department 

of the Environment had revoked the 

developer’s Environment Impact 

Assessment approval. 

Chambers said that Freesoul’s 

lawyer indicated it would concede 

OPENING 

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Freesoul Real Estate carved a large channel through the reef near its big Malolo resort 

development. Photo: Hayden Aull 

to the injunctive relief his clients are 

seeking. 

“The interesting point that comes 

out now is that the cost of rectifying 

the damage that’s been done. The 

big question is whether the Chinese 

Government will put its hand in its 

pocket. I believe Freesoul is part of 

the Chinese Belt and Road initiative,” 

said Chambers. 

Belt and Road Policy 

Freesoul’s Chinese-language 

website says it signed an agreement 

in 2017 with the Shanghai Media 

Group to help it explore the “highly 

promising” Fiji tourism market as 

part of the Belt and Road policy. 

Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama 

was the only South Pacific 

leader invited to the first Belt and 

Road Forum in 2017, the site says. 

The two landowners, Australian 

Woody Jack and local man Ratu 

Jonah Joseva were last week joined 

in their battle against Freesoul by 

expat New Zealand businessman 

and philanthropist, Sir Owen Glenn. 

Glenn, who has the title of Ratu - 

or chief - of the Manamuca Islands, 

said that he had just recently 

discovered what was happening on 

Malolo. 

Controversial Resort, Casino 

He has a block of undeveloped 

land next to where Freesoul is 

building its controversial resort and 

casino. In an affidavit prepared for 

today’s hearing he said, “I am the 

rightful landowner of five acres of 

land on Malolo Island, of which I 

believe has been desecrated by Freesoul 

and respectfully request that 

Freesoul make good to the condition 

it was before they carried out their 

works. I am a concerned neighbour 

and landowner on Musket Cove, 

Malololailai and have funded the 

school in Solevu village by being a 

sponsor for the school’s rebuilding 

and renovations. I need to weigh 

in on these issues because they are 

close to my heart and also affect my 

property interests.” 

Chambers said he doubted Freesoul 

had the resources to restore 

the once pristine land to its original 

state as it would cost two to three 

million dollars a day for weeks and 

weeks. 

“Dickson Peng ( Fiji based director 

of Freesoul) runs a phone shop in 

Suva and that sort of business does 

not have the clout to do this by itself. 

The Chinese Government will have 

to help sort out the mess.” 

Approval Conditions 

Freesoul had been granted its 

environmental impact assessment 

(EIA) approval with 55 conditions 

attached, in December 2018. 

On January 31 this year, 

an inspection team from the 

Department of Environment visited 

the development site and found 

20 of the 55 conditions had been 

breached. Fourteen of the breaches 

were considered serious as they had 

a direct impact on the surrounding 

environment. 

They included the influx of sedimentation 

into the waterways with 

no silt traps; the impact to the seagrass 

and coral reef ecosystem from 

barge anchorage and offloading 

activity; the impact to iguana for the 

clearance of tropical dry forest; and 

the pollution to the environment of 

poor management of waste. 

The inspectors strongly recommended 

that the EIA approval 

be cancelled and that Freesoul 

be compelled to dismantle all 

structures built at the site. They 

also recommended that Freesoul be 

made to restore and rehabilitate the 

site to its original state. 

Reasons for Non-Compliance 

Freesoul was given 14 working 

days to meet with the Department of 

Environment and submit in writing 

the reasons for its non-compliance. 

Newsroom understands that 

Freesoul did not make any written 

submission but the department 

has sat on its hands for nearly two 

months, until Friday. 

Asked if he thought the international 

publicity surrounding the 

release of the Newsroom journalists 

on Thursday and the subsequent 

apology from the Fijian Prime Minister 

Frank Bainimarama had been 

the catalyst for action, Chalmers 

said, “ I think it must have …..It is 

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Fijilink 

07 

not that difficult to join the dots, they 

were very quickly connected too.” 

Fiji’s Prime Minister told 

Parliament on Thursday before 

meeting the Newsroom journalists 

that he had personally ordered their 

release, and would undertake a full 

investigation to see why a small 

group of “rouge officers” had used 

such heavy-handed tactics. 

(Read related story on Page 9) 

Action promised 

He said if there has been “undue 

influence” appropriate action would 

be taken. 

“The conduct of Freesoul Real 

Estate Development has been deeply 

concerning to me personally for 

some time. As both a Fijian who 

treasures our environment and 

a global advocate for sustainable 

development, I share the public’s 

outrage. 

“We need to send a strong 

message Freesoul Real Estate 

Development and other developers 

looking to cause us harm, that they 

are not welcome to operate in Fiji – 

that message needs to be backed by 

law to prevent repeat offences from 

bad faith developers. 

“That is why we have been considering 

a law which we will urgently 

introduce in the next session of 

Parliament to permanently ban 

companies that blatantly disregard 

our environmental laws and protections,” 

Mr Bainimarama said. 

Chalmers said that his clients were 

very happy with the Department of 

Environment decision. “They feel 

like David did when he whacked 

Goliath with the rock.” 

Mark Jennings and Melanie Reid are 

respectively Co-Editor and Lead Current 

Affairs and Investigations Journalist 

of Newsroom. The above article, 

which appeared on the Newsroom 

website today, has been reproduced 

under a Special Agreement. 

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08 


Fijilink 

Five commemoration events to mark 140th Girmit Anniversary 

Programmes in Auckland on May 14, 2019 

Thakur 

Ranjit Singh 

The Fiji Girmit Foundation of 

New Zealand is gearing to 

mark the 140th Anniversary 

of the arrival of first Indian 

indentured labourers in Fiji, which 

was on 14 May 1879. 

It will be a day to commemorate 

the suffering and sacrifices of the 

Girmityas and celebrate triumph of 

the human spirit over formidable 

adversities. 

This event will take place on May 

10, 2019 at ARST Skipton Hall, 53 Skipton 

Street, Mangere East, Auckland. 

About the Foundation 

The Foundation was established in 

2013 to reconnect, reclaim and restore 

Fiji-Indian history, which has failed 

to echo in successive generations as it 

should have. 

This event is being organised to 

provide an opportunity to every Indo-Fijian 

family to remember and pay 

respects to their Girmitya forebears 

for the sacrifices they made and the 

legacy they left behind for successive 

generations. 

It is also the Foundation’s 

fervent hope and desire to bring 

enlightenment of their foundational 

Girmit history to Fiji Indians who 

grown up unaware of their tragic but 

fascinating history. In addition, it is 

their fervent desire to honour some of 

The building at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) 

Port where indentured labourers were 

housed before boarding ships to British colonies 

(Picture by Janifa Khan Janif published 

in our May 1, 2015 Issue) 

Girmityas at a Banana Plantation in Fiji 

(Pictures from INL Archives)1 

the descendants of the Girmityas for 

their achievements in various fields. 

Recognising veteran Girmityas 

In History of New Zealand, Girmit 

Remembrance was never marked 

regularly till the Foundation was 

established, and held commemoration 

from 2013 to 2015 inclusive. 

In 2013, elderly Fiji Indians (those 

over 80) were recognised, honoured 

and given Girmit Commemorative 

Medals. 

In 2014, Professor Brij Lal was the 

Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker. 

In 2015, the then Minister for Foreign 

Affairs of Fiji, Inoke Kubuabola 

was the Chief Guest. The theme for the 

occasion was “Commemorating the Syria 

Tragedy,” which included remembering, 

acknowledging and paying tribute to the 

Nasilai Villagers who risked their lives to 

render assistance in the rescue efforts, 

mounted by Dr William McGregor on 

that fateful night of May 11, 1884. 

Mr Kubuabola led a delegation from 

Fiji, including staff of the Fiji High 

Commission based in Wellington to 

honour the occasion on behalf of the 

Government of Fiji. 

Delegation to Nasilai 

Following this event, the Foundation 

led a delegation to Nasilai Village on 

October 15, 2015 to formally thank the 

Nasilai villagers for the role their ancestors 

had played in the rescue efforts, 

which saved hundreds of lives. 

It was a solemn occasion, reliving a 

tragic event but provided us an opportunity 

to meet the descendants to express 

‘Leonidas’ the first ship with indentured labourers 

entering the Fiji waters on Mat 14, 1879 

our appreciation, though belatedly. 

The villagers honoured the visitors 

with traditional welcome and subsequent 

discussions led to undertaking of 

important renovations and improvements 

to the village communal facilities, 

costing us over $80,000. 

Fiji-Indian Issues 

The Foundation is also gearing up to 

focus on some issues which Fiji Indians 

need a voice in, playing a wider role by 

having a closer link with New Zealand 

Government, the government agencies, 

political and community leaders. 

There is a revamped, passionate, 

professional and diverse youth executive 

team who are coming on board, 

empowered to carry the banner and 

baton of Girmit and create awareness 

in the new generation. 

One may say, like New Zealand 

Prime Minister, Fiji Indian Millennials 

in Auckland have been given an 

opportunity to take the lead and the 

torch of Girmit. 

The Foundation considers it 

important to enlist the support of our 

community to ensure that our Girmit 

history is not lost. Accordingly, public 

awareness was vital and the commemorative 

events that commenced some 

six years ago lit and fanned the spark, 

which has ignited the desire in our 

people to reconnect and revive our 

Girmit history. 

Saluting ancestors 

At least five commemoration events 

are planned for Auckland to mark and 

salute the pioneer Indian indentured 

labourers who were ordinary people 

who achieved extraordinary feats. And 

this is evident in a new breed and race 

of people, who originated from India, 

but created a distinct Pacifica culture, 

with best of both worlds. 

There have been requests to Girmit 

Foundation to join with Global Girmit 

organisations overseas. However, the 

New Zealand Girmit Foundation feels 

first they need to make it effectively 

work here at grassroots level before 

venturing overseas. 

There is a desire to empower Fiji 

Indians to extend this organisation as 

an advocacy body for Fiji Indians in 

New Zealand, who, as stated, while 

being Indians, are also distinct Pacifica 

people - Fiji Indians. 

Awareness overseas 

The Foundation wishes to work 

on ground with Fiji Indians in New 

Zealand, and also create awareness 

in Canada and USA to arm the new 

generation with their original identity, 

and advise them the importance of reconnecting 

and restoring their Girmit 

history as a tribute to the Girmityas. 

The Foundation seeks the participation 

of all descendants of Girmityas to 

show their gratitude to the vision and 

sacrifice of ordinary people who did 

extraordinary things in an extraordinary 

environment. 

The Fijian government has already 

implemented the request of Girmit 

Foundation to include Girmit History 

in the School Curriculum has already 

been implemented. 

We now await Fiji declaration of 

May 14 as a Public Holiday in Fiji. 

Thakur Ranjit Singh is the Founding 

Trustee of the Fiji Girmit Foundation 

New Zealand and is a media commentator. 

He has a passion for his 

forebears, and has written various 

articles on them in the past. He will 

visit Fiji later this year to initiate 

and inaugurate ‘Totaram Sanadhya 

Vatika,’ a Girmit Botanical Garden 

at Fiji Girmit Centre in Lautoka. This 

will be as a part of DAV Reunion in 

Fiji, in association with Fiji Girmit 

Council. 

Indian Newslink will publish 

further information on the 140th 

Anniversary shortly. 

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Fijilink 

Bainimarama apologies to journalists 

Newsroom Staff 

Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia 

Voreqe Bainimarama has 

said that he ordered the 

release of Newsroom’s three 

journalists. 

He met with them on April 4, 

2019 to apologise, along with Fiji’s 

Minister for Environment and the 

Commissioner of Police. 

