INL Nov 1 2019 Digital Edition

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Ministertoaddress Partnership Visa with INZ 

Venkat Raman 

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway 

Immigration Specialist Alastair McClymont 

Immigration Minister Iain 

Lees-Gallowayhas said 

that he wouldbetalkingto 

Immigration New Zealand 

(INZ)onthe ‘Partnership Visa’ 

issue,the newprocedures of 

which willimpact on Asian 

communities. 

Thereislikelihood of young 

couple beingseparated fora 

lengthoftime. 

Tempers have been flying 

alloverthe placefor thepast 

two weekssince it cametolight 

that INZ hasdecided to ‘adhere 

strictly’ to the Partnership Visa 

requirements, meaning thatapplicationsfor 

aPartner Visa will be 

determined by the‘genuineness 

and lengthofthe relationship.’ 

OperationalDecision 

“This is an operational decision 

taken by INZ withoutconsulting 

me.Iwill be talking to the officials 

on this andother issues shortly,” 

Mr Lees-Galloway told Indian 

Newslink. 

He saidthatNew Zealand’s immigrationpolicy 

does notdeal 

with ‘CulturalMarriages.’ 

Such marriages arecommon 

among SouthAsian communities. 

Marriages arearranged by parents 

on both sides andcelebrationsare 

heldintheir countryof 

origin. 

INZ says that itsofficials willassess 

partnership requirements 

based on (1) how longthe couple 

have been together (2) how long 

they havebeenlivingtogether as 

acouple (3) thelivingarrangements 

(4)whether they support 

eachother financially (5) how 

they share financial responsibilities 

(6)how they are committed 

to alifetogether (6) whether they 

own property together and/or 

share aproperty (7) anychildren 

that they have together, including 

the arrangements for theircare 

(8)whetherthey sharecommon 

household tasks and (9)whether 

other peoplerecognise their 

relationship. 

Mr Lees-Gallowaysaidthat 

therehavebeengapsinthe way 

in thepartnership relationships 

haveoperated over theyears. 

“It is cleartomethat there are 

anumber of issues thatmust be 

addressed to remove uncertainties 

and makeour immigration 

systemwork better.Iwishtoreiterate 

that there hasbeennogovernmentdirector 

on Partnership 

Visa. INZ has made itsown decision 

to ensure thatstaffwere 

clear on their own operational decision-making,”hesaid. 

Question of interpretation 

While the Policy is to ensure 

that Partnership Visas areissued 

only to genuine couples, thereare 

difficulties in defining astable 

marriage. INZ appliesthe length 

of time acouple havesent together, 

which does not work with the 

communitiesofthe IndianSub- 

Continent. Forinstance, amajority 

of marriages arearranged in 

India through friends and relatives 

and through dedicated marriage 

websites.The bridegroom 

wholives overseas,say,New 

Zealand,wouldhave met his wife 

for the first timejustthe daybefore 

theirmarriage and would return 

to this country amonth or so 

after hismarriage. 

LawyerattacksINZ 

Auckland based Lawyer and 

Immigration Specialist findsthe 

decision-making processofINZ 

abhorrentand Anti-Asian. 

“Previously,INZ considered a 

partnership application in terms 

of whether or notthe relationship 

wasgenuinewith an intentionof 

maintaining it on apermanent 

basis. Immigration policydid require 

acouple to be livingtogether 

at the timeofapplication;so, 

previously if the relationship was 

assessed as being genuine thing in 

our Visitors Visawouldbegranted 

as an exception to policy to enable 

the offshorepartnertojoin 

thesponsor and continueliving 

together in New Zealand. 

“The new changesintroduced 

Indian Newslink 

Indian Business Awards 2018 

Winner 

Supreme Business of the Year 

Business Excellencein 

Marketing 

Best EmployerofChoice2017 

Best Medium-Sized Business 2017 

Ashima Singh, Winner of the 

Best Businesswoman of the year 2016 

are now that theseVisitors Visas 

as an exception to instructions 

should notbegranted if acouple 

arenot livingtogetherin 

theirhomecountryatthe time of 

application. 

“Itseemed veryclear that the 

purposeofthis change is solely 

to clear massivebacklog of partnership 

applications currently 

sitting in theMumbai office of 

INZ. However, Ihave spoken to 

theManager of thepartnership 

team at the Hamilton branch office 

of INZ whohas told me that 

they have also beeninstructed by 

Wellington to apply same policy 

to newpartnershipapplications 

at that office. 

Wrong information 

disseminated 

Thereisplenty of misinformation 

and disinformationsurrounding 

the Partnership Visa. 

Some sectionsofthe Indian community 

havebeencritical of the 

New Zealand First Party formeddling 

in immigration matters, 

which madeMPShaneJones lash 

out. 

And thenhemade astupid and 

idiotic remark: “I would just sayto 

the activists from the Indiancommunity,tame 

downyour rhetoric, 

youhavenolegitimate expectations 

in my view to bringyour 

whole village to NewZealand and 

if you don’t like it and youare 

threateningtogohome -catchthe 

next flight home.” 

That wasindubitably an irresponsible 

statementfrom a 

Ministerofthe Crown 

We will continueour discussion 

of this topicinthe next issue. 

Let us Celebrate 

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We provide tailor-made solutions to individual 

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invest,dobusiness and livein 

NewZealandpermanently 

YEAR 

Gala Black Tie Awards Night with Cocktails and Dinner 

on Monday, November 25, 2019 

at Sky City Convention Centre, 

Corner Victoria &Federal Streets, Auckland City. 

Master of Ceremonies: Jackie Clarke 

Celebrity Speaker and Entertainer 

Cocktails and Networking from 5pmto615 pm. Dinner,Entertainment &AwardsCeremony from 615 pm to 915 pm 

Fortickets, priced at $150 plus GSTper person and tables seating 10 persons each at $1500 plus GSTper table (including cocktails and dinner) contact us on 

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09 272 4424 021 144 6641 saif@ianzl.co.nz 

Level1-166 Harris Road, 

East Tamaki, Auckland 

www.immigrationadvicenz.com 

Like us on “Facebook” 

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02 

NOVEMBER 1, 2019 

Homelink 

National MP writes to Immigration Minister 

Walk-through CityRailLink tunnels 

Aunique opportunity onNovember 17, 2019 

Keeping Aucklanderssafe 

andcomfortable underground 

is the focusof 

planning fornext month’s 

publicwalk-through of asectionof 

the City RailLink tunnels. 

Up to 10,000 peoplewillhave 

the opportunity to walk a600-metre-long 

round trip of the twin 

tunnels on Sunday, November 17, 

2019. 

City Rail Link Limited Chief 

ExecutiveDrSean Sweeney said 

thatensuring everyoneissafeand 

has an enjoyable time when they 

visit is apriority. 

“While the walk will not take 

Appeal to reconsider Partnership 

Visa requirement 

Standfirst: The Indian 

community is worried 

that the new Partnership 

Visa requirement will seriously 

impedethe married life of young 

people since they fear that the 

‘livingtogetherrequirement’ is 

antithetical of Indian culture and 

values. 

National Party MP Kanwaljit 

Singh Bakshihas sent the following 

letter to ImmigrationMinister Iain 

Lees-Galloway. 

Hon Iain Lees-Galloway 

Minister of Immigration 

Parliament Buildings 

Wellington 

Dear Minister, 

Re: Immigration Policy Interpretation 

Over the pastfew monthsIhave 

travelled across New Zealandand 

long (abouthalfanhour),people 

shouldbeaware that thereare 

some ‘skinny’ bits underground 

where the walking routesnarrow 

andareaswhere lighting is limited 

that maynot suit people uncomfortableinenclosed 

spaces,” he 

said. 

Tunnel ticketswillberestricted 

to 1000 peopleanhour. 

Free tickets, registration 

Dr Sweeneysaid thatthere may 

be some queuing before people 

can start theirwalk. 

“People mayhavetowait ashort 

time whilewemanage numbers 

already in the tunnels. If there is 

there are common themes that have 

emerged in my discussions with the 

community. 

Strong concerns 

There have been strong concerns, 

particularly in New Zealand’s 

SouthEast Asian community, about 

partnershipvisasbased on culturally 

arranged marriages. 

As youmay be aware, culturally 

arranged marriages are anorm 

in countries aroundthe Indian 

sub-continent. 

Migrants from India first came to 

New Zealand in 1890. 

Themigrants were usually male 

who would later bring their wives 

out to New Zealand. 

Currently,Immigration New 

Zealand offices are declining visas 

applications from theIndian subcontinentbecause 

there is no evidence of 

acouple livingtogether. 

Lower Queen Street Commercial Bay 

queuing, we areasking peopleto 

be patient. No oneisgoing to miss 

out.” 

Tickets for Walk TheTunnelswill 

be available on-line on Wednesday, 

November 6, 2019. 

Tickets are freeand will be issued 

Culturally,itisunacceptable for 

acouple to live together before 

marriage and, after marriage, a 

spouse who is aNew Zealandcitizen 

or resident can only stayback for the 

duration of their leave sanctioned by 

their employer. 

‘Living together’ requirement 

This makes the ‘living together’ 

requirement incredibly difficult to 

meet. Such astrict interpretation 

and implementation of immigration 

policy is significantly disadvantaging 

people in these marriages. Those 

upset at this application of policy are 

being told that they are morethan 

welcome to leave New Zealand to 

attempt to live with their partners 

overseas. 

Manyofthe sponsors of applicants 

Ihave met are well qualified and 

highlyskilled people such as IT 

solution architects, IT managers, 

City Rail Link Construction- Albert Street 

on afirst-come first-served basis. 

There will be amaximumofsix 

ticketsissued to each person. 

Walk TheTunnels will run 

between from 8amuntil last entry 

at 5pm. 

There will be 10 entrysessions 

Chartered Accountants and more, whose 

services and experience are desperately 

needed in New Zealand. Manyofthem 

paymore taxthanthose on New Zealand’s 

median salary. 

Shortageofskills 

It is little surprise that manyhave now 

started to contemplate moving from New 

Zealandastheir skills are in high demand 

globally.Should this occur, Ifear we will 

see current shortages in the workforce 

across New Zealand only continue to get 

worse which will be detrimental to the 

New Zealand economy. Where people don’t 

meet the ‘living together’requirement, 

then other options should be provided 

to meet thisrequirementhere in New 

Zealand. 

Istrongly urge you to consider how 

Immigration New Zealand’snew application 

of Government policy will affect New 

Zealand’scitizens andour economy.Ihope 

you willtaketimetoreflect on my letter 

towards consideringcritical andimminent 

changes. 

Sincerely 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi 

during the day. 

Whentickets become available, 

people must nominate the time of their 

visit. 

Tunnel entryand exit will be through 

the Britomart Station in Lower Queen 

Street. 

People willbeabletowalk under 

Lower Queen Street,the Commercial 

BayDevelopment and into the lower 

endofAlbertStreet–areturndistance 

of 600 metres. 

Tickets holders will be given amap 

showing wherethey areunderground, 

and an overview of the City Rail Link 

project and the transformational impact 

it will have on Auckland when it opens 

in 2024. 

Formore information, visit www. 

cityraillink.co.nz 

(Picture from City Rail Link website) 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi 

National List MPbasedd in 

Manukau East 

Contact 

A 

P 

F 

E 

1/131Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland 

09 278 9302 

09 278 2143 

bakshi.mp@parliament.govt.nz 

facebook.com/bakshiks 

@bakshiks 

bakshi.co.nz 

Funded by the Parliamentary Service. Authorised by Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi MP, 1/131 Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe.


Homelink 

Parent Category Visa is open to allwithout uncertainties 

Youcan have your say inthe evolving Labour Policy 

Priyanca 

Radhakrishnan 

The Parent Category 

was closed by the 

previous (Nationalled)government 

in 

2016 and this left people in 

alot of uncertainty. 

The current government, 

under the leadership 

of Prime Minister Jacinda 

Ardern and 

Immigration Minister Iain 

Lees-Galloway,decided to 

reopen the Category to give 

people some clarity after 

they were left in limbo by 

the previousgovernment. 

Thereopening of the 

Parent Category has been 

tightened, and Iknowsome 

people are disappointed 

and Ican understand this. 

Financial criteria 

TheParent Category Visa 

hasalwayshad financial 

criteria attached to it. 

Thereopened Category 

matches the financial 

thresholds for sponsorship 

with our new skilled 

migrant Category income 

threshold. 

This governmenthas removed 

the expectation that 

Parents themselves bringin 

significantlife savings, and 

havefocused onthe need 

for skilled migrantstosupport 

their Parents -another 

factor in the increase in 

thresholds. 

It is simply not truethat 

thisGovernmentisonly 

considering highly skilled 

migrants or the wealthy. 

However, we need certainty 

that sponsoring migrants 

cansupporttheir Parents, 

and these changes do so. 

Options for others 

Forthosewho do not 

meet the criteria of the 

Parent Category,all other 

visa options areopen and 

still apply. 

Once again, Iacknowledgethat 

some are 

disappointed. 

However, our 

Immigration Minister has 

worked incredibly hard in 

this space to get usthis far, 

because Labour believes it 

was fundamentally unfair 

that people were left in limbo 

for this long since the 

National governmentclosed 

the Category. 

To be able to reopen the 

Category, however, werequired 

agreement from our 

Coalition partners. If we 

hadn’t been able to get that 

agreement, we wouldn’t 

havebeenabletoreopen it 

at all. 

Importance to Indian 

community 

Iknow how important 

the Parent Category is to the 

wellbeing of our community 

particularly as Iama 

migrant myself andhave a 

Parent wholives overseas. 

Iknow it is an incredibly 

emotive issue.Ialso acknowledge 

someofthe 

concerns that Icontinue to 

hear about thereopened 

Category. 

While the income thresholdsare 

higher than they 

havebeeninthe past, it is 

important tonote thatthe 

Category is now atleast 

opened after being closed 

by the previous National 

government–this represents 

progress. 

Your feedback required 

In the coming months, 

along with otherLabour 

MPs Iamkeentohear constructive 

community feedback 

sothat we can develop 

Labour policy to take into 

the 2020 election. We will 

listencarefully to those 

fromour communities who 

engage in these issues in a 

calm and factual manner. 

Immigration Policy is 

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03 

about strikingthe rightbalance on a 

number of fronts. 

Migrantsbring to New Zealand the 

skills weneed to grow not only our 

economy,but also the vibrant cultures 

that enrich our society. 

We have always welcomed migrantsto 

New Zealand and will continue to do so. 

However, wealso need tobeable to 

ensure that wehave the infrastructure 

to support the wellbeing of migrants 

who choose to make New Zealand home. 

Solving long-term issues 

And that means addressing the nine 

years of underfunding in housing, infrastructure 

and public services left tous 

by the previous government. 

We aregetting onwiththe job oftackling 

the long-term issues facing New 

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Ethnic Communities Minister. 

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Are you looking 

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04 


Homelink 

NewPoliceCampaign at the heart of communities 

Venkat Raman 

Ifyou want to know what 

makesanOfficerofthe New 

Zealand Police,anew Video, 

just released, will be asource 

of help. 

Youorsomeone you know may 

perhaps be even inspired to join the 

NewZealand Police who believe in 

‘Safer Communities-Together.’ 

In essence,the New Zealand 

Policeisnot aForce- but a 

Service. They put their hearts 

intoeverything they do- except of 

course criminals, whotheyapprehend 

so thatyou and your family 

can be safe and happy. 

The Video,incorporating anew 

Recruitment Campaign, could be 

highly motivational and in fact 

would help you to change your 

perceptionofour Police;incase you 

havesported awrong impression 

allalong. 

Storybehind tattoos 

The Campaign invites you to 

perceive the lives of some of the 

Officers wholiterallyweartheir 

hearts on their sleeves. 

NewZealand Police Deputy Chief 

Executive (Media andCommunications) 

JaneArchibaldsaid thatone 

can learnofthe personal experiences 

of someofthe Officersand why 

theysport their unique tattoos and 

howthey are trainedtobemore 

effective in ourincreasingly diverse 

communities acrossthe country. 

“All police staff were invited to 

participate in the campaignand 

an unprecedented number put 

their hands up to tell theirstories. 

The seven staff chosen to be in 

the campaign all have different 

Constables Dion Nelson-Screen, Tepuhi Rudolph, Amber Dempsey,Angel Pera and 

Nichola Ellis are among cops who have shown off their tattoos for anew recruitment 

campaign (Picture Supplied) 

personal experience andcultural 

backgrounds,” she said. 

Ms Archibald said that the 

RecruitingCampaigntargets 

18-30-year-olds from theUpper 

North Islandareatojointhe Police. 

Powerful and emotive 

While amajority of the recruits 

already haveatattoo,itisstill 

one of the most commonly asked 

questions of the recruitment team. 

“I believe this is one of the most 

powerful and emotive recruitment 

campaigns we have done. Ithink 

our video speaks foritself andI 

hope that it resonates with our key 

audience and encourages them to 

join,” Ms Archibaldsaid. 

“This campaign focuses on 

the importance of bringing your 

authentic selftopolicing and shows 

how someone’sown personal 

experiences can be valuable to their 

work,” she said. 

NewZealand Police has set 

itself atarget of transforming its 

workforce so that it fully reflects 

the communities it serves. 

Constables’ narration 

Constable Angel Pera,who is now 

with the Henderson Police in West 

Auckland, is arecent graduate of 

the Royal New Zealand Police College. 

Sheisayoungsinglemother, 

with Tā mokoabout herwhanau, 

whenua and whakapapa. 

All of whichcontributed towards 

her journeyand careerwith the 

New Zealand Police. 

“I carrythe mana of my Tupuna 

(ancestors)wherever Igo, thisis 

where my strength and determination 

comes,” she said. 

Manytattoos have cultural 

meaning, showing strengthor 

mana, or life experiences, bringing 

whanau together, with aconnection 

to heritage. 

Constable Tephui Rudolph has 

memories of hisfamily, asister who 

died of cancertattooedasangel 

wings on his body. 

“I moved away frommyparents 

at ayoung age andthe tattoo in 

Constable Angel Pera: “I carry the mana of my Tupuna 

(ancestors) wherever Igo, this is where my strength and 

determination comes.” (Picture from Video) 

relationtothat talks of courage, 

independence and strength. Ihave 

anew oneinprogress whichbrings 

both my mum andmydad’sside 

together. It also tells the story of 

the beginning of anew career as a 

policeofficer andthe hurdles Ihad 

to finally graduate,” he said. 

Rainbow Bird 

ConstableLeanne Benjamin, 

Diversity LiaisonOfficer in 

Dunedin, has aRainbow Birdwhich 

showcases strength. 

“I have several tattoos with 

various meanings and throughage 

andexperiences Ihave anumber of 

stories to tell.ThisBirdrepresents 

my freedomtoexpress myself and 

be my trueself, at work and home, 

the colours representour Rainbow 

communities,” she said. 

Another member of the New Zealand 

Police, notshown in thevideo, 

Maori Responsiveness Advisor 

Sergeant Juanita(Whiti)Timutimu 

said, “I think Iamthe onlyserving 

Police Officerwith a Moko Kauae. 

This is onlygiven to wahine. 

“Two of my kuia had kauae and 

it was agreatprivilege to receiveit. 

