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Editorial Not a single visa decided under new culturally arranged marriage visa category in four months before border closure Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that not a single visa application was decided under the “culturally arranged marriage visa category, from their Mumbai office since December last year to March this year, even after the changes made in the category to fix the partnership visa woes affecting the broader Kiwi-Indian community. Immigration NZ was responding to a query sent from the Indian Weekender about the number of applications received and decided under the Culturally arranged marriage visa category, particularly after the former Immigration Minister had made changes in the category in November 2019, apparently to fix the partnership visa processing crisis. According to the figures released to the Indian Weekender, the INZ’s Mumbai office received a total of 22, 28, 20 and 30 applications in the months of December (2019), January, February & March (2020) respectively, under the Culturally arranged marriage visa category. At the same time, Immigration NZ received a total of 2165, 2377, 2762 and 3092 new partnership visa applications (both onshore and offshore offices) in the same month period. This amounts to less than 0.01 per cent of all applications under partnership visa category were under a culturally arranged marriage visa category. Confirms anecdotal evidence of low interest in the culturally arranged marriage visa category This clearly confirms the anecdotal experiences of several prominent immigration lawyers, advisers, other industry stakeholders and the wider Kiwi-Indian community that the changes made by the former Immigration Minister in October-November 2019, with much fanfare, was not the right solution to a problem that is largely rooted in the systematic bias within immigration system towards the “Indian-marriages.” Those changes made in culturally arranged marriage visa category allowed people who have married overseas to be able to apply for this visa to join their partners in NZ within a short window of 3 months, provided they meet many other strict conditions imposed, including that the bride and groom should not be a party to the decision of marrying each other. It was widely contested and reported by this publication then, that the majority of Kiwi-Indians who had recently married overseas, after in some cases maintaining a long-distance relationship for several years would not qualify the strict and bizarre conditions under the culturally arranged marriage visa category. The fact that there was never an uptake under this category, despite a large number of Kiwi- Indian community members planning to get their overseas-based partners to join them in NZ choosing to apply under the original partnership visa category (under which they were largely deemed ineligible as they do not meet with the strict and antiquated definition of “partnership” under the NZ immigration policy. Not a single visa decided under Culturally Arranged Marriage Visa category To add insult to the injury, INZ confirmed to the Indian Weekender that not a single visa was decided under this new category, pointing to the fact that the government had no understanding of this complex and systematic bias against the Indian marriages within NZ immigration system. To make it clear, it does not necessarily mean that all those who have applied under that newly changed category would not have been able to get another visa, as they would have also reverted to the normal practice followed by the INZ – applying for partnership visa and getting an exception instead in the form of “General Visitor Visa under relationship category” to join their partners in NZ. That “GVV under relationship category” despite being an act of favour by the Immigration New Zealand affirms a systematic bias against the INDIAN MARRIAGES within immigration system as the policy does not consider Indian-couples who are not living together prior to their marriages as partners for the visa purpose. Currently, all such partners of Indian-New Zealander’s (citizens and residents) who are locked out of NZ borders, which is closed - are not allowed to enter NZ and join their partners - while all other partners (different ethnicities and nationalities) of Kiwi citizens and residents are allowed to do so. This is a case of systematic bias against Indian marriages for partnership visa purposes. Thought of the week “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” —William Shakespeare 1 October – 8 October 2020 Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu On-and-off rain and drizzle 16° 9° Partly sunny 15° 8° 17° 9° Indian Weekender : Volume 12 Issue 29 Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Technical Officer: Rohan deSouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Media Sales Manager.: Leena Pal: 021 952 216 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Distribution: 021 952218 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Editor at Large: Dev Nadkarni | dev@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland. Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Parlty sunny Clouds and sun 14° 10° A touch o dafr This week in New Zealand’s history 15° 10° 2 October 1941 New Zealand pilot saves Scottish village Copyright 2020. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. Sunshine and pactcy clouds 16° 9° A few morning showers In May 2007 the residents of the Scottish village of Cowie gathered to unveil a memorial to Pilot Officer Carlyle Everiss – a New Zealand fighter pilot whose heroic actions saved the lives of many villagers during the Second World War. 3 October 1888 New Zealand Natives team plays first game in UK The privately organised rugby team was the first to wear the silver fern and an all-black uniform. Originally called New Zealand Maori, their name was changed after organiser and captain Joe Warbrick (Ngāti Rangitihi) and promoter Thomas Eyton added five Pākehā to strengthen the team. 4 October 1957 Morris Yock trademarks the jandal Inspired by footwear he had seen in Japan, businessman Morris Yock and his son Anthony began manufacturing this simple rubber footwear in their garage in 1957. The name ‘jandal’ combined the words ‘Japanese’ and ‘sandal’. 5 October 2011 Shipwrecked Rena spills oil into Bay of Plenty The container ship Rena astonished local mariners by grounding on the clearly marked Astrolabe Reef while approaching Tauranga Harbour. Flying the Liberian flag and under charter to the Mediterranean Shipping Company, the German-built Rena is the largest ship ever wrecked in New Zealand waters. No lives were lost, but in financial terms it was our costliestever shipwreck. 6 October 1769 Young Nick sights land Ship’s boy Nicholas Young received a gallon of rum and had a headland named after him for being the first aboard HMB Endeavour to spot land in the south-west Pacific. It was 127 years since Abel Tasman had made the first known European sighting of New Zealand. 7 October 1917 German 'Sea Devil' imprisoned in New Zealand Felix Graf von Luckner earned the epithet Der Seeteufel (the Sea Devil) for his exploits as captain of the German raider SMS Seeadler in 1916–17.The Seeadler, a converted merchant ship, sank 14 Allied ships in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between January and July 1917. Von Luckner prided himself on the effectiveness and bloodless nature of his operations; only one person died during his raids. 15° 9°
The Indian Weekender Friday, October 02, 2020 FIJI 13 Fiji Day public holiday set for Saturday The Fiji Day public holiday was gazetted for Saturday, 10th October. This has been done as per the Employment Relations (Administration) Regulations 2008. This has been highlighted by Minister for Employment Parveen Kumar due to the increased number of queries received by the Ministry on the issue. Kumar clarifies that Monday, 12th October is not a public holiday. He says workers who will be employed during the public holiday on Saturday are required to be remunerated in accordance with the minimum terms and conditions of the relevant wages regulations in force. Kumar is urging employers and workers to contact the Ministry for any clarifications. Govt doing everything possible to provide life-changing services to people: PM Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says the government is providing relief to those who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut during the COVID-19 crisis. While speaking at the Nadi District School in Bua, Bainimarama says they are ensuring life sustaining services like water and electricity are not cut off and are supporting those looking to start new businesses of their own. The Prime Minister says they are also pushing ahead with construction to provide people with jobs, all while extending life-changing services to more people. He says we will rise above this crisis and yet again, we will prove our resilience and the power of positive thinking, and we will do more than recover, we will emerge from this crisis even stronger. Bainimarama says no challenge will deter them like they have so many times before and they will deliver once again. He says Fijians are not contending with a cyclone like TC Winston today, but are still threatened by a very serious crisis which is the coronavirus pandemic. Bainimarama says Fiji acted quickly to stop the virus from spreading in our country and now, we can live with some sense of normalcy, but the economic pain of border closures and lower demand for exports all around the world have proved devastating for our economy. He says we all know someone who has lost their job or had their hours cut and someone who is having a difficult time fetching the usual prices when they bring fruits, vegetables and seafood to the market. In NZ medicinal cannabis is already legal. Vote NO to keep recreational dope illegal. Medicinal marijuana is already legal in New Zealand, but let’s keep recreational dope illegal. Vote NO to Cannabis Legalisation. SayNopeToDope.org.nz ADVERTISEMENT Authorised by SAM NZ Coalition, 28 Davies Ave, Manukau City.
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