The Indian Weekender - 17 September 2021

17SEPTEMBER2021 • VOL 13 ISSUE 28
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2 NEW ZEALAND
Friday, September 17, 2021
The Indian Weekender
Scores of Indians in New Zealand
separated from family for 18 months
IWK Exclusive
PRITI GARUDE KASTURE
Last year in November, Indian Weekender
featured the story of Rini Mohandas
Vishnu who due to the closure of New
Zealand’s border is living in India, separated
from her husband for over 300 days. The story
was published on her first wedding anniversary
and now, as she comes up to her second, her
situation remains unchanged.
Rini was granted a visa to join her NZ based
husband on March 13 last year just a few days
before borders closed for everyone except
citizens and permanent residents. Since then,
her visa has expired, and the couple have now
not met for over 500 days.
Rini is among the hundreds of Indian families
and thousands of Kiwi families who have been
stuck in a limbo due to the lack of certainty and
ineptitude of the current immigration policies.
What started as calls for kindness last year from
these families, are now turning into roars of
frustration as they seek different ways to get an
answer or just a FaceTime with relevant Labour
ministers.
Social media platforms have turned into a
source of solace and comfort for these families.
A Facebook search by Indian Weekender
revealed that there are over seven Facebook
groups with over 12,000 members that are
either looking at getting back to New Zealand,
a renewal or extension to their General Visitor
Visa (GVV), Partnership based Visitor Visa
(PVV) or Work Visa.
Hoping to make a collective impact, Rini
conducted a survey on the NZ Indian Split
Families group of over 400 members – a
population size equivalent to that of Tekapo in
the South Island of New Zealand.
According to the survey results, 85 per cent of
split families have been affected by depression,
anxiety, and stress issues not just for the people
involved in the applications but also for their
extended families, both onshore and offshore.
Many have looked for counselling sessions
to help them come to terms with the current
situation.
Over 75.8 per cent of those who responded
have been separated from their families for
more than 18 months.
–Alpa Desai, another strong voice in this
growing dissent against the government’s
muted stance on immigration policies has not
met her partner of seven years for over a year
and five months.
Like Rini, Alpa’s story was first featured
in the media in May last year. Since, then she
has barely seen any movement on her case or
consideration to her husband’s GVV renewal or
extension application.
She has been instrumental in writing a letter
to the Prime Minister, a copy of which is in
the possession of Indian Weekender, that also
includes names and circumstances of over 68
other individuals who are in a similar position.
“This situation has caused a lot of anxiety,”
she said, “because firstly we don’t have a line
of sight as to when they will open the borders.
There is so much of confusion within the
immigration staff themselves.
Nobody knows what they’re doing, to be
honest. If you go to one case officer, they’ll
give you one answer, you go to a different
case officer, they’ll give you a different
answer. There is a lot of inconsistency.”
Rini agrees with the sentiment, as when
she applied for an exemption to her visa, she
Alpa Desai and husband, Kuldeep
Bhatt before they were separated
due to NZ border closures
Alpa Desai and husband, Kuldeep Bhatt
was informed that because she had not been
living with her husband, her situation will be
considered only later after the border reopen.
She said, “For our family, it’s like we are stuck
in a video game. We are just chasing after
something, just running.”
The General Visitor Visa and
Living Together Criteria
In July this year, the government cancelled
50,000 visitor visas. Among those were
applications for partners hoping to reunite
with their loved ones under the GVV or PVV
category.
According to the NZ Indian Split families
survey, over 50 per cent of those stuck in India
were granted one of the two visas, which have
since expired.
The reasons for this high percentage of
Indians in the visitor visa category was a result
of the new culturally arranged visa announced
in 2019.
As some couples, particularly those in
arranged marriages, could not meet the criteria
of having lived together, many were left to
prove they were in a genuine relationship
through these visitor visas, which allowed the
couples to spend time together.
Since borders are currently closed for anyone
besides permanent resident and citizens, these
couples that fall under the broad category of
visitor visa are now unable to travel to meet
their partners.
Repeated attempts to extend these visas have
been in vain, as it is believed there has been
no directive to provide any concrete answers.
INZ has not been processing offshore visitor
applications since the start of the pandemic
unless applicants have been given a border
exception.
Alpa in her letter to the Prime Minister urges
the government to review the “living together”
criteria for Partnership based visas. She writes,
“We feel the criteria is highly discriminatory
"
It wasn’t that we were
expecting this pandemic,
everyone had border
closure. But at least New
Zealand has had 1.5 years to
plan this, so they must have
way a forward for family
reunification because it’s
impacting all the migrant in
the country
especially towards the Indian community
because of the fact that most marriages that take
place in the community are culturally arranged
and partners cannot live together before tying
the wedding knot; this also means majority
of the Indian married couples cannot reunite
because they will not meet this criterion.”
Rini, Alpa and other families affected by this
separation are keen to provide suggestions to
the government to expediate this process. Rini
said, “We are trying to reach the government,
that means we are expecting a fruitful decision
from their end. It wasn’t that we were expecting
this pandemic, everyone had border closure.
But at least New Zealand has had 1.5 years to
plan this, so they must have way a forward for
family reunification because it’s impacting all
the migrant in the country.”
They suggest that New Zealand allow people
who had approved visas prior to the border
closure but were now active oer expired to
enter New Zealand via EOI options. Rini said,
“In UAE, they provide visitor visa for all, and
for those with expired cases, they have created
different polices for them.
GVV doesn’t just mean a tourist visa. We
have visas that were approved dependent on
our partners status in New Zealand. So, we are
genuine partners, children, and parents and we
need justice for our expired GVV cases and for
those who are already in the queue.”
India leading vaccinations – so
why not let Indians into the
country?
This week, India’s COVID vaccination
coverage has just crossed the landmark of 750
million doses.
The World Health Organisation has
congratulated Indian for its achievement in
administering the first 100 million doses in 85
days and reaching 750 million doses from 650
million in just 13 days.
According to leading American scientist,
Dr Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School
of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston, India in collaboration
with leading global institutions has rescued the
world from the deadly COVID virus.
And despite this turn, India’s status on the
high-risk country for New Zealand has not
been reviewed since June this year. According
to the INZ, only New Zealand citizens and their
immediate family members travelling from
high-risk countries are eligible for entry to New
Zealand.
Other travelers, including New Zealand
residents, can enter only if they spend 14 days
outside a very high-risk country before their
arrival here.
Post which, people must now consider the
hassle with the MIQ vouchers.
This has left many disgruntled and feeling
discriminated.
Alpa said, “For the last few months, there
have been restrictions on PR holders who
are travelling from India, whereas India has
one of the best vaccination programs in the
world. The COVID rate is dropping, so why
isn’t the government lifting the travel ban?
Why do the PR holders have to spend two
weeks in another country before they come to
New Zealand? I feel like everything
the government is currently doing is so
discriminatory, especially towards the Indian
community.”
70% of those surveyed are now
considering leaving New Zealand
Lack of any clear timeline, or any pathway to
family reunification are the main reasons stated
in the survey for quitting on New Zealand.
The current immigration operations based
on segregation in terms of visa type, salary
criteria, and industry, has frustrated many in the
group leaving them to deal with mental health
issues – leading many to consider a better life in
countries like Canada.
Having now moved past the government’s
“be kind” mantra, Rini asked the government
to be empathetic to the situation of family’s
that have been split for over 500 days. She
said, “New Zealand cannot continue with these
COVID-19 border restrictions. It’s already
been two years, we have been away from our
family for all the occasions.
Our partner’s birthdays, our anniversaries,
Christmases and celebrations are passing on.
But in New Zealand, the leaders, they must
have their families, they must be surrounded
by them. They can›t imagine our situation,
what we are facing, so they should step into our
shoes and see what our situation is like.”
An open letter along with the survey
responses was sent to the Prime Minister along
with High Commissioner of India to New
Zealand, Muktesh Pardeshi and Bhav Dhillon,
Honorary Consul of India, who responded on
Twitter with their full support.
A tweet from the Indian High Commission
and Bhav Dhillon indicated that the Embassy
and the Indian Ministry for External Affairs
has engaged with the New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade and followed up with
regarding easing of the travel restriction from
India, especially for students and split families.

99 Mahia Road, Manurewa, Manukau City, Auckland
The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
NEW ZEALAND 3
Are we adding ‘Mean’ to our ‘Clean
& Green’ image?
IWK Exclusive
NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH
New Zealand has always been a dream
country for people who wish to
migrate. But is that dream beginning
to turn sour for many? Indian Weekender
speaks to a cross section of Kiwis to find out
what they think...