Police arepeopletoo andwewant 

the public to know thatour staff 

sometimes makeaconnection with 

the people due to their tattoos not 

in spite of them,” shesaid. 

It was a firstfor thePolice, with 

the MaoriResponsive Advisor 

becomingthe first femaleofficer to 

have aMokoKauae. 

Encouraging youngsters 

“In ourrole as Maori Police 

Officers, we bringeverything to our 

Mahi. It is notjustabout ourreo 

(language),itisabout everything 

that encompassesbeing Maori— 

including moko. Ihopethat our 

youngones with MokoKauae, 

who want to come into the Police 

Force canfeelthattheycan,”Ms 

Timutimu said. 

If you are interestedinjoining 

Police, whetheryou aretattooed or 

not,and have some more questions 

abouttattoosorany part of the 

recruitment process, contact www. 

newcops.co.nz to find out more. 

Author’s Note: Ideem it agreat 

honour to be theWing Patron 

of the NewZealand Police 

Recruit Wing 328. Thiswas arare 

opportunity and arole, which 

Ihoped Ifulfilled with asense 

of responsibility and purpose. 

As my Wing graduated fromthe 

Royal New Zealand Police College 

in Wellington on Thursday, 

August 1, 2019, it was amoment 

of joy, pride, satisfaction and 

achievement, not onlyfor the 

new recruits, butalso for their 

teachers, trainers, superior 

Police Officers, parents, relatives 

and friends. Iamsure that they 

add valueand greatservice to the 

New Zealand Police. 

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Homelink 

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Photo Expo in Wellington 

‘Punjab under Siege’ at St Peters Church from November 21 to 28, 2019 

Venkat Raman 

Wellingtonians and visitors to the 

Capital will be able to understand 

the ‘Jallianwala Bagh Massacre,’ at 

an exhibition scheduled to be held 

next month. 

Organised jointly by Ekta New Zealand and 

New Zealand India Research Institute, the Photo 

Exhibition, called, ‘Punjab under Siege,’ will be 

held at St Peters Church located at 211 Willis 

Street in Wellington. 

Ekta New Zealand said that Labour MP and 

Chief Labour Whip Michael Wood will officially 

open the Exhibition at a formal ceremony commencing 

at 530 pm on November 21, 2019. 

“The exhibition revisits the event, its causes 

and aftermath and explores what is remembered, 

how it is remembered and what has been forgotten. 

Based on two years of research and curation 

by the Partition Museum Amritsar, it includes archival 

and audio-visual material which tells the 

narrative of the massacre through eyewitness accounts, 

photographs and official documents,” the 

organisers said. 

Wellington will be the third city in the world 

where this exhibition will be held, after Amritsar 

in India and Manchester in the United Kingdom. 

It follows the Centennial Observance of the 

Massacre held at the same venue on April 12, 

2019 with Finance Minister Grant Robertson, the 

then Indian High Commissioner Sanjiv Kohli and 

former Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand. 

Grant Robertson 

Mr Robertson said that remembering the people 

who were shot dead in Jallianwala Bagh is especially 

important for us in New Zealand. 

“It is important for us to acknowledge what 

happened 100 years ago. There were about 1500 

casualties, may be up to a thousand people were 

killed in what was an unfortunate and horrendous 

event affecting the people of India,” he said. 

Sanjiv Kohli 

Mr Kohli said, “Many people have died. The 

best lesson that we can derive from the massacre 

is that we stand united against the forces that attempt 

to divide us, forces of terror, forces of extremism 

and racism. That is the best tribute to we 

can pay to those who laid down their lives.” 

The rise of Indian Nationalism 

The following is an extract of Sir Anand’s 

speech: 

India at the time was a British Colony and a 

mixture, at that time, of States, princely kingdoms 

and people of various backgrounds and languages, 

all functioning as a Colony. 

The beginnings of nationalism had been stirring 

and the colonial powers had seen fit to pass 

a statute called the Anarchical and Revolutionary 

Crimes Act 1919 which went through the 

Legislative Council in Delhi on March 10, 2019. 

This piece of legislation, popularly known as 

the ‘Rowlatt Act’ or ‘Black Act,’ extended emergency 

measures of arrests without warrant incarceration 

without trial, trials without juries and 

preventive detention. This gave the Imperial authorities 

power to deal with what they termed 

revolutionary activities. 

Many of India’s emerging national leaders such 

as Mahatma Gandhi were very critical of this 

new piece of legislation and there were demonstrations 

mounted in many parts of India, later in 

March and into April 1919. 

Baisakhi Festival 

The next piece of the mosaic is Baisakhi, the 

harvest feast acknowledged by Sikhs in mid April. 

It is a religious Festival characterised by prayers, 

processions and the raising of flags and occurs 

at the beginning of the solar year when people 

thank God for a good harvest. 

It has traditionally been observed on March 12 

and so, in Amritsar at the Jallianwala Bagh, there 

gathered many hundreds of people in order to 

celebrate Baisakhi. 

The Massacre 

The rest is, as they say, history when troops 

under the command and control of General 

Reginald Dyer, an Indian born but British officer 

of the Indian Army who fired rifle shots 

on the unarmed citizens. This has gone down in 

Indian history as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. 

Hundreds of people lost their lives and a number 

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Memorial in Amritsar, India 

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre Memorial in Amritsar, India 

of reactions were forthcoming with 

Dyer being removed from duty 

and being criticised for his actions. 

Many people say that the episode 

was a decisive step toward the end 

of British rule in India. Certainly, in 

the fullness of time, the country of 

so many different kinds of governance 

would become united as one 

country with one constitution and 

independence, notwithstanding 

having a population with as many 

as 16 languages and encompassing 

two time zones. 

The Christchurch shootings 

There is, may I suggest, then 

a thread that reaches out over a 

hundred years, and extends to 

Christchurch in our own country, 

05 

where, on Friday, March 15, 2019, 

by reason of the actions of one person, 

51 Muslim worshippers at 

Mosques, in two Christchurch locations 

lost their lives under gunfire 

and almost as many have suffered 

wounds and injuries requiring 

attention. 

It is always difficult to state in a 

clear fashion what correct responses 

ought to be to such enormous 

and far reaching events. Much 

has been said and written about 

Jallianwala Bagh. The challenge 

is that linking these two horrific 

events should provide our resolve 

to stand against violence when it 

occurs and to try and ensure that it 

will never occur again.

06 


Thousands of school 

students in Auckland are 

amongthose set to benefitfrom 

grants which 

will see $1 million allocated to 

community organisations which 

help arange of health; cultural, 

environment, education and 

other causes. 

Online voting 

An online platform has been 

opened which allows Kiwis to 

vote for the charities and groups 

they feel are most deserving of 

funding to benefittheirlocal 

community. 

Anyone can vote for the cause 

of their choice each day, with $5 

provided by thefund for every 

vote cast. More than300,000 

visitors are expected to visit the 

site in thecoming weeks to cast 

their vote. 

Fifty-seven projects were 

chosen to receivefunding from 

167 charitable applicants with 

local schools making up around 

two-thirds of the finalists 

selected. 

Projects funded 

While the most common use 

of the grants is the development 

of new playgrounds and shaded 

areas for school students, the 

applications were received from 

adiverse range of causes which 

includesmart pest control 

traps that can send an alert 

when they have been triggered, 

funding for native tree planting 

and bird habitats, and support 

for those living with asthma. 

West Auckland based 

The TrustsChief Executive 

Simon Wickham said thatthe 

million-dollar initiative is an 

example of how the model 

is able to support charities 

Educationlink 

Choiceopen for$1million funding students, Charities 

Supplied Content 

The Trusts Chief Executive Simon Wickham 

(Picture Supplied) 

while providing amodel for the 

retail sale of alcohol with better 

community outcomes. 

Flow from liquorsales 

“Most of the profits from 

liquorsales around thecountry 

are retained by store owners or 

overseas shareholders. Under our 

model, millions of dollars from the 

proceeds of our retail and hospitality 

operations and investmentsare 

retained in this community-owned 

social enterprise and returned to 

the community both now and in 

the future,” he said. 

“Manyofthe beneficiaries from 

these grants could not have otherwise 

been able to secure funding 

from other sources,” he said. 

The causes were chosen by 

apanelwhichincluded Sir Bob 

Harvey,LindaVagana and members 

of the Portage and Waitakere 

Licensing Trusts. 

Anyone can register onevote 

each dayatmilliondollarmission. 

co.nz until $1 million of funding 

has been distributed. 

The bidders 

The 57 charities/groups vying 

for donations include: Hobsonville 

Point Primary School, Flanshaw 

Road School, ListonCollege, 

WhenuapaiSchool,Asthma New 

ZealandIncorporated -Auckland 

Region,Silver Fern MotorSport 

Charitable Trust,Hobsonville 

School, Henderson South School, 

Rutherford Primary School, Green 

BaySchool,Massey Primary 

School, Edmonton Primary 

School, Rudolf Steiner Schools 

(Titirangi) Trust ,Laingholm 

Primary School, Auckland 

Kindergarten Association,Kelston 

Primary School, Rosebank 

School, Avondale Primary School, 

Konini School, LovingCare Kindergarten, 

Titirangi Playcentre, 

Summerland Primary School, 

Ranui School, Waitakere Primary 

School, PihaSurf Life Saving 

ClubIncorporated, Waitakere 

Workers Educational Association 

trading as WEST: West Auckland 

Enterprise Skills andTraining, 

Henderson HighSchool, Bellyful 

West Auckland (Bellyful NZ 

Trust), RoadSafety Education 

Limited, Sport Waitakere, 

Glendene School, Piha Volunteer 

Fire Brigade, St Paul’sSchool, 

St Dominic’sCatholic College, 

Te Kohanga Reo oteMarae o 

Hoani Waititi, SCOW, Swanson 

Playcentre, Oratia School, Matipo 

Primary School, Woodlands 

Park School, Laingholm Baptist 

Church,Glen Eden Athleticand 

Harriers Inc, RedLeap Theatre 

Charitable Trust Board, Diving 

Waitakere -The Auckland 

Diving CommunityTrust, The 

Whau River Catchment Trust, 

Waitakere Chinese Association, 

BayRoskill SportsClub,Auckland 

Climbing Youth Development 

ClubIncorporated, Massey 

Amateur Swimming Club,Kelston 

Community Hub, New Zealand 

Bird Rescue Charitable Trust, 

Waitakere Hindi Language and 

Cultural School, Te Kura Kaupapa 

Maori OHoani Waititi Marae, Just 

Move Charitable HealthTrust, 

Waitemata Table Tennis, West 

CityBand, Inc. and Waitakere 

Auckland Brass Band. 

Lamborghini awes but drives 

poor children farinlife 

‘Bread’ navigates the student mindset 

Venkat Raman 

When young Mustafa 

Sheikh took 

amillion dollar 

Lamborghini to a 

low decile school in Auckland, 

it was not to show off his 

wealth; instead it was to show 

the children that the rich man’s 

car wasbornout of dream 

on paper and that they too 

achieve great things in their 

life with the right thinking and 

approach. 

The Lamborghini,inhis 

view,does notillustrate 

material value in children. 

He said that the concept of 

monetary worth is developed 

laterinlife. 

To achild,aLamborghini is 

asymbol of freedom, abeacon 

of hope. 

“The energy of children 

crowding around thecar was 

electrifying. Foratthat very 

moment, no matter which 

issues might havebeen going 

on at home or anyissues at 

school were forgotten,” he said. 

Forall that pomp and show, 

Mustafa is not adreamer but 

adoer. The first step in the 

move towards bridging the 

gap between thehaves and 

have-nots is to show theinspire 

the latter to muster courage 

and grow,hesaid. 

Creative thinkers 

“Children are creative 

thinkers. They believe in 

aliens, Santa and superheroes. 

We start our mentoring 

programme by getting students 

to write theirdreams on a 

Mustafa Sheikh: Converting dreams 

into reality 

Mustafa's Lamborghini Aventador SVJ at aSchool 

piece of paper in aclassroom. 

Alternatively,wecan display to 

them aliteral dream embodied 

by aLamborghiniphysically 

in-front of them.Weshow 

the children this car andsay 

now,that is whatadream can 

accomplish,let us rework your 

personal goals to aim higher 

becausewejust showedyou 

what is possible,” he said. 

Thisyoung entrepreneur established 

‘Bread,’ acharity that 

aims to mentor youngsters onto 

positive life-change and lead 

them on thepath of success. 

As well as eradicating child 

poverty from theface of New 

Zealand, he aims to promote a 

healthy, vibrant society that will 

spell overall wellbeing. 

About Mustafa Sheikh 

Graduating from Gisborne 

Boys’ High School in 2012, 

Mustafaobtained his BSc 

and BSCHonours fromthe 

University of Auckland and 

soon thereafter launchedhis 

career. 

With proclivities towards 

charity andcommunity care 

projects, he volunteered at the 

StarshipHospital and thereafter 

established ‘Bread.’ 

“Wecannotsleep knowing 

that tens of thousands of young 

Kiwis go to school hungry, that 

manyofthem walk to school 

barefoot and that they staywet 

and cold on every rainyday,” 

he said and asked, “How can 

we sitback and not help our 

communities?” 

He believes that every child 

deserves to grow without a 

worry in the world. 

“But these children are 

missing out. They too have 

dreams,” he said. 

Mustafa believes that Mentoring 

allows in understanding 

students. 

Continued on Page 7 

THE FUTURE OF 

BUSINESS 

STARTS HERE 

DISCOVER YOUR OPTIONS 

aut.ac.nz/studybusiness


Continued from Page 6 

“If astudent is really 

passionate about Rugbybut 

doesn’t have the right gear, we 

can help thembygiving them a 

pair of boots,” he said. 

Changing approach in life 

Mustafasaid that the goal 

of ‘Bread’ is to inspire and 

motivate students’ mindset and 

add asparkle to their day. 

“One mayask how donating 

apairofrugbyboots contributes 

to alleviating poverty in 

our communities. Poverty is by 

definition is an income below 

acertain threshold leading 

to difficulty accessing certain 

resources such as food or 

clothing. Its issues are far more 

complex thansimply being 

hungry,” he said. 

Mustafa and his team 

(comprising Co-Founder 

Hamish, aYear Five Medical 

Student andTrustee Crystal) 

hold mentoring sessions with a 

group of students (mainly Year 

7and 8) regularly,inspiring 

and promoting theirdreams. 

Motivating youngminds 

“Wecover aspects such 

as goal planning and career 

guidance. If astudent wants 

to sidestep likeSonny Bill 

Williamsorbecome anurse, 

doctor or anything else, we 

will do ourbest to support 

their vision. We will set goals 

and motivate them to do what 

they desire. The mentors are 

volunteers, alarge majority of 

mentors are medical students 

from Auckland University. 

We often hostlunches for our 

studentstoo,” he said. 

This Lamborghini has 

sparked students to dream. It’s 

Bread’sresponsibility to now 

assist them with their new 

goals,hesaid. 

National MP says skilled migrants areignored 

Kanwaljit 

Singh Bakshi 

New Zealanders are 

knownfor their 

welcoming nature. 

Our country rightly 

welcomespeople whochoose 

to come here to live, work, and 

makeour country abetter place. 

Which is why, it is so 

perplexing to seethe current 

Government granting residency 

to convicted criminals when 

there arequeues of law-abiding 

people whoare deniedthe 

opportunity to add valuetoNew 

Zealand. 

Fewer Indian students 

Currently,weare seeing 

visa-processing delays across 

the board and New Zealand 

businesses are paying the cost 

of having delays for desperately 

neededworkers. 

Theuncertainty,delays 

and refusals from Indianvisa 

applicants has skyrocket under 

the Labour government. There 

are now fewer Indian students 

getting visas to study in New 

Zealand, partner visas for marriage 

faceextremely long stays 

and families visitors are waiting 

more than 6monthsbefore 

their visas applicationsare often 

turned down. 

One area that seems to have a 

streamlined visa process is when 

the Minister has to approve residency 

for aconvicted criminal. 

Residency for drug offender 

We already know that the 

Government spent less than 

an hourapproving residency 

for convicted drugoffender, 

gang associate and fraudster 

Karel Sroubek who was granted 

residence when he was in prison, 

Euthanasia risks people with disabilities 

Danielle vanDalen 

With a final amended 

version of the End 

of Life Choice Bill 

on which voting 

is expectedtotakeplace this 

month, potentially followed by a 

referendum next year, it is time 

to decide whether this is alaw 

thatweactually want. 

It is important that we learn 

from the example of the United 

States which hasfound that, 

amongother risks, no safeguard 

can sufficiently protect people 

with disabilities. 

The State in Oregon 

Oregon is widely recognised 

for having particularly restrictive 

assisted dying legislation, and 

yet dangers to people with 

disabilities remain. 

Only afew weeks ago, for 

example, the US National Council 

on Disability presented areport 

to the President on “The Danger 

of Assisted Suicide Laws,” outlining 

their concerns based on the 

experience of the nine US states, 

including Oregon, where thisis 

legal. 

The National Council is 

particularly concerned that “safeguard 

provisions in US assisted 

suicide laws are inadequate, can 

be readily circumvented, or fail 

to protect patients from pressure 

to end their lives.” 

People with disabilities are 

frequently pointed to as apopulation 

vulnerable to the risks of 

euthanasialegislation. 

TheNational Council have 

seen the risks turn into reality 

in places likeOregon, where 

assisted suicidehas been legal for 

25 years. Despite safeguards that 

attempt to limit the law to those 

who have terminalillnesses with 

six months to live, euthanasia 

and assisted suicidelegislation 

does not deal with the potential 

for misdiagnosis and the indirect 

pressure for peoplewith disabilities 

to makethischoice. 

Vulnerable population 

Determining apatient’s 

prognosis is always difficult. 

This is especially true for patients 

with disabilities, where the 

boundaries betweendisability 

and terminal illness can become 

blurred.Asthe report points 

out, “faulty prognoses pose con- 

but it now emergesthat the 

Minister of Immigration has 

now also approved residency 

for arecidivist drink-driver- a 

person who has sixdrink driving 

convictions and has putthe 

public’ssafety at risk. 

At the same time, my office 

has received numerousenquiries 

from constituents who are at 

breaking point mentally due to 

theirpartnership applications 

beingdeclined or being 

processed for over many months 

in offshore branches. 

Professionals declined 

Manyofthese applications 

siderable danger to people with 

new or progressive disabilities or 

diseases, whomay often be misdiagnosed 

as terminally ill, but 

who [have and] could potentially 

outlive these prognoses by years 

or even decades.” Blurred lines 

don’t makefor good legislation. 

Whether or not someone feels 

pressure to die is alsoincredibly 

difficult to determine. 

Sometimes this is direct, but 

often it is indirect. Forsomeone 

with disabilities, pressure can 

lead to concerns about the impact 

their life and care is having 

on others. When euthanasia 

is an option thiscan result in 

indirect pressure to make that 

choice. In Oregon’s most recent 

annual report, for example, 54% 

of people who were assisted to 

die named being aburden on 

family, friends, or caregivers 

Educationlink 

07 

are from highly skilled individuals, 

IT solutions architects, IT 

Managers and Charted Financial 

Accountants, whoNew Zealand 

desperately needs and who 

have over theyears paid more 

yearly taxes thanNew Zealand’s 

median wages. 