Newsroom Co-Editor Mark Jennings, 

Investigations Editor Melanie 

Reid and Freelance Cameraman 

Hayden Aull were detained at Suva’s 

Central Police Station overnight 

while Police considered whether to 

charge them with criminal trespass. 

After being released, Jennings, 

Reid and Aull were escorted 

to the Fijian Parliament by the 

Police Commissioner to a meeting 

with Fijian Prime Minister Frank 

Bainimarama. 

Happy with the investigation 

Bainimarama said he was 

pleased that Newsroom had been 

investigating the environmental 

damage caused by a Chinese 

developer on Malolo Island and 

that his government was taking it 

very seriously. 

He also apologised. 

“I wanted to speak to you 

personally to thank you for being 

very understanding about what 

transpired last night, but also to 

apologise on behalf of the government 

and the people of Fiji. The 

press in this instant has been an 

ally of ours in trying to ensure all 

the procedures are done in regards 

to development in Fiji. 

“All I wanted to tell you this 

morning is how disappointed 

I am, and the people of Fiji, we 

are outraged by what transpired, 

because we want help from our 

Mark Jennings, Melanie Reid and 

Hayden Aull at the entrance of 

Parliament House in Suva. 

ally in press reporting with what’s 

been happening in Fiji in regards to 

development issues.” 

Statement to Parliament 

Here is the full statement Bainimarama 

made to Parliament: 

This morning (April 4, 2019), I 

was informed that three journalists 

had been detained by the Police for 

questioning. Upon learning of this 

situation, the Fijian Government 

immediately demanded their 

release. 

I understand that these 

journalists were present in Fiji to 

report on the recent charges we 

have brought against Freesoul Real 

Estate Development. It should be 

made clear that the news media 

has been an ally in accountability, 

helping to expose the company’s 

illegal environmental destruction. 

While Freesoul is already under 

investigation for breaches of the 

Environment Management Act of 

2005, they have continued to act in 

ways that demand the highest levels 

of public scrutiny. 

Questionable conduct 

“I have spoken with the Commissioner 

of Police who has assured 

me that the detention of these 

journalists was an isolated incident 

undertaken by a small group of 

rogue officers. A full investigation 

into why these officers would use 

such heavy-handed tactics will be 

undertaken, and any violations of 

protocol or undue influence will be 

met with appropriate action. 

“The conduct of Freesoul 

Real Estate Development has been 

deeply concerning to me personally 

for some time. As both a Fijian who 

treasures our environment and 

a global advocate for sustainable 

development, I share in the public’s 

outrage. 

Strong message to Freesoul 

We need to send a strong 

message to Freesoul Real Estate 

Development, and other developers 

looking to cause us harm, that they 

are not welcome to operate in Fiji - 

that message needs to be backed by 

law to prevent repeat offences from 

bad-faith developers. That is why 

we have been considering a law 

which we will urgently introduce 

in the next session of Parliament to 

permanently ban companies that 

blatantly disregard our environmental 

laws and protections. 

Meeting with Journalists 

“I - together with my Minister for 

Environment and the Commissioner 

for Police - will meet with the 

journalists later today to apologise 

for the treatment they’ve received 

and personally speak with them 

about our position on the environment, 

particularly with regards to 

development. 

The Fijian people can be assured, 

we will not tolerate any attempts to 

violate the historic environmental 

protections enshrined in our 

Constitution - protections that we 

will build upon with meaningful 

legislation. We will continue to 

lead from the front on this issue, at 

home and abroad. We will continue 

to walk the talk, for the sake of our 

environment, for the sake of our 

way of and for the sake of all those 

who come after us.” 

-Published under a Special 

Agreement with Newsroom. For 

earlier story, please visit www. 

indiannewslink.co.nz 

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Businesslink 

FIANZ to host Global Muslim Leaders Conference 

Laura Walters 

The Federation of Islamic 

Associations in New Zealand 

(FIANZ) will hold a global 

conference of leaders from 

the Muslim world in the wake of the 

Christchurch attacks. 

It has released a status report, 

which examines the response to the 

March 15, 2019 terror attack, and 

lays out the Plan going forward. 

The Plan includes holding an 

international conference, with officials 

and leaders from all Muslim 

countries. 

New Plan, New Policy 

FIANZ President Mustafa Farouk 

said that he hoped to work with 

the Government to bring leaders 

together in August. 

The Organisation believes that 

there should be a global policy, and 

response, to the issues facing faithbased 

communities. 

New Zealand’s position of unity, 

the Prime Minister’s reaction, and 

the way all communities came together 

to work through the tragedy 

and promote communication and 

acceptance of other cultures and 

beliefs should be adopted as a global 

policy blueprint, Mr Farouk said. 

The Conference 

The Conference would highlight 

how people from different cultures 

could come together to ensure 

common values prevailed. 

FIANZ had already been in 

contact with global Islamic organisation, 

‘Muslim World League,’ and 

Newstalk ZB broadcaster 

Heather du Plessis-Allan has 

been censured for Pacific Island 

slurs in a ruling that contains 

uncharacteristically strong language from 

the official broadcasting watchdog. 

It may end up costing NZME more than 

the $3000 the company must cough up in 

costs. 

On her Newstalk ZB show Wellington 

Mornings today, Heather du Plessis-Allan 

praised Jacinda Ardern for paying the 

grocery bill of someone without a wallet. 

But about an hour earlier, the 

Broadcasting Standards Authority upheld 

complaints about Heather du Plessis-Allan 

telling listeners the government shouldn’t 

pay the bills of other Pacific Island 

nations. 

“The Pacific Islands don’t matter. They 

are nothing but leeches on us,” she said. 

Unsurprisingly, that upset a lot of people 

who heard it at the time - or later on RNZ’s 

Mediawatch. 

“Complain to RNZ” 

Some people who called Newstalk ZB to 

complain were initially told they should 

complain to RNZ instead because that’s 

where they heard it. 

ZB’s owner NZME argued some 

complaints should not be considered from 

people who “saw other media reporting” 

of the comments without the proper 

context. 

The context - by the way - was Heather 

du Plessis-Allan telling listeners the 

Pacific Islands did not deserve financial 

aid from New Zealand and Jacinda Ardern 

shouldn’t go to the Pacific Islands Forum 

in Nauru - which Heather du Plessis-Allan 

called “a hellhole.” 

The BSA Ruling 

The BSA’s ruling said her comments 

breached the good taste and decency 

standards - and those for discrimination 

and denigration. ZB’s owner NZME has 

been ordered to pay $3000 in costs. 

The comments were “inflammatory,” 

said the BSA, and “devalued the 

reputation of Pasifika people within New 

Zealand - including New Zealanders of 

Pacific origin.” 

NZME had argued the host’s comments 

FIANZ President Mustafa Farouk with fellow Muslims at the National Memorial Service held in 

Christchurch on March 29, 2019 (Getty Images published by Newsroom) 

other European organisations. 

The Conference needed to be done 

the New Zealand way, where Tangata 

Whenua and the Government 

was also represented, he said. 

FIANZ had begun planning a conference 

ahead of the Christchurch 

attacks, and March 15 made it more 

pertinent. 

Winston Peters’ assurance 

Foreign Minister Winston Peters 

attended the Organisation of Islamic 

Cooperation (OIC) in Turkey last 

month, following the attacks. 

“Today, tomorrow and into the 

future, let us continue to stand 

together in stamping out the 

hate-filled ideologies that led to last 

Friday’s terrible tragedy,” he said to 

the delegation, including Foreign 

Ministers from Islamic countries. 

“Out of despair, let us work with a 

renewed vigour to spread tolerance, 

compassion and understanding.” 

Newstalk ZB broadcaster’s blurts censured 

Colin Peacock 

Heather du Plessis-Allan interviewing Foreign Minister 

Winston Peters on Newstalk ZB last Thursday 

(Photo: Screenshot/newstalkzb.co.nz) 

were not about specific individuals or 

organisations and the audience expect 

“a forthright manner” from a former 

political journalist. 

“Her opinion is in line with the 

robust opinions offered in talkback 

. . . which has been recognised as 

a special category of radio by the 

Authority,” said NZME. 

Indeed it is. 

But the BSA decided that “even in 

the talkback context, these statements 

went too far.” 

Comments repeated 

Things are said in the heat of 

the moment in talk radio to spark 

discussion - things callers and hosts 

alike may not say given more time for 

reflection. 

But in this case Heather du 

Plessis-Allan re-affirmed them two 

days later. 

“I will double down on this. I do 

not regret what I said because I was 

not talking about people living in this 

country or the people themselves. I 

was talking about the Pacific Islands 

and the people who run it [sic],” she 

told her listeners. 

She also took a big swing at critics 

of her comments - including Privacy 

Commissioner John Edwards. 

“Go back to university and do 

some more training. You are not good 

enough,” she said. 

Colin Peacock works for Media 

Watch. The above article is a highly 

edited version of a report that 

appeared on Radio New Zealand 

website (reproduced under a 

Special Agreement with www.rnz. 

co.nz). For full text, please visit 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz, 

Security of delegates 

FIANZ and the Government are 

yet to meet to discuss plans going 

forward. There would also need to 

be consideration regarding security 

and safety for those travelling to 

New Zealand, with the country 

expected to remain on high security 

alert for the near future. 

Ardern said the community had 

her “moral support” in holding an 

event to work on global policies and 

best practices. 

“If the community wishes to 

instigate and play a role and take 

some international leadership, they 

are free to do so, and they have my 

moral support.” 

Protection of faith-based groups 

Last week, Mr Farouk wrote to the 

Prime Minister thanking her for her 

“bold, resolute and compassionate 

leadership.” 

The National Remembrance 

Services held on March 29, 2019 

marked the end of public grieving 

“but will not erase the stain of the 

darkest day,” he said in the letter to 

Jacinda Ardern. 

“No one would like to see a repeat 

of the events of March 15, 2019, and 

we all must do what is required to 

ensure that this is so… 

“If we want to truly put such tragedies 

behind us, we need to begin a 

sustained and candid conversation 

across all levels and all strata, in 

private sector and in government on 

ways we clean this beautiful country 

of the attitudes and perceptions that 

lethally manifested itself on March 

15, 2019.” 

Law on hate speech 

Mr Farouk said that FIANZ looked 

to Ardern for her leadership in 

initiating the conversation, and was 

ready to be part of discussions “and 

achieve this common objective.” 

The next stage would be a revision 

of the laws governing hate speech 

and hate crime. 

Crimes Act review 

Justice Minister Andrew Little has 

said he is prioritising the review of 

the Crimes Act, the Human Rights 

Act, and the harmful Digital Communications 

Act as they related to hate 

speech and hate crimes. 

Currently, there is offence in the 

Crimes Act specific to hate crime 

– a crime motivated by hate for a 

specific groups based on a unique 

characteristic is noted in a file and 

brought up as an aggravating factor. 

Meanwhile, hate speech applies to 

Our media institutions need a radical change 

Else, talks of diversity will remain meaningless 

Colin Peacock 

As a country right now, we are 

seeking to promote ‘diverse’ 

voices. 

This is great. It also 

presents us with an opportunity to be 

explicit about what that means. 

A few weeks back, I moderated 

a panel discussion where all the 

panellists were also Māori. 

This is only the second time ever 

that I have been on a panel with 

another Māori person. 

Typically, in my experience, there 

is one spot for a non-Pākehā panellist. 

You might be Māori, Pacific, Asian 

(any kind of Asian will do), Middle 

Eastern, but there is only room for 

one of you. 