The reputation of New Zealand, as being
a clean, green and welcoming country with a
great education system, is under threat due to
its current immigration policies including the
closure of residence programme and the strict
border closure coupled with the concerns with
Managed Isolation and Quarantine system.
Be it students, business owners, tourists or
skilled workers, recent immigration policies
and border restrictions are deterring an
increasing number of people from coming to
New Zealand.
Sharing her views, National Party
immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford,
says, “Over several decades New Zealand had
a wonderful reputation of this beautiful, safe
lovely country that people would love to come
to and had the capacity of attracting highly
skilled people.
“But that reputation has now been completely
destroyed because of this Government’s
anti-immigration policy wherein there is no
pathway to residence for anyone entering
New Zealand.
"Even for those who are in the queue, there
is a wait for two-three years. It is not attractive
for the people who are already here and is
certainly putting off potentially highly skilled
migrants or students to come to New Zealand
due to the uncertainty, and that’s why they are
moving to other countries. It will be difficult to
attract them now since the reputation has got
tarnished.”
National Party immigration spokesperson Erica
Stanford
A spokesperson from Grounded Kiwis, a
network of Kiwis at home and abroad seeking
to change the MIQ system, says, “The MIQ
system has created a huge limitation for Kiwis
living at home and abroad. Our group
is contacted daily by families
who are separated across
borders, individuals who
"In
addition, since
many other countries
around the world are
almost ‘back to normal’ and
travel is becoming an option
again, people are hesitant about
moving to New Zealand for
fear of living in a place with
ongoing lockdowns and no
need to leave New
Zealand to care for or
farewell sick relatives
overseas but can’t do so
for fear they won’t be
able to get back in, and
individuals stuck overseas
in desperate situations who
can’t get home.
“We are one of the few countries
in the world to stop its citizens from returning,
even when they are jobless, homeless, separated
from family, and at risk of overstaying illegally.
Speaking to people overseas, they cannot
believe that New Zealand, a country they
admire for its kindness, is treating its citizens
ability to travel in and
out."
in this way. We have started a petition to
seek changes, and are calling on all
individuals and families impacted
by MIQ to sign.
“It is extremely tough, nearly
impossible, to enter New
Zealand at the moment, and for
many individuals, this means
they have no other option than
to go elsewhere, despite the fact
they may have family, friends,
and a job or study awaiting them in
New Zealand.
"In addition, since many other countries
around the world are almost ‘back to normal’
and travel is becoming an option again, people
are hesitant about moving to New Zealand for
fear of living in a place with ongoing lockdowns
and no ability to travel in and out.”
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4 NEW ZEALAND
Friday, September 17, 2021
The Indian Weekender
• Continued on Page 3
New Zealand has always been an
attractive destination for international
students due to the education system
it has to offer.
However, this reputation has also
got damaged.
Vikashni, a New Zealand citizen,
who is studying for a PhD and also
working as a university teaching
assistant, says, “Our universities
are highly dependent on overseas
students and the MIQ constraints,
that make it impossible for overseas
students to come to NZ, have resulted
in significant budget cuts. Unless we
quickly move to open our borders, it
is my view that the current policies
will have long term damage for the
reputation of New Zealand as an
education destination.”
Migrant Sanjay Sharma, says, “I
have been living in NZ for six years,
but I have never seen the image of
New Zealand going so down.
"No one wants to come here
especially high skilled people and
students because of unfavourable
immigration policies and uncertainty
of their future.
“This government seems
to be mean and not thinking
about migrants.
"I tried convincing my brother,
who is an IT professional, to move
to New Zealand, but he decided
to move to Canada as he feels the
immigration policies are favourable
for migrants there, and his future will
be safe there.”
Immigration experts, too, think
that the global image of New Zealand
has got adversely impacted.
Immigration Law Specialist
Alastair McClymont
Immigration Law Specialist
Alastair McClymont says, “Initially,
New Zealand gained a lot of
favourable media attention around
the world for our elimination
strategy, but the gradual re-opening
of normal life in most other countries
whilst New Zealand languishes
near the bottom of the world in
vaccination rates, and the pursuit of
an elimination strategy which has
increasingly become unsustainable
in the eyes of the world media, is now
drawing international attention to
failings in the government strategy.
“The government’s focus on the
Team of 5 million has done much to
alienate the 1 million Kiwis who live
and work offshore.
"These 1 million now feel
increasing forgotten, and dismissed,
with the failings in the MIQ system,
and their inability to return home, a
fundamental human and civil right
enshrined in international law.”
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He further adds, “In conjunction
with this, New Zealand’s labour
shortages and strong antimigrant
government policies are
discouraging many skilled migrants
from consideration of New Zealand
as a destination for migration. New
Zealand’s low international pay rates
contribute to our inability to fill the
demand for skilled workers.”
Immigration lawyer Aaron
Martin says, “A collateral damage is
Immigration lawyer Aaron Martin
occurring to New Zealand’s global
image. I regularly speak with medical
professionals in other countries,
including UK and Europe, and they
are honestly dismayed at how we are
handling the border restrictions.
“The disappointment is because
we haven’t got our act together as
a country. The perception is that we
set back basking in our government’s
glory, but our government hasn’t
done anything with the time they
IWK BUREAU/ MINISTRY OF
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
had on their times - for example
- they did not increase ICU
beds or expanded MIQ facility.
Moreover, the vaccine rollout has
been so slow. The government t
could have done better.
“People don’t want to come to New
Zealand when there is no pathway to
residence. High skilled professionals
– be it in healthcare, construction
or IT – don’t feel NZ needs skills
as it doesn’t have a functional
residence programme.
"Why, on the earth, we are not
doing anything to attract high skilled
workers? Globally it seems, New
Zealand didn’t close the border
because of the Covid pandemic
but because it doesn’t want
foreigners here.”
However, immigration adviser
and former immigration minister
Tuariki Delamere is cautiously
hopeful. Though he acknowledges
the management of immigration by
the Government has been appalling,
he says it is unlikely to have any long
term lasting adverse impact on New
Zealand’s global image or reputation.
“My biggest criticism of this
Government is that they have their
priorities very wrong when it comes
to who they allow travelling to New
Zealand under the covid-19 critical
purpose criteria.
"I believe it is immoral and
unethical for the Government to
allow in non-critical people like
the Wiggles, like The Lion King
performers, rich billionaires with
yachts and servants, international
sports teams, and claiming these
people are more important and have
While Alert Level 4 lockdown in
Auckland continues to bring
uncertainty, the Ministry of Social
Development (MSD) is supporting employers
to fill 300 plus jobs that are available right now
for job seekers in the Auckland area.
These are jobs that can be filled right now at
Alert Level 4.
Auckland Central Regional Commissioner
Mark Goldsmith said the jobs were a positive
reality amidst the many challenges of being in
Alert Level 4.
“Since level 4 lockdown, our MSD
employment teams have been working hard
and the Auckland team have placed 454 clients
into employment, across construction, admin
support services, retail and manufacturing.
“The team has done an exceptional job
stepping up to the plate working across 7 days
to ensure that New Zealanders are supported
during this period of Covid.
Right now, there’s over 300 jobs ready to be
filled at level 4, and another 250 odd jobs to
be filled when alert levels shift. We’re working
with employers and getting job seekers
into jobs.”
Jobs that are ready to be filled now during
level 4 are primarily across security, seasonal
agriculture, business support, customer services
and transport. If you are a job seeker interested
in applying for one of these vacancies, contact
0800 779 009.
Employer Support
There’s other support that the Ministry of
Social Development can provide too.
MSD also has support mechanisms in place
greater priority than, for example,
reuniting families of persons working
in New Zealand as skilled workers.
Frankly, that attitude is disgusting.
Having said that, when we do open
our borders, there will almost
certainly be no shortage of persons
wanting to migrate to New Zealand.”
Moving forward, it seems a lot
needs to be done by this Government
to restore the damage done to New
Zealand’s global image.
"
We need to restore
our international
reputation by opening
EOIs pool and fasttracking
of all residence
applications that are
in the queue. I also
recommend that all
people on ESW should
have a pathway to
residence
“We need to restore our
international reputation by opening
EOIs pool and fast-tracking of all
residence applications that are in
the queue. I also recommend that
all people on ESW should have a
pathway to residence.
"We have the biggest labour
shortage, and we need them here
right now. We need to make sure they
stay here rather than going to other
countries like Canada or UK. MIQ
is a complete mess. There should be
increased spaces. We need to gear
up,” signs off Erica.