The Government needs to sort 

out its priorities. New Zealand 

needs more skilled migrants who 

can addvaluetoour country.We 

don’t need anymore fast-tracked 

residency visasfor convicted 

criminals. 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshiisa 

MemberofParliament on 

National List and the Party’s 

Spokesperson for Internal 

Affairs. 

as onereason for doing so. 

No safeguard has been able to 

protect against this. 

UnlikeOregon, however, 

assisted dying is not law here yet. 

We have an opportunity 

to prevent introducing these 

risks to New Zealanders with 

disabilities, but we need to listen 

to theexperience of the United 

States where no safeguard has 

been able to provideproper 

protection. 

Our politicians, and all New 

Zealanders, need to recognise 

theirresponsibility to protect 

and value New Zealanderswith 

disabilities by voting against the 

Bill at third reading, as well as 

in apotential referendum next 

year. 

Danielle vanDalenisa 

Researcher at the Maxim 

Institute basedinAuckland. 

David Seymour 

MP forEpsom 

Honour thelegacy 

of MahatmaGandhi 

One of the key principles for which Mahatma 

Gandhi is known is equality and conveying the 

message of non-violence. He saw that anumber of 

things needed to change in the Indian way of life. 

Mahatma Gandhi promoted civil rights for women, 

abolition of the caste system and fair treatment of 

all people regardless of their religion or background. 

These are values which our diverse population of 

New Zealanders uphold. 

For an appointment, 

please contactme 

on 09 5227464 or 

mpepsom@ 

parliament.govt.nz 

On the occasion of the Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th 

birth anniversary Iamcalling on Auckland Council to 

provide astatue to honour Mahatma Gandhi inone 

of Auckland’s public spaces. 

Sign thepetition! 

parmjeetparmar.national.org.nz/honour_the_ 

legacy_of_mahatma_gandhi 

Dr ParmjeetParmar 

National List MP based in Mt Roskill 

Parmjeet.parmar@parliament.govt.nz 

Epsom Electorate Office 

Level2,27GilliesAvenue,Newmarket 

PromotedbyDavidSeymour,MPfor Epsom,27Gillies Avenue,Newmarket 

Funded by theParliamentaryService. Authorisedby 

Parmjeet Parmar MP,Parliament Buildings,Wellington.

08 


Fijilink 

Pioneersofeducation 

in Fiji remembered 

ADiamond for Khalsa College, Ba 

Harnam Singh Golian 

Khalsa College, Ba, Fiji was 

established in 1959 by an 

enterprising group ofSikhs 

who saw education as a 

means to bringing success totheir 

children and future generations. 

We honour those stalwarts and 

teachersparticularly Jogindar 

Singh Kanwal, the first substantive 

Principal whose dedication and 

hard work brought such lasting success 

to this proud institution. 

The Institution marked its 

Diamond Jubilee (60th Anniversary) 

Celebration at the School on June 

15, 2019. 

Mr Kanwal served almost half of 

this time as Principal. 

Becausemyclose association with 

SikhCommunity inFiji since the inception 

of KhalsaInstitutions ,the 

current committee decided togive 

me the honour ofbeing the chief 

guestand unveiling the Diamond 

JubileePlaque. 

Premier Institution 

Iwas greatly humbledand honouredtobeaspecial 

invitee byvirtueofbeing 

aCo-Founder ofthe 

Khalsainstitution on the auspicious 

occasion of the Diamond Jubilee 

Joginder Singh Kanwal (Picture Supplied) 

celebrationsofthe reputedKhalsa 

Primaryand Khalsa College founded 

in theearly 1959. 

Khalsa College may beone of the 

earliest educational institutions established 

by the Sikhs of Fiji outside 

India. 

The concept ofeducation (Viddia) 

in Sri Guru Granth SahibJiisavery 

important subject because the educationaltradition 

is deep rooted 

in Sikh beliefs and shapesthe Sikh 

way oflife. The very word Sikh 

means alearner –adisciple and 

astudent who discovers the truth 

from the hymnsofGurbani. 

The Fiji Sikhs, known as Punjabis, 

particularly ofthe western districts 

of Lautoka, Baand Tavuainthe 

mid-1950s of British Era, although 

small innumber, was avibrant 

community.Because of the scarcity 

of schools, many school-age children 

couldnot get admissionhence 

deprived of formal education. 

Importance of education 

Realising the importance of formal 

education, the Punjabi community 

seriously decided todosomething as 

aservice to theIndian community. 

It was also achallenge for our 

martial community aswellastheir 

Girmitya brethren who had experienced 

deprivation together were 

kept behind socially, economically 

and politically. 

In the post-Girmit Era, amajority 

of Fiji Indiansmerely lived on 

hand tomouth existence. There was 

no sustainable income ofthe Cane 

farmers, the labourers generally 

were dependent on Cane farms. 

Under these constraining circumstances 

there was agreater need of 

the community to educate theirchildren 

in order to seek employment or 

advance themselves out ofthe sugar 

industryfor their sustenance. 

Sikh Hospitality 

The Sikhs all over the world are 

known for their hospitality, kindness 

and charity apractice that derives 

from the teachings and philosophy 

of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji –The 

Gurmat- aSikh isinspired with courage 

to uphold the traditional values 

in the service of the humanity. 

Having all that in mind the elders 

congregated from time to time 

at the Tagi Gurdwara(temple) and 

resolved that children should get a 

balanced education to lead ameaningful 

life without any prejudices of 

colour, caste or religionorany other 

form of discrimination. 

Hence, they formed the Sikh 

Education Society of Fiji and established 

the Khalsa Primary and 

Khalsa College. 

Bainimarama praises 

BusinessCouncil 

in Australia 

Staff Reporter 

The Australia-Fiji 

Business Council 

stands as evidence of 

the intimate economic 

relationship between thetwo 

countries, Fiji’s Prime Minister 

Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama 

has said. 

Speakingatthe Silver Jubilee 

celebrationsofthe Council held 

at the Brisbane Marriott Hotel 

last night (October 16, 2019), he 

said that this is arelationship 

whose strength is owed in no 

small waytothe business communities 

of Fiji andAustralia’s 

commitment to strengthening 

such bondevery year. 

Hallmark Event 

“Over the years, thisForum 

has evolved to becomea 

hallmark event for Australian 

business peoplewho are 

looking to Fiji for investment 

and business opportunities. 

With over 120 companies as 

Members, the Council has become 

the perfect space for any 

business engaged in bilateral 

trade or looking to engage in 

the future,” he said. 

Mr Bainimarama said 

thatthe presence of alarge 

delegation from Fijiindicated 

the support that theCouncil 

gets from Fiji andthe Fijian 

government. 

Fijian Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe 

Bainimarama speaking in Brisbane 

yesterday (Facebook Picture) 

“Aswecome together for 

thisyear’s event, joined by the 

highest levels of government 

from both Fiji andAustralia, 

it is clearnow more than ever 

that this Forum is adynamic 

platform for exchanging ideas, 

engaging in networking andexploring 

business opportunities 

between our two countries,” 

he said. 

The Dignitaries 

The Fijian delegation to 

the Forum included Industry, 

Trade,Tourism,Local Government, 

Housing and Community 

Development Minister Premila 

Kumar, Agriculture, Waterways 

and Environment Minister 

Mahendra Reddy, Permanent 

Secretary at PMO, Sugar 

Industry and Immigration 

Yogesh Kiran (who is also 

Acting Permanent Secretary 

for Foreign Affairs), Permanent 

Secretary at Industry,Trade 

and Tourism Shaheen Ali and 

Fiji’sHigh Commissioner to 

Australia LukeDaunivalu. 

SpecialBenefitsfor over 65’swithSuperGold 

ife has never been 

easier and busier for 

older people. This 

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discounts that help take older 

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benefits. 

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by bus, rail or ferry, Super- 

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All New Zealand residents 

over 65 are eligible to receive 

aSuperGold Card, and it is 

automatically sent to people 

who get New Zealand 

Superannuation or Veteran’s 

Pension. 

ASmarter SuperGold Card 

The SuperGold Card was 

launched in 2007 to help 

over 65’s manage their life, 

on apotentially more limited 

income. Since then, the 

government and businesses 

have used SuperGold as a 

way of saying ‘thank you’ to 

our older New Zealanders 

and recognising the value of 

spending by this sector. 

Now, twelve years later, Supergold 

is going digital, just 

as over 65’s are. According to 

recent research conducted by 

Nielsen, 69% of over 65’s are 

online and half of them own 

smartphones. 

Older people are living 

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provide abetter standard of 

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Living the Golden Years 

There are more than 

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the benefits of SuperGold, 

stretching their dollar even 

further. There are thousands 

of products and services 

available at discounted prices 

throughout New Zealand. 

The SuperGoldNZ app was 

released along with anew 

website on October 1, 2019 

to celebrate the International 

“Day of Older Persons”. With 

the app, older people can 

quickly find special discounts 

at thousands of locations 

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the app is adefinite winner. 

SuperGold offers instant 

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insurance and much more. 

There are over 10,000 ways 

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SuperGold is constantly 

adding more businesses, with 

new and exciting discounts 

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over 65’s. 

SuperGold is also supporting 

business partners with 

point-of-sale signage so it’s 

easier for older New Zealanders 

to know where they can 

get instant discounts, both 

in-store and online. 

Get the SuperGold app! 

The fast and easy way to find discounts 

and offers when you’re out and about is 

to use the SuperGoldNZ app. If you have 

asmartphone or tablet, download the 

SuperGoldNZ app from the Apple Store or 

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Many over 65’s may not be 

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If you want to go to amovie 

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Businesslink 

Media platform burns as global giants cut throats 

09 

Paul Thompson 

The commercial media 

world is an increasingly 

tough business, in case 

you haven’t noticed. 

Audiences havefragmented, 

consumer and advertiser choice 

is expanding and revenuescaving. 

Business models areeither 

failing or developing aserious 

case ofthe wobbles. 

There are no fixes,yet, and it 

is getting crowded on the burning 

platform. 

It is brutal, unless you are 

one of those formidably-resourced 

global platforms -think 

Facebook, Apple, Amazon, 

Netflix and Google -that utilise 

the scale of the internet to generate 

phenomenalwealth and 

power. 

They are called the FANGS for 

good reason -theyrip the throat 

out of competitors. 

Meanwhile, in New 

Zealand,local outlets such as 

MediaWorks’stelevision operation, 

find themselves out-muscled 

andpotentially out of 

abusiness that has changed 

dramatically. 

Formidable challenges 

EvenifaNew Zealand media 

company thatrelies on 

advertising orsubscriptions executes 

the perfect strategy faultlessly, 

they still face big future 

challenges. 

It wasn’t always like this. 

In the early 2000s, Ihad the 

privilege of being ofthe Editor 

of The Press newspaper in 

Christchurch. One of our major 

problems in those heady days 

was figuring out how toprint 

and distribute the enormous, 

advertising-laden, fabulously-profitable 

weekend edition. 

It is only alittle overadecade 

ago but it feels as distant asthe 

peak of the Roman Empire. 

Now, you might think none of 

thismatters. That life goes on 

and companiesand industries 

come and goasthe relentless 

wheel of technologicalprogress 

turns. 

Butthe stakesare high: no 

people,society or nation are 

truly independent unless they 

haveaccess toadiverse range 

of trustedand relevant news, information 

andentertainment 

that iscreatedfor, about andby 

them. 

Theessential ingredient is 

choice -the ability of all citizens 

of asovereignnation to have 

ready access to avariety of relevant 

media sources by which to 

makesense of their world. 

Hollowed newsrooms 

The hollowing out oflocal 

newsrooms, production 

teams, programmingand content 

creates acrisis that is larger 

thanthe fate of any distressed 

company. 

The cult of fake newsallows 

those in powertodiscredit journalism 

that challenges their authority. 

It is starting tocreep 

into New Zealand political discourse 

and will grow unless 

there is avigorous fourth estate. 

If we, asNew Zealanders, do 

Mediaworks AM Show dims the studio lights to tell the government that television and news 

channels are in trouble. (Photo: AM Show Screenshot) 

not tell our stories, otherswill 

step in to do it for usand to us. 

So, what to do? 

Governments around the 

world are wrestling with that 

question. 

In myroleasPresident of 

the PublicMedia Alliance,the 

world’s largest association of 

public broadcasters, Iam continually 

confrontedbythe complexity 

of this problem. 

Regulating the mighty 

Stable doors are banginginthe 

wind all over theplace, and regulating 

the FANGSsounds good in 

theory but is proving devilishly 

difficult in practice. 

Oneofthe thingsgovernments 

can do, however, is to en- 

space 

sure theirindependent public 

broadcasters arenot subjected 

to these constantlyshifting marketforces. 

We need strong, sustainable 

and accountable public service 

media organisations geared 

to adapt to changing audience 

habits. 

Iamfortunate enough to now 

work for RadioNew Zealand 

(RNZ), NewZealand’sindependent, 

public service multimedia 

broadcaster. 

We do not have all the answers 

at RNZ, but wedostrongly 

believe that comprehensive 

public broadcasting services 

provide oneantidote to the existential 

threat that faces thelocal 

industry. 

designers ltd 

architectural designer. 

We have moved to our New Office at 

178 APakuranga Road, Pakuranga, Auckland 2010 

Our new Telephone Number: 09 577 2172 /021 687162 

Email: info@sdlimited.co.nz 

Website: www.spacedesignersltd.co.nz 

our strengths 

member of ADNZ -recognised professional body 

well equipped &established with good reputation 

overall personal service 

technical competency &professional experience. 

About Radio New Zealand 

RNZ is publicly-funded bythe 

people of Aotearoa. Oursole job, 

set out in legislation, is to serve 

the public interest byconnecting 

and informing the nation, 

strengthening democracy and reflecting 

our unique languages, 

perspectives andcultures. 

People value the work we do; 

we are the most trusted media 

source in New Zealand, according 

to theColmar Brunton Value 

Indices survey. 

In the past few years, RNZ has 

expanded its services beyond 

radio, doubled-down on trusted 

and independent news, and 

created new content for new 

audiences. 

We have also shared our content 

widely with other outlets to 

Let us Celebrate 

Priyanca 

Radhakrishnan 

Labour List MP basedinMaungakiekie 

YEAR 

ensure we are everywhere New 

Zealanders want and need usto 

be. 

RNZ will continuetolook 

for new ways to serve the public 

and fill the widening gaps. 

We will support andcollaborate 

with otheroutlets where we 

can and work hard to ensure all 

New Zealanders have access to a 

range oftrusted news, information 

and entertainment -made 

by New Zealanders, about New 

Zealanders for New Zealanders. 

Paul Thompson is the Chief 

Executive and Editor-In- 

Chief of RNZ and President 

of the Public MediaAlliance. 

The above article has been 

publishedunder aSpecial 

Arrangement with 

www.rnz.co.nz 

your success 

Maungakiekie Office 

09 622 2660 

priyanca@parliament.govt.nz 

Level1CrightonHouse, 

100NeilsonSt, Onehunga 

(entrancevia Galway St) 

| | priyancanzlp 

Authorised by PriyancaRadhakrishnan 

Labour ListMP, 100NeilsonSt, Onehunga 

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CelebritySpeaker and Entertainer 

Cocktails and Networking from 5pmto615 pm. Dinner,Entertainment &AwardsCeremony from 615 pm to 915 pm 

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10 


Businesslink 

Researcher says smartphones promote patriarchs 


Smartphones and other mobile 

devices amplify the patriarchal values 

that are part of our culture, according 

to new research by a Massey 

University expert in organisational 

communication and gender. 

Senior Lecturer Dr Debalina 

Dutta said that while we might all 

understand the freedoms mobile 

devices bring to our lives, it would 

be a mistake to think the devices are 

gender-neutral in their impacts. 

“Our mobile devices are full of 

really cool features, but these things 

are not neutral. They actually amplify 

the patriarchal values that are part 

of our culture. This ability to contact 

someone at all times means women 

are expected to be constantly available 

in their homes and in their workspaces,” 

she said. 

Amanah KiwiSaver success can promote other Islamic products 

Brian Henry and 

Arifa Fiqria 

Of New Zealand’s population 

of 4.79 million people, 1.1% 

are Muslims, according to 

the World Population Review 

2019 website. 

New Zealand is working hard to 

accommodate the needs of its Muslim 

community, ranging from places of 

worship to Halal food. 

It currently has 57 Islamic Centers, 

17 Halal bakeries/cafes, 58 Halal 

meat/grocery stores, and 241 Halal 

restaurants, according to NZ Halal 

Food Guide 2017-2018 Edition. 

The Teachings 

Islam itself is not only about 

worshiping (Fiqh Ibadat) or eating 

(Shariah) but also about dealings (Fiqh 

Muamalat). 

The distinctions are in Ibadat - all 

matters involved in the law, are 

not susceptible to innovations or 

change (Ittiba) in practice. While for 

Muamalat, there is still some room to 

develop or change to facilitate human 

interaction and promote justice, 

according to Dr John L Esposito in The 

Oxford Dictionary of Islam (2003). 

Then, we may ask, “How developed 

are Islamic dealings in terms of 

finance in New Zealand?’ 

Until March 2014, there were no 

Islamic financial institutions at all in 

New Zealand. 

The main reason for this was likely 

the relatively low demand for Islamic 

financial products - aligning with the 

Muslim population at that time, which 

was less than 50,000 people. Arguably, 

this population size was considered 

significant enough to support a 

Shariah-based institution. 

Launch of Amanah Ethical 

In 2014, Amanah Ethical Managing 

Director Brian Henry decided that the 

Muslim community needed someone 

to provide some Shariah-based 

financial products. 

Amanah Ethical was launched, 

providing two funds - Amanah 

KiwiSaver Plan (a savings scheme 

for retirement that meets the New 

Zealand Government’s KiwiSaver 

proposal) and AmanahNZ (a separate 

unit trust investment fund). 

MediaWorks to sell TV 3 in New Zealand 

Sourced Content 

Struggling media company MediaWorks 

is putting its TV business Three on the 

sale block, after axing and scaling back 

shows. 

The Company, which owns television, radio 

and advertising operations, had reported 

through its own news organisation Newshub 

that it would sell its largest asset. 

Three included ThreeLife, the Bravo joint 

venture and all of Newshub’s operations. 

MediaWorks is owned by US private equity 

firm Oaktree Capital. 

Radio Network stays 

MediaWorks Chairman Jack Matthews said 

it would hold onto its profitable radio network 

and newly-acquired outdoor advertising 

company QMS. 

“We are in the fortunate position of having 

two very strong growth platforms in radio 

and outdoor [advertising] that deliver both 

revenue and margin growth. Our focus now 

is to accelerate the opportunities that exist for 

those platforms,” he said. 

MediaWorks merged with the billboard 

company QMS earlier this year. 

Tough realities 

He said the company had to face its 

commercial realities. 

“The market that free-to-air television 

operates in is tough and has been exacerbated 

this year. This is reflected in the performance 

of all free-to-air television operators in New 

Zealand, not just us. 

“Clearly the market - alongside the structural 

hindrances we operate under - has a larger 

impact on Three given its genuine commercial 

imperative.” 

The Company would also sell its television 

headquarters near central Auckland, which it 

had owned for 30 years, to be leased back to 

the television business. 