Asian response 

I recall a festival organiser being 

affronted when I made a comment 

about the lack of diversity on a panel 

in which I took part. 

She said to me “We tried to find an 

Asian but nobody got back to us.” 

A friend chaired a panel for a 

large institution last year and had 

to explain to them (at great length 

before they were convinced) why 

an all-male, all-Pākehā panel for a 

discussion on the state of the modern 

media might be poorly received. 

I attended a forum recently where 

a panellist kept running ‘Māori and 

Pacific’ together as a single word and 

then randomly throwing in references 

to South Auckland to demonstrate, 

I assume, some sort of authentic 

connection to brown people. 

The contact books of those who 

decide who gets to speak are so thin. 

Our forums are so stingy in their 

allocation of space. We are so far 

from giving a truly representative 

voice to New Zealand. 

Worrying issues 

I’m worried now that in the scramble 

to demonstrate visible action on 

diversity, shortcuts will be taken. 

I am worried that what will eventuate 

is more airtime than ever for 

the handful of people who are in the 

Gary Wilson and Tapu Misa in their ‘little brown 

boutique’ above the Onehunga Mall shops. (Picture 

by Tim Murphy) 

contact books, and a limitation of the 

debate to those people’s perspectives 

alone. 

I am worried that no change will 

occur in the places where it counts - 

among the ranks of funders, decision 

and policy makers. In 1986 for Metro 

magazine, writing in the wake of 

the awakening of New Zealand to 

race issues following the Springbok 

tour, Bruce Jesson said “The trick is 

to make the minimum adjustment 

possible, while talking of a bi- or 

multi-cultural society.” 

The massacre aftermath 

I mention Jesson for a reason. 

After the white supremacist terror 

attack on the Muslim community of 

Christchurch I sought - not comfort - 

but the solidness of our experienced 

thinkers when there was little to be 

found in the screeds of digital column 

inches. 

All the hand-wringing from people 

who had no idea there was racism 

here frustrated me. As did - to be 

honest - some of the pontificating 

from people who seemed a little too 

triumphant to have been vindicated 

in such a horrible way. 

I wanted to be reminded of 

the whakapapa of racism and 

the struggle for our national 

identity. Everything has a lineage 

and sometimes our most ardent 

contemporary opinionators seem so 

convinced of their own importance 

in the debate that they seem unable 

to countenance that anything existed 

before them nor that they should 

ever be criticised. That their opinion 

is inviolate and original. 

Unimaginable criticism 

Those that went before us stood 

up to unimaginable criticism. Livelihoods 

have been lost in the quest 

inciting racial disharmony, but does 

not cover inciting discrimination on 

religious grounds. 

The Human Rights Commission 

has called for a change to these 

laws for a long time, with new Chief 

Human Rights Commissioner Paul 

Hunt picking up the mantle. 

Mr Farouk said changing the 

law wasn’t about just protecting 

Muslims, it was about stopping 

discrimination of anyone from any 

faith-based group, who were often 

of different ethnicities. 

“We don’t want to muzzle 

anybody from having their freedom 

of speech.” 

People should be free to say whatever 

they want, as long as that did 

not result in someone being hurt, 

or their property being damaged or 

stolen, he said. 

FIANZ had briefly raised the issue 

with government representatives, 

including Ethnic Communities Minister 

Jenny Salesa in the fortnight 

following Christchurch. 

A good debate on the issue was 

important, but it did not need to be 

protracted. 

Mr Farouk said he believed the 

solution was quite straightforward. 

Laura Walters is a Senior Political 

Reporter at Newsroom based in 

Wellington. She covers Justice, 

Education And Immigration. The 

above Report and Pictures have 

been published under a Special 

Arrangement with Newsroom. 

to tell the truth, violence threatened 

and reputations systematically 

destroyed in tangible and lasting 

ways. 

The rise of opinion columnists 

(this one included) has been a great 

way to explore perspectives and test 

ideas, but we shouldn’t believe this 

makes us impervious to being wrong 

nor protected from being challenged. 

I believe we should demand 

diversity of perspective and depth of 

critical thought. 

While there are obvious and 

urgent reasons to curtail the 

inexcusable hate speech that we’ve 

seen directed more frequently at 

women and minorities, this should 

in no way mean a silencing of critical 

debate. The right to speak without 

fear does not equate to the right to go 

unchallenged. 

You could print the entire oeuvre 

of Ani Mikaere, Moana Jackson, 

Bruce Jesson, Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, 

Mason Durie and Tariana Turia 

without ever running out of utterly 

fearless material that speaks directly 

to the issues that we are facing today, 

and their whakapapa. Nationhood. 

Racism. Self-determination. Manaakitanga. 

E-tangata, for example, is one of 

the few platforms that has a deep 

sense of the history of the issues that 

confront us, and they frequently feature 

experienced and expert thinkers 

that often get overlooked in the 

mainstream media. They also elevate 

new voices - but not without close 

scrutiny of their authenticity first. 

What’s different about E-tangata? 

Have a look at who runs things there 

and you’ll see. 

Without radical change to the way 

that our media and institutions are 

run, populated and produced, the 

‘diversity’ we are gilding our external 

facades with right now will remain 

simply that - a facade. 

Emma Espiner writes on Social 

Issues, Health and Politics. The 

above article, which appeared in 

the Web Edition of Newsroom, 

has been published here under a 

Special Arrangement.


Supreme Court Judge to Chair Christchurch massacre inquiry 


Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 

has released the terms 

of reference for the Royal 

Commission of Inquiry into 

the Christchurch terror attack and 

announced Supreme Court Justice 

Sir William Young as its Chair. 

“The Government will ensure 

no stone is left unturned as we 

examine as quickly as possible 

how the March 15 attack happened, 

what could have been done 

to stop it and how we can keep 

New Zealanders safe. The Royal 

Commission plays a critical role 

in our ongoing response to fully 

understand what happened in the 

lead up to the attack and to ensure 

such an attack never happens 

again,” she said. 

Tasks of the Commission 

Ms Ardern said that the 

Commission will look at the individual’s 

activities before the attack, 

including (a) Relevant information 

from his time in Australia (b) His 

arrival and residence in New 

Zealand (c) His travel within New 

Zealand, and internationally (d) 

How he obtained a gun licence, 

weapons and ammunition (e) 

His use of social media and other 

online media (f) 

His connections with others, 

whether in New Zealand or internationally 

(g) What relevant state 

sector agencies knew about this 

individual and his activities before 

this attack (h) what actions (if any) 

they took in light of that knowledge; 

and whether there were 

any additional measures that the 

agencies could have taken to prevent 

the attack (i) Whether there 

were any impediments to relevant 

state sector agencies gathering or 

Jacinda Ardern 

(RNZ Picture by Ana Tovey 

OPENING 

JUNE 2019* 

Justice Sir William Young 

(NZ Government Picture) 

sharing information relevant to the attack, 

or acting upon such information, including 

legislative impediments, and (j) Whether 

there was any inappropriate concentration 

or priority setting of counter terrorism 

resources by relevant state sector agencies 

prior to this attack. 

About Justice Sir William 

Justice Sir William Young graduated 

with an LLB (Hons) from the University of 

Canterbury and later gained a doctorate 

from Cambridge University. He worked 

in a law office in Christchurch before 

taking up practice as a barrister in crime, 

civil, commercial and tax litigation, acting 

latterly for, among others, the New Zealand 

Serious Fraud Office and the New Zealand 

Commissioner of Inland Revenue. 

He was appointed a Queen’s Counsel 

in 1991, to the High Court in 1997, and to 

the Court of Appeal in January 2004. He 

become President of the Court of Appeal in 

February 2006. 

In June 2007, Justice Young was awarded 

the (Distinguished Companion of the New 

Zealand Order of Merit for services as 

President of the Court of Appeal of New 

Zealand. 

He was designated a Knight Companion 

of that Order in 2009. 

Sir William was appointed a Judge of the 

Supreme Court from July 1, 2010. He is an 

Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple 

and an Honorary Fellow 

of Gonville and Caius 

College, Cambridge. 

Extensive experience 

“Justice Young, who 

is a sitting Judge of the 

Supreme Court of New 

Zealand – New Zealand’s 

highest court – has the 

extensive experience and 

skills required to lead the 

Inquiry. I am confident 

that in his nearly nine 

years as a judge on 

our highest bench, 

Justice Young has the 

judgement, clarity and 

care to do the job, with 

a sound understanding 

of intelligence issues 

and experience working 

in the public eye,” Ms 

Ardern said. 

“The Commission has 

been tasked to engage 

with New Zealand’s Muslim 

community, including 

appointing qualified 

people to help with effective 

consultation. The 

Royal Commission will be 

established by Order in 

Council this Wednesday, 

April 10. 

“It is scheduled to start 

considering evidence 

from May 13, 2019 and is 

expected to report back 

to the Governor General 

Dame Patsy Reddy within 

eight months – by December 

10,” Ms Ardern said. 

The Commission will 

have a budget of $8.2 

million and one further 

member will be appointed 

by the end of April 

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The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) 

ISSUE 413 | APRIL 15, 2019 

The Right to Kill is strangling 

More than 90% of 

record number of 

submissions oppose 

End of Life Choice 

Bill. 

Analysis of 38,707 submissions 

to the Justice Select Committee 

shows that 34,932 (90.2%) 

opposed David Seymour’s End of 

Life Choice Bill, while just 3141 

(8.1%) were in support. 

The remaining 634 (1.7%) were 

either neutral or their position 

was unclear. 

Peter Thirkell, Secretary of 

the Care Alliance, said that the 

38,707 submissions were a record 

for any bill before the House, 

“and critically they were unique 

rather than ’postcard’ or ‘form’ 

submissions.” 

Protagonists of the Bill, like its 

author and ACT Leader David 

Seymour would perhaps draw 

inspiration from the 1981 drama 

film ‘Whose Life is it Anyway?’ 

which showed Richard Dreyfuss 

as Sculptor Ken Harrison who is 

paralysed from the neck down 

after a car accident, and is no 

longer able to create art, make 

love or have any semblance of a 

normal existence. Confined to a 

hospital, Harrison hires lawyer 

Carter Hill who, reluctantly at 

first, represents him to petition 

Subdued, yet we 

will remember our 

ANZAC heroes 

ANZAC Services are another 

victim of the terrorist 

attack in Christchurch on 

March 15, 2019. 

Returned and Services Association 

(RSA) has announced that 

two-thirds of Anzac Day services 

have been canned and that there 

would be only 26 services across 

the region, down from 84 in 2018. 

Decisions to cancel or consolidate 

services had been made 

following discussions with the 

police and the RSA. 

Day of Significance 

Anzac Day is a national day of 

remembrance in New Zealand 

and Australia that commemorates 

all Australians and New Zealanders 

who served and died in all 

wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping 

operations to protect us and our 

country. 

The word ‘Anzac’ is a part of the 

culture of New Zealanders and 

Australians. 

When Britain declared war on 

Germany on August 4, 1914, it was 

committing not only its own men, 

but those of its Empire. 

The five ‘Dominions,’ namely, 

legally for the right to end his life. 

The Western View 

Religions of the Western World 

have an uncompromising view, 

that it is wrong for anyone to end 

lives given by God. The classic 

liberal position, which is that of 

The Economist, which starts from 

a different premise. “Individuals 

have a right to self-determination, 

and this includes—perhaps, 

naturally culminates in—the right 

to cut short one’s own life.” 

The publication has argued 

that Liberals should, however, 

recognise two qualifications. 

“The first is one of principle. 