Watch our video interviews on
(link)
MSD has 500+ jobs in Auckland
region ready to be filled
"
The team has done an
exceptional job stepping
up to the plate working across
7 days to ensure that New
Zealanders are supported
during this period of Covid
for employers with wage subsidies, Covid-19
leave support schemes, Covid-19 short term
absence payment, and employment support.
Wage subsidy support has extended to
echo the extended lock-down period with
applications opened on Friday 3 September for
a second round of payment.
Are you an employer who needs staff
now? MSD can also help you; we have an
employment line (0800 778 008) which you can
call and our team can help you out.
Reduced hours
If people are facing reduced hours during this
lockdown, MSD may be able to help with some
essential costs such as: food, accommodation
costs (rent, mortgage, board), power, gas and
water bills or heating, medical and dental costs.
Get an instant answer on whether you may
be eligible for any of the above products and
services at check.msd.govt.nz

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
NEW ZEALAND 5
Takeaways should be allowed in
Level 4 to keep Kiwis well fed
IWK Exclusive
SANDEEP SINGH
Could allowing New Zealand restaurants
to operate takeaways in a safe and
contactless manner under Alert level
4 boost public morale to endure longer
lockdowns?
Public morale, like an individual’s willpower,
is a finite resource that tends to get dissipated
if not nurtured properly through a multitude of
techniques and approaches.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in
announcing the cabinet’s decision to extend
Auckland’s Alert level 4 lockdown by another
week on Monday, September 13, has surely
done her part as the leader of the nation –
acknowledging Aucklanders for making
sacrifices to help in containing and getting over
the Delta outbreak, and reminding them that the
job was still not finished, and more efforts were
required from them.
Ardern’s persuasive and emphatic appeal
would certainly have lifted many a drooping
shoulder and assuaged anxious minds within
the members of the public and have given a
new sense of purpose to further endure another
week of Alert Level 4 lockdown.
The accompanying tactical announcement of
Auckland moving into Alert Level 3 after 11.59
p.m. Tuesday, September 21, would further
give hope to many more as they can begin
to see the light at the end of the tunnel and
imagine in their minds of gaining some kind of
freedom, back.
This announcement of the extension of Alert
Level 4 lockdown was certainly different than
the last such announcement about two weeks
ago when Ardern had delivered the cabinet’s
decision to extend lockdown almost openendedly,
without suggesting any possible
further assurance of moving alert levels down
anytime soon.
So, there was clearly more hope on offer, than
what was available about two weeks ago when
the Delta outbreak was far from contained and
the numbers of infections in the community
were rising unabatedly.
It is different on this occasion, when Delta
though contained, public health officials are
dealing with a long tail of the outbreak which
continues to see numbers of infections coming
in double digits.
Yet, Ardern’s announcement reveals that the
government would consider moving Auckland
into Alert Level 3 soon.
Clearly the role of public morale in enduring
longer lockdowns is coming into play.
Lockdowns can be mentally tough,
draining, and exhaustive for a vast segment
of the population, especially those who
have not experienced any restrictions on
freedom for decades.
In that regard, allowing restaurants to operate
takeaways in a safe and contactless manner,
fully complying with public health safety goals
could surely uplift the mood of Aucklanders
(and the nation) and add up their resolve to
endure longer lockdowns.
Buying food from outside and taking home to
eat with family and friends – takeaways – have
historically enhanced people’s sense of general
well-being, creating an unmistakable sense
of exhilaration and elation - signs of living in
good times.
A brief foray into the history of New
Zealand’s culinary scene will reveal how
the culture of dining-out began to develop in
the period between the 1950s-60s – a period
coinciding with the exalted sense of hope and
anticipation – following decades of despair and
gloom that characterised the great wars of the
twentieth century.
In the past thirty years, takeaways have
become more important than ever before in
New Zealand’s culinary scene with people
preferring to buy exotic foods cooked by
professional chefs, and eating in the comfort
of their own homes (and other places outside
restaurants) – thereby accentuating the sense of
contentment and elation that comes from eating
outside cooked food.
More recently when New Zealanders
were allowed out of Alert Level 4 lockdown
restrictions (April 2020 and September 2021
when the rest of NZ moved out of Alert Level
4) most of us had celebrated with takeaways of
our favourite food, before getting the ability to
dine out altogether.
Even Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shared
her sense of exhilaration for Wellington’s move
into Alert Level 3 with a takeaway coffee.
Clearly, there is something wired in
our contemporary human minds that
finds the experience of eating out and
takeaways fascinating, liberating, and shall I
say “therapeutic.”
The long lines seen in front of the deli section
of some supermarkets with permission to serve
hot foods, every time one manages to enter
them after struggling through the lines outside
the stores under current Alert Level 4 lockdown
would suffice how much New Zealanders love
the opportunity to eat outside cooked food.
The outside cooked food as humble as a
Kiwi pie or the unfanciful fried chicken and
chips is getting out of proportionate respect
from desperate takeaway hunters - as we may
call them in absence of better words – during
the current level of restrictions under the Alert
Level 4 lockdown in Auckland.
So, what if New Zealanders can be given
some “additional” freedom than what they
are getting right now - of having the ability to
purchase a variety of takeaway foods without
compromising public health safety goals – in
lieu of enduring longer lockdowns to get on top
of Covid outbreaks.
Some may find such a suggestion
preposterous, outright offensive, and even
purported to defeat the government’s overall
elimination strategy in managing the tricky
Covid-19 virus.
What
bewilders
Kiwis though is why
the government can allow
superettes and dairy stores
to operate in a “high-trust”
model of letting one customer in
at a time, whereas not showing
enough trust on the restaurants
to sell “takeaways” in a
However, that’s
not the intention
here.
Instead, the goal is
contactless
manner.
to add some imagination,
and potentially enrich, the
government’s static view on lockdowns.
Right now, what this government has got
is a very restrictive view of lockdowns, and
an arbitrary definition of “essential services,”
that deserves continuous probing despite the
government’s self-adulation on how it is being
currently managed.
While most New Zealanders fully understand
the experiences from overseas, where opening
up of dining-out restaurants without fully
achieving either the elimination of Covid-19
virus or complete vaccination of the population
has resulted in a spike in the number of cases
and overwhelming their respective public
health systems.
What bewilders Kiwis though is why the
government can allow superettes and dairy
stores to operate in a “high-trust” model of
letting one customer in at a time, whereas not
showing enough trust on the restaurants to sell
“takeaways” in a contactless manner.
For that matter, other small businesses such
as butchers, greengrocers and others
are also longing for similar kind of
minimal freedom to commercially
operate to survive the grim
economic fallout of complete
lockdowns.
However, the potential
“therapeutic” benefit takeaways
might be able to offer Kiwis
struggling to cope with acute
restrictions on their freedoms, might
be able to add some more resolve to
endure lockdowns and further augment the
overall goal of the elimination strategy.
Simultaneously, such a move will likely give
the desperately struggling food and hospitality
industry some hope of surviving, in spite of
lockdowns, without compromising the larger
public health safety goals.

6 NEW ZEALAND
Kiwi Indians have their say on
Auckland staying at Level 4
NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH
Auckland has been in alert level 4 since
August 17 due to it being the epicentre
of the current Covid-19 delta outbreak
in New Zealand.
On September 12, 20 new community cases
got announced, and all were in Auckland.
Eight of them had not yet got linked to the
Delta outbreak.
It followed 23 new cases on Saturday, 10 of
which were infectious while in the community
and had created 40 exposure events.
The number of total community cases in
the current community outbreak is 922. As of
September 12, there are 599 active cases of
COVID-19 in New Zealand, including 569
community cases that are currently being
managed.
On the other side, as of September 9, 4,163,418
doses of vaccine had been administered across
New Zealand.
While 66 % of the eligible population had its
first dose, 33 % had both doses.
While the rest of New Zealand is
currently at Alert Level 2, the government
is due to consider an alert level move today
(September 13).
We ask Aucklanders whether Auckland,
which is also known as City of Sails, should
continue to remain on level 4 or not?
Here’s what they have to say:
Gurpreet Singh Pruthi: I feel this lockdown
should be extended at least for a week in
Auckland so that we can see how many more
cases are coming up.
Once the number of cases starts decreasing
and eventually reach zero, we should get back
to our normal lives.
I understand that we all go through a financial
crisis during lockdown but saving lives is
crucial at this point in time. And unfortunately,
extending lockdown seems to be the right option
at this stage.