MediaWorks Chief Executive Michael Anderson (Picture 

Courtesy: Newshub) 

MediaWorks Chief Executive Michael 

Anderson said that MediaWorks TV was now 

in a place where “it can be separated from 

the radio and outdoor business to be operated 

under a new owner in a more sustainable 

fashion - and, ultimately, for profit.” 

Shows axed 

The Project presenter Jesse Mulligan said on 

the show that Three might have to shut down 

the entire station if the government didn’t 

change its broadcasting policy. 

Earlier, MediaWorks said it was cutting 

key local TV comedies citing the company’s 

deepening problems and wider troubles in 

free-to-air television. 

MediaWorks confirmed 7 Days - the country’s 

longest-running comedy show - will drop 

from 32 episodes a year to just 12 in 2020. 

New Zealand Today - a new comedy series 

featuring Guy Williams - will not return to 

Three next year. 

Commercial TV programmes come and 

go whether they have been fixtures in the 

schedule or not. Three’s long-running weekly 

comedy Jono And Ben (also New Zealand On 

Air supported) was canned last year because 

it was deemed to have run its course. 

Last week, MediaWorks Head of News 

Hal Crawford said that he would leave the 

company in February next year and return to 

Australia. 

Dr Debalina Dutta 

The STEM factor 

Her qualitative study consisted 

of in-depth interviews with women 

working in the male-dominated 

science, technology, engineering and 

mathematics sectors (known as STEM), 

but according to her, women everywhere 

will recognise the experiences 

of her research participants. 

She found mobile phones’ interactive 

features can overwhelm women 

with home and workplace demands, 

while simultaneously excluding 

them from informal decision-making 

channels at work. 

“It really is a double-bind for women. 

Interactive devices give them the 

flexibility on the one hand to continue 

working with children. However, it 

also means that their role as family 

caregiver does not stop when they are 

at work, and they can still be contacted 

about work matters at home. These 

are gendered expectations that do not 

affect men to the same degree,” she 

said. 

Messaging Apps 

Dr Dutta also found messaging apps 

provided an informal communication 

channel in many workplaces and, in 

These funds are strictly Shariah-compliant 

to accommodate the 

needs of Muslims for retirement and 

investment products. 

Why did Amanah Ethical start with 

these two products? 

The fundamental needs for the 

Muslim community are Halal retirement 

funds and first home financing. 

If Muslims want Islamic funding to 

finance their first home purchase, 

then the quickest way to fund it is by 

supporting the Amanah KiwiSaver 

Plan. Savings can be withdrawn to 

assist purchase a first home. 

In terms of ‘mortgage-type 

products,’ there are currently no 

institutions in New Zealand providing 

any Shariah-compliant options. 

If Amanah Ethical continues to grow 

and demonstrate success in the New 

Zealand market, then it is hopeful that 

in time, it will be able to partner with 

another entity to launch an Islamic 

Home Financing product such as Ijara, 

Musharaka and Murabaha. 

Amanah KiwiSaver for all 

Interestingly, investment in Amanah 

KiwiSaver Plan and AmanahNZ is 

not only intended for Muslims but 

Husband and wife, 

Paramjeet Singh 

Parihar and Kuldip 

Kaur Parihar, who 

owned two Super Liquor stores 

in Hamilton have been ordered 

by the Employment Court to 

pay a record $200,000 in penalties 

for serious employment 

law breaches. 

This is in addition to $250,470 

they already repaid to six former 

employees for minimum 

wage and holiday pay arrears. 

The six employees worked 

at Super Liquor Flagstaff and 

Super Liquor Hillcrest between 

2010 and 2017. They were paid 

between $8 and $11 an hour, 

which was well below the 

minimum wage in any given 

year. 

One employee alone was 

compensated $106,076 for 

seven years of underpayments. 

Some of them worked more 

than 60-70 hours per week – 

including on public holidays. 

They had not been provided 

with any sick leave, holiday pay 

or public holiday entitlements. 

Where they took time off, 

they were either not paid or 

required to return the money 

to their employer or make up 

the time they were away by 

organisations where management 

roles are dominated by men, this 

can remove women from important 

conversations. 

“Women can be completely 

excluded from informal chat groups, 

which can have implications for their 

careers,” she said. 

“And sometimes, if they do join the 

chat group, they can feel isolated by 

the content of conversations, for example 

if the men in the group exchange 

messages and jokes they perceive 

as inappropriate and/or sexist,” she 

added. 

Additional burdens 

While Messaging Apps can isolate 

women, they can also be a communication 

channel that creates additional 

burdens. 

“I think a lot of women feel that they 

cannot win. Their friends and family 

expect them to be active members 

also non-Muslims in New Zealand 

who value Amanah’s strong ethical 

mandate: it puts people before profit, 

all equity investments must be in 

companies with strong balance sheets 

(low debt and high asset ratios), and 

have assets that are producing or 

protecting the goodness of humankind 

and the environment. 

Why do this? 

Regulated Life 

Because Islam is Rahmatan Lil 

Alamin - it is a mercy to all creations. 

In Islam, every aspect of life is regulated, 

such as the manner of eating, 

entering the bathroom, interacting 

with neighbours, and how we manage 

our finances. As Muslims, we cannot 

pick and choose, taken, or not taken in 

our life. And also, from the word itself, 

Islam means ‘submit’ or ‘surrender.’ 

It means that we submit fully to the 

Creator of life. Insha Allah (if God is 

willing), Allah knows best in every 

command. 

He has given to us in the Holy 

Quran: 

“O you who have believed, obey 

Allah and obey the Messenger and 

those in authority among you. And if 

Liquor store owners to pay 

$450,000 for law breach 


working for free. 

“Inexplicable and Heinous” 

The employers also failed 

to keep accurate employment 

records which the Court saw 

as an attempt to cover up their 

abuse. 

All employees in question 

were migrant workers from India 

on temporary visas. Mr and 

Ms Parihar are themselves of 

Indian decent. The Judge noted 

this makes the way they treated 

their workers even more 

“inexplicable and heinous.” 

The Court imposed penalties 

of $200,000 to be paid immediately 

by Mr and Ms Parihar. 

Following the Labour 

Inspectorate’s submissions, 

$80,000 of this will be paid as 

compensation to the workers 

for the mental and emotional 

hardships they endured at the 

hands of their employers. 

Failure to comply with 

these Court orders can lead to 

imprisonment. 

The Court heard Mr and Ms 

Parihar have sold the two liquor 

stores and do not propose 

becoming employers again. 

Sale no way to escape 

Labour Inspectorate Regional 

Manager Callum McMillan 

said this case sends a clear 

message that employers won’t 

get away with taking advantage 

of chat groups, constantly uploading 

photos of children and responding to 

questions. Men don’t seem to have the 

same expectations made of them so, 

when at work, it’s fine for them to be 

fully focused on work,” Ms Dutta said. 

She said it is important for women 

to be aware of these pressures, but 

to also identify the ways in which 

technology allows them to connect 

with others for support. 

“I recommend everyday micro 

practices, being aware and resisting 

the expectations where you can; 

but it’s not easy, the growth of new 

technologies can be challenging,” Ms 

Dutta said. 

Her Paper, ‘Mobile Phone as interactive 

technologies mediating gendered 

work-life conflict: A qualitative study 

on women in STEM,’ was published 

recently in the academic journal ‘Sex 

Roles.’ 

Dr Debalina Dutta is a Senior 

Lecturer at Massey University School 

of Journalism, Communications and 

Marketing based in Palmerston North. 

you disagree over anything, refer it to 

Allah and the Messenger, if you should 

believe in Allah and the Last Day. That 

is the best [way] and best in result.” 

(Qur’an An-Nisa [4] verse 59.) 

Prophet Mohammed said: 

“A dirham of riba (interest) consumed 

knowingly by a man is worse 

before Allah than committing zina 

(adultery) thirty-six times.” (Narrated 

by Ahmad & Tabaraani, classed as 

saheeh by al-Albaani in ‘Saheeh 

al-Jaami’ No. 3375.) 

Muslims in New Zealand are 

grateful for the creation of Amanah 

Ethical, the very first Islamic financial 

institution in New Zealand, and 

recognise the need to support them to 

keep Muslims safe in conducting Islam 

in a non-Muslim country. 

Not every non-Muslim country can 

provide that. 

Wallahu Alam Bissawab (only Allah 

knows the truest intention). 

Brian Henry is Managing Director 

of Amanah Trust Management (NZ) 

Limited and Amanah KiwiSaver Plan 

Arifa Fiqria is Regional Director 

(Asia) of Amanah Trust Management 

(Asia) Limited based in Auckland. 

of vulnerable workers for their 

own gain. 

“Beyond that, it sends a 

message to all franchisors that 

they risk having their brand 

name marred unless they take 

steps to routinely monitor compliance 

with employment laws 

within their franchise group to 

prevent worker exploitation. 

“It’s disappointing that 

exploitation such as this has 

occurred in a well-known franchise 

like Super Liquor. There 

is a growing demand in New 

Zealand and worldwide, for 

corporations to be ethical and 

accountable in their practices, 

which extends beyond direct 

legal obligations. This means 

their profits cannot be at the 

expense of frontline staff in 

their franchises or in their 

supply chains,” he said. 

Improving practices 

Mr McMillan said that 

the Labour Inspectorate has 

been working with Super 

Liquor Holdings to improve 

employment practises from the 

top down. 

“Since earlier this year, Super 

Liquor has been taking steps 

to close the gaps that existed in 

their employment law compliance 

programme. We expect 

to see the results of this with 

future audits,” he said.


IRD visits bring discipline to erring businesses 


Inland Revenue Department (IRD) 

Compliance Staff have searched several 

Central Otago businesses and made unannounced 

visits to others, as part of its 

current hidden economy campaign targeting 

the hospitality sector. 

High risk cash sales 

Café, restaurants, bars and takeaways are 

the focus of the renewed campaign which 

follows the successful prosecution of five 

siblings in the Thai House case. 

IRD Spokesman Richard Philp said that 

recent visits to Queenstown businesses have 

confirmed the sector has a high risk of cash 

sales not being reported and employees being 

paid under the table. 

0800 RESENE (737 363) 

www.resene.co.nz 

“We certainly observed those behaviours 

during our visits. Using court-issued 

warrants, IRD staff seized wage records, 

computers and other business records. 

Staff also seized information on employer 

provided accommodation, rental properties, 

working for Families Tax credits and payroll 

matters,” he said. 

Mr Philip issued the following statement: 

PAYE information 

Some of the items we removed includes 

information on staff paid in cash without 

PAYE being deducted and documents detailing 

cash deposits in to private bank accounts 

without being returned for GST and income 

tax purposes. 

On unannounced visits we seized till 

records and lists of staff names and work 

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An aerial shot of Queenstown (Source IRD) 

rosters to check against employee details we 

hold. 

During the operation, a number of taxpayers 

referred unprompted to the Thai House case 

and were aware IR was conducting search 

activities in Queenstown outside of normal 

business hours. 

Voluntary disclosures 

Since the operation ended two businesses 

have indicated they will make voluntary 

disclosures. 

It is early days yet in the investigations but it 

is always good to see taxpayers or their agents 

contacting us early after a compliance visit, 

wanting to make a voluntary disclosure. It 

helps the taxpayer as they receive a reduction 

in the penalties imposed. 

Also, we appreciate that investigations can 

be stressful, and we work with taxpayers to 

resolve matters in a timely manner so they can 

get on with their business.” 

As a taxpayer, you can also tell IR voluntarily 

about your own tax situation especially if you 

think there’s something wrong with your tax 

returns because you’ve left out some cash sales 

https://www.ird.govt.nz/tasks/make-a-voluntary-disclosure 

Honesty pays 

Most hospitality businesses are paying the 

right amount of tax and have good bookkeeping 

practices but there are still those that don’t. 

Businesslink 

11 

Knowing that the books are all in good order 

takes a huge weight off a business owner’s 

shoulders and means they can sleep easy 

knowing they have good records. 

We visited more than 30 taxpayers in Arrowtown, 

Queenstown, and Frankton to talk about 

our ‘Sleep Easy’ campaign and left information 

about record keeping with them. We want to 

support businesses to keep good records and 

ensure a level playing field for all. 

Everyone should pay their fair share of 

tax because that’s what pays for the essential 

things that make New Zealand a great place to 

live. 

Inform IRD of defaults 

If you think someone’s not being honest 

about their tax you can anonymously report 

tax evasion https://www.classic.ird.govt.nz/ 

tax-crime/report/report-tax-evasion.html or 

you can contact Inland Revenue if you think 

hospitality businesses are not declaring their 

full earnings hospitality@ird.govt.nz. 

Statistics: 

Three high risk businesses were searched 

under warrant 

Six medium to high risk businesses received 

unannounced visits from IR staff 

32 medium to low risk businesses were 

reminded of the ‘Sleep Easy’ campaign 

Two businesses are considering making 

voluntary disclosures to IRD 

The door to short-term loans is always open 

ASAP Finance is a boon 

to property developers 

and investors 

Venkat Raman 

If you are in need of money 

urgently to complete your 

building or a property, and 

your bank has shown you 

the door, do not despair- that 

is neither the end of your project 

nor the world. 

There are other lenders with 

a heart, who can, and will help. 

The apathy of commercial 

banks towards the construction 

and property development 

sector is a major source of 

worry for builders and investors 

but fortunately, there are 

second-tier institutions with a 

proper vision and objective. 

Common sense approach 

Their pragmatic and common 

sense approach are beginning 

to attract the attention of businesses, 

investors and property 

developers. 

A leader among them is 

the Auckland based ASAP 

Finance Limited. 

With more than $2 billion 

lent since its establishment in 

Parash Sarma 

2004, the company is today 

evincing the interest of businesses 

that are frustrated by 

the nonchalance of commercial 

banks to extend credit, 

especially for short periods. 

As a family-owned Company, 

ASAP Finance has at 

its core the tenets of honesty, 

integrity, accountability 

and transparency and good 

governance values. Its aim is 

not only to provide short-term 

finance to those in need but 

also be a responsible lender. 

Client assessment, due diligence 

and compliance are at 

the core of its operations. 

Lender of Choice 

Client Services Director Parash 

Sarma said that the primary 

objective of the Company is 

to be the Lender of Choice to 

the construction and property 

development sector. 

“Banks have a low appetite 

for construction and property 

development and their set of 

criteria can be cumbersome 

and often disqualify for loans. 

ASAP Finance fills that space 

with short-term loans to builders 

and developers,” he said. 

As well as living up to its 

name, ASAP makes the 

lending process as simple as 

possible, without compromising 

the regulatory requirements 

and its own principles 

of market exposure. Instead of 

treating companies and people 

just as customers, ASAP 

officials consider themselves 

as partners in progress. 

“At ASAP, we do not normally 

insist on documents such as 

Valuation and Quantity Surveying 

Reports and evaluate 

each application on its merits 

and the propensity of borrowers 

to meet their obligations 

as per schedule. We enter as 

banks walk away from people 

who may be in genuine need 

of money to complete their 

projects. We look for financially 

viable construction and 

development projects and 

look after those in need,” Mr 

Sarma said. 

If the project is right and the 

borrower has a genuine need, 

the loan amount can be made 

available quickly- usually 

within a day. 

No pre-set conditions 

Mr Sarma said that the 

Company does not insist on 

conditions that are normally 

employed by commercial 

banks. 

“We can also do away with 

pre-sales, fixed price contracts 

and progress valuation 

reports. Being an asset lender, 

our emphasis is on the value 

of the Project and equity contributed 

by the client rather 

than income or servicing 

calculations,” he said. 

There are of course basic 

requirements that the Company 

will still require. 

ASAP covers the gamut 

To find out about our funding solutions, please contact: 

Parash Sarma - Client Services Director Mob: 021 864 730 Email: parash@asapfinance.co.nz 

of the building and property 

market, extending credit to 

a single house build, small 

subdivisions, larger brownfield 

or greenfield subdivisions and 

huge construction projects. 

“No project is small or big for 

us. ASAP Finance has been 

involved with projects that are 

as small as $200,000 and as 

large as $30 million. We have 

been associated with many 

successful developments 

across New Zealand, including 

Flemington, Verdeco Park and 

Ravenswood in Christchurch; 

Eton Estate and Teafields in 

Hamilton and several land 

subdivision projects in Auckland 

in Albany, Silverdale, 

Hobsonville, Flat Bush and 

Takanini. Our key markets 

include all the major cities and 

towns, especially Auckland, 

Wellington, Christchurch, 

Hamilton and Tauranga,” Mr 

Sarma said. 

He said that ASAP is committed 

to making a difference 

in the community. 

“We sponsor a number of 

causes that are aligned to our 

vision of building a better future 

that can be shared by all. 

Among the charities supported 

by ASAP are the Friends of 

Fiji Health Foundation, Friends 

of Fiji Heart Foundation and 

the Keystone Trust,” he said.

12 


Viewlink 

Labour bearsthe pains of acoalition government 

The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) 

ISSUE 426 |NOVEMBER 1, 2019 

RCEP high on rhetoric 

lowonpotential 

The East Asia Summit, 

duetobeheldlater 

this week in Bangkok, 

will hold the litmustest 

for Regional Comprehensive 

Economic Partnership (RCEP) 

between themembers of the 

Association of South EastAsian 

Nations (ASEAN) and Dialogue 

Partners including New 

Zealand. 

Regionalpacts have had their 

use in Europe, Arab Gulf and 

Africa. 

But across-border Treaty 

involving Indiahas been 

challenge for this RCEP,since 

2012 anddespite 27 roundsof 

negotiations, there is no deal in 

sight. 

Optimism overstated 

New Zealand has amajor 

stakeinthe process since its 

dairy productscan find an 

entry intothe world’ssecond 

largest consumer market (after 

China) through the ASEAN 

corridor since adirect Free 

Trade Agreement has thusfar 

eluded progress. 

But Associate Trade &Export 

Growth MinisterDamien O’Connor 

was overly optimistic when 

he said that thePartnership 

Agreement will be signed by the 

end of thisyear. 

New Zealand sees this RCEP 

as harmonisation of existing 

agreements between ASEAN, 

India, China, Japan, South Korea 

and Australia. 

As an agro-based economy, 

India sees floodingofits 

markets by foreign dairy and 

agricultural products as a 

serious threat. Thecountry 

undoubtedly hasthe right to 

protect its farming sector but 

the policy runs counter to 

global partnershipthatitwants. 

Commerce and Industry 

Minister Piyush Goyal has 

already hinted that Indiamay 

withdrawfrom trade talks, 

saying “every interest of the 

domesticindustry and people of 

India hastobeprotected.” 

As the Economist observed, 

“AnRCEP without India would 

probably make South-East 

Asian countries an even 

more attractive destination 

for companies seeking to 

relocate someproduction out of 

China.Vietnam, which is also a 

member of theComprehensive 

and Progressive Agreement 

for Trans-PacificPartnership 

(CPTPP), atrade agreement 

with Canada, Mexico, and 

Chile, would be particularly 

well-placed.” 

But there is little hope, at least 

as we wrote this Leader. 

Parent Visa changes ripple 

The decisionofImmigration 

New Zealand (INZ) 

to makechanges to the 

Parent Visa regimehas 

sent ripplesofanxiety and 

anger among some members of 

the Indian community. 