Men are not islands: in every 

life, other people’s interests are 

involved. It is often argued, by 

those of a paternalistic frame 

of mind, that these interests 

are also the state’s, which has a 

stake in preserving the lives of its 

citizens.” 

There is something in this: the 

state should defend its population 

from aggressors, for example. In 

individual cases, however, the 

notion is offensive. A state has no 

property right in an individual, as 

if he were a mere payer of dues 

and taxes. 

His life, including whether or 

not he believes in God, is his own 

business. 

Australia, Canada, Newfoundland 

(which joined with Canada in 

1949), New Zealand and South Africa, 

were self-governing but had 

no power over foreign policy. Most 

entered the war willingly, proud to 

go to the aid of the empire, often 

pictured as a lion with its cubs. 

But as the war dragged on and 

their young men died in droves, 

they pressed for more say in its 

conduct and, after it ended, more 

control over their destinies. The 

men who came home often found 

that fighting for Britain had, paradoxically, 

made them feel more 

distant from it. A century later, 

many historians see the first world 

war as the former dominions’ 

‘War of Independence.” 

As former MP Peter Dunne 

wrote, “In the wake of another 

ANZAC Day and the rekindling of 

national spirit it always engenders, 

it is timely to consider our 

current relationships with those 

whom we have joined historically 

in the struggle for what we now 

routinely describe as the liberties 

and freedoms we enjoy today. 

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; 

Financial Controller: Uma Venkatram CA; 

Phone: (09) 5336377 Email: info@indiannewslink.co.nz 

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

The myriad world of Indian politics and elections 

Inderjit Roy 

Indians are about to start voting 

in the world’s largest democratic 

exercise. 

The country’s 900 million registered 

voters will vote in national 

elections between April 11 and May 

19 across 1 million polling stations in 

543 constituencies. 

India has a Westminster-style 

parliamentary democracy with voters 

electing their representatives to 

India’s Lower House of Parliament, 

the Lok Sabha. 

Voting has been staggered over 

seven phases to ensure that the 

electoral process is provided the 

necessary security. 

The results will be declared on 

May 23. 

The Modi Charisma 

India’s current Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi is up for re-election 

as the Head of the Hindu nationalist 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its 

allies the National Democratic Alliance. 

A polarising figure, opinions 

diverge sharply over Modi’s record 

in government and his legacy. 

Supporters insist that Modi has 

ushered in economic development, 

military strength, national pride 

and a sense of confidence among 

the country’s Hindu majority. Critics 

challenge such claims, pointing to 

soaring unemployment (the worst 

in 45 years), agrarian distress, 

reassertion of caste privilege and 

social polarisation. 

The Opposition 

Modi faces a range of opposition 

forces. The principle opposition is 

provided by the Congress Party and 

its allies, the United Progressive 

Alliance. 

Other opponents include regional 

parties in different states, such as 

Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and 

Andhra Pradesh, as well as leftist 

parties in the state of Kerala. 

The BJP and its allies enjoy a 

crushing majority in the Lok Sabha, 

controlling 336 of the 543 seats: the 

BJP alone has 268 seats. 

Fears abound that Modi’s 

re-election will rent asunder India’s 

constitutional values and social 

fabric. Since the BJP’s ascension to 

power, lynching of social minorities, 

especially Dalits and Muslims, have 

been on the rise. 

A supporter of Narendra Modi’s BJP party at rally in late March. Jaipal Singh/EPA 

Leaders of India’s historically 

oppressed Dalit communities 

remain anxious that the BJP seeks to 

dismantle the affirmative actions for 

oppressed populations guaranteed 

by the Indian constitution. The very 

idea of India is at stake. 

A thriving democracy 

When India became independent 

in 1947, few people expected the 

country to survive. 

Nevertheless, Indians introduced 

universal adult suffrage soon 

after obtaining independence and 

adopted a republican constitution in 

1950, a full 15 years before economic 

superpowers such as the US lifted 

literacy and tax qualifications for 

voting. 

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s 

international observers remained 

sceptical of India surviving as a 

democracy, given its huge levels of 

poverty and illiteracy. 

Yet, India not only survived but 

also emerged – warts and all – as 

one of the world’s most thriving 

democracies. The country presents 

a very moving story of the ways in 

which some of the poorest people on 

the planet have sought to construct 

and sustain democracy against 

enormous odds. Their achievements 

are under threat today. 

India poignantly illustrates the 

global challenges posed to democracy 

by the rise of nationalism 

and populism. Identity politics, or 

a politics that focuses on people’s 

particular social identities, permeates 

political narratives in India as 

elsewhere in the world in 2019. 

Indians are faced with an idea of 

nationalism that seeks to exclude 

significant sections of their own 

population from its ambit. And they 

have borne the brunt of right-wing 

populism, as shown by the growth 

of cow-protection squads administering 

vigilante justice over the last 

few years. 

Political Mobilisation 

Social identity provides the basis 

of political mobilisation. India today 

faces these challenges alongside 

countries such as Brazil, Turkey, the 

US and various European countries. 

Modi joins a galaxy of strongmen 

politicians such as Brazil’s Jair 

Bolsonaro, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip 

Erdoğan, the US’s Donald Trump and 

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, accused 

of rolling back democratic achievements 

of the last few decades. 

How Indians respond to the 

challenges of exclusionary nationalism, 

right-wing populism and 

supremacist identity politics in the 

2019 elections holds key lessons for 

the world as it confronts the global 

backsliding of democracy. 

After all, elections provide a window 

onto the hopes harboured by 

citizens, the anxieties they confront 

and the possibilities they imagine. 

The narratives that emerge prior to, 

during, and immediately after any 

elections offer unique insights into 

ongoing processes of social change. 

India Tomorrow 

It is into these imaginations, 

narratives and social processes, 

rather than the machinations of the 

different political parties, that The 

Conversation will delve over the 

next few weeks. 

Indrajit Roy is Lecturer in Global 

Development Politics, University 

of York, United Kingdom. The 

above article, and picture have 

been published under Creative 

Commons Licence. 

New Zealand lost its Innocence on March 15, 2019 

Suzanne Snively 

The events of March 15, 2019 

mark the beginning of the end 

of the age of innocence in New 

Zealand. 

A remarkable feature of the New 

Zealand society before these tragic 

events was the trust we had that we 

were protected by a ring of confidence 

from the horrible things that happened 

in other countries. 

Now aspects of our lives which 

we previously saw as benign, are 

suddenly popping up like sore teeth. 

And some are much in need of major 

root canal work. 

Social Media not innocent 

If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now 

extremely clear that social media is 

more than an innocent channel for 

communication. The lack of transparency 

about both the formulas that are 

behind algorithms and the processes 

for managing their impact has been 

exposed by the Christchurch event. 

Facebook, so much a part of the 

lives of many families and whanau, 

turns out to have hidden algorithms, 

some which direct information to us 

in a way that has the potential to do 

great harm. 

While pretending to simplify our 

lives by connecting us with information 

about useful products and 

networks, it has turned out that social 

media can also be a wolf in sheep’s 

clothing, marching into our homes 

spreading negativity that gobbles up 

our time and our joy. 

After March 15, broadcast media 

and world leaders were quick to call 

out social media for questionable 

application of algorithms that spread 

misinformation and hate. 

They joined other technologically-focused 

commentators who have 

been asking that there be greater 

accountability from social media for 

some time. 

Facebook shirks responsibility 

Yet, nearly three weeks after 

the tragedy in Christchurch, New 

Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner 

John Edwards, was told by Facebook 

that it hadn’t yet made changes to 

its live-streaming. It appears that its 

founder and management team were 

disingenuous in their earlier promises 

to do something in response to the 

tragedy. 

Indeed, the same week, Facebook 

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, wrote an opinion 

piece in Washington Post, calling 

on governments and regulators, 

rather than private companies like 

Facebook, to be more active in policing 

the internet. 

Zuckerberg suggested that privacy 

rules, such as the General Data Protection 

Regulation adopted by the EU, be 

adopted globally. 

While the idea has merit in that it 

would apply to all media, it shows 

Zuckerberg’s well-known trait of overlooking 

the cost this would impose on 

the taxpayer. 

Suzanne Snively is Chair of Transparency 

International New Zealand Inc 

based in Wellington. The above article 

which appeared in the April 15, 2019 

issue of Transparency Times is the 

edited version. For full text, please 

visit www.indiannewslink.co.nz


Businesslink 

13

14 


Businesslink 

New Gun Laws sure to get the nod of Parliamentarians 

ACT Party Leader David 

Seymour failed in an 

attempt to block MPs from 

passing new gun legislation 

quicker than usual because he 

was late to the House after talking 

to media about his plans but there 

is overwhelming support in the 

House. 

With all other Parties closing 

ranks the ‘Arms Amendment Bill,’ 

which passed its First Reading this 

afternoon, is sure to become Law 

this week. 

The Legislation to ban a range 

of semi-automatic firearms and 

implement a buy-back scheme got 

the backing of all the major political 

parties The Arms Amendment Bill 

requiring owners of semi-automatic 

weapons and military style semi-automatics 

to hand them in to authorities 

by the end of September, was 

debated by MPs in Parliament. 

The buy-back scheme is expected 

to cost between $100 million to $200 

million, although Acting Deputy 

Prime Minister Winston Peters said 

it could be up to $300 million. 

Stuart Nash 

Police Minister Stuart Nash said 

gun-ownership was a privilege not 

a right. 

“The most critical weakness in 

our firearms law is that too many 

Semi-automatic AR-15s on sale at a US store 

(Photo: AFP/RNZ) 

people have legal access to too many 

semi-automatic firearms capable of 

causing significant harm. 

“The current arms act has a 

legal definition for military style 

semi-automatics ... that is easily 

circumvented and is difficult in 

practice to apply.” 

He said that the government was 

not targeting all gun owners. 

“It is important to reiterate 

the legislation is not directed at 

law-abiding firearms owners who 

have legitimate uses for their guns. 

“Our actions, instead, are directed 

at making sure March 15 never 

happens again.” 

Chris Bishop 

National Party Police Spokesman 

Chris Bishop said that the public 

wanted action on gun laws, and 

parliament had heard them. 

“Parliament has heard those 

Jacinda Ardern opens our 

Embassy in Beijing 

Police Minister Stuart Nash 

(Photo by VNP / Phil Smith) 

National Party police spokesman Chris Bishop 

Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller 

messages. We will act. This Bill 

strikes an appropriate balance 

... between protecting legitimate, 

law-abiding, licenced firearm 

owners, our hunters, our shooters 

and our farming community while 

also making sure the public don’t 

have access to things like military 

style semi-automatics weapons and 

assault rifles,” he said. 

Amy Adams 

However, the Party’s Amy Adams 

Judith Collins 

Photo: RNZ/Rebekah Parsons-King 

Golriz Ghahraman 

Photo: RNZ Lynda Chanwai-Earle 

wanted more clarity on how the 

buy-back scheme. 

“What I am interested in is how 

the buy-back scheme would work 

so that the gun-owners that we are 

about to deprive of their lawfully 

held possessions ... how they are 

going to be compensated, when, under 

what schedule [and] what they 

can expect. I don’t like, as a matter 

of practice, passing legislation and 

saying, ‘don’t worry, we’ll compensate 

you but we’ll tell you what the 

conversation looks like later.’ I think 

the public of New Zealand deserve to 

know a little bit more about how that 

will work,” she said. 

Judith Collins 

National MP Judith Collins said she 

wanted to see a firearm prohibition 

order enable police to go into gang 

houses to seize illegal firearms. 