Gurpreet Kaur: I feel this lockdown should
not get extended. People have been struggling
and suffering a lot financially, especially those
who work in small businesses that are currently
closed.
People are also suffering a lot mentally,
especially those who are living alone. I believe
we should not go ahead with the lockdown.
Vikas Gaur: Auckland should stay at alert
level 4 minimum for a week as the government
is not well planned at the moment.
Aotearoa New Zealand
It’s your time to get vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccinations are now open for everyone 12 years
and over. They’re completely free and are one of the most
powerful tools against COVID-19.
Friday, September 17, 2021
There are still mystery cases in the community
that is worrisome. Moreover, the government
had a lot of time to vaccinate people, but it
failed. And now everyone is paying the price
for the same.
Sanjay Gupta: I feel the government should
bring Auckland to level 2.
Let the businesses open. Let people lead
their normal life. Countries worldwide are
opening up, and we can’t be in lockdown.
Let there be normalcy.
Worldwide vaccinations are happening
and countries are getting back to normal, and
I believe the same should happen in New
Zealand.
Punit Punni: I think alert level 4 needs to
get extended in Auckland for another week.
Because then, everyone will stay at home, and
the risk of Covid 19 spreading in the community
will be less.
Disabled
population
urgently needs
Covid plan
The Indian Weekender
Govt parks expiry
of licenses, WoFs
and regos
IWK BUREAU
As a result of the Delta outbreak, driver
licences, Warrants of Fitness (WoFs),
Certificates of Fitness (CoFs), vehicle
licences (‘regos’) and licence endorsements
that expired on or after 21 July 2021 will be
valid until 30 November 2021, Transport
Minister Michael Wood has announced on
September 10.
“While this extension won’t officially be in
force until next Wednesday, I wanted to provide
certainty to the public and industry that we have
heard their concerns”, Mr Wood said.
“Like last year’s extension, we’re providing
this extension to give certainty to the public that
they won’t be issued infringement notices for
using their vehicles appropriately during higher
Alert Levels.
“Lockdown is stressful. People shouldn’t
have to worry about getting fined for having
a recently expired WoF if driving to access
essential services or as an essential worker.
“It’s still the driver’s responsibility to keep
their vehicle roadworthy and I urge everyone to
regularly check their vehicle is safe.
"We’re asking drivers before they set off, to
give it a TWIRL – check your tyres, windscreen,
wipers, mirrors, indicators, look for rust, and
test your lights.
“Drivers still need to be medically fit to drive,
comply with relevant restrictions and conditions
on their licence and obey all road rules. Any
licence suspensions and disqualifications will
also continue to apply.
“For people who reside outside of Auckland,
I’d encourage them to check their WoFs or
CoFs are up-to-date as these can be renewed at
Alert Levels Two and Three.
"Driver licensing and testing facilities will
open under Alert Level Two. People with tests
already booked will be rescheduled to the
earliest possible test once services resume.
National’s Disability Issues spokesperson Penny Simmonds
Book your vaccination today
To book online, go to BookMyVaccine.nz
and follow the simple steps to book both
doses. It will take about 5 minutes to book
your two appointments. Just choose the
location, dates and times you prefer.
You can also book for you and your family
by calling the COVID vaccination healthline
on 0800 28 29 26 from 8am – 8pm,
7 days a week.
• If you speak a language
other than English, please
ask for an interpreter.
• Someone else can book
for you, and you can take
a support person to your
appointment.
• You don’t have to be a
New Zealand citizen or
resident. As long as you’re
in New Zealand, you can
book yourself in.
IWK BUREAU
The country’s disabled population
urgently needs a Covid plan, with
barriers to getting tested and vaccinated
disadvantaging the community, National’s
Disability Issues spokesperson Penny
Simmonds says.
“Our disabled population cannot continue
to be left out of the vaccination and testing
programmes in this country.
“Almost one-in-four Kiwis identifies as
living with a disability, yet there’s a massive
gap in our vaccination and Covid-testing
options.
“The disabled appear to be the forgotten New
Zealanders of this pandemic,” the Member of
Parliament from Invercargill says.
“A lack of public transport to and from
vaccination points, long periods waiting in
queues and busy, over-stimulating environments
just aren’t suitable for many disabled people.
“Barriers to getting our disabled
population vaccinated and tested means we
have a significant number of people in our
communities, often with compromised health,
in an incredibly vulnerable situation.
“Disability advocates have also told me that
many isolation facilities are just not accessible
to the disabled, and with carers not allowed in
to provide people with support, I’m hearing that
disabled people in the community are fearful of
getting tested.
“Alternatives for vaccinations, such as
priority queues to shorten wait times and the
provision of quiet spaces just haven’t been
implemented, despite requests from disability
advocates.
“A mobile unit which can go into the
homes of people who can’t physically get to
vaccination centres also needs to be established
and saliva testing should be made available as
soon as possible.
“Our disabled population cannot continue to
be left out of the vaccination and testing rollout
– the risks are just too high.”

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
NEW ZEALAND 7
NZ’s average property
value reaches $1M
ONEROOF
Te reo proverbs and
sayings in Hindi
New Zealand house prices have
reached a new milestone, with the
national average property value
hitting $1 million for the first time. New
figures from OneRoof and its data partner
Valocity show the typical cost of a property
across New Zealand increased 4.9% in the
last three months and increased 27% since
September 2020.
The doubling of the national average
property value in less than a decade will
put further pressure on first home buyers,
and many may see deposit requirements
pushed up to $200,000 - more than three
times the average annual wage.
OneRoof editor Owen Vaughan said:
“The figures show the extent of the house
price surge after the first Covid lockdown
last year and raise concerns that measures
aimed at slowing house price growth are
not working fast enough. House-hunters
are now spending about $213,000 more
than they did a year ago on the typical
home.”
He said much of the national growth has
been fuelled by price jumps of more than
30% in Gisborne, Manawatu-Whanganui,
Wellington, Hawke’s Bay and Bay of
Plenty.
“The acceleration in house prices
has seen Wellington and Tauranga join
Auckland and Queenstown-Lakes in the
$1,000,000 club, with Hamilton, Napier,
Hastings, Nelson and Whangarei not far
behind,” he said.
“It’s amazing to think that the average
property value for all of New Zealand has
hit one million less than 20 years since the
country recorded its first million dollar
suburb and Auckland became the first
million dollar city,” said Vaughan.
Auckland remains the most expensive
place to buy property, Vaughan said, with
the city recording an average property
value of $1.415m (up 24% on last year)
while West Coast is New Zealand’s
most affordable housing market, with an
average property value of $353,000.
Despite the price increases, firsthome
buyers’ share of new mortgage
registrations over the year has held steady
at around 40%, Vaughan said.
“But the surge has meant that buyers
searching now would need to stump up
$50,000 more for a 20% deposit than those
purchasing this time last year.”
The price growth is taking place against
a backdrop of a slowdown in listings and
sales volumes, and expectations that prices
will jump further once the country is fully
out of lockdown and buyers try to secure
a home before expected interest rates rise.
Nationally, there were 6% fewer
homes available for sale in August month
compared to July and 36% fewer listings
than in August 2020.
The monthly drop in new listings was
even sharper, with the number of new
properties coming to market last month
down nearly 19% on the month before.
“Interest in property had surged
during the Covid lockdown, with visits
to OneRoof in the last month up almost
10% on the month before,” said Chief of
OneRoof Paul Maher.
“Covid hasn’t curbed Kiwis’ appetite for
property. In fact, the opposite is true. Most
buyers and sellers will be well aware of
what happened to prices after the country
came out of the last national lockdown.
“The fact that readership of our property
news and housing market insights over the
lockdown has jumped 25% on the month
before shows Kiwis want to stay updated
and are hungry to know more about what’s
happening in these uncertain times,” said
Maher.
IWK BUREAU
The Indian High Commission in New Zealand has
embarked on a project to publish a book of 75 Te Reo
proverbs, sayings and phrases in Hindi and English.
The announcement came earlier this week, which is
celebrated as Maori Language Week in New Zealand. This is
a first-of-a-kind initiative by the Indian High Commission.
The project is a part of the worldwide celebrations of India’s
seventy-fifth anniversary of independence celebrations,
called “Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” Hindi for “Seventy-fifth
Anniversary Celebrations”.
The event is being celebrated throughout the year with
events dotting calendar 2021-22 across the world and in
New Zealand. The compilation of the book is expected to be
complete some time next year during the yearlong celebrations
of the seventy-fifth anniversary of India’s independence.