While the reopening of 

the Parent Visa Category, 

suspended by theNational 

Governmentin2016 comes as 

arelief to many, thecapping 

of numbers and the financial 

components are seen as signs of 

disappointment. 

The changeswill come 

into effect as the Category 

recommencessometime next 

year, probably effective March 

or April 2020. 

Indian Newslink has received 

angry phone calls andemails. 

Butadispassionate analysis 

of what is in store is in order. 

Firstly,itwould be wrong 

to think thatthe Parent Visa 

Category targets the Indian 

community as suggested in 

some quarters. It would have 

the same pact among the 

members of all communities 

including those of European 

origin. 

Over-riding factors 

Some of thechanges being 

affected are thatthe total 

number of visas issued during a 

yearwill be capped at 1000 and 

the application of asingle-tier 

system instead of two. 

INZ will calculate median 

income as $53,040. Based on 

this, aNew Zealand resident or 

citizen sponsoringtheirparent 

must have agross annual 

income of $106,080 for one 

parent, risingto$159,120 for 

both parents. 

Sponsors usingthe income of 

both parentsshould be earning 

$159,120 to apply forone 

parent’svisaand earn $212,160 

to sponsor bothparents. 

The newregime would not 

expect funds to be brought 

by parents to live here. The 

responsibility would be thatof 

the sponsors in NewZealand. 

Writetous 

We wouldliketohear the 

viewsofour readersifthey 

consider the above decisions 

are acceptable to them. 

There is aneed to exercise 

honestintrospection here. 

Please write to us. Your 

viewswill help us to developa 

StrategicPaper that canbeput 

out for public consultation. 

Indian Newslink ispublished 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 and 

social media 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 

PeterDunne 

There mustbeconsternation 

within the upper ranks 

of the Labour Party at 

the performance of some 

of the Ministers in thecoalition 

government. 

Everytime the government looks 

likemaking somepositiveprogress, 

one or otherofthese errant Ministers 

can be relied upon to upsetthe 

applecart. 

No soonerhad thePrime Minister 

returned from her latest overseas 

trip where shewas lauded once 

more by the internationalmedia, 

and followedthatupbyhonouring 

her promisetomeet‘Tonight Show’ 

hostStephen ColbertatAuckland 

Airport and showhim around 

the City whenhearrivedhere 

to film afew programmes, than 

serial offendersMinisters Jones and 

Lees-Gallowaywereuptotheir old 

tricks. 

Sadlook of déjà vu 

Both forced the Prime Minister 

to abandon the warm smiles and 

adopt the grim countenanceonce 

again as she hadtofirstexplain 

thendefend their behaviour. It all 

had asad look of déjàvuabout it. 

In the Jones’instance her 

defence was predictable:she 

“absolutely” would nothaveused, 

letalone allow herself to have been 

photographed, using an automatic 

weapon of the type nowbanned 

in NewZealand,and she urged 

the Minister to read again those 

provisions of the Cabinet Manual 

relating to acceptable standards of 

Ministerial behaviour. 

Andthatwas it –asithas been 

on so manyother occasions in the 

last two years–nocensure,no 

discipline, just the usual wet bus 

ticketslap. 

So toowith thedifferent case 

of Lees-Galloway. What seems, 

on the faceofit, to be another 

judgement-lacking useofhis Ministerial 

discretiononanimmigration 

residency case, has been given the 

Prime Minister’sfull support as 

perfectly appropriate. 

Judgement foundwanting 

It maywellbevalid –given 

the person’sprotected migrant 

status –but in the absence of any 

explanation, however generalised, 

by the Minister of the background, 

it just looks like another case of his 

judgementbeing found wanting, 

and his ineptitude overlooked 

again. The upshot is that any 

political benefittohave emerged 

from the PrimeMinister’s recent 

international sorties has been 

quickly forgotten. 

Of course,the Prime Minister’s 

Inreference to Michael Woods’ 

response to my article, Iam 

delighted to seethathehas 

now resorted to personal 

attacks against me andmyfirm, 

as personal attacksare generallya 

good indication thatcriticism has 

hit its mark. 

Whilst Mr Woodsrefersto 

membersofthe Indiancommunity 

having already approachedhim 

about the issue of partnership 

visas,his response doesbetray a 

significant lackofunderstanding 

of the issue, andperhaps thathe 

should examine the issues in alittle 

more detail. 

colleagueswillpoint out that in the 

instance of Jones, as aNew Zealand 

FirstMinister,the Prime Minister 

cannot move to discipline, demote 

or even dismiss him without the 

backing of the Deputy Prime Minister,the 

Leader of NewZealand 

First. Theyare righttodoso–and 

the reality is that Jones andhis New 

Zealand First colleagues will exploit 

that to the hilt as away of differentiating 

themselves within the 

Coalition.Thatisunderstandable 

too,but it is arguablyanexcuse that 

is starting to wear alittle thin. 

The Lees-Gallowaysituationis 

different. He is aLabourMP, so 

the Prime Ministercan discipline, 

demote or even dismisshim, as 

she sees fit, without reference to 

otherparties. That she has done 

noneofthose things now, or at the 

earliertimeofthe Soubrek case is 

acommentary on her leadership 

style,and the perceived lack of 

talent in the remainingnon-Ministerial 

ranks of theLabour Caucus to 

replace him. 

Counting fortunes 

Whereall this begins to matter 

alittlemoreisthatweare coming 

to the stageofthe electoral cycle 

wherevoters start to focus less 

on the government’sspecific 

individual actions, and more on 

what the government’soverall 

impact–positiveornegative –has 

beenonthemand their families. 

Quitesimply,with just on ayear to 

go until thenext GeneralElection, 

they arebeginning to weighup 

whether the governmentisworth 

re-election. In the end, it will be the 

perennial question,“is this as good 

as it gets, or is there more to come?” 

that determines anygovernment’s 

fate. 

This government is, by virtue of 

its composition, unusual, andthereforesomewhatmoredifficult 

to categorise 

in terms of its performance. 

Previous multi-party governments 

have had more coherence –either 

the centre-left, and the centre; or, 

the centre-right, the right,and the 

centre working together. 

This government brings together 

the left,the centre-left and the 

centre-right,meaning immediately 

that the compromises neededfor 

its survivalweregreaterthan those 

within anyofits predecessors 

underMMP. 

Prime Minister hamstrung 

So, the fact that the Prime Minister 

is effectively hamstrung over 

the performanceofNew Zealand 

FirstMinisters should come as no 

surprise –itwas virtuallyguaranteedthis 

would be the casefromthe 

daythe government wasformed. 

Nor shoulditbeany surprise 

that the Greens have beensteadily 

pushedtoone side –again,itwas 

inevitable that therewould be 

acontest amongstthe smaller 

The real issue 

The INZ declines acknowledge 

that the relationships are genuine. 

So the issueisnot, as claimed 

by Mr Woods, aboutINZ needing 

to determine if the relationship is 

genuine at all. Theyhave accepted 

that it is genuine, but havedeclined 

the visas because the sponsor has 

chosen to returntoNew Zealand to 

work, rather thanwait in India for 

the partner’s visa to be processed. 

Further, blaming the issue on the 

applicationbacklog andstaff shortages 

doesn’tanswerthe question 

about whyINZ have suddenly,after 

decadesofacknowledgingthe cultural 

aspects of Indian marriages, 

have suddenly decided to no longer 

recognise thisparticularcultural 

practice. 

One suspects thatonce the 

backlog has been cleared,with 

parties for the major party’sprime 

attention, andthat New Zealand 

Firstwould playmuch harder ball 

when it came to that. 

While these relationships and 

tensions were all known from the 

outset,whatwas not fullyknown 

was howtheywould playout when 

it came to deciding policy. 

The fear thatsome expressed 

then that it would mean that 

New Zealand First would havean 

effective veto on policy hasproven 

largelytobecorrect, meaning that 

Labour governs at the pleasure of 

New Zealand First, ratherthanwith 

its support. 

It is doubtful that voterswanted 

or anticipatedthataPartywithjust 

7% of the partyvote would callall 

the shotsthisway. 

Weighing the Coalition Government 

Now,whenitcomes to deciding 

whether the coalitiongovernment 

merits re-election nextyear, all 

thesefactors will come more 

strongly into play than specific 

policies. 

In assessing the government’s 

overallperformance,voters will be 

deciding whether the increasing 

perceptionthatnot alot seems 

to have happened underthis 

government (remember this was 

supposed to be the yearofdelivery) 

is because its verycomposition is a 

blockonprogress, which needs to 

be rectified,orwhether the issues 

it says it is dealing with arereally 

so complex that they cannotbe 

resolved in one three year term. 

The recentwidespread 

protests here and abroad against 

aperceived lack of commitment 

to addressingclimate change,and 

the results of the some of the local 

elections here last week,showthat 

voters are becoming increasingly 

impatient with politicians who appear 

eithertobeblocking necessary 

action, or to be moving at tooslowa 

rate.Nor aretheyafraidofmaking 

radical political change,ifthey 

think that is required. 

If, as seemsmoreand more likely, 

what we have nowisasgoodasitis 

likely to get under thisgovernment, 

the next yearislikely to be avery 

painful onefor it. 

It maylearn thehardand bitter 

waythatmoreofthe same is no 

longer awinningelectoralformula, 

no matterhow warmly,empathetically 

and positivelyitispromoted. 

Just askthe former Mayor of 

Wellington. 

Peter Dunne wasaMinisterof 

the Crown under theLabour and 

National-led governments from 

November 1999 to September 

2017. He founded the UnitedFuture 

Party but wound it up when 

retired from Parliament. Mr 

Dunne lives in Wellington. 

Lawyer responds to MP’s take onimmigration 

Alastair McClymont 

mass declines, the Minister intends 

to thentakecredit for clearing up 

the backlog. 

Its allverywell forMrWoods to 

claim to be working on the problem, 

but howdoesthathelpthe 

peopledeclined today, or yesterday 

or last week? What solution is he 

offering them? Or is itthat they 

don’t countfor empathyastheyare 

not the righttype of New Zealander 

deserving of compassion? 

Alastair McClymontisan 

Immigration Law Specialist 

at McClymont &Associates, 

Barrister &Solicitors based in 

Auckland. Labour MP and Chief 

Whip of theParliamentaryLabour 

Party Caucus had exercised 

his RightofReply in ourOctober 

15, 2019print and webeditions. 

The above is Mr McClymont’s 

response.


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14 


Businesslink 

For Simon, it is the glasshouse sort of thing 

Attacking without thinking can stir the hornet’s nest 

Jane Patterson 

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway and National Leader Simon Bridges 

(RNZ Picture by Dorn Thomas) 

National’s misfire over 

the latest immigration 

kerfuffle is a salutary 

lesson in first doing 

one’s homework. 

The opposition came out 

swinging against a ministerial 

decision to grant a recidivist 

drunk-driver residence, 

but it quickly became apparent 

National had also allowed 

the man to stay in New Zealand 

while it was in government. 

It’s left National with some egg 

on its face, but it will be banking 

on the public reading the damning 

headlines and ignoring the 

finer nuances of a complicated 

case. 

The Karel Sroubek Case 

After a media firestorm last 

year, Immigration Minister Iain 

Lees-Galloway reversed his decision 

to grant Czech drug-smuggler 

Karel Sroubek residence, 

but the decision is still causing a 

headache. 

Not only is the Sroubrek case 

still under appeal, it has also 

made any subsequent call by the 

Minister more vulnerable to opposition 

attacks. 

The latest relates to a man 

whose identity, circumstances 

and country of origin all remain 

under strict legal confidentiality. 

We do know he was granted 

“Protected Person” status in 

2012 and so can not be deported. 

He has eight convictions - six for 

drunk driving - but none since 

2012. 

Simon says without studying 

National leader Simon Bridges 

claimed the government had 

granted the man the “keys to the 

kingdom” with increasing access 

to a range of entitlements. 

“[The Minister] says, ‘here 

mate... stay here as long as you 

want. You want to go on a benefit, 

you feel free to. You want 

to vote at our elections, you feel 

free to’.” 

But the argument holds little 

water given National’s prior 

dealings with the case - something 

that clearly came as news 

to Mr Bridges. 

When questioned by reporters, 

Mr Bridges said he had no 

knowledge of National’s involvement, 

he wasn’t Party Leader at 

the time, and any questions were 

for Mr Lees-Galloway to answer, 

not him. 

The problem for National is 

that as Minister in 2013, Michael 

Woodhouse granted a temporary 

work visa to the man and, according 

to a statement from Mr 

Lees-Galloway, made it clear that 

would be rolled over. 

Protected Person 

Immigration New Zealand did 

just that in 2016, approving a 

second temporary work visa. 

Under that kind of visa, a 

Protected Person can work in 

New Zealand and access publicly-funded 

healthcare and welfare. 

You could argue that the man had 

already been given the “keys to 

the kingdom” by the then-National 

government. 

Residence does grant the man 

one key advantage: the assurance 

he can stay here long-term and 

the ability to apply for citizenship. 

But that’s not too far different 

from an ever-rolling-status of temporary 

visas. 

Mr Woodhouse says he cannot 

remember the case coming across 

his desk or granting the temporary 

visa, which is odd given it is 

the sort of file that would likely set 

off alarm bells. 

Interesting precedent 

And there’s an interesting precedent 

that occurred under Mr 

Woodhouse’s watch: a self confessed 

member of Mugabe’s secret 

police, William Nduku, is also a 

“Protected Person.” 

In 2017, the Minister refused to 

grant him a temporary work visa 

and Nduku ended up leaving the 

country of his own volition. 

That raises a valid question for 

the current Minister. 

The drunk-driver cannot be deported 

under the Convention of 

Torture, but there is no ministerial 

obligation to grant him residence, 

or in fact any kind of visa. 

Killing of Baghdadi does not guarantee a safer world 

Greg Barton 

bad man” 

has been killed 

and “the world is 

now a much safer 

“Avery 

place.” 

The sentiment behind US President 

Donald Trump’s announcement 

of the death of Islamic State 

(IS) leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi 

is difficult to argue with. 

Baghdadi was certainly a very 

bad man. And under his decade-long 

leadership of the Islamic 

State (IS) movement, many thousands 

of people in the Middle East 

and around the world suffered 

terrible brutality or death. 

Common sense would suggest 

the world is indeed now a much 

safer place with Baghdadi’s passing. 

Unfortunately, however, there 

is no guarantee this will prove to 

be true in practice. 

Global war on terror 

The 18 year-long so-called 

Global War on Terror in the 

wake of the September 11 (2001) 

attacks, the international military 

campaign to fight Al Qaeda, and 

then IS, has been almost entirely 

reactive and tactical. 

It has lacked any consistent 

strategic purpose, whether in 

Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, 

the Philippines or anywhere else. 

The strongest military coalitions 

the world has ever seen have 

fought the largest and most 

powerful terror networks that 

have ever existed. And this has 

led, directly and indirectly, to 

hundreds of thousands of lives 

lost, trillions of dollars spent and 

remarkably little progress overall. 

Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi (AAP/EPA/Al Furqan ISIS Media Wing handout 

The special forces raids targeting 

Baghdadi, in Idlib, and his deputy, 

IS spokesperson Abul Hasan Al 

Muhajir in Aleppo, were undoubtedly 

significant achievements 

representing tactical victories of 

great consequence. 

Impact unclear 

IS has been dealt an enormous 

blow. But just how long its impact 

will last is not clear. The lessons of 

the past two decades make it clear 

this will certainly not have been a 

fatal blow. 

The IS insurgency, both on the 

ground in Iraq and Syria, and 

around the world, was rebuilding 

strength before these strikes and 

will not be stopped in its tracks by 

losing its two most senior public 

leaders. 

Baghdadi as IS leader 

Baghdadi may not be irreplaceable 

but in many respects he was 

uniquely suited to the times in 

which he led. He oversaw the 

rebuilding of IS from its previous 

low point a decade ago. He played 

a key role in expanding into Syria, 

replenishing the leadership ranks, 

leading a blitzkrieg across northern 

Iraq, conquering Mosul and 

declaring a caliphate. In the eyes 

of his support base, his credibility 

as an Islamic scholar and religious 

leader will not easily be matched. 

He was not a particularly charismatic 

leader and was certainly as 

a brutal, fundamentalist loner, not 

truly inspirational. But he played 

his role effectively, backed up by 

the largely unseen ranks of former 

Iraqi intelligence officers and 

military commanders who form 

the core of the IS leadership. 

He was, in his time, the caliph 

the caliphate needed. 

In that sense, we will not see his 

like again. 

Incomprehensible leadership 

Incredibly, 15 years after Abu 

Musab Al Zarqawi established Al 

Qaeda in Iraq and almost ten years 

after Baghdadi took charge of the 

Islamic State in Iraq, there is so 

much about the leadership of IS we 

don’t understand. 

What is clear is the insurgent 

movement benefited enormously 

from so-called ‘De-Baathification,’ 

the ridding of Arab nationalist 

ideology, in the wake of the 2003 

invasion of Iraq and toppling of the 

authoritarian regime of Saddam 

Hussein. 

The sacking of thousands of 

mostly Sunni senior military 

leaders and technocrats proved 

to be a windfall for the emerging 

insurgency. 

IS has always been a hybrid 

movement. Publicly, it presents 

as a fundamentalist religious 

movement driven by religious 

conviction. Behind the scenes, 

however, experienced Baathist 

intelligence officers manipulated 

religious imagery to construct a 

police state, using religious terror 

to inspire, intimidate and control. 

Mobilising religious sentiment 

This is not to say Zarqawi and 

Baghdadi were unimportant as 

leaders. On the contrary, they were 

effective in mobilising religious 

sentiment first in the Middle East 

and then across the world. In the 

process, more than 40,000 people 

travelled to join the ranks of IS, 

inspired by the utopian ideal of 

religious revolution. Baghdadi was 

especially effective in playing his 

role as religious leader and caliph. 

An optimistic take on Baghdadi’s 

denouement is that IS will be 

set back for many months, and 

perhaps even years. It will struggle 

to regain the momentum it had 

under his leadership. 

Realistically, the extent to which 

this opportunity can be capitalised 

upon turns very much upon the 

extent to which the emerging 

leaders within the movement 

can be tracked down and dealt 

with before they have a chance to 

establish themselves. 

What might happen now? 

It would appear IS had identified 

the uncontested spaces of 

North-Western Syria in Idlib and 

Aleppo, outside of the control of 

the Assad regime in Damascus, of 

the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) 

in Northeast Syria, and beyond 

the reach of the Iraqi government 

in Baghdad, as territory in which 

If left “in limbo” as Simon 

Bridges said should have happened, 

it is possible he would up 

and leave New Zealand himself. 

That would relieve New 

Zealand of having to keep 

him here while technically 

not breaching the Convention 

through active deportation. 

There is another alternative 

though: the man could just stay 

on in New Zealand and go on 

the dole, as he’s entitled to as a 

Protected Person. 

And how would the taxpayer 

feel about that? 

Mr Lees-Galloway says that the 

man has been in the country for 

two decades and has “kept their 

nose clean” in recent years. 

Reducing bureaucracy 

Granting the man residence 

would reduce bureaucracy, the 

Minister said, and allow him to 

settle properly in New Zealand 

rather than “kicking the can” 

down the road. 

There are legitimate questions 

as to whether that’s the right decision, 

but it’s tough for National 

to ask them given the actions it 

took when it was power. 