“One of the opportunities for this 

new legislation is to think about, 

in the second tranche [of gun law 

changes], bringing in that firearm 

prohibition order. 

“The best way forward is to give 

police the powers, give them the fire 

power to do it and get on and take 

them because I’m sick and tired of 

hearing people emoting about how 

they’re feeling sorry, but they’re not 

giving up their firearms.” 

Golriz Ghahraman 

Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman 

said that previous gun laws failed 

the Muslim community, and fixing 

the gun laws was an urgent and 

necessary step. 

“This is the beginning of the 

change needed to make New Zealand 

a place where we all feel safe and 

truly at home. New Zealanders want 

this change, they want it now, and 

with that strong mandate we are 

making the change today,” she said. 

Jacinda Ardern unveils a plaque to mark the opening of our Embassy in Beijing, assisted by Ambassador Clare Fearnley 

(RNZ Photo by Jane Patterson) 

Jane Patterson 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has 

just formally opened New Zealand’s 

new embassy in Beijing during her 

whirlwind visit to China. 

Ms Ardern was in Beijing for just 24 hours, 

and held meetings with the Premier Li 

Keqiang and President Xi Jinping. Her planned 

week-long trip to the country was shortened 

following the March 15 Mosque massacres. 

Values unchanged 

Speaking at a plaque unveiling at NZ’s 

embassy, Ms Ardern referred to the solidarity 

displayed by New Zealanders after the terror 

attack. 

“We are a people who have not experienced 

that kind of violence in that kind of way on our 

shores before. That did not change the values 

that we hold as a nation... we are a country 

of multiple ethnicities, multiple religions and 

faiths, different creeds. We are open, inclusive... 

we welcome those who choose to come to our 

shores,” she said. 

Those values were held dear in embassies 

and commissions around the world including 

in China, Ms Ardern said. 

Significant footprints 

“You have one of the most significant 

Jacinda Ardern arrives for the opening of New Zealand’s 

new embassy in Beijing (RNZ Photo by Jane Patterson) 

footprints that we have globally and I think 

that speaks to... the growing importance of our 

relationship with China.” 

The economic links between the two 

countries was significant, she said. 

“Our tourism numbers are growing, possibly 

set to overtake the number of Australians 

that come and visit New Zealand in the near 

future.” 

The embassy was first established in the 

1980s shortly after China and New Zealand 

developed diplomatic relations. 

Embassy staff have been in temporary quarters 

till last June while the brand new building 

and residence were being built. 

-Under A Special Agreement with 

www.rnz.co.nz 

Fiji Trade Commission New Zealand Manager Peter James Rudd (Picture Supplied) 

Fiji Road Show opens 

windows of opportunity 


As Fiji enters its 10th 

consecutive year of 

economic growth, 

its relationship with 

New Zealand is at an all-time 

high. 

In 2018, the number of 

Kiwi visitors to Fiji increased 

7.7% to nearly 200,000, Fijian 

exports to New Zealand increased 

by about $6 million, 

with two-way trade reaching 

$670 million. 

Pursuing common goals 

The special connection was 

acknowledged by Deputy 

Prime Minister and Foreign 

Minister Winston Peters who, 

during his recent visit to Fiji, 

assured that New Zealand 

and Fiji’s relationship will 

improve as the two countries 

collaborate to pursue common 

goals of prosperity and 

sustainable development. 

To spread awareness of 

the abundant opportunities 

in Fiji, the Fiji Trade 

Commission to New Zealand 

and the New Zealand-Fiji 

Business Council are proud 

to announce that they will 

be hosting the first Fiji Trade 

and Investment Roadshow 

from May 6 to May 8, 2019. 

More than Holiday destination 

Manager of Fiji Trade 

Commission to New Zealand 

Peter Rudd said that while a 

high percentage of business 

in Fiji comes from New 

Zealand, many business 

leaders here are not aware of 

what Fiji has to offer and only 

see the country as a holiday 

destination. 

“This event will be a great 

opportunity for New Zealand 

businesses to learn more 

about Fiji’s rapidly growing 

economy and market. We 

are eager to reach out to new 

businesses and investors who 

may not have considered 

Fiji as a suitable destination 

to do business before and 

demonstrate just what Fiji is 

now capable of achieving,” 

he said. 

Mr Rudd added, “As a 

Trade Commission we 

can also facilitate these 

investments and business 

transactions to ensure the 

process runs smoothly.” 

Doing Business in Fiji 

Titled “Doing Business 

in Fiji” the roadshow will 

feature engaging presentations 

to highlight and discuss 

market potential in Fiji, 

with guest speakers from 

Investment Fiji, New Zealand 

Trade & Enterprise, and the 

Fiji High Commission. 

For those looking to learn 

from someone who’s been 

there and done it, real-world 

case studies from companies 

active in Fiji will be sharing 

their own experiences of doing 

business in this dynamic 

economy. 

This event will be held in 

Auckland, Wellington and 

Christchurch, with opportunities 

for new potential 

business leaders across the 

country to attend. 

If you are interested or 

know of anyone who 

would be interested in 

attending, please visit 

investinfiji.today/event/ 

doing-business-in-fiji for 

more information.


Businesslink 

Legalising Euthanasia will have deadly effects: Expert 

And Sir Bill English says New Zealand should not risk such a law 

Venkat Raman 

New Zealand will be wrong 

to choose Euthanasia 

since its long-term effects 

would be deadly, says an 

international expert. 

Dr Leonie Herx, Head of Palliative 

Medicine at Queen’s University, 

Canada said that while death is a 

natural process, it should not be 

induced through medical or any 

other assistance. 

“New Zealanders are currently 

debating whether ‘End of Life 

Choice Bill’ should be implemented, 

in effect legalising euthanasia. 

Experience in Canada and other 

countries has shown that Palliative 

Medicine is more effective. Palliative 

care seeks to identify and alleviate 

suffering across the trajectory of a 

life-threatening illness, including 

care at the end of life, and supports 

living well while dying,” she told 

Indian Newslink. 

Dr Herx was in New Zealand to 

participate in a series of meetings 

and debates, bringing to the people 

her expertise and the experience of 

Canada on this issue. 

The Proposed Legislation 

The New Zealand Parliament 

is currently considering the ‘End 

of Life Choice Bill’ of ACT Party 

Leader David Seymour. Having 

passed its First Reading and the 

public consultation stage, the Justice 

Select Committee of Parliament was 

considering it on Tuesday, April 9, 

Bill English with Dr Leonie Herx in Auckland on April 1, 2019 (INL Picture) 

2019. 

This Bill gives people with a 

terminal illness or a grievous and 

irremediable medical condition the 

option of requesting assisted dying. 

It allows people who so choose, and 

are eligible under this Bill, to end their 

lives in peace and dignity, surrounded 

by loved ones. 

The Bill defines those eligible for 

assisted dying, details a comprehensive 

set of provisions to ensure this is 

a free choice, made without coercion, 

and outlines a stringent series of 

steps to ensure the person is mentally 

capable of understanding the nature 

and consequences of assisted dying. 

Earlier proposals 

The New Zealand Parliament has 

debated earlier similar legislative 

proposals. 

In 1995, the ‘Death with Dignity Bill’ 

of Michael Lewis was defeated 61/29 

at First Reading. 

It was defeated again in 2003 (60/58) 

when Peter Brown moved the House 

with his version. 

Since then, evidence and developments 

have established that there are 

serious problems with the current 

state of the law in New Zealand that 

will be ongoing without a legislative 

solution. 

The Canadian experience 

In 2016, the Canadian Parliament 

passed ‘Bill C-14,’ amending the 

country’s Criminal Code and legalised 

physician-administered euthanasia 

and physician-assisted suicide. The 

legislation excludes minors, people 

with mental illness, long-term disability 

and any curable condition. It 

ACT Leader David Seymour (Photo Supplied) 

also excludes foreigners and those not 

covered by Canadian insurance. 

Dr Herx said that there have been 

8000 cases of medially-assisted deaths 

since 2016, with 4200 such deaths 

recorded in 2018, up from 2700 in 

2017. 

Gene in the bottle 

Mr English said that Mr Seymour’s 

proposal will ‘let the gene out of the 

bottle’ and create a wide range of 

unmanageable legal issues. 

“Killing someone is a crime. We 

have seen that safeguards have not 

worked in countries which have 

made euthanasia legal. Young people 

with suicidal tendencies could not be 

saved because of the law; they could 

take their lives without their parents 

even knowing about it. Once released, 

it would be very difficult to put the 

15 

gene back into the bottle,” Mr 

English said. 

Care Alliance Report 

A Care Alliance Report 

released on Friday (March 30) 

(end-of-life-choice-bill-hasfew-takers-says-report) 

said 

that more than 90% of record 

number of submissions 

oppose End of Life Choice Bill. 

Seymour does not agree 

Mr Seymour disagreed, 

saying that a Chart taken 

from the Young Study shows 

the vast difference between 

support running consistently 

at around 70%, opposition 

at 20%, and undecideds at 

around 10% in 17 polls taken 

since 2002. 

“These polls were 

taken by reputable firms 

such as Colmar Brunton and 

Reid Research, which most 

recently found 75% and 

71% support, respectively. 

The Care Alliance have done 

a lot of work, but appear 

to have misconceived the 

purpose of Select Committee 

submissions as a form of de 

facto referendum when the 

real purpose is to provide 

evidence to parliament to 

improve legislation,” he said. 

The above is an edited 

version. For full text, please 

visit 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz

16 


Communitylink 

Buddha’s Day dedicated to world peace, racial harmony 

Multicultural Festival underscores Interfaith at Fo Guang Shan Temple 

Venkat Raman 

Thousands of people attended 

a Multicultural Festival 

organised at the sprawling 

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist 

Temple Complex in Flatbush, East 

Auckland today to commemorate 

the Birthday of Gautama Buddha 

and celebrate the diversity of New 

Zealand. 

Several stalls displaying and 

selling a range of food, handicrafts 

and other items were a feature 

of the Festival that drew people 

from varied ethnic and cultural 

backgrounds. 

Prayers and Speeches 

Earlier, the Temple’s Abbess Manshin 

led prayers at the Main Hall of 

the Temple in the presence of Ethnic 

Communities Minister Jenny Salesa, 

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, Members 

of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh 

Bakshi (National), Jami-Lee Ross 

(Independent), Police Commissioner 

Mike Bush, Counties Manukau 

Police District Commander Jill 

Rogers, Inspectors Wendy Spiller 

(Counties Manukau Police East 

Area Commander), Rakesh Naidoo 

(Principal Advisor, New Zealand 

Police National Headquarters) and 

members of Catholic and Islamic 

faiths. 

Nation of Compassion 

Ms Salesa said that the sentiments 

expressed by New Zealanders 

following the Christchurch massacre 

on March 15, 2019 showed that we 

are a country of compassion and 

love. 

“We are a nation of more than 200 

ethnicities speaking more than 160 

different languages. Buddha and 

his followers have always focused 

on peace and we in Aotearoa have 

proved that we believe in peace 

and goodwill. I wish to thank Police 

Commissioner Mike Bush and all the 

officers of the New Zealand Police 

for what they have done after the 

terrorist attack in Christchurch. I am 

really proud of them,” she said. 

Recalling the words of a man 

who lost his wife in the March 

15 shooting, Ms Salesa said that 

reflecting on his religion, he asked 

for forgiveness of the person who 

caused this terrible tragedy. She said 

that all Islamic nations expressed 

their solidarity with New Zealand 

at their meeting held in Turkey on 

March 22, 2019. 