8 NEW ZEALAND
Friday, September 17, 2021
The Indian Weekender
Government urged to buy ‘game
changer’ Covid-19 drug treatment
JORDAN BOND , RNZ
The government is being
asked to quickly approve
and buy a type of drug that
can fire up the immune system of
people already sick from Covid-19,
as well as reduce deaths and time
spent in hospital.
Different from vaccines,
monoclonal antibodies boost
immunity to help prevent people
becoming severely ill from
the disease.
Already approved in Europe, the
US and Australia, they are being
labelled a “game changer” for at-risk
populations.
In July, the Ministry of Health
referenced one as promising but, as
yet, there’s been no approval from
Medsafe and no buying by Pharmac.
There are two major monoclonal
antibodies (Mabs) used for Covid:
Regen-Cov (manufactured by
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) and
Sotrovimab (by GlaxoSmithKline).
University of Otago professor Kurt
Krause, an infectious diseases doctor,
said Regen-Cov has been shown to
be safe and effective, and it’s highly
likely Sotrovimab is too.
“This is just a game changer...
It’s extremely important that we
acquire this as soon as possible,”
Krause said.
The Ministry of Health wrote in
a July update that Regen-Cov was
“showing promise”, and referenced
a “well-designed, phase three,
randomised controlled” (yet nonpeer
reviewed) trial which said:
“Treatment with Regen-Cov was
well-tolerated and significantly
reduced Covid-19-related
hospitalisation or all-cause death,
rapidly resolved symptoms, and
reduced viral load.”
Scientists are not claiming the
shot would replace a vaccine, rather
it would add more protection,
complementary to a vaccine.
A trial published in the New
England Journal of Medicine
found Regen-Cov, made up by a
combination of two antibodies, was
safe and effective, and reduced both
infection and symptoms.
“Subcutaneous Regen-Cov
prevented symptomatic Covid-19
and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2
infection in previously uninfected
household contacts of infected
persons. Among the participants
A special day for women in NZ
politics
NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH
September 13 holds a special
significance in New Zealand’s political
history. Forty years after women in
New Zealand received the right to vote in
1893, the Labour Party’s Elizabeth McCombs
became New Zealand’s first female Member
of Parliament on this date 13 September in the
year 1933.
She won a by-election in the Lyttelton seat
caused by the death of her husband, James
McCombs. While husband James had only
won by a narrow margin in 1931, she achieved
a majority of 2600 votes. During her time
in Parliament, McCombs tried to highlight
women’s issues at the forefront.
It may be noted that although New Zealand
women had won the right to vote in 1893 they
were not allowed to stand for Parliament until
1919.
The women representation in NZ Parliament
has come a long way since then.
In the current 53rd New Zealand
Parliament, which is headed by women
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, out of the 120
current members of parliament, 59 (49.2%)
are women—the highest number since women
were first allowed to stand for Parliament
in 1919.
Out of them, 36 are from the Labour party,
10 are from the National party and 7 represent
the Green Party.
Interestingly, currently, the youngest
Member of Parliament in New Zealand is also
a 26-year-old woman named Chlöe Charlotte
Swarbrick.
It is a matter of pride that New Zealand has
the highest rate of female MPs in the OECD.
Compare this with other OECD nations:
United Kingdom: Currently, there are 222
women in the House of Commons, the highest
ever at 34%
Australia: Out of the current 151 members
of the House of Representatives, 47 are
women (31.1 per cent)
Canada: Of the 338 member House of
Commons, 100 are women (29.6%)
USA: Out of the total 432, 119 women are
currently in the House of Representatives,
accounting for 27.6% of the total.
"
I do know that there
is a medication that
was approved in the
UK a couple of weeks
ago and an application
is with Medsafe,
that was put in quite
quickly, and is going
through their process
at the moment
who became infected, Regen-Cov
reduced the duration of symptomatic
disease and the duration of a high
viral load,” the NEJM article stated.
Various US states have reported
success in preventing serious illness.
For example yesterday South
Carolina health officials estimated
the treatment has prevented 200
deaths and 2000 hospitalisations in
the state alone.
“It is remarkable how effective
monoclonal antibodies can be in
preventing progression of Covid-19
to severe disease. Keeping people
at increased risk of severe disease
out of the hospital,” Assistant State
Epidemiologist Dr. Jane Kelly said.
There are currently 22 people
in New Zealand hospitals with
Covid-19. One woman, in her 90s,
died earlier this month, the only
death of this current outbreak.
RNZ has been asking the Ministry
of Health for the last two weeks
about monoclonal antibodies but did
not receive a response.
Dr Krause said he’s personally
contacted the government about it,
and so have others in the field.
“I’ve written [to] the government
to try find out where we are in the
process with these monoclonal
antibodies, and I haven’t got any
word back.
"I’ve also got colleagues that I
know have written to the government.
[The evidence is] convincing enough
that I’d like to get some movement
on this.”
Following a potential exposure
event - such as the Middlemore
Hospital exposures - Krause
said contacts could have been
quickly given a shot which would
reduce their chance of developing
severe illness.
“Where if you’ve got a localised
outbreak you can go in, interview all
the people, give them the injection,
and you’d block the risk of them
becoming infected by over 80
percent,” Krause said.
Generally the monoclonal
antibodies (Mabs) are not required
for healthy people who are not at
added risk of serious illness from
Covid-19. They are targeted towards
older people or those with other
added risk factors, such as asthma,
kidney or lung disease, obesity or
diabetes.
Australia approved one of them,
Sotrovimab, and had it in the country
ready to use in mid-August.
“The sotrovimab treatment requires
a single dose to be administered
through an intravenous (IV) infusion
in a health care facility and has been
shown to reduce hospitalisation or
death by 79 percent in adults with
mild to moderate Covid-19, who
are at risk of developing severe
Covid-19,” Health Minister Greg
Hunt said.
Director-General of Health
Dr Ashley Bloomfield said
yesterday Medsafe is considering
one of the Mabs.
“I do know that there is a
medication that was approved in
the UK a couple of weeks ago and
an application is with Medsafe, that
was put in quite quickly, and is going
through their process at the moment,”
Bloomfield said.
A medicine cannot be approved
without an application from the
manufacturer, Bloomfield added.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
said, while they are looking at
treatments, they are no replacement
for the vaccine which everyone
should still get.
Spike in investment scam complaints since COVID
IWK BUREAU
The Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
– Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko – is warning
New Zealanders to be on the lookout for
three unique types of scams that have been on
the rise since the start of COVID-19.
The warning comes as the FMA responds to a
rise in complaints about investment scams and
fraud lodged with the regulator in the first half of
this year – up 79% on the same period in 2020.
From January to June 2021, the FMA received
158 complaints about investment scams and
fraud – up 79% on the 88 complaints received
during the same period in 2020, when the
pandemic began, and up 49% on the 106
complaints in the first half of 2019.
As a result, from January to June 2021, the
FMA issued 36 public warnings about suspected
scams and other non-compliant entities – up
29% on the 28 warnings issued during the same
period in 2020, and up 80% the 20 issued in the
first half of 2019.
In particular, since the start of the pandemic,
the FMA has noted a rise in three new types of
scams:
Social media contact scams: scammers using
social media platforms to identify and/or make
contact with possible victims – friending and
messaging them, asking questions or making
suggestions in post comments, conducting fake
surveys.
Romance-investment hybrid scams: targeting
prospective victims on popular dating apps,
winning people’s trust with sophisticated backstories
and accomplices, before convincing
victims to transfer money overseas to buy
supposed investments.
Impostor websites: using the names, logos,
addresses, certifications and other details of
legitimate NZ businesses, to fool investors
that the website and/or its managers are part
of, or associated with, the legitimate business.
Two recent examples included scammers
impersonating Kiwifruit company Zespri and
derivatives issuer Rockfort Markets. Liam
Mason, FMA General Counsel, said scammers
are taking advantage of the pandemic crisis
either by using COVID-19 as part of their
pitch, or using the economic climate to prey on
peoples’ fears and desires.
“Scammers are constantly looking to evolve
their approach and this treacherous trio of scams
can be sophisticated, the red flags are not always
obvious. Scammers want to be believed and are
willing to play the long game to gain your trust
over several months,” he said.
“We strongly encourage New Zealanders to
only deal with locally-registered entities and if
you see an investment opportunity, step back
and ask yourself if this is real. Don’t be rushed,
be sceptical and ask lots of questions.”