Jane Patterson is Political 

Editor at Radio New Zealand. 

The above Report and Picture 

have been published under 

a Special Arrangement with 

www.rnz.co.nz. 

its leadership could relocate and 

rebuild. 

Continuing the optimistic take, 

there is the slim hope that the 

success of Sunday’s raids in which 

the partnership between US 

special forces and the SDF was so 

critical will lead to Trump being 

persuaded to reverse his decision 

to part ways with the SDF and pull 

out their special forces partners 

on the ground, together with 

accompanying air support. 

The fact that Baghdadi and 

Muhajir were both found within 

five kilometres of the Turkish 

border suggests Turkish control 

of northern Syria is, to say the 

least, wholly unequal to the task of 

dealing with emerging IS leaders. 

Reset of Partnership 

A reset to the pattern of partnership 

established over the past five 

years with the largely Kurdish SDF 

forces in north-eastern Syria could 

prove critically important in cutting 

down new IS leaders as they 

emerge. It’s believed the locations 

in northern Syria of the handful of 

leaders most likely to step into the 

void left by Baghdadi’s passing are 

well-known. 

But even in the best-case scenario, 

all that can be realistically 

hoped for is slowing the rebuilding 

of the IS insurgency, buying time to 

rebuild political and social stability 

in northern Syria and northern 

Iraq. 

Greg Barton is Chair in Global 

Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin 

Institute for Citizenship and 

Globalisation, Deakin University 

based in Victoria, Australia. The 

above has been published under 

Creative Commons Licence.


Dairy fear blocks India-RCEP deal 

SamSachdeva 

The Regional Comprehensive 

Economic Partnership 

(RCEP) trade deal is amajor 

agreement with major problems 

-and newobstacles continue 

to pop up, with Indianfearsabout 

adeluge of Kiwi dairy imports the 

latest issuedelayingaconclusion. 

With 27 rounds of negotiations 

and counting since 2012, the RCEP 

trade deal has been far from 

smooth sailing, to saythe least. 

It is little wonderthatone trade 

expert described repeated delays to 

the proposed agreementbetween 

the 10 ASEAN membersand Australia, 

NewZealand, China, India, 

Japan,and SouthKorea as “doing 

myhead in.” 

Talk of an agreement in substance 

by the end of 2018 proved 

overlyoptimistic,with the deadline 

insteadkicked out until the end of 


India to withdraw? 

But with the end-of-year ASEAN 

Summit set to startnext week,time 

is fast running out-andthere is 

little to suggest the 16 countries will 

be anymoresuccessful this time 

around. 

The main obstacle at the moment 

appears to be India: at the last 

ministerialmeeting in Bangkok 

from October 11 to 12,the country 

laid out anumber of proposed 

changes and carve-outs which 

didn’t find favour, while Indian 

Trade Minister Piyush Goyal has 

hinted at awithdrawal, saying that 

“every interest of the domestic 

industry and people of India has to 

be protected before we execute any 

free-trade agreement.” 

Oneofthe major concerns 

appearstobethe threat posedby 

NewZealand, with Indian farmers 

staging protests against RCEP over a 

potential floodofdairy imports into 

the country. 

Pressureongovernment 

India NewZealand Business 

CouncilHead of Strategic Relations 

Head Sunil Kaushalsaysthat 

Indian State elections in Haryana 

and Maharashtrahaveprovided 

amegaphone forRCEP opponents 

to place pressure on the Indian 

government. 

“Asyou know, the farmersare the 

backbone of India,the union is very 

strong, so anything new coming into 

India thatthe governmentwould 

want to bring willfaceopposition, 

especiallyindairy,”hesaid. 

If it were anyother country, the 

outcry might notbesostrong. But 

NewZealand is well-known in India 

forits prowess in dairy production, 

with thefounder of the country’s 

first dairycooperative learning 

the tricks of the trade from Kiwi 

farmers. 

“Therural India really doesn’t 

wanttocareabout it, doesn’tunderstand, 

and anylittlesparks in the 

rural area the governmentislike, 

‘Wewillnot do it’,” Kaushalsays. 

Exclusion of diary 

That hasled to reports thatIndia 

will seekthe exclusionofall dairy 

imports from RCEP -something 

which wouldsit uneasily withNew 

Zealand exporters. 

DamienO’Connor,who is 

overseeing the RCEP negotiations 

as MinisterofState for Trade 

and Export Growth, says that the 

Government’s negotiatorsare 

seeking “marketaccess forall of 

New Zealand’s keyexport interests 

across all sectors’,’ notingthatour 

annualdairy production is lessthan 

13%ofIndia’sand already supplies 

more than120 othercountries. 

But O’Connor’s referenceto 

the needfor a“comprehensive” 

agreement maynot be read in the 

same waybyIndia, Kaushal says. 

“The Indian ideaof‘comprehensive’isquite 

different, whichis: 

‘What’sinitfor me?’” 

Concerns go farther 

But former trade negotiator and 

Saunders Unsworth Consultant 

Charles FinnysaysthatIndia’s 

RCEP concerns extend beyond 

dairy,with wider worriesabout the 

competitiveness of the Indian industryifitwereforced 

to deal with 

an increased number of Chinese 

manufacturing imports. 

With China andASEANnations 

exasperatedwith India’snegotiating 

stance, there hasbeentalk about 

cutting the country out of RCEP 

entirely -something which Finny 

says would notbeinNew Zealand’s 

interests,despite its resistance to 

meaningful marketliberalisation. 

“Therealvalue of the agreement 

[to NewZealand] is India ...it’s 

the only waywewill getanFTA 

with India anytime soon,sowe’re 

inclinedtohang in there, butIdon’t 

think we can agree to the absolute 

exclusion of dairy.” 

The Worstfor New Zealand 

The marketaccesscomponent 

of the deal is already aproblem, 

withFinnydescribingRCEP as “the 

worst-qualityFTA NewZealand 

has ever entered into”-removing 

dairy from theequationentirely 

would make signing on close to 

impossible, he says. 

But if some form of accesscan be 

secured, New Zealand mayhave to 

“hold its nose”and sign on, he says: 

both for the principle of Asia-Pacific 

nations agreeing to jointrules and 

the potential long-term value. 

“If youlookatthe original Closer 

EconomicRelations(CER) between 

Australia and NewZealand, it 

wasn’tthat fantastic -ittook four 

years to become abold agreement.” 

But New Zealand mayneed 

to makesomedifficult domestic 

concessionsofits own if it istoget 

India on board. 

It takes avillagetosign atrade 

deal. 

In an interviewwith Indian 

media, NewZealand’sspecial 

envoyfor Commonwealth Trade 

Integration JeremyClarke-Watson 

said “serious consideration”was 

being given to easier visa access for 

workers andprofessionals. 

Businesslink 

15 

That maybeunlikely to find favour 

withsomeinthe Government, 

givenShane Jones’comments to 

RNZ, regarding parental category 

visa changes, that theIndian 

communityhad “no legitimate 

expectationsinmyview to bring 

your whole village to New Zealand 

and if youdon’t likeitand you’re 

threatening to go home -catch the 

next flight home.” 

The odds andends 

“Kaumātua [Jones] might needto 

be wiser,because thereisabigger 

prizefor us to win,” Kaushal says. 

So whatare the odds of India 

staying on board -and of concluding 

negotiations before 2020? 

Before the Bangkokmeeting last 

month, Finny thought there was 

an 80% probability of reaching an 

agreement in time; now, he says 

that’sdroppedto50%, “but it’sstill 

possible.” 

Kaushal thinksitunlikelyIndia 

will withdraw entirely,given 

geopolitical considerations at atime 

when it wants to buildits influence 

with ASEAN nations and South Asia 

to counter China. 

Forthe Government’spart, 

O’Connor believesaconclusion 

in 2019 is achievable, “but only if 

credible market access thresholds 

are reached” -abig if,giventhe 

current state of play. 

Sam Sachdeva is Political Editor 

at Newsroom. He covers Foreign 

Affairs, Trade, Defence and Security 

Issues.The abovearticle and 

picture have been reproduced 

under aSpecial Arrangement. 

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16 


Communitylink 

Diwali 2019 Reports 

Waitakere Diwali brings the talent of the new generation 

Thakur 

Ranjit Singh 

Waitakere Indian Association 

(WIA) was initiated and 

brought into being by a 

few third- generation Fiji 

Indians, descendants of Girmityas in 

Waitakere, West Auckland in 2000. 

Nineteen years on, the Association 

continues to be torchbearer of the 

community, celebrating Diwali, the 

Festival of Lights, year after year, in the 

spirit of family bond. 

This year’s event was held at the 

Trusts Stadium on October 20, 2019. 

Beginning of an Association 

Girmityas were Indian indentured 

labourers – ordinary people who did 

extraordinary things in Fiji in extraordinary 

situations 140 years ago. 

Some Fiji Indian descendants of 

those pioneers did the same thing in 

Auckland, when there was no voice for 

their small migrant community with 

The old and the new: Waitakere Indian Association Trustees Sunil Chandra 

(Centre), a Founder-Trustee of Waitakere Diwali with Project Manager Sanjay 

Dutt Sharma (left) and Junita Chaudhry Sen (Treasurer) 

little or no opportunity to celebrate 

their traditions and culture. 

WIA was started by its Trustees with 

the aim of providing a platform for the 

community to progress and enhance its 

wellbeing. 

It was also intended as a training 

ground for future leaders. They 

ensured that decorum and demeanour 

of their culture (including language) 

remained, even in a changing world. 

This spirit of maintaining culture, with 

the lessons taught by our Girmitya 

pioneers have never left us – it runs 

deep in their veins. 

One of a kind 

Waitakere Diwali is perhaps the 

only or one of the very few Diwali 

celebrations of its size where the actual 

community and those who feel passionately 

about the Festival manage the 

event, maintaining the traditions of the 

Festival. 

Furthermore, unlike corporate 

or Council-organised Diwali events, 

WIA does not have any paid officials 

managing this event. It is all done by 

volunteers. 

Most importantly, as a community 

organisation, WIA appreciates the 

Care Home residents enjoy Festival of Lights 


It was all bright colours, big smiles 

and expressive dance moves at 

Bupa David Lange Care Home last 

fortnight. 

The Care Home, located in the 

South Auckland suburb of Mangere, 

organised festivities on Friday, October 

18, 2019 to celebrate the Indian Festival 

of Lights. 

Female staff and residents of Bupa, 

dressed in Saree, and were joined by 

the Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust 

who kept everyone entertained through 

music and dance. 

Inclusive Culture 

The Festival is one of many celebrations, 

which Care Home Activities 

Coordinator John Benedict Bernardo 

said, ‘makes the place feel more homely 

for residents.’ 

“They look forward to dressing up 

and socialising. It’s a great way to get 

them out of their rooms, and to bring 

Bupa Staff dressed to celebrate Diwali 

in members of the community. It is important to include 

the residents in the culture in which they grew up, and 

even for Non-Hindus, it is educational and fun,” he said. 

Care Home Manager Yvonne Kleyn said that Bupa 

has a multicultural mix of staff and residents, with 27 

residents (of 77) of Indian origin and 30% Pacifica. 

“So, it is good to recognise those cultures and we never 

like to miss an opportunity to have fun and celebrate,” 

she said. 

St John launches Caring Caller Service in Hindi 

A Diwali gift to those in need in Auckland 

Hindi speakers in 

Auckland with 

limited or no 

English, now have 

access to a friendship-based 

telephone service in their 

own language. 

The Service was launched 

on Saturday, October 26, 


Following the 2018 launch 

of the St John Caring Caller 

service in Chinese (Mandarin 

and Cantonese), St John has 

extended its delivery to reach 

more isolated individuals 

from minority communities, 

with the launch of the service 

in Hindi. 

A team of volunteers in 

Auckland are ready and 

excited to be offering their 

support to their fellow community 

members but more 

volunteers are needed. 

St John Caring Caller 

volunteer Jaya Sharda said 

it is a great way of removing 

the language barrier for 

Hindi speakers and creating 

the chance to share common 

interests with like-minded 

people. 

“Being a proficient 

communicator in Hindi, Punjabi, 

Urdu and a few other 

regional Indian languages, 

this is the perfect opportunity 

for me to serve others and 

give back to the community,” 

she said. 

Free and Confidential 

The St John Caring Caller 

St John Caring Caller volunteer 

Jaya Sharda 

service is a free, confidential 

telephone service which 

connects people who need a 

friend with people who have 

time to listen and chat. 

The Service already has 

more than 800 volunteers 

around New Zealand, 

regularly connecting with 

over 1250 clients, who range 

in age and ethnicity. 

The Hindi service has 

been made possible with 

generous funding from 

Commonwealth Vault, which 

has committed to giving 

$15,000 across three years, to 

support this initiative. 

Detrimental impact of 

loneliness 

St John Director of Community 

Health Services Sarah 

Manley said that the Service 

is pa art of the organisation’s 

commitment to building 

community resilience by 

contributing towards the 

health and wellbeing of all 

New Zealanders. 

“There has been a lot of 

research into the detrimental 

impacts of chronic loneliness, 

irrespective of a person’s 

age or circumstances. We 

know that New Zealand’s 

ageing population is growing 

rapidly, with many people 

living alone and without 

friends and family close by. 

There are also individuals 

in minority communities 

who lack English. Through 

our programmes like Caring 

Caller, we are addressing 

social isolation by reaching 

out to provide better care for 

those who are vulnerable 

and lonely,” she said. 

The Service 

Anyone living alone or 

housebound due to illness 

or disability, can contact St 

John about getting a Caring 

Caller. Each client is paired 

up with a volunteer whose 

personality and interests are 

compatible. While it’s not a 

helpline in any way, a Caring 

Caller can also notify the 

right people, such as St John, 

if their chat friend isn’t well 

or doesn’t answer. 

“People who are lonely 

don’t always recognise that 

they need a friend, so it’s 

up to others to get the ball 

rolling. We welcome referrals 

from community-minded 

people who know of someone 

who could use a friend,” 

Ms Manley said. 

For more information, 

0800-785646; Email: 

communityprogrammes@ 

stjohn.org.nz 

Shashi Kala Singh with her daughter Ragni Singh Chand and 

granddaughter Rania Roma Chand at Waitakere Diwali 2019 

Pictures Supplied by Thakur Ranjit Singh 

religious, cultural, traditional values 

of Diwali. This was reflected in the 

Hawan, Aarti and Ram Lila, depicting 

the story of Diwali at Waitakere Diwali 


Embracing the Youth 

WIA has gone a notch higher by 

encouraging post-millennials, the new 

generation, empowering them to take 

cultural and organisational charge of 

this event. 

The change of guard was evident on 

October 20, 2019. 

Sanjay Dutt Sharma, who was very 

young when Diwali commenced in 

Bupa Activities Coordinator John Benedict Bernardo with Resident 

Lesina Ryani (Pictures Supplied) 

Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust does a lot for the Care 

Home, Ms Kleyn said. 

“It has been wonderful to see the interest and enthusiasm 

of Indian culture grow and develop at the care home 

with residents, their families, and staff. From the colourful 

saris to the traditional music and dance. We have even 

developed healthy Indian curry alternatives at mealtimes 

and make sure we celebrate significant festivals and dates 

such as Diwali in the care home,” she said. 

Papatoetoe Rotary collects $3000 for 

Polio Eradication Programme 

Polio Day’ marked 

worldwide on October 

24, 2019 

Members of the Rotary 

Club of Papatoetoe ‘End 

collected $3000 from local businesses 

and people to fund the Rotary 

International initiative of ‘Global 

Polio Eradication Programme. 

Raj Pardeep Singh of the Club 

said that he and his colleagues 

also used the opportunity to create 

awareness on Polio among the 

people in Auckland. 

Eradicating the disease 

“October 24 is observed as ‘End 

World Polio Day’, following the Rotary 

International drive launched 

in 1985. Since then, thousands 

of Rotary Clubs throughout the 

world have been participating in 

the Programme and have raised 

more than US$1.9 billion until 

June this year. We are happy to be 

active participants in this noble 

Programme,” he said. 

Mr Singh said that since the 

launch of the initiative 34 years 

ago, the number of people affected 

by Polio has dropped by 99.9%. 

“That is, from 350,000 cases in 

1988 in 125 countries to 33 cases 

of wild poliovirus in 2018 in 

just two countries: Afghanistan 

and Pakistan. With polio nearly 

eradicated, Rotary and its partners 

must sustain this progress and 

continue to reach every child with 

the polio vaccine. Without full 

funding and political commitment, 

this paralysing disease could return 

Waitakere, is now teenager to take 

charge as Waitakere Diwali Project 

Manager. 

Seeing his father, Immediate Past 

President Mahendra Sharma excel in 

his time, he has apprenticed to take 

leadership position. 

The youth commenced the 

Programme early and engaged with 

their age group to perform at Waitakere 

Diwali 2019. We are sure that these 

young men and women will become 

star presenters in the future. 

It was refreshing for parents and 

grandparents like me to see our 

grandchildren take stage, like my 

granddaughter, Rania Roma Chand 

from Aaja Nachle Beginners Group, and 

numerous other “babies” performing 

publicly with confidence. 

They were cheered and encouraged. 

WIA has really taken pride in its 

spirit of training the new generation 

and encouraging leadership, as well 

as promoting and enhancing general 

community well-being. 

Thakur Ranjit Singh is a former 

Executive of Waitakere Indian Association 

and a Media Commentator. 

He runs his own blog called, ‘Fiji 

Pundit.’ He lives in West Auckland. 

About Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust 

The Trust was formed in 1995 to support the 

migrant community, both young and old, but has 

since formed a friendship with the came home – 

providing them with cultural activities, resources, 

and tradition Indian food on a monthly basis. 

Founder Jeet Suchdev said it is important to 

support the elderly, especially those of different 

cultural backgrounds, to keep tradition alive for 

them. 

“Our elderly often suffer when they go into rest 

homes as they are used to eating Indian food, and 

then have to adjust to a Kiwi diet - and there also 

might be language barriers. So, we provide all the 

help we can; supplying Indian food, supporting 

staff and residents with Hindu language understanding, 

and mediating when any concerns 

arise,” he said. 

Mr Suchdev said that he is happy to see the 

residents happy during Diwali festivities. 

“Normally people like to go out and celebrate 

with friends and family, but we choose to come 

and celebrate here because the residents don’t 

have the option to leave. We are blessed with the 

opportunity,” he said. 

Members of the Rotary Club of Papatoetoe in South Auckland after the Fund Drive of 

‘End Polio Day’ on October 24, 2019 (Picture Supplied). 

to polio-free countries, putting 

children everywhere at risk,” he 

said. 

Mr Singh said that Rotary 

has committed to raising US$ 50 

million each year to support global 

polio eradication efforts. The Bill 

& Melinda Gates Foundation has 

pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a 

total yearly contribution of US$150 

million,” he said. 

About World Polio Day 

World Polio Day is an annual 

opportunity for Rotary members 

to rally the world around the fight 

to eradicate the disease forever. 

This year’s Programme highlighted 

the heroes of polio eradication, 

with stories from areas that have 

recently been affected and areas 

where polio is still endemic. 