“In the words of Buddha, the answer 

to all the violence and hatred 

lies in humanity,” she said. 

Solidarity pronounced 

Mr Goff said that it was the 

intention of the terrorist to divide 

the nation, spread hatred and create 

disharmony in the country but 

“New Zealanders have done exactly 

the opposite.” 

“The Buddhist Faith and all other 

faiths promote the values of peace 

and harmony in a world in which 

there is too much conflict and 

violence. They promote compassion 

and kindness in a world where 

there is too much greed and selfishness. 

And they have a commitment 

to wisdom and truth in a world 

where sadly, even some of our 

world leaders indulge in ignorance 

and dishonesty,” he said. 

A Special Place 

Ms Rogers said that the March 15 

incident reminded her as to why the 

Buddhist Temple was ‘such a special 

place.’ 

“We are a Nation of Compassion”-Ethnic Communities Minister Jenny Salesa 

Abbess Manshin hoped that the kindness of Buddha will salvage humankind 

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Auckland Director General Jeff Liu 

“It reminded me why we find 

peace when we come together 

today; because sometimes, in our 

very complicated lives, there are 

things that we should hold tight. 

In our Organisation (New Zealand 

Police), we talk about values and 

the teachings of Buddha. It is 

those simple things like respect, 

empathy and treating all with 

compassion. It reminded me 

three weeks ago of our values and 

what is written on our (Police) 

Patrol cars-‘Safer Communities; 

Together.’ And this place is 

a demonstration of various 

communities coming together. 

We should never lose sight of the 

simple teachings of Buddha of love 

towards all,” she said. 

Abbess Manshin said that racial 

disharmony, hatred and violence 

are really difficult to reconcile 

with the wisdom of humankind. 

“We sincerely wish that we are 

able to utilise the compassion of 

Buddha to dispel these pains and 

sorrows. We also hope that the 

intrinsic quality of love and peace 

in everyone will be released. With 

a heart filled with gratitude and 

appreciation, let us love each and 

every one on Earth and treasure 

our natural resources. With a 

heart filled with selflessness and 

equality, let us accept and care for 

those who are suffering,” she said. 

Among the other speakers were 

Jami-Lee Ross, Rakesh Naidoo, 

Taipei Economic and Cultural 

Office Auckland Director General 

Jeff Liu, Federation of Islamic Associations 

of New Zealand (FIANZ) 

Secretary Ibrar Sheikh, Buddha’s 

Light International Association 

(BLIA) Northland President Lintao 

Yu and representatives of other 

religions and faiths. 

A 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.’ 

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff extolling the values of Buddha’s Teachings 

New Zealand Police follow Buddhist values says Counties Manukau Police District Commander 

Jill Rogers 

Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) Northland President Lintao Yu 

(Pictures supplied by Karzin Leong of Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple) 

Call to help Dunedin family in distress 

The officials and members 

of the Dunedin Tamil 

Society, the Waikato Tamil 

Society and the Tamil 

Association of New Zealand have 

appealed to all New Zealanders 

and good-hearted people all over 

the world to help a family coping 

with the death of its elder recently. 

Ramalingam Chinnaswamy 

underwent an emergency Open 

Heart Surgery at the Dunedin 

Hospital on March 19, 2019. He 

did not regain consciousness after 

the surgery but tragically suffered 

another organ failure and died on 

March 24, 2019. 

Happy landing but.. 

Mr Chinnaswamy arrived in 

New Zealand with his wife from 

their native Cuddalore, Tamil 

Nadu to celebrate the birth of 

their grandson, and spend time 

with their son Balamurugan and 

Shobana Chinnasamy, who now 

live in Dunedin. They were earlier 

residents of Hamilton. 

Balamurugan, also known as 

‘Chef Bala,’ said that the hospital 

bill alone is $100,000 which he 

is unable to pay in view of his 

meagre income. 

“In addition, the cost of transporting 

the body would be about 

$10,000,” he said. 

No insurance cover 

“My parents did not have 

Ramalingam Chinnaswamy 

travel insurance and hence would not be 

entitled to any insurance pay-out. Never in 

our wildest dreams did any of us had the 

remotest thought that our beloved father 

will suffer a cardiac arrest in New Zealand 

and require surgery,” Balamurugan said. 

The Dunedin Tamil Society and Tamil 

Society Waikato coordinating efforts to 

help the grieving family. 

Appeal for donations 

“Your kind help and support is all 

that the family needs at this time. Any 

contribution, however big or small will be 

appreciated. All the funds collected will be 

immediately handed over to the family to 

manage their needs. Donations can be deposited 

to Account: DTS, Account Number: 

02-0912-0325932-00 with ‘Chinnasamy’ as 

the reference,” a notification said. 

Further information can be obtained 

from Samuel Benjamin, Treasurer, Dunedin 

Tamil Society on 021-335069. 

Please visit https://givealittle.co.nz/ 

cause/help-for-mrchinnasamy-hospital-and-repatriation


Model of the Fortnight 

Communitylink 

17 

Opportunity knocks suddenly one day in Perth 

Perthites (or Perthians 

or Perthlings) 

will identify the 

young beauty in ‘Ek 

Din Achanack’ (‘Suddenly 

One Day’), a forthcoming 

Hindi film as Raina Farrer, 

a teenager from the fourth 

most populous city in 

Australia. 

They will also identify 

her as the younger sister of 

Alisha Farrer, who has now 

found a niche for herself 

in the Hindi film industry. 

Alisha was featured in our 

July 1, 2018 issue. 

A Medical Student at 

the Curtain University in 

Perth, Raina is our Model 

of the Fortnight for another 

reason: She is a model by 

her own right and a rising 

dancer with a number of 

performances to her credit. 

Suspense Thriller 

‘Ek Din Achanack’ is being 

shot all over Australia and 

would see Neeraj Kalra as 

a debutant director, after a 

number of assistant roles 

for major producers. 

“This is a suspense thriller 

based on a love story. A 

housewife (that is me) 

suddenly disappears and 

becomes the anxiety of 

everyone. What happens 

to her is something that 

will be revealed only in the 

film. I am confident that 

‘Ek Din Achanack’ will be 

a turning point in the lives 

and careers of many of us,” 

Raina said. 

“I also believe that it is a 

good start. Since the film is 

being produced in Perth, 

the shooting schedule will 

not affect my studies,” she 

added. 

Visions of professions 

Whether the film industry 

will embrace her remains 

to be seen but Raina has 

visions of becoming a Physiotherapist 

or Pharmacist, 

both professions that are of 

endless demand. 

She holds a Certificate 

2 in ‘Beauty Science’ and 

Certificate 3 in Retail 

Makeup & Skincare and is 

a recipient of many awards 

and accolades. 

“I am grateful to my 

parents and my sister who 

have been great sources of 

inspiration, encouragement 

and strength. I am a lucky 

girl,” Raina said. 

-Venkat Raman 

If you wish to be featured as our 

Model of the Fortnight, 

please write to 

venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz 

(Pictures of Raina Farrer Supplied) 

Presents 

SPORTS 

COMMUNITY 

ARTS & CULTURE 

Calling Sportspersons, Community Workers and 

Organisations, Volunteers, Architects, Artists, Designers, 

Photographers, Choreographers, Dancers, Singers, 

Musicians, Teachers, Organisers and others connected 

to enter the Awards or be nominated. 

Last Date: Saturday, June 1, 2019 (6 pm) 

Forms can be downloaded from www.inlisa.com or 

www.inlscaca.com. Please completed forms 

by email only to inlscaca@peaceconsulting.co.nz 

Entries and Nominations now open 

105 Awards to be won in 50 Categories 

Awards Night on 

Monday, June 24, 2019 

at Newmarket Room, Ellerslie Events Centre 

80 Ascot Avenue, Remuera, Auckland 

Sports Categories: 

1. Best Senior Division Cricket Player 

2. Best Under 19 Cricket Player 

3. Best Over 19 Soccer Player 

4. Best Under 19 Soccer Player 

5. Best Rugby Union Player 

6. Best Rugby League Player 

7. Best Netball Player 

8. Best Hockey Player 

9. Best Over 19 Player Other Sports 

10. Best Under 19 Player Other Sports 

11. Best Sportsman and Best Sportswoman of the Year 

(Winners of individual categories will be automatically entered) 

Elite Awards: For men and women of the community 

who have excelled in sports during their life and career. 

Community Awards Categories: 

1. Individual 

2. Registered Association 

3. Registered Charitable Organisation 

4. Registered Places of Worship 

5. Registered Society 

6. Religious Services Individuals 

7. Religious Services Organisations 

8. Social Worker 

9. Volunteer 

10. Any others acceptable to the Judges 

Supported by: 

New Zealand Telugu Association; 

Telangana Association of New Zealand 

Art Awards Categories: 

1. Advertising Agency 

2. Architect 

3. Architectural Designer 

4. Cartoonist 

5. Copywriter 

6. Graphic Artist/Designer 

7. Painter 

8. Photographer 

9. Writer 

11. Chef and other Creative People 

(Acceptable to the Judges) 

Supported by: 

Muthamil Sangam New Zealand 

Culture Awards Categories 

1 Choreographer 

2 Conductor of Musical Orchestra & Dances 

3 Dancer (Indian Classical and Modern) 

4 Director of Cultural Programmes 

5 Musician (Vocalist & Instrumentalist) 

6 Organiser of Cultural Programme 

7 Producers of Cultural Programmes 

8 Singer (Classical, Film, Folk and others) 

9. Teacher (Classical, Film, Folk and 

Instruments 

10. Others Not listed 

(Acceptable to the Judges) 

Supported by: 

Kannada Koota, Auckland; Auckland Malayali Samajam 

Supported by: 

New Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA) 

For Conditions of Entry, Rules and Regulations and other information, please visit our website: www.inlisa.com 

or contact Editor, Indian Newslink: Phones: (09) 5336377; 021-836528; Email: venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz 

Conditions of Entry: Entries must be in prescribed form sent only by email. Those sent by post, fax, courier and other means will not be accepted. The decision of the judges will be final and no correspondence will be entertained in this connection. 

Sponsors 

Supported by

18 


Classifiedlink/Entertainmentlink 

A confluence of theatre, music dance and diverse players 

Meera goes on stage on May 31 at ASB Waterfront Theatre 

Aarti Bajaj 

The most common word 

that I came across when 

I started Wild Dreamer 

Productions and while 

making ‘Meera,’ was 

‘Profile.’ 

“If you don’t have a big enough 

profile how can anyone collaborate 

with you?” 

I had two options: either stop 

what I was aiming to do or take a 

completely wild, unconventional 

path. I choose the later one. 

We created ‘Wild Dreamer Productions,’ 

a productions company 

that aims to explore talent and 

reach out to those burning souls 

who are waiting to show the world 

what they have within and how 

much they can offer to the world of 

arts and creativity. 

We took a pledge, “If you have the 

talent and burning desire to showcase 

your talent to the world, Wild 

Dreamer will bring the platform to 

you”. 

The Challenge of Trust 

With this intention, comes yet 

another challenge. The challenge of 

trusting in human beings, challenge 

of training artists both amateur and 

professionals. 

Wild Dreamer is a unique 

production company that strongly 

believes in experimental creativity. 

‘Meera’ is the outcome of that very 

experimental exploration. 

What genre can you categorise 

this production into? A Theatre? A 

Musical? The closest I could come to 

explaining ‘Meera,’ the production 

Krishan and Meera through the ages- Young New Zealand talent 

genre would be a Musical Theatre. 

But that description would 

limit its vision. I, as a dramaturge, 

as an artistic director, as some 

one who conceived ‘Meera’ 

would like to explain it as a stage 

production, which is a beautiful 

confluence of theatrical, musical 

and in-depth narration, layered 

with mesmerising music, opulent 

costumes, jewellery and makeup. 

All enhanced with latest fascinating 

technology, state-of-art 2D /3D stage 

projections and mapping. 

Creativity along the Journey 

These elements that we have 

used to tell the intense love story of 

‘Meera,’ shows how many creatives 

this journey involves. 

Bringing multiple talents 

from various genres together, 

all from varying cultural and 

ethnic backgrounds, from different 

walks of life and to make them all 

understand one vision of telling this 

beautiful story to the audience in 

the most experimental way was my 

biggest challenge. 

The Ocean of the Unknown 

But the vision and intention were 

Domestic Issue: Meera confronted by brotherin-law 

Vikram Singh and sister-in-law Uda Bai 

(played respectively by Aarti Bajaj, Rishab 

Kapoor Marianne Infante, with Paul Menezes 

as Lord Krishna in the background) 

much stronger than concerns and 

fears. Believing in humanity and in 

the reason of its existence, I dived 

into the ocean of unknown. 

And the outcome was a magical, 

mesmerising evening, a houseful 

show and above all a great energy 

of love, togetherness, pride, hard 

work and dedication that was felt 

and seen amongst the huge cast and 

crew of 300 at the premier 

show of ‘Meera,’ in Gold Coast, 

Australia. 

Taking my next step 

forward, similar fears and 

concerns entertained my 

thought process for a while 

when Wild Dreamers decided 

to take ‘Meera’ internationally 

to Auckland, New Zealand, but 

as always, true intentions and 

vision prevail above all. 

Love and Warmth in 

Auckland 

The regular intense 

rehearsals by the entire cast 

and crew, tireless efforts of the 

admin team, an outstanding 

showcase at the curtain raiser 

event of ‘Meera’ (on May 30, 

2019) in Auckland and the 

way it was received by the 

audience with open arms and 

warm heart speaks at length 

about love and humanity. 

The love that we received 

from the wider Auckland community 

at our Curtain raiser 

event has filled my heart with 

exuberance, passion and love 

more than ever. 

The unconditional faith, 

trust and support Wild 

Dreamer Productions has 

received from all supporters 

and sponsors is a definite 

indication of yet another run 

of houseful shows which will 

surely be filled with people 

who be touched by love, 

excitement and the passion 

behind making of ‘Meera.’ 

We will see you all beautiful 

souls at the ASB Waterfront Theatre soon! 

Aarti Bajaj is the Chief Executive and 

Artistic Director of the Gold Coast 

(Australia) based Wild Dreamer Productions. 

She is the Producer, Director 

and Choreographer of ‘Meera’ being 

staged at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in 

Auckland from May 31, 2019 to June 2, 

2019. Tickets, with ‘Early Bird Discount’ 

are now available. Please contact 

Shagun Choudhary 021-1776350. email: 

admin@wilddreamerproductions.com; 

website: 

www.wilddreamerproductions.com; 

Like us on Facebook: Meera The 

Production 

Follow us on Instagram: 

MeeraTheProducion 

You Tube: Subscribe Meera The 

Production 

An unknown Bull masterminds terrorist attack in the Taj 

‘Hotel Mumbai’ recounts gruesome days of November 2008 

Nevil Gibson 

Mass shootings of innocent people 

have been on everyone’s 

minds over the past few weeks. 

Social media, such as Facebook, 

Twitter and You Tube, have been 

heavily criticised for their role in 

spreading various video material. 

On the other hand, they have also 

enabled communities throughout 

the world to share in grief, condolences 

and ways to prevent future 

tragedies. 

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Anupam Kher as Chef Hemant Oberoi 

Inept treatment 

The movies, as the mainstream 

form of filmed entertainment, have 

long tackled the subject of terrorism 

but not always in the most sensitive 

way that many now demand of the 

media in general. 

It was barely noticed that two 

films in release at the time of the 

March 15 shootings in Christchurch 

contained similar scenes to those 

that happened in real life. 

One, Vox Lux, depicts a fictional 

school shooting at the start and later 

another one on a resort beach. Both 

were critical to the film’s development 

of a central character twisted 

by her survival of the first event and 

her music as an inspiration for the 

second. 

Terrorists from Pakistan 

The second film, Hotel Mumbai 

(Icon), is a recreation of actual 

events in late November 2008. 

A heavily armed group of 10 radical 

Islamist terrorists from Pakistan 

arrive in Mumbai harbour in a small 

boat with the intention of killing as 

many civilians as possible. 

Far from being “lone wolf” 

characters acting out internet-fed 

conspiracy notions and hate-filled 

ideology, they are disciplined and 

under orders to carry out a suicide 

mission in the name of the extremist 

organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. 

They spread out over India’s 

most populated city, attacking the 

railway station initially and then 

other targets that include a Jewish 

community centre and St Xavier’s 

College. The film follows just four of 

them as, first, they shoot up a café 

and then join the terrified crowds 

who are seeking shelter in the lobby 

of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. 

It is considered one of world’s most 

luxurious hotels and is certainly 

one of Mumbai’s most imposing 

architectural creations. 

Orders from the ‘Bull’ 

Nothing is revealed of the young 

Dev Patel as Arjun: Moments of terror 

men’s backgrounds, but they are 

constantly in touch by phone with 

their minder, known as The Bull, 

back in Pakistan. 

At this point, key personnel from 

the hotel and some guests are introduced. 

They provide the other side 

of the drama – the hosts who have 

become hostages as the gunmen 

systematically hunt down anyone 

they can find. 

The two most prominent in the 

staff are a Sikh waiter (Dev Patel, of 

Lion and Slumdog Millionaire) and 

his head chef boss (Anupam Kher, 

one of India’s best-known actors). 

The main guests are an American 

(Amie Hammer, Call Me By Your 

Name), his Muslim wife (Nazanin 

Boniadi), their baby and a nanny 

(Tilda Cobham-Hervey). 

A cynical Russian businessman 

(Jason Isaacs) is a less likeable 

character but his background as a 

special-forces soldier provides some 

hope of kickback. 

Further detail is unnecessary, as this 

Australian production (directed and 

co-written by Anthony Maras with 

John Collee) closely follows the same 

narrative arc as the Kiwi-made Iranian 

Embassy hostage drama Six Days, based 

on events in London in 1980. 

The Mumbai attacks lasted four 

days, ending only when armed 

troops are flown in from Delhi. The 

total Mumbai death toll was 174 

with more than 300 wounded. 

An epilogue reminds us that The 

Bull was never identified, and no 

one was arrested. 

Rating: Restricted to audiences 

over 16. 123 minutes. 

Nevil Gibson is Editor-at-Large 

at The National Business 

Review based in Auckland. ‘Hotel 

Mumbai’ is currently running at 

Event Cinemas. For show timings 

and bookings, please visit https:// 

www.eventcinemas.co.nz/Movie/ 

Hotel-Mumbai


From Shammi Kapoor to Rajesh 

Khanna and Mohammed Rafi and 

Kishore Kumar to Kumar Sanu, 

scores of actors and singers have 

given lip movement of their voice for his 

lilting music, while millions of people 

around the world continue to be mesmerised 

by his creativity. 

Such is the greatness and popularity of 

Rahul Dev Burman, affectionately called 

‘Pancham,’ that even 25 years after his 

death, he is remembered by performers 

and local artistes. 

Among them is Sandhya Badakere of 

Swar Sadhana Academy of Indian music 

and Ravi Shetty of Ravi Shetty Concepts 

who are scheduled to present an evening 

of the Composer’s songs. 

Called, ‘Suneheri Yaadein Pancham 

Magic’ (Tribute To RD Burman), the 

Programme will be held on Saturday, May 

25, 2019 at 630 pm at Dorothy Winstone 

Centre, Auckland Girls Grammar School. 

Tickets, priced at $20 are now on sale. 

About SPCA 

Ms Badakere said that a part of the 

proceeds of the Programme have been 

earmarked for the Society for Prevention 

of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). 

“SPCA does a splendid job of protecting 

animals. It costs about $40 million a year 

to take care of the tens of thousands of 

animals that need our help. With less than 

1% of government funding, SPCA relies on 

our generosity of the community,” she said. 

Mr Shetty that each year ‘Suneheri 

Yaadein’ presents something new and 

interesting. 

Entertainmentlink 

Get Ready for an evening of R D Burman hits next month 

Dorothy Winstone Centre, May 25 at 630 pm 

Venkat Raman 

Baduli promises cultural extravaganza of Uttarakhand 

The cultural heritage and creative 

talent of the people of 

Uttarakhand will come to the 

fore at an event scheduled to 

be held in Auckland next weekend. 

‘Baduli 2019,’ a music programme 

organised by the Uttarakhand 

Association of New Zealand (UANZ) 

is scheduled to be held on Sunday, 

April 21,2019 from 11 am at Avondale 

College, located at 51 Victor 

Street in Avondale. 

Tickets for the Easter Sunday 

event are now on sale. Details can be 

obtained from Kaman Singh on 021- 

1263586 or Jot Bisht on 021-736759. 

About the Programme 

‘Baduli’ programmes of the 

Association usually feature popular 

instruments including Tabla, Dholak, 

Bansuri (Indian Flute), Guitar, 

Keyboard, Octopad in the musical 

ensemble. Some of Uttarakhand’s 

indigenous instruments are also 

shown and played to the public. 

These may include Dhol Damau 

and Hudka (types of drums) and 

Morchang (Jaw Harp). 

‘Baduli’ means ‘hiccup’, is a word 

that is typically used in Uttarakhand 

folklore while attributing the occurrence 

of a hiccup to a loved one or a 

relative thinking of you. 

For Uttarakhandis, both in India 

and overseas, ‘Baduli’ has acquired a 

larger meaning in their lives as they 

indulge from time to time in fond 

reminiscences of their homeland 

and its people, regardless of the 

occasional hiccup. 

It comes as no surprise then that 

the word, Baduli, was an apt choice 

for a series of events organised by 

Uttarakhand Association of New 

Zealand to celebrate the heritage, 

culture and traditions of Uttarakhand 

in North India. 

R D Burman with Dr Mukesh Hariawala 

“We are presenting Greg and Amity on Saxophone 

and Trumpet along with our band. This year’s Programme 

will feature 12 artistes-Gopal Nair, Guncha 

Singh, Joseph Jose, Kanik Mongia, Mayuri Bhole, 

Rachit Bhatia, Ravi Shetty, Ritika Badakere, Sandhya 

Badakere, Shikha Shethia, Siddhi Nigudkar, Srishaa 

Iyer and Vibha Trivedi,” he said. 

About RD Burman 

For millions of people across the Continents, 

including those with just a fleeting interest in music, 

Rahul Dev Burman was a composer with a high scale 

of creativity, melody and entertainment value. 

While his music remains immortal, a few remembered 

his 25th death anniversary (on January 4, 

2019), but hopefully mark his 80th birth anniversary 

on June 27, 2019. 

Dr Mukesh Hariawala, a Cardiac Surgeon and 

Healthcare Economist based at the Harvard Medical 

School Affiliated Hospitals in Boston, USA, shared his 

experience with us. 

“Pancham was one of a kind. He was a musical 

genius who gave hundreds of hits, made movies sell 

and raised the profile of singers, actors, producers 

and directors, above all of which, he was a genuine 

friend to many. I remember the day as I prepared 

to perform a surgery on him at the Princess Grace 

Uttarakhand is revered as the ‘Dev 

Bhoomi’ or ‘Abode of Gods.’ 