Mr Mason said some of the signs of a scam
included little or no information in writing,
asking for payments via unusual platforms,
continually requesting money and exerting
pressure. More information about how to spot
investment scams can be found on the FMA
website.

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
NEW ZEALAND 9
Unconscious bias: Pākehā granted name
suppression three times as often as Māori
TE ANIWA HURIHANGANUI, RNZ
An Auckland couple who breached lockdown to go to Wānaka have
thrown name suppression into the spotlight. RNZ can now reveal
startling statistics about suppression.
William Willis and Hannah Rawnsley, now known as ‘The Wānaka
couple’, only had name suppression for the briefest time, before they let it
lapse and apologised for breaching Auckland’s Covid-19 lockdown and
heading south. But it was enough to make name suppression a talking point.
Now, RNZ can reveal that Pākehā are granted name suppression three
times as often as Māori, even though Māori are charged and convicted with
more crimes.
Last year, Māori were charged with 43 percent of crimes but only
accounted for 17 percent of the interim and final name suppression granted,
an RNZ analysis shows.
Pākehā were charged with 36 percent of crimes, but accounted for 65
percent of interim and final name suppression, Ministry of Justice figures
show.
These figures do not include automatic name suppression granted to protect
the identity of victims.
Auckland criminal lawyer Fletcher Pilditch said it seemed to be easier
for certain types of people to convince a judge that being publicly identified
would cause them extreme hardship.
“You’ve got to establish a hardship beyond the hardship that is ordinarily
associated with being identified as a person who is facing criminal charges
before the court. There’s no hard and fast rules about what extreme hardship
might look like but often the grounds relate to the ability of the person to
continue in some form of employment or professional capacity,” he said.
“Tragically, many Māori offenders appearing before the court are coming
from a background of hardship and challenge and deprivation. I don’t see that
as triggering the sort of consideration that courts normally consider when they
consider extreme hardship.”
Pilditch has represented many Māori clients and questioned whether the
courts were culturally competent enough to understand the significance of a
Māori defendant’s reputation within their whānau or wider whānau network.
“I don’t know whether the [extreme hardship] test is being applied to take
into account questions of mana and how your own whānau or hapū are going
to respond to these allegations, and your feelings about that being known
within the wider group.
Photo: RNZ / Vinay Ranchhod
“If your offending is a product of coming from that impoverished
environment and having all of those challenges in life, then you’re unlikely to
be a person who also has the sort of reputation and standing that needs to be
protected with name suppression.”
The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on unsuccessful name
suppression applications so it is impossible to tell whether Māori are applying
at the same rate as other ethnicities and being turned down, or are applying
less.
University of Canterbury Dean of Law professor Ursula Cheer said the
figures should be explored.
“I think there’s a good place for some more work to be done in this area
by some good criminal justice researchers.” It was possible the statistics
indicated bias was at play, she said.
“In theory, of course, they shouldn’t be biased, but wherever a judge has an
ability to exercise discretion, it is arguable [there can be bias].”
Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann doubted the disparity reflected a bias by
judges, but she would not rule it out.
“As a judicial leader I can’t overlook the possibility it also reflects
unconscious bias on the part of the judiciary and for that reason we educate
judges to try to address that. We have to really strive as judges to be
consciously impartial as we sit in judgement and that requires us to know
about our own weaknesses.”
She accepted that wider societal factors could not be ignored and may be
contributing to the disparity.
“The person comes into the courtroom with all sorts of disadvantages.
They may carry with them previous convictions, they may not be in a job, not
have a family relationship, all the sort of things that are taken into account in
name suppression.”
Quentin Duff, a Māori barrister from Auckland, had confidence in the
integrity of judges and their decision-making.
He agreed with Winkelmann that bias or prejudice are probably not major
factors in the disparity.
“My experience with the judges that sit there is that they’re colour blind
and apply interim suppression in the interest of justice,” he said.
“The courts apply that extreme hardship standard pretty harshly. It’s not an
easy threshold for anybody to meet, quite frankly.”
Cheer said it was also possible the statistics reflected inequities in access to
quality legal representation.
“It takes a tenacious and really strong lawyer to keep arguing about
suppression. Suppressions are supposed to be granted exceptionally, they’re
not meant to be granted easily. So you do have to make good strong cases to
get them.
“Having access to a good lawyer, and being able to pay a good lawyer to
do that for you is obviously an advantage. So the ability of a defendant to
get a good lawyer and pay that good lawyer is relevant and may impact on
whether you get a successful order or not.” Pākehā are more likely to be able
to afford a private lawyer because they earn more income on average than
Māori. A 2018 study on income disparities found at every age Māori received
a much lower average income than the general population. Māori aged 40 to
60 earned $10,000 less a year than their non-Māori counterparts.
The report said the disparity existed in part because one third of the
working age Māori population have no qualifications and over half have
lower skilled jobs.
Name suppression rules were tightened in 2011 following public anger that
it had been granted to a raft of well-known figures and celebrities.
Pitcher said far fewer people had been granted name suppression since, but
the demographic of successful applicants remained unchanged.
“So the test was elevated to extreme hardship to make it really difficult to
get name suppression, but when you look at the cases it’s still sports people,
celebrities, people with standings. It seems to be the same cohort of people
getting name suppression, albeit there’s less of them.”
- Data analysis by Farah Hancock
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10 NEW ZEALAND
Friday, September 17, 2021
Reporters Diary from Christchurch and Wellington
Spending time outdoors is great
therapy for wellbeing
The Indian Weekender
SILKY SHARMA
Jibby Isaac is an influencer, a fulltime social
worker, mother of two beautiful boys, a
radio jockey with Jalsa Fiji Radio and the
founder of JIBS Hiking Group. How does Jibby
pack so much into her life? Indian Weekender’s
Christchurch correspondent Silky Sharma finds
out.
When you meet her Jibby always greets you
with her absolutely beautiful smile.
“This smile wasn’t always there, there was
a time when I’d lost it,” Jibby says. “I juggled
through a bad time where I wasn’t sure where
life was taking me, where my mental health was
wobbly and I was caught up between counselling
sessions, prescribed pills for anxiety and
depression.”
Life is never easy for anyone. But it is one’s
attitude to face and deal with what life throws at
you that really counts. Everyone has their own
way of coping and coming to terms. Jibby’s was
to be close to nature, be immersed in its beauty.
“With time I realised the best therapy I had was
getting close to Nature. We all must have heard
that Nature is the best healer and perks to it is that
its free of cost.
When asked about the idea behind her Hiking
HIMANSHU CHOURASIA
Wellington based Ekta NZ Inc, a fouryear-old
not-for-profit organisation
has been working for for the
welfare and wellbeing of needy people in New
Zealand’s capital city.
Every Saturday, they fail they donate free
food for whoever that needs it at different
locations and at different times.
Besides being not-for-profit, Ekta NZ is
an apolitical and non-denominational charity
incorporated in July 2017.
They started off in 2018 with their “The
Guru Nanak Free Kitchen Wellington Service”
providing free and cooked meals, fruit, tea/
coffee every Saturday afternoon from 4:30 to
5:30pm in busy Courtenay Place for the needy.
They are self-funded and rely on kindhearted
Kiwis to sponsor a meal.
Started with 50 meals in 2018 (Courtney
Place), it turned to 100 meals in 2019 and 250
meals weekly since 2020 (Courtney Place,
Porirua, and Lower Hutt).
They also run an ethnic food bank in
Wellington, every Saturday from 10:30am to
12:00pm at St Peter’s Church.
Ekta NZ’s four founder members and
multiple volunteers work to serve the
community with great dedication.
They divide their roles, with Sunita Musa
coordinating meals around the city area,
responsible for taking care of the finance and
paying bills and processing orders.
Abhishek Sharma (who runs Porirua Food
Distribution) and Manjit (Lower Hutt) assist
her. Karishmeeta Shandil leads the Ethinic
food bank activities with Manjit Grewal.
Sunita Musa is a cofounder and works as an
Integrated Project Lead in the Ministry of
Defence in her day job.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Ekta NZ
played a crucial role by providing support
to migrant workers, international students
and stranded visitors through arranging
Group, Jibby says, “I started my journey as a solo
hiker and explored places in South Island, North
Island and Thailand. I had my first small group
with my own circle of friends, seven of us and we
did Cave Stream, Arthurs Pass together.
“During the Cave Stream this idea struck my
mind when I saw my friends enjoying, having
positive conversations and saying how wonderful
this experience was. I was like ‘why
not, expand this?’.