Sponsored by UNICEF USA 

and the Bill & Melinda Gates 

Foundation, the 2019 Programme 

featured TV presenter and former 

Paralympian Ade Adepitan, Supermodel 

Isabeli Fontana, Science 

Educator Bill Nye, and actress 

Archie Panjabi. 

The funding comes as Rotary and 

its partners address the final and 

most pressing challenges to end 

poliovirus transmission. 

Fund disbursement 

To support polio eradication 

efforts in endemic countries, 

Rotary allocated in June 2019, 

half the funds it announced to 

Afghanistan (US$16.3 million), 

Nigeria (US$10.2 million), and 

Pakistan (US$25.2 million). 

Additional funding will support 

efforts to keep vulnerable countries 

polio-free: Chad (US$102,395), 

Democratic Republic of the Congo 

(US$9.5 million), Ethiopia (US$2.6 

million), Iraq (US$6 million), Kenya 

(US$6.3 million), Mali (US$1.2 

million), Somalia (US$1.4 million), 

South Sudan (US$1.2 million), Syria 

(US$1.7 million) and Yemen (US$2.1 

million).


Youngster with finesse of an experienced artiste debuts 

Venkat Raman 

Dheeraj Venkatachalam lived 

up to his family’s reputation 

as doyens of Bhakti and traditional 

music at his Arangetram 

as a vocal artiste at Dorothy Winstone 

Centre, Auckland Girls Grammar 

School on October 12, 2019. 

Son of Venkat Subramaniam (2degrees 

Mobile Limited Chief Operating 

Officer) and Kavitha Venkat, he has 

the makings of some of our greatest 

male singers such as Madurai Mani 

Iyer, Maharajapuram Santhanam and 

Chennai Srinivasan Iyer. 

It is a challenge for any vocalist 

to establish himself on a stage that 

was the venue for a highly sonorous 

musical concerts. 

Exceptional dexterity 

Dheeraj exhibited exceptional 

dexterity by starting with ‘Ata Ayala 

Varnam,’ a Pacchimiryam Adiyappayya 

composition in praise of Mannargudi 

Rajagopalaswamy, he set the tempo for 

the evening as he picked the high and 

mid-tones of Muthusamy Dikshitar to 

render ‘Vallabha Nayakasya,’ in Begada 

Ragam, set to Rupaka Talam. This was 

a tribute to Vallabha Ganapathi in 

Tiruvarur. 

Shocking revelations of family violence 

Venkat Raman 

Mothers who turn a blind 

eye to the cries of their 

daughters’ appeal for help, 

a young woman suffering 

physical and mental abuse soon after 

marriage, a parent who refuses to 

accept her daughter’s same-sex relationship 

and a girl suffering physical 

assaults by her partner were among 

the ‘shocks’ witnessed by delegates 

attending a Conference in Auckland on 


Performers and Performances 

A ‘drama of true events’ was 

presented by young performers, all of 

them of Indian origin, to underscore 

the rising occurrence of family 

violence in New Zealand, emphasising 

the vulnerability of victims and the 

inadequacy of the community in 

containing the menace. 

More than 120 delegates, most of 

them women, attended the Women’s 

Forum of the New Zealand Indian 

Central Association at the newly 

constructed ‘Diversity Centre’ of the 

Indian Association Manukau New 

Zealand in Papatoetoe. 

Produced by Sri Rashmi Rachakonda, 

the performers (not victims but 

actors portraying true events) were 

Abhishek Pillai, Ayushi Pillai, Charu 

Chutani who enacted a ‘Freedom 

Dance), Keerthana Puppala, Manya 

Sharma, Neha Bhan, Prakhar Mittal, 

Rohit Dang, Mehak Sharma and Zetin 

Malhotra. Sahil Malhotra was the 

Narrator. 

Cancer Survivor 

The highlight of this segment of the 

Forum was the true story of Gautami 

Motupally, a Cancer Survivor. 

Gautami said during her speech 

later that she was diagnosed with 

ZICA Women’s Sub-Committee Members: Saira Naran, Champa Patel, Vasanthi Govind, Dr 

Primla Khar, Ranjita Sen Gupta, Rita Moza and Gendo Kaur 

Cancer Survivor: Gautami Motupally 

dysgerminoma and ovarian germ cell 

cancer when she was just 13 years old. 

She had a six kilogram cyst and her 

right ovary removed and following six 

months of chemotherapy, she started 

making full recovery. 

Now, eight years later, she is a thirdyear 

Occupational Therapy student at 

AUT. 

Gautami is now leading a normal 

life and has been told that she can have 

children. 

“Cancer is a deadly disease and 

people still do not want to talk about 

it openly. But I want to tell my story 

and the excellent role played by my 

mother in my battle. It was a woman’s 

problem but I believe that men should 

also be involved so that they can also 

understand the suffering,” she said. 

Parental apathy 

The true events also demonstrated 

parental apathy prevalent in some 

families. In response to a daughter’s 

disparate phone call for rescue from 

Spiritual Leader imparts the Eternal Message of Truth 

Supplied Content (Edited) 

New Zealanders had the benefit 

of the deep-rooted knowledge 

and blessings of Gurudevshri 

Rakesh, an enlightened mystic, 

spiritual visionary and founder of Shrimad 

Rajchandra Mission Dharampur in 

Auckland last fortnight. 

The discourses held at the Fickling 

Convention Centre in Three Kings on 

October 10 and Ormiston Senior College 

in Manukau on October 11, 2019 were 

attended by people of various faiths and 

professions and listened to the Eternal 

Message of Truth of Lord Mahavira and 

Rajchandra. 

Surviving challenges 

The discourses were on the ways 

and means of surviving the challenges 

Spectacular start to a musical journey of a youngster 

Dheeraj Venkatachalam (second from right) with 

(from left) Thanjavur Murugaboopathi, Suryaprakash 

Ramachandran, Madipakkam Murali and H M Smitha 

A disciple of renowned Dr Padma Govardhan 

and Suryaprakash Ramachandran (both were 

present at the Concert), Dheeraj’s rendition had 

the stamp of their pedagogy in a wide repertoire 

and finesse. 

His command over the idiom of Carnatic classical 

music apart, his good sense for sahithya bhava 

Gurudevshri Rakesh (extreme right) lighting the traditional lamp with 

(from left) Miao Yu, Rakesh Naidoo, Bhav Dhillon, Deborah Russell 

and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi on October 11, 2019. 

of the material world, spreading the fragrance of spirituality 

by leading a life of virtue and selfless service. This message 

of combining spirituality in one’s day-to-day life made his 

Exceptional dexterity in rendering Varnam 

and other notes 

and his artistic ability in its articulation 

and delivery in rhythmic cadence 

made his rendition distinct in its own 

way. Far from the uncharitable and 

incongruous comments of a speaker at 

the end of the Concert, Dheeraj drew 

repeated applause for his creditable 

understanding of the seriousness 

expected of a debut artiste. 

Capturing hearts 

Even the late Subbudu Mama, who 

never spared any musician or dancer, 

would of commented of Dheeraj: 

“His Concert propels the feel of the 

composition straight into audience’s 

heart. This clear articulation makes 

the audience enjoy each composition 

in its entire range of emotive shades.” 

Justice was rendered to Papanasam 

Sivan, as the youngster executed, ‘Ka 

Liberation from Abuse: Freedom Dance by Charu Chutani 

her husband and his family, her 

mother replied,” You are a woman. 

You should learn to adjust to the 

wishes of your husband and his family. 

That is what I did as a newly-married 

woman.” 

Another mother replies to her 

sobbing daughter, “How can you come 

back to our house? What will the 

society say? Nobody will marry your 

younger sister.” 

Earlier, during a Power Point Presentation, 

Anjana Gaekwad, A Clinical 

Psychologist said that violence against 

children is on the rise. 

Child Sex Abuse 

“Apart from indecent and abusive 

language, children suffer sexual abuse. 

An increasing number of young girls 

are raped and one in seven boys are 

abused. People who do not say anything 

or remain neutral, are actually 

supporting and that is what the abuser 

wants. We should not tolerate such 

crime,” she said. 

teachings appealing and easily 

accessible. 

Amidst the spiritual and 

cultural celebrations, his book, 

‘Benevolent Principles of Bhagwan 

Mahavira’ was launched. 

A living example of 

unconditional love, peace, compassion 

and divinity, Gurudevshri 

inspires and motivates seekers 

across the world to embark on 

a journey of inner awakening 

and lead a life of higher purpose 

through enlightening discourses 

and meditation retreats. 

With 108 Centres worldwide, 

thousands of people are drawn to 

his teachings that reflect simple 

living and high thinking. 

Endearing personality 

His endearing personality 

and vibrant spirituality attract a 

Ethnic Communities Minister Jenny 

Salesa cited Statistics New Zealand to 

say that family violence is on the rise 

and that many people live in traumatic 

conditions. 

“Most people experience a cultural 

shock as they migrate to New Zealand 

and fight to find a balance between their 

traditions and the new environment. 

We have to deal with family violence 

effectively. The Indian population is the 

second fastest growing in New Zealand 

and we must have a good policy in place 

and we want to make sure that your 

voices are heard,” she said. 

Ms Salesa said that children are 

among the most vulnerable victims of 

violence. 

“As New Zealanders, we must 

also address other social evils such as 

discrimination, racism and bullying in 

our schools,” she said. 

Empowering women to act 

Member of Parliament Dr Parmjeet 

Parmar said that the Forum should provide 

a platform for exchange of views 

and information and truly empower 

women to act. 

“All of us (women) have the power 

and the knowledge to come out of the 

four walls of our homes and make 

a difference. Instead, we are ticking 

boxes,” she said. 

Forum Chairperson Dr Primla Khar 

emphasised the importance of ‘Self Care’ 

and ‘Facilitating the holistic growth of 

youth’ in her address. 

“When ‘self’ is in harmony with the 

surrounding and the environment, 

the next step of fostering the growth of 

people around occurs. This care can be 

emotional, financial and health. We can 

facilitate youth by identifying their passion 

and problems and solving the latter 

through constructive demonstration,” 

she said. 

Dr Khar said that it is important to 

Communitylink l 

large following of young people. 

Children from the age of five 

are offered value-based training 

in more than 251 Shrimad 

Rajchandra Divinetouch Centres 

worldwide. 

With his vision of universal upliftment, 

thousands of dedicated 

volunteers offer selfless service 

in a ten-fold ‘Shrimad Rajchandra 

Love and Care’ Programme, 

encompassing health, education, 

human and animal welfare, 

environment, and emergency 

relief. 

Profound impact 

One of the seekers who 

attended the elevating spiritual 

discourses said, “The discourses 

were so profound and yet so 

simple and practical that I am 

able to apply a small part of these 

17 

Va Va,’ eulogising our Tamil God 

Murugan, standing in Palani, one of 

His Six Houses. 

There was piety at an exalted level 

over this song, which describes 

Murugan in His manifestations. 

Dheeraj caught the nuances of the 

composition rendered in Varali 

Ragam. 

‘Brovabarama’ (Bahudari, 

Deshadi) of Saint Tyagaraja and 

‘Brova Baramma’ (Dhanyasi, Adi) 

of Muthusamy Dikshitar drew wide 

applause adding to the tempo of the 

Concert. 

Energetic exposition 

‘Sharanam Ayyappa,’ a 

Papanasam Sivan composition in 

praise of the predominantly Kerala 

God came in Mukhari Ragam, 

immediately after which Dheeraj 

entered into an energetic alapana 

of ‘Ragam, Tanam, Pallavi’ in 

Shankarabharanam. 

He paid a tribute to his Guru 

Suryaprakash Ramachandran with 

his composition, called, ‘Devargal 

Arulseida Ragangale,’ embellishing 

Ragam Ragamalika set to Adi 

Talam. 

A special mention must be made 

of ‘Punniyam Orukoti’ sang in 

Keeravani Ragam and Adi Talam, 

a melodious number by Periyaswamy 

Thooran. 

‘Eppadi Kettal’ (Abheri, Adi), 

‘Rogaharane’ by Jagannatha Vittala 

Dasa (Revathi, Adi), ‘Thillana’ by 

Suryaprakash Ramachandran 

(Vasantham, Adi) were equally 

superb. 

Dheeraj chose a combination 

of Tyagaraja and Subramanya 

Bharati to conclude the Concert- 

‘Mangalam’ (Sourashtram and 

Madhyamavat, Adi). 

Gifted artistes 

H M Smitha who accompanied 

Dheeraj on the Violin was 

exceptional, while Thanjavur 

Murugaboopathi proved that he 

was a Master of Mridangam. 

Madipakkam Murali, playing the 

Ghatam created a niche for himself 

especially at interludes and Adhira 

Venkatachalam (Dheeraj’s sister) on 

the Thambura, was, to mention in 

today’s terms, ‘cool.’ 

In his non-stop, three-and-half 

hour concert, Dheeraj proved his 

high level of endurance. 

He also established the fact that 

he has gifted voice that can traverse 

with ease in chosen octave, fine 

tone and timber, sound grounding 

in the syntax of classicism and 

thorough knowledge of nitty-gritty 

of concert template. 

make our young people realise that 

they are the flagbearers of our heritage, 

culture and traditions. 

Widening gulf 

Earlier, opening the Conference, Former 

Forum President Ranjna Patel spoke 

of the continuing gap between men and 

women in the corporate world. 

“Women account for only 37% on 

Boards of companies and less 35% in 

executive positions. But only 18% of top 

jobs including in governance role is held 

by Non-European New Zealanders. The 

next logical step in the move towards 

equity should involve ethnic women and 

their increased participation,” she said. 

Stating that women should achieve 

their potential, Ms Patel quoted 

American Writer and Philosopher Ralph 

Waldo Emerson, who said, “What lies 

behind us and what lies before us are 

tiny matters compared to what lies 

within us.” 

Panel Discussion 

Dr Pushpa Wood, Westpac Massey 

Fin-Ed Centre Director facilitated a 

Panel Discussion covering topics such 

as Self-Respect (‘Atma Shakthi’ as 

she called), Self-Confidence, Mental 

Illness, Mindset to overcome problems, 

Freedom of choosing what and how 

to wear as a Personal Statement and 

Relationships and Parenthood. 

Among the speakers were Minal Rai 

(Teacher at AUT), Ashima Singh (Partner, 

Legal Associates Barristers & Solicitors), 

Harpreet Kaur (University of Auckland 

Law & Commerce student), Malti Kumar 

Sharma (Legal Executive at PatelNand 

Legal) and Danish Lang Siu (Barrister & 

Solicitor at Counties Manukau District 

Health Board). 

This Reporter wrapped up the 

discussion. 

Among the other speakers were 

NZICA Vice-President Prakash Biradar 

and Forum Secretary Champa Patel. 

teachings and transform my life. 

I am fortunate to have had such 

a valuable opportunity to gain 

inspiration and enthusiasm to 

progress on my spiritual journey.” 

Earlier, on arrival on Monday, 

October 7, 2019, Gurudevshri 

was accorded an enthusiastic 

welcome with a traditional Maori 

performance at the Auckland 

International Airport with a 

pōwhiri and a Haka. 

The Shrimad Rajchandra 

Mission Dharampur’s Auckland 

Centre organises regular 

meetings for adults and children 

to disseminate the teachings of 

Gurudevshri. 

For details please contact 

Dimple and Binita Shah on 

021-2652138. Email: auckland@ 

srmd.org


18 Entertainmentlink 

Singer from Canada takes Tamil KaraokeStar Title 

Venkat Raman 

Ramya Ramachandran, a 

Resident of Toronto, Canada 

won the ‘Tamil KaraokeStar 

2019’ title at the finals of the 

contest held in Auckland on Saturday, 


Her winning songs (with $1000 

cash prize andaTrophy) were ‘En 

Mel Vizhunthal’ and ‘Kaatre En Vaasal 

Vanthaai’(composed by ARRahman 

respectively for Tamil films ‘May 

Matham’and ‘Rhythm’), rendered as 

personal and judges’ choices. 

Four other contestants were declared 

‘Runners Up.’ They were Aswathy 

Sasidharan (Hamilton, New Zealand), 

and Thayashne Arumugam (Kuala 

Lumpur, Malaysia) whoreceived cash 

awards of $250 and $150 respectively. 

The other Runners Up were Shankar 

Narayanan (Rotorua) and Deepika 

Winner Ramya Ramachandran with fellow contestants and other guests 

Guest Artistes Divya Ramachandran and 

Visashan Narayanan 

Producer and Organiser Yugendran Vasudevan 

First Collection of local poetry launched 

The Auckland based Urdu Hindi 

Cultural Association of New 

Zealandlaunchedits first book 

containing acollection of poems 

written by local bards. 

Association Patron and National MP 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi released the 

Book, called,‘Safed Badlon Ke Desh 

Mein,' (‘Aotearoa’ or ‘In the Land of the 

Long White Cloud’) on Sunday, October 

20, 2019 in West Auckland. 

Edited by Preeta Vyas, it carries the 

worksofRohit Kumar Happy, Somnath 

Gupta ‘Deewana Raikoti’ andDinesh 

Venkat Raman 

Ateam of six youngsters is 

promoting New Zealand 

and its pristine beauty 

as amission,focusing 

initially on the Tamil Diaspora 

worldwide. 

Dineshkumar Ravi, an 

employee in aHamilton based 

engineering firm, has created 

amusic video that captures in 

part the natural splendour of 

New Zealand,explaining why 

Tamilians consider it as their 

second home. 

About the NewVenture 

Called, ‘Miles with D,’ the 

video runs in Tamil with English 

subtitles. 

ATVanchor and producer, 

Dineshkumar hosted several 

television shows for apopular 

Tamil Channel for more than 

fiveyears before migrating to 

New Zealand in 2017. 

“I would liketopursuemy 

passion (for visual production 

and creativity) in New Zealand 

differently and usefully,”hesaid. 

Stating that the bounty of 

Nature in New Zealandwas 

always asource of inspiration, 

Dineshkumar saidthe vision of 

‘Miles with D’ is to showcase not 

only the beautiful locations and 

Nature’sbounty but also the culture, 

cuisine, traditional values 

and adventurous ventures that 

the country offers. 

“I would liketoreach 

global audience by publishing 

as YouTube VLOGvideosand 

other social media platforms. 

We are ateam of six likeminded 

people. To begin our journey,we 

made our first original music 

video which explains the beauty 

of New Zealand and how the 

Tamil community considers New 

Zealand as their second Home,” 

he said. 

Acollaboration with ‘Moksha 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi (third from right) with officials and guests at the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association 

of New Zealand Book launch (Picture Supplied) 

Dineshkumar Ravi 

Shankar Narayanan 

Siva Kumar 

Base,’ ateamoftalented people 

with apassion for music and 

apenchant to provide unique 

experience to people, themaiden 

video includes the worksofDineshkumar 

(Lyrics andDirection), 

Shankar Narayanan (Drone, 

Editing and Music), and Siva 

Kumar (Rapand CreativeCrew of 

Moksha Base). 

Among the other members 

of thesextet are Praneema 

Krishnakumar, 

Nivetha Thiruppathi 

and Balachander 

Lakshmanan. 

“Our Channel will 

focus on making travel 

videos which will help 

tourists,students, 

adventurous people and 

new immigrants. These 

videos will also help to 

know cultures followed 

by different communities 

in New Zealand,” Dineshkumar 

said. 

About theTamil 

Diaspora 

Writing in Indian 

Newslink seven years 

ago, the late VSivasupramaniamsaidthat 

the dispersal of Tamils 

around the globe is not of 

recent origin. 

“There are more 

than70million of them 

residing in 50 countries, 

rich in heritage, culture, 

language andliterature. 

In manycases, their 

unity wasconsolidated 

by struggle, suffering and 

aspiration for abrighter 

future for their successive 

generations,” he said. 

According to Father 

Henry Heras, afamous 

Indian historian of 

Spanish origin, “Tamilis 

the oldest of the present 

languages.” 

As apowerful Dravidian 

language, Tamil is 

perhaps the only example 

of an ancient language 

which has survived as 

aspoken language for 

more than 3500 years 

with its basic structure 

almost unchanged. 

Sundar (Wellington, New Zealand). 

Entrants and Judges 

As wellasOrganiser Yugendran 

Vasudevan (son of the popular playback 

singer the late Malaysia Vasudevan), 

the panel of judges comprised Venkat 

Prabhu (the son of popular lyricist, 

composer andsinger Gangai Amaren 

and nephew of maestro Ilayaraja), 

Rajhesh Vaidhya (a talented Veena 

player), DevanEkambaram (a singer, 

actor andcomposer). 

Mr Vasudevan said that the 

Programme, produced by hiscompany 

Rambutan Media Works, listed 116 

participants from Australia, Canada, 

France, Malaysia, New Zealand, 

Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom 

and United States of America. 

“Contestants submitted their Karaoke 

Bhardwaj,all three residents of the City. 

Inspiring Initiative 

Following the introductoryremarks 

by Association Secretary Syed Mujeeb 

Hyderabadi, introduced the poets, 

saying thattheir poems will have 

emotional, literary and social appear 

worldwide among lovers of Urdu and 

Hindiliterature. 

“Mr Happy is theEditor of ‘Bharat 

Darshan,’ the first Hindi magazine 

on theInternet Mr Gupta is aretired 

official, while Mr Bharadwaj is aYoga 

teacher,”she said. 

Commending the initiative of the 

format singing videos by email and 

apanel of three judges shortlisted 16 

singers from thepool of hundredsof 

participants. Of the 16 quarterfinalists, 

nine were qualified for thesemi-finals 

and top five were selected for the 

finals,” he said. 

Among the highlightsofthe event 

were theopening Bharata Natyam by 

Ramya’s sister DivyaRamachandran 

and her musical performance with 

Visashan Narayanan, son of Yugendran 

Vasudevan. 

Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan, 

popular Tamil businessman 

Ilango Krishnamoorthy, his wife 

Sakthi Krishnamurthy, Auckland Tamil 

Association PresidentVai Ravindran 

and his wife Latha were among the 

Guests of Honour. 

Association, Mr Bakshihoped that more 

people from the community will be 

encouraged to compose poems. 

“I am sure thatsuch poems and 

books will enjoythe support of our people. 

Iamproud to be the Patron of the 

Association which actively promotes 

the heritage, literature and culture of 

India and Pakistan,” he said. 

President RoopaSuchdev described 

the Book as a‘significant milestone’ 

in the history of the Association and 

felicitatedcommunitymember Bal 

Madan who recently celebrated his 

94th BirthdayinAuckland. 

ConfluenceofUrdu, Hindi poetry with communities 

Venkat Raman 

Urdu and Hindipoetry 

enthusiasts of the Indian 

Sub-Continentand of 

Fijian origin areset to 

meet in Auckland nextweek for 

an evening of ‘serious fun.’ 

Auckland based Urdu and 

HindiCultural Association of 

New Zealand is organisinga‘literary 

engagement’onSaturday, 

November 9, 2019 at Fickling 

Convention Centre, located at 546 

Mount Albert Road, Three Kings. 

The Programmewill commence 

at 6pmand conclude with 

dinner. 

ThreeSegments 

There would be three 

segments,each bringing the 

finesse of the two languages. They 

would include Mushaira, Kavi 

Event Organisers Ghouse Majeed and 

Syed Mujeeb Hyderabadi 

(Facebook Photo) 

Sammelan and Sham-e-Ghazal, 

although in literary terms, each 

of these overlapincreativity. 

Dignity,honour and love for the 

languages are the hallmarks of 

the annualevent of the Urdu 

HindiAssociation of New Zealand 

of which National Member of 

Parliament Kanwaljeet Singh 

Bakshiisthe Patron. 

The Mushairasection will be 

hosted by Ayub Khan with Syed 

MujeebHyderabadi, Ghouse 

Majeed (Secretary andEvent 

Manager of the Association) and 

Dr Yousuf Qureshi. 

Preeta Vyaswillhost theKavi 

Sammelan which has along list 

of participants. Among them 

would be ChirayuBhatt, Inderjeet 

Bajwa, Naresh Kumari, Nimi 

Labour MP Michael Wood with (from left) Syed Mujeeb Hyderabadi, Preeta Vyas, 

Tahseen Sultana and Roopa Suchdev at the event held in October 2017 

Bedi, RohitKumar, Sachin Kumar, 

Sangat Singh, Shiv Bhagirath and 

Somnath Gupta 

Professor Suk DevMadhur will 

lead the Sham-e-Ghazal segment 

with Arif Zia, ArvinderVasudeva, 

Jyoti Virk Kara, Kanika Diesh,Nisar 

Mirza, Sandeep Singh, Daniel 

and Tracy as participants. 

As well as Mr Bakshi, Members 

of ParliamentMichael Wood, 

Melissa Lee, Dr Parmjeet Parmar, 

Deborah Russell, Priyanca 

Radhakrishnan, former MPs 

Chris Carter andMahesh Bindra, 

Rashmi Sharma from India and 

Hon Consul of India in Auckland 

Bhav Dhillon are expected to 

attend the event. 

Among the highlights of the 

Programme would be the release 

of ‘Dhanak,’ theofficialmagazine 

of the Association. 

About Urdu HindiAssociation 

Since its establishment in 2009, 

the Association has become an 

effective bridge between the past 

and the present, encouraging the 

learning, teaching and usage of 

Urdu and Hindi. 

Auckland Mayor (then Leader 

of the Opposition) Phil Goff said 

at thelaunch,“Language is the 

greatest unifying forceamong 

people and agreat source of 

cultural andsocial identity. 

Whileweare all partners in New 

Zealand’s progress and prosperity, 

we should also be conscious of our 

cultural tree, of which language is 

an important branch.” 

Mr Majeed, who belongs 

to Hyderabad, saidthatthe 

Association has been conducting 

Urdu and Hindiclasses regularly 

to encourage people, youngsters 

in particular to learn these two 

languages. 

“The Mushaira, Kavi Sammelan 

and Sham-E-Ghazal are among 

our regular events held every 

year,” he said. 

Syed Mujeeb Hyderabad, who 

also hails from Hyderabad, said 

that Mushairaisabeloved part of 

the culture of North India and his 

Home City. 

“Mushairaisgreatly admiredby 

participants and guests as aform 

of free-expression. It also enlists 

the participation of the audience,” 

he said. 

Transcending barriers 

Mr Majeed and Mr Hyderabadi 

said thatthe poetic nights 

transcendmanmade barriers of 

religion, nationality andethnicity, 

bringingtogether people keen 

to promote Urduand Hindi as 

languages of respect and lore. 

“It is adelight to see not only 

people whounderstand,converse 

and compose poems in chaste 

Urdu andHindi butalso those 

with a fleeting knowledge of the 

languages. There are manyothers 

including our New Zealanders 

of European andMaori origin 

who evince interest in our programmes. 

Theirpresence helpsus 

in achieving ourobjective of living 

in peace and harmony,”they said.


Entertainmentlink 

19 

Hillary’sfinal adventurereturns in digital format 

Nevil Gibson 

The modern eraofhigh adventure began at 

endofworld hostilities in 1945. 

Peace opened up newareas of explorationwhile 

technologicaladvancesmade 

travel and filming easier. 

My first cinema experiencewas seeing Sir 

Edmund Hillary in The Conquest of Everest, 

made by George Lowe in 1953. (Wikipedialists 

18 subsequent films about Everest.) 

The most famousdocumentary adventure up 

to then was Thor Hyerdahl’sKon-Tiki (1950), 

remade as afeature in 2012. 

The three decades of adventureafterKon-Tiki 

depended heavily on modernforms of mobility 

–for example, Hillary used snowtractors in the 

firstoverland trip to the South Polesince 1912. 

So,itisnosurprise that he embraced fellow 

New Zealander Sir William Hamilton’sinvention 

of the jet boat for riversthatwereinaccessible to 

normal vessels. 

Today, expeditions aremorelikely to test 

feats with as little technologicalassistance as 

possible. Hooning wouldbehard to justify on 

environmental grounds alone. 

Nor would it be consideredout of the ordinary 

if no one died, which wasnearly thecase with 

Hillary’s last greatadventure,atthe age of 58, 

was a1500-miletrip up India’sbiggestriver 

followed byahigh mountain. 

Decade of reconstruction 

Hillary –Ocean to Sky (Rialto) is adigitised 

reconstructionofthe original1979documentary 

by Australian producer-director MichaelDillon. 

He was oneofthe originalcameramen and30 

yearslater found an hourofpreviously unused 

footage. The reconstruction took 10 years, 

included interviews lastwithsome of surviving 

expedition members. 

They includeDillon, Hillary’s son Peter (then 

Sir Edmund Hillary 

Peter Hillary Climbing above Badrinath 

22),Sir GraemeDingle and Dr Jim Wilson,a 

jet boatdriver andHindu adviser. 

India in 1977 was stilllargelyanunknown 

quantity and the governmentbacked the 

expedition as atourist promotion. 

Spiritual journey 

Hillaryhad lost his wifeLouiseand 

daughter Belinda in an air crash near 

Kathmandu in 1975. This helpedturnthe 

adventureintoaspiritual andreligious 

experience. 

RiverGanga (Ganges)was considered 

holy,the journey became apilgrimage and 

the adventurerswereconsideredgod-likein 

boats that couldperform miraculous feats. 

The two main driverswereHamilton’sson 

Edmund Hillary climbing above Badrinath 

Welcoming Crowd beside the Ganges 

and grandson. 

The expeditionstarts in the choppy Bayof 

Bengal, for whichboats that skimmedover 

riverbeds werenot designed. Tigers roamed 

inthe Sundarbans, themuddy mangrovesat 

the Ganges’ mouth. 

Upstream at Calcutta (now Kolkata), 

wherethe Howrah bridge was builtin 

1943, the adventurehas become amedia 

sensationwithmillions of sightseers. 

In the fast-flowing head waters, thecanopies 

andequipment havetobeoffloaded 

to cope with Whitewaterrapids.Sequences 

near theBadrinath TempleinUttarakhand 

provide the highlights as thousands of 

pilgrims perch on steepriverbanks hoping 

to seemiraclesoraspill. 

Thepace slows in themountaineering 

phase,but it isn’tananti-climax. 

The journey ends with Hillary’sneardeathexperienceonAkash 

Parbat, one 

of the Himalayas’ sacredsky peaks, anda 

lifesaving tinofpeaches. 

Rating: Exempt. 106minutes 

Nevil GibsonisEditor-at-Large at TheNational 

BusinessReview basedinAuckland. 

He has been aJudge of theIndian Newslink 

IndianBusinessAwards sinceinceptionin 

2008. IndianNewslink Editor workedas 

aCorrespondent/Contributor to NBRfor 

eleven yearsfrom 1999to2010. (Pictures 

from MichaelDillonFilms website) 

proudly presents 

YOGANANDA2020 

Is avery special event celebrating 100 years of Kriya Yoga in the West 

where wewill remember and honour world-renowned yogi and 

author Paramahamsa Yogananda (author of Autobiography of aYogi). 

“The Western day is indeed nearing when the 

inner science of self-control will be found as 

necessary as the outer conquest ofnature.” 

–Paramahamsa Yogananda 

Join us as we celebrate Yogananda and his message. 

Event programme: 

• Talk by Realised Master Paramahamsa Prajnananda Maharaj 

• Panel discussion with respected leaders inscience and metaphysics 

• Classical Indian devotional music 

• Gourmet vegetarian supper 

• Yogananda’s World Peace Meditation 

Yogananda 

2020 

centenary 

celebration 

Saturday 2May 2020, 5.00pm-9.00pm 

Victory Convention Centre, 98 Beaumont St, 

Freemans Bay, Auckland 

Book now atwww.yogananda2020nz.org 

Kriya Yoga Association of New Zealand Inc. 

tickets 

$30 

For moreinformation please visit 

www.yogananda2020nz.org


20 Guru Nanak Special 

TheGreat Guru’steachings transcend time and territory 

Standfirst: To millions of Sikhs 

around the world, Guru 

Nanak is the prime teacher, 

philosopher andguide who 

gave them areligion, enriching 

their moral, social andeducational 

characteristics. Regarded as one 

of the most renowned religious 

leaders of alltimes, Guru Nanak 

gave humanity some of the most 

precious valuesthat areessentialto 

promoteharmony, peace,goodwill 

and understanding. 

Sikhswill mark his 550th Birth 

Anniversary on November 12, 


In Auckland, EthnicCommunities 

Minister and Member of Parliament 

and Parliamentary Private 

Secretarytothe Minister hosted an 

event to paytributetoGuruNanak 

on Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 

Shanti NiwasCharitable Trustin 

Onehunga. 

Teaching relevant 

Ms Salesaand Ms Radhakrishnan 

extolled the teachings of Guru 

Nanak,stating that they were relevanteventoday. 

“Guru Nanak is one of the greatest 

leadersofall times and we are 

proud of ourSikhcommunity which 

has contributed to thegrowth and 

progress of NewZealand. Guru 

Nanak taught human values which 

we mustcherish andpromote,”they 

said. 

Jasjit Singh was themain speaker 

at theevent. Thefollowing is an extractofhis 

speechwhichincluded a 

Power Point Presentation. 

About Guru Nanak 

Guru Nanak was theFounderof 

Jasjit Singh Harsimran Kaur SofiaSingh Malvindar Singh Bains 

Ethnic Communities Minister Jenny Salesa with (from left) Samrath Singh, Harsimran Kaur,Chani Kaur,Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Jasjit Singh and Sukrit Singh 

Sikhism, theyoungest and fifthlargestreligion 

in the world.GuruNanak is known 

as the world’s greatest philosophers,revolutionary,activist, 

social reformer and a 

spiritual teacher. 

BornintoasimpleHindu family(on April 

15,1469), he showed signs of uniqueness 

even in his early years. Hisfather Mehta 

KalianDas was an accountant in theemploymentofthe 

localMuslim authorities. 

From an early age,GuruNanak made 

friends with both Hinduand Muslimchildren 

andwas keen to learnand practicethe 

meaningoflife. 

Those wereone of the darkestperiods of 

Indian history. Evil andinjusticereigned, 

thesociety was deeply divided by casteism, 

ritualismand shackled by the chains of religiousand 

politicaltyranny. 

He was afearless and outspoken critic of 

injustice and roseagainstthe cruelty of the 

rulers. This revolutionary outspokenness 

wasseen as athreat by the rulers and Guru 

Nanak wasimprisonedbyBabar, who invadedIndiaand 

brutalised the Hindu and 

Muslim population. 

UniversalVision 

He laid thefoundation for auniversal religiousvision 

when he proclaimed the message 

of ‘IkOnkar,’ meaning OneSpiritual 

Reality,symbolising OnenessofGod. 

He said thathewas neitheraHindunor a 

Muslim but aservant of God whohad come 

to deliver Hismessage. 

AccordingtoGuru Nanak, religionsupportsand 

promotes life, love forGod and 

His creation,servicetomankind, dedication 

and truthfulness. 

He lost no opportunity 

to condemn mindlessrituals,bigotry 

and the caste 

system. 

He saidthere is only one 

casteand that is humanity. 

Guru Nanakstronglydisapproved 

of asceticism and 

lifeofdeprivation. 

TheLangar 

He revolutionised thesystem 

by introducingthe conceptofLangar 

(Community 

Meal) in which people of all 

castes,creeds and faithssat 

together to eatameal.This 

wasaverybold stepaseatingtogether 

by people of 

differentcasteswas taboo 

and never heardofbefore. 

Thistradition of langar is 

followedinall Gurdwaras 

all over the world.The 

Golden Temple in Amritsar 

in the Indian State of 

Punjab feeds up to 100,000 

people every daywhichisa 

worldrecord. 

GuruNanak wasbelieved 

to be thesecondmosttravelledperson 

in theworld at 

thattime. He covered more 

than28,000 kilometres by 

foot andboat. He taught 

people howtopractically 

approach God.Hespent 

all hislife teaching and 

helping people, He journeyedwest 

through Mecca 

and Baghdad, North to 

Afghanistan andTibet, East 

to Assam andBangladesh 

and South allthe waytoSri 

Lanka. He eventually settled 

downinKartarpur in 

Punjab, whichisnow in 

Pakistan. 

SofiaKaur of the 

Young Sikh Professionals 

Network was theMaster 

of Ceremoniesatthe event 

held on October26, 2019. 

Among theother speakers 

were Harsimran 

Kaurand Dr Malvindar 

Singh Bains whospoke 

on Gender Equalityand 

EmpowermentofWomen, 

which wereamong the important 

teachings of Guru 

Nanak. 

An Interfaith Panel comprising 

AnmarTaufeek 

(Islam), ReverendBruce 

Keeley (Christianity) and 

NitikaSharma (Hindu) 

spokeabout the universalityofthe 

teachingsofGuru 

Nanak. 

Greetings from Us 

IndianNewslink salutes 

the Sikh community for 

theirhardwork andstrenuous 

effortstoachieve successinevery 

endeavour 

they undertakeand offers 

them best wishes fortheir 

continuedprogress and 

prosperity. 

The management and 

staff of this newspaper also 

extend their best wishes to 

the community on the birth 

anniversary of Guru Nanak 

Dev JI. 

The teachings of the great 

religious leaderand founder 

of the Sikhreligionwill 

forever be the leading light 

of the community 

Let us 

Celebrate 

your success 

Supported by 

YEAR 

Gala Black Tie Awards Night with Cocktails and Dinner on 

Monday, November 25, 2019 




Celebrity Speaker and Entertainer 

1. Business ExcellenceinRetail Trade 

9. Best Small Business 

2. Business ExcellenceinInnovation 

10. Best Medium Sized Business 

3. Business ExcellenceinMarketing 

11. Best Large Business 

4. Business ExcellenceinCustomer Service 12. Business ExcellenceinInternational Trade with India 

5. Best Employer of Choice 

(this categoryisopen to allbusinesses registered in 

NewZealand doing business with India) 

6. Business ExcellenceinHealth &Safety 

13. Best Accountantofthe Year 

7. Business ExcellenceinEthics (New) 

14. Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year 

8. Business Excellencewith Social Responsibility (New) 

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 forthis category) 

Cocktails and Networking from 5pmto615 pm 

Dinner,Entertainment &AwardsCeremony from 615 pm to 915 pm 

Fortickets, priced at $150 plus GSTper person and tables seating 10 persons 

each at $1500 plus GSTper table (including cocktails and dinner) 

contact us on Phone (09) 5336377 or 021-836528 

Email: venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz 

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

INL Nov 1 2019 Digital Edition

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