Baduli 2017 

‘Baduli 2017’ was one such musical 

programme that promised and 

delivered not only entertainment 

but also showcased Uttarakhand’s 

indigenous musical instruments 

such as the ‘Dhol Damau’ and the 

‘Hudka’ (types of drums) and Morchang 

(Jaw Harp) to the Uttarakhand 

and Indian Diaspora as well as to all 

other New Zealanders. 

The ‘Baduli 2019’ team, along 

with the support of its sponsors 

and others, has worked tirelessly 

to create a programme of fun and 

cultural extravaganza. 

This Programme would also provide 

an opportunity for the audience 

to enjoy and learn something new 

about the culture of Uttrakhand 

through its soulful music right from 

the heart of the mystic mountains. 

We sincerely hope that you would 

enjoy the ‘Baduli Souvenir’ book. 

We would like to thank all our 

audience and members for their 

contribution towards this event. A 

part of the proceeds will be given 

to Starship Foundation, which does 

commendable job of keeping Tamariki 

New Zealand safe and healthy. 

About the Artistes 

Narendra Singh Negi is one of the 

most prominent folk singers of 

Uttarakhand. He started his music 

career by releasing ‘Garhwali 

Geetmala.’ 

His first album was titled ‘Buraans.’ 

He has sung over 1000 songs. 

Although he composed most of his 

music in the folk genre, his lyrics 

depict a huge range of anxieties, 

tensions and human insights of the 

people of Uttarakhand. 

Songs like ‘Naya Zamana Ka 

Choron,’ which show generational 

disparity, ‘Bot Chitthi Kile Ni Bhezi,’ 

depicting the innocence of adolescent 

love and ‘Tehri Doobhana 

Lagyun Cha,’ which shows the pain 

of people losing their homes are 

some his hits. 

He has also given his voice in Garhwali 

movies such as ‘Chakrachal,’ 

‘Gharjawai’ and ‘Meri Ganga Holi Ta 

Maima Aali.’ 

Hindi film industry singers 

including Udit Narayan, Lata 

Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Purnima, 

Suresh Wadkar, Anuradha 

Paudwal and Jaspal have performed 

in Garhwali films under his music 

direction. 

Kiran Joshi is a talented singer who 

has performed in many languages. 

She has participated in many national 

and international shows and is a 

recipient of many awards. 

Kishan Singh Mahipal is one of the 

most celebrated folk singers and 

music directors of Uttarakhand. 

Among his popular albums are ‘O 

Re Saangli,’ ‘Aye Janu Re,’ ‘Seminya 

Boji,’ ‘Surima,’ and ‘Phayoladila.’ 

A lyricist, composer and director, 

Kishan has won several awards 

including ‘Uttarakhand Bhusan,’ 

‘Youth Icon,’ and UFA. 

Anurag Negi is a rhythm artiste and 

has been featured in almost all hit 

songs of Uttarakhand. He has also 

performed in various national and 

international shows. 

Mohan C Joshi is a talented flute 

player of Uttarakhand. He has 

performed with all the eminent 

artistes and bands of Uttarakhand. 

He lives performances are telecast 

on TV Channels in India. 

Khushi Joshi is a talent singer who 

has performed in many languages. 

She has appeared in many national 

Hospital in London many years 

ago,” he said. 

He refused to wear hospital 

clothing, saying that he preferred 

his favourite silk kurta and pyjama. 

He was fond of whisky, but Dr 

Hariawala asked for abstinence for 

at least six weeks after the surgery. 

Musical Gift 

“He gifted me a box of CDs 

containing his compositions soon 

after the surgery. I told him that 

they would be of no use since I did 

not have a CD player (not popular 

then) but the next day, he presented 

me with a famous brand. While 

his wife Asha Bhosle was by his 

bedside all the time, the extent to 

which he enjoyed the respect of 

people was evident by the constant 

flow of celebrities from India,” Dr 

Hariawala said. 

He had earlier performed a 

bypass surgery on India’s Prime 

Minister Dr Manmohan Singh 

(who was then at the World Bank) 

at the Harley Street Clinic in 

London. 

“When I mentioned this casually 

to Pancham, he asked ‘Who is 

Manmohan Singh?’ He had no pretence. 

Dr Singh was at that time 

known only to a few bureaucrats 

and bankers. He said he did not 

have fans but friends.” 

Dr Hariawala said that after 

recovery, Pancham resumed his 

musical career and gave one of 

his best songs that Bollywood had 

ever experienced. Picturised on 

Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala 

and international shows and won 

awards. 

Satendra Singh is a master of 

Dholak and is associated with many 

reputed bands of Uttarakhand. 

Vinod Chauhan is a music director 

and composer with more than 20 

19 

for ‘1942: A Love Story,’ the song, ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Tho 

Aisa Laga,’ became a runaway hit. 

Dr Hariawala moved to the US shortly thereafter but 

cherishes the memory of his friend and patient. He has 

two regrets that are too late to mend – watching a recording 

of his song and doing a cameo role in a Hindi film. 

“Neither of these invitations from Pancham could 

materialise,” he said. 

(More in our next issue) 

years of experience. He has worked 

with almost all generations of 

musicians and has composed more 

than 1000 music folk songs. Some 

of his hits songs are ‘Mei Bamri,’ ‘Bo 

Surela,’ ‘Dadu Goria,’ ‘Meru Mohna’ 

and ‘Chakote Ki Parwati.’

20 


Sportslink 

FIFA Women’s World Cup comes to New Zealand 


Proud Kiwi and FIFA Chief 

Women’s Football Officer 

Sarai Bareman has said that 

hosting the FIFA Women’s 

World Cup would be a massive 

boost for this country, both from 

a footballing point of view and in 

general. 

Ms Bareman, who holds the 

highest-ranking position in the 

female game, made a rare return 

to these shores this week and was 

accompanied by a very special guest 

– the official FIFA Women’s World 

Cup trophy. 

The visit of the famous silverware 

was timely as New Zealand Football 

has recently submitted its expression 

of interest in hosting the 2023 

edition of the FIFA Women’s World 

Cup and Ms Bareman said that 

doing so would be of huge benefit. 

“I think for any country to host a 

World Cup is massive. In terms of 

what it does for the sport, raising the 

popularity of it and increasing participation 

but also for the economy 

and the country itself,” she said. 

Right to host 

The right to host one of the largest 

sporting events on the planet is set 

to be more fiercely contested than 

ever before with a record nine 

nations putting their hands up. 

All will be confident of launching 

compelling bids but New Zealand 

has several unique selling points, 

such as its track record of 

successfully hosting major sporting 

events, its reputation as a top tourist 

FIFA Women's World Cup-Hannah Wilkinson and Sarai Bareman-Photosport 

Thousands of people visited Eden Park in Auckland to view the FIFA Women’s World Cup 

(Pictures by Photosport through New Zealand Football) 

destination and the rapid progress it 

has made in women’s football. 

Ms Bareman is delighted to see a 

country so dear to her heart throw 

its hat into the ring. 

“The expressions of interest for 

the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup 

have been the biggest that we have 

ever received in the history of FIFA,” 

she said. 

“From New Zealand’s perspective, 

I think it is great that they are doing 

it. For me, it really shows that they 

are prioritising women’s football. 

They have got some tough competition 

but the positive impact it could 

have on the country is huge.” 

World Cup in Auckland 

Ms Bareman spent time on the 

hallowed turf of Auckland’s iconic 

Eden Park as the official FIFA Women’s 

World Cup Trophy Tour came to 

town – the latest stop on a route that 

includes all 24 nations competing in 

this year’s edition of the showpiece 

of women’s football, which takes 

place in France during June and July. 

As a part of the Trophy tour 

celebrations, hundreds of young 

school children took to the outer 

oval at Eden Park to show off their 

football skills in a festival format, as 

well as getting the chance to have 

their photo taken with the World 

Cup trophy. 

Football Ferns Striker Hannah 

Wilkinson was present to provide 

some advice and pose for photos. 

“It is fantastic to have all these 

children out here enjoying football,” 

New Zealand Football Interim CEO 

Andrew Pragnell said. 

“To also have the trophy for the 

biggest women’s sporting event in 

the world right here makes it a fabulous 

day. And to have Sarai here, 

our very own home-grown FIFA 

leader, is a really proud moment for 

football,” he said.. 

“It is great timing with New 

Zealand Football having just 

expressed our interest in hosting the 

next World Cup. We are confident 

of putting in a really competitive bid 

and New Zealand is a great place to 

come. The key thing is making sure 

everything is compliant and that the 

bid is really attractive but I think we 

stand a good chance.” 

Unprecedented growth 

The women’s game in New Zealand 

has experienced unprecedented 

growth in recent years – participation 

rates have increased by 35% since 

2011 – and there have been numerous 

key milestones lately. 

For example, election of Johanna 

Wood as the first-ever female 

President a historic, Collective Bargaining 

Agreement (CBA) achieved 

by the Football Ferns, expansion of 

the National Women’s League to 

two rounds, the national knockout 

competition being rebranded as the 

New Zealand Football Foundation 

Kate Sheppard Cup, the success 

of the Future Ferns Domestic 

Programme (FFDP) and female-only 

coaching courses and scholarship 

programmes being introduced are 

all great signs of the progress of 

Women’s football. 

Under 17 Team progress 

The New Zealand U-17 women’s 

team meanwhile showed what can 

be achieved on the global stage with 

a ground-breaking third-place finish 

at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s 

World Cup last November. 

“I think that there is a strong 

momentum behind the women’s 

game here at the moment. The 

grassroots movement and the player 

pathway is really strong. We saw a 

result of that in Uruguay at the U-17 

World Cup with how well the squad 

performed. The growth in New Zealand 

has really been spectacular,” 

Ms Bareman said. 

“I think there is still a lot of work 

to do but great progress is certainly 

being made, particularly with the 

new leadership, where we have just 

seen a woman President elected for 

the first ever time. That’s amazing 

and I think women’s football is just 

going to go from strength-to-strength 

in New Zealand,” she said. 

Report and Pictures sent by New 

Zealand Football. 

Supported by 

YEAR 

aiming excellence 

Calling for Entries and Nominations 

To the Twelfth Annual Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2019 

CATEGORIES: (2 NEW CATEGORIES) 

1. Business Excellence in Retail Trade 

2. Business Excellence in Innovation 

3. Business Excellence in Marketing 

4. Business Excellence in Customer Service 

5. Best Employer of Choice 

6. Business Excellence in Health & Safety 

7. Business Excellence in Ethics (New) 

8. Business Excellence with Social Responsibility (New) 

9. Best Small Business 

10. Best Medium Sized Business 

11. Best Large Business 

12. Business Excellence in International Trade with India 

(this category is open to all businesses registered in 

New Zealand doing business with India) 

13. Best Accountant of the Year 

14. Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year 

15. Best Businesswoman of the Year 

16. Best Financial Advisor (Mortgage) of the Year 

17. Best Financial Advisor (Insurance) of the Year 

Supreme Business of the Year Award 

(All entries will be entered for this category) 

For more information on Awards, Terms and Conditions & Free Workshops, please visit www.inliba.com 

Nomination Process: Direct by Entrants; Nominations for Individual Categories (13 to 17) by companies and individuals; Nominations by 

commercial banks and chartered accountants for companies and individuals with information prescribed in the entry forms available on the 

Awards website (www.inliba.com).

INL April 15 2019 Digital Edition

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