“It was Word of Mouth and
"We
all go through
ups and downs in
our life and the best way
to heal through it is to stay
connected with Positive
People and Positive
Environment."
now we are from seven to
close to seventy of us. We hike
once every month with proper
precautionary measures, trained
first aiders, and a well drafted
transport plan and guidelines.”
For all of you who are reading this,
Jibby has this advice: “We all go through
ups and downs in our life and the best way to
heal through it is to stay connected with Positive
People and Positive Environment”.
If you choose to connect with nature and meet
some fabulous people in Jibby’s group please
direct message her on her Insta Page RJ Jibby.
“Please note this group is only for nature and
Adventure lovers,” Jibby says.
Ekta stands united to serve Wellington’s needy
accommodation, need-based facilitation,
providing groceries and meals. Throughout
Alert Levels 3 and 4, they provided groceries
to Night Shelter, DCM, Soup Kitchen and the
City Mission.
‘
Ekta’ stands for ‘unity’
or ‘to unite’ in several
Indian languages
and was named so to
strengthen the unity
in diversity of New
Zealanders and bring
awareness through
inclusivity.
Fefi, who comes every Saturday to get food
from Ekta NZ says, “They are doing noble
work for the community, and they come with
heaps of food for everyone”.
Ekta NZ’s mission is to help the needy and
provide food to them irrespective of their
religion, faith, language or status.
‘Ekta’ stands for ‘unity’ or ‘to unite’ in
several Indian languages and was named so
to strengthen the unity in diversity of New
Zealanders and bring awareness through
inclusivity.

RNZ
The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
NEW ZEALAND 11
First vaccination
buses hit the road
The first of Auckland's
vaccination buses are headed
it out yesterday as part of
an urgent campaign to get more
people inoculated.
A fleet of six buses were sent to areas
with low vaccination rates.
About 1.4 million Aucklanders
are eligible for the Pfizer doses and
some 1 million have had at least
one injection.
Middlemore Hospital has begun
testing every patient for Covid-19,
due to mystery cases and to help
find whether Covid is circulating in
the community.
On Wednesday, 14 new Covid-19
cases were reported - all in Auckland and
linked to current clusters.
New Zealanders waiting for a place in
MIQ will be able to will start booking
again next week under a new 'virtual
lobby' system where everyone goes into
a queue.
From tomorrow, essential workers
leaving Auckland's level 4 boundary
will need to show evidence they
have completed a saliva test or nasal
swab test in the past seven days,
but won't need to show proof the
test was negative.
The first vaccination buses are being
sent out into Auckland communities to
assist in achieving the government's goal
of offering every Aucklander the chance
to have had their first shot of the vaccine
by the end of the week.
Covid-19 modeller Shaun Hendy says
pandemic measures such as widespread
mask use and contact tracing may have to
be kept in place in the future to reduce the
ongoing impacts of Covid-19.
"Obviously we've been using
lockdowns over the last 18 months to
deal with outbreaks so the higher our
vaccination rates the more effective
lockdowns become and the shorter period
of time they may need to be imposed and
maybe they could be less stringent.
"Also, we could make sure we keep
some of the measures in place for the
coming years that we have been using
such as encouraging widespread mask
use, making sure that we're scanning and
maybe considering event size restrictions
possibly during Winter months when
we'll be more at risk."
Hendy says these measures may
need to be kept in place in the
medium-to-long term to reduce
the impact of the pandemic on the
health system.
GDP up 2.8%; $7b more for Covid fund
IWK BUREAU
The economy showed strong momentum in
the period leading up to the recent Delta
COVID-19 outbreak, which bodes well for
a solid economic rebound, Finance Minister Grant
Robertson says.
GDP rose 2.8 percent in the June quarter, following
on from a 1.4 percent increase in the previous March
quarter. This was a significantly better result than
most forecasters had predicted. Treasury had forecast
a rise of 0.8 percent in May’s Budget, and economic
commentators using more recent data had forecast
around a 1.2 percent rise. Internationally, the OECD
average was 1.6 percent.
“This is a very positive result and shows New
Zealanders’ confidence in our economic recovery
roadmap. Excluding the September 2020 quarter, this
is the strongest quarterly growth that we have seen
since 1999. The economy in the June 2021 quarter
was 4.3 percent above where it was in the pre-COVID
December 2019 quarter,” Grant Robertson said.
“Household spending remained buoyant, led by
retail spending on electronics and furniture, eating
out and holidays. The services industries, which
make up two-thirds of the economy, grew strongly
with higher activity in engineering, architectural and
consulting services.
“Activity in the construction sector continued
to rise, driven by residential building, while there
was solid growth in manufacturing. Businesses’
confidence in the economy was also reflected in
investment levels, which remained high and above
pre-COVID levels in the December 2019 quarter.
On an annual basis, the economy grew 5.1 percent.
The size of the economy was $340 billion.
“New Zealand continues to outperform many of
the countries we compare ourselves against,” Grant
Robertson said.
Compared with New Zealand’s 2.8 percent
quarterly growth, Australia rose by 0.7 percent,
the United States by 1.6 percent and Japan by 0.5
percent, while Canada declined by 0.3 percent. Only
the United Kingdom grew by more, up 4.8 percent,
reversing recent falls in activity.
COVID Fund Replenished
“Ministers have decided to use the greater fiscal
headroom to top up the COVID-19 Response and
Recovery Fund (CRRF) by an extra $7 billion. There
is also an additional $3 billion available to spend
from money previously allocated in the fund that has
not been spent. We have already boosted support to
business in this lockdown and the extra funding will
be targeted at further economic support as well as
building resilience in our health system, supporting
the vaccination rollout and border and MIQ provision.
“We are in a strong economic position to protect
lives and livelihoods and plan for the gradual and
careful opening up of New Zealand to the rest of
the world to secure the recovery. Our focus remains
on keeping New Zealanders safe, accelerating the
recovery and dealing with long-standing issues such
as climate change, housing and child wellbeing
despite the uncertainty and volatility globally around
the ongoing impact of COVID-19,” Grant Robertson
said.

Editorial
The callous
charade of
‘kindness’
Time was when family reunification was at the heart of this country’s immigration
policy. Migrants were welcomed as families and whoever migrated singly, there
were policies that encouraged them to reunite with their families by bringing them
to New Zealand to join them. Even parents could migrate under policies like ‘centre of
gravity’.
That was institutional kindness at its best – even if governments of those days never
called it that. They simply practiced it, recognising it as just the right thing to do – no
one can thrive without the support of their families; more so when they migrate to a new
country. There’s no gainsaying the role families play in individuals’ wellbeing.
But ‘kindness’ is just another empty buzzword today – a hot favourite of the present
government. We’re told to be kind every day in every missive from ministers and officials.
But there is little, if any at all, in their actions –and every time one hears the word from
them it only rings emptier.
More than 75 per cent of Indian New Zealanders separated from their families since the
first border closures following the pandemic last March, have not seen their loved ones
for 18 months, an Indian Weekender investigation revealed this week.
And this unfortunate situation is obviously not just restricted to Indian New Zealanders.
It is nothing less than heart rending to read stories of the unending frustration of split
families from a range of countries across the world on a growing list of social media
groups.
With a muddled MIQ system that has had multiple problems from the word go, the
government squandered away New Zealand’s almost yearlong Covid-free status in
not addressing the issue to improve the booking system, resorting instead to band aid
measures including the one announced on Wednesday this week.
This is to speak nothing of the repeated leaks that have plagued the far-from-optimal
MIQ system, one of which has caused the present countrywide lockdown that is costing
the country at least $1 billion a week. The Finance Minister’s Covid-19 fund is running
almost dry and there is a good chance that he may have to borrow more shortly.
Add to this the situation of thousands of skilled migrants deemed essential to the
New Zealand economy stuck in limbo here because of their residency status. Permanent
Residency applications processing is in a hiatus and there are no Expression of Interest
selections since it was put on hold in April 2020. It is as if the entire department that deals
with immigration is in suspended animation. There have been reports of several vacancies
at the department.
For weeks, if not months, the Immigration Minister has been promising new policy
announcements “very shortly” – none have eventuated so far and there is clearly mounting
pressure on the government to address these multiple issues in a convincing manner at the
earliest at the risk of losing its credibility completely on immigration.
This government has managed to preside over some dubious records – all because of
its continued dithering on fixing its severely broken immigration system. Currently, New
Zealand has the longest queue of residency applications ever. It has the worst labour
shortage in recent decades.
It is no longer tenable for the government to blame it all on the pandemic – which has
affected every country on the planet. But other countries have learned fast and are already
wooing the best brains and hands to their countries with the most generous residency
policies.
Experienced immigration agents have told Indian Weekender that New Zealand is
losing skilled migrants, who are already here in limbo because of their unconscionably
delayed residency status, are being lured in droves by Canada, the United Kingdom and
Australia, where wages are much higher in the first place. In fact, many of them are
actually helping process more applications to those countries than into New Zealand.
That is a indeed a sad commentary on New Zealand’s plummeting desirability as a
destination for skilled migrants.
Thought of the week
“The great danger for most of us lies not
in setting our aim too high and falling
short, but in setting our aim too low, and
achieving our mark.” -Michelangelo
17 September – 23 September 2021
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu
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This week in New Zealand’s history
Indian Weekender : Volume 13 Issue 28
Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited
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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
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Copyright 2020. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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18 September 1937
First state house opened in Miramar
Most of the Labour Cabinet helped the first tenants move into 12 Fife Lane in the Wellington
suburb of Miramar. Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage carried a dining table through a
cheering throng.
19 September 1893
Women win the right to vote
When the governor, Lord Glasgow, signed a new Electoral Act into law, New Zealand
became the first self-governing country in the world in which women had the right to
vote in parliamentary elections. As women in most other democracies – including Britain and
the United States – were not enfranchised until after the First World War, New Zealand’s world
leadership in women’s suffrage became a central aspect of its image as a trailblazing ‘social
laboratory’.
22 September 1906
Domestic workers call for 68-hour week
At a meeting in Wellington, Marianne Tasker and supporters established a domestic workers’
union, hoping to use the Liberal government’s Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act to
force employers to improve pay and conditions. Central to their demands was a 68-hour working
week.
22 September 1931
Coalition government formed to
combat Depression
United Party Prime Minister George Forbes
had convened an inter-party conference with
the goal of forming a coalition government that
would ‘share the responsibility’ of dealing with the
Depression.
23 September 1887
Tongariro mountains protected
In February 1887 newspapers reported Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s proposal to ‘gift’ the Crown the
mountaintops of Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu as the basis for a national park. What
the iwi actually intended was that they and the New Zealand government would take joint
responsibility for protecting the sacred maunga.

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021 FIJI 13
NZ announces next
phase of support for Fiji
Over $17.6m of support for Fiji’s
COVID-19 response has been
announced by New Zealand’s Foreign
Minister Nanaia Mahuta.
The package builds on previous tranches of
assistance New Zealand has provided to Fiji,
totaling over $73.5m.
Mahuta says Fiji remains in a very
challenging position in response to COVID-19
and this latest package will help to continue
assisting the most vulnerable communities over
the next 12 months.
The new package will support ongoing
equipment and supply needs, including
testing capacity, oxygen supply, and Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) stocks.
It will also be directed towards urgent and
essential operational costs, technical assistance,
surge support for government operations, and
support for monitoring of community isolation
cases.
GANESH UTSAV
PROMOTES
MESSAGE OF PEACE
AND SOLIDARITY
Fiji Sevashram Sangha’s Ganesh Utsav
2021 inauguration was held virtually last
night to commence the 22nd national
program which begins today, Saturday 11th to
Sunday 19th September.
The program was officiated by the
Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime
Minister and Acting Permanent Secretary
Foreign Affairs, Yogesh Karan and the Indian
High Commissioner to Fiji, His Excellency
Palaniswamy Subramanyan Karthigeyan.
Mr Karan recognised Fiji Sevashram
Sangha’s commitment to organise the Ganesh
Utsav, a program which has over the years united
communities of various faiths by promoting the
values of cultural harmony, mutual respect and
appreciation of diverse cultures.
He said when people of diverse cultures
come together in unity for common good, then
prosperity and peace thrives, and Fiji stands in
solidarity as one nation and we remain steadfast
in our commitment to achieve sustainable and
resilient societies.
Mr Karan acknowledged Fiji Sevashram
Sangha and their leaders for their contributions
to Fiji’s national development through
provisions of sociocultural programs, academic
opportunities for students from all ethnic and
cultural backgrounds and for their work in
reaching out to families in need of assistance.
New Zealand will also contribute over $1.4m
to the International Red Cross Global Appeal
for COVID-19 tagged to support the Fiji
Red Cross Society’s National Response Plan
focused on vaccine roll-out, blood donations,
and training of volunteers for home-based care.
Health Ministry
says eligible
children’s 1st dose
vaccination is
planned for rollout
from Monday 20th
September 2021
The Health Ministry says the eligible
children’s 1st dose vaccination is
planned for rollout from Monday 20th
September 2021 and the 2nd dose from Monday
18th October 2021.
Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James
Fong says working with the Ministry of
Education, they will begin with children in the
age group of 15 to 17 years.
Dr Fong says a stringent process is in place
to ensure that parental or guardian consent is
secured and online registration is encouraged
before vaccination.
Dr Fong reiterates that no vaccine will
be given without the consent of parents or
guardians.
The Ministry has set aside the required
number of vials of vaccine to ensure that the
target population between 15 to 17-year-old can
receive both doses of the vaccine.
Dr Fong says vaccination for children aged
12 to 17 years is safe and similar to adults,
children can also experience the side effects of
This latest announcement is in addition to
the assistance announced for Fiji last month,
including delivery of 100,000 doses of vaccines
and funding the recruitment of 190 Fiji graduate
nurses to provide surge capacity across the
health system.
COVID-19 vaccination such as pain at the jab
site, swelling, fever, and body aches.
He also says these symptoms should subside
over a few days.
Dr Fong adds severe side effects are rare
and the risk of getting a severe infection and
succumbing to COVID-19 is still higher than
the risk of adverse events from vaccination.
He says therefore, parents and guardians are
encouraged to agree for their children to be
vaccinated to protect them from COVID-19.
Indian Government eager to explore ways of assisting
the Fiji Police Force
High Commissioner Karthigeyan said
many Fijians have benefitted from
the training and study opportunities
offered by the Indian Government, and he
was eager to explore ways of assisting the Fiji
Police Force with similar opportunities.
The new Indian High Commissioner to Fiji,
H.E Palaniswamy Subramanyan Karthigeyan
paid a courtesy call on the Commissioner of
Police Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho today.
The courtesy call was conducted via video
conference call and discussions revolved
around the need to strengthen bilateral relations
in matters pertaining to police to police
cooperation and training. High Commissioner
Karthigeyan said many Fijians have benefitted
from the training and study opportunities
offered by the Indian Government, and he
was eager to explore ways of assisting the Fiji
Police Force with similar opportunities.
“We value greatly our development
partnership with Fiji and share a special
relationship in the area of security cooperation
and I want to use this first meeting to understand
if I can be of any assistance to further strengthen
our relations”.
His Excellency added that India has a number
of leading Police Academies that offer expertise
training in specialised fields of policing such
as forensics and cybercrime, and are keen on
providing opportunities to members of the Fiji
Police Force.
Commissioner of Police Brigadier General
Sitiveni Qiliho welcomed the invitation adding
the training of middle managers remained
a priority in dealing with emerging global
Fiji will be open
to travel by the
end of the year
Fiji is ready to welcome tourists again by
the end of 2021.
The island nation had originally
intended to reopen its borders to tourists in
December, but that date could be moved up as
the country's vaccination program continues.
Brent Hill, the CEO of Tourism Fiji, the
country's national tourism body, told CNN any
reopening date is still a moving target.
Hill said travelers permitted to enter the
country will need to be fully vaccinated, show
evidence of a negative Covid-19 PCR test and
be from a "green list" nation, although the
criteria for the green list has not yet been spelled
out. However, in a speech made on September
3, Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism
and Transport Faiyaz Koya announced, "We
are collectively working towards a November
reopening."
He added: "With COVID-safe behavior,
we will reduce our community transmission
and give confidence that Fiji is a safe holiday
destination and will not be a source of cases in
their respective countries. I am confident with
all our collective effort we will achieve the
desired outcomes and create a safe environment
to welcome back tourists."
The country's national airline will play a
major role in the reopening process.
"Fiji Airways is committed to putting on a
strong schedule right from the get-go. They
are committed to opening across a number
of their ports that they flew to and providing
capacity," Hill confirmed. He teased there will
be flight and resort deals on offer as part of the
country's reopening. About 40 percent of Fiji's
gross national product (GNP) comes from the
tourism industry. Last summer, Prime Minister
Josaia "Frank" Voreqe Bainimarama openly
said he was courting billionaires who wanted to
visit Fiji during the pandemic.
Despite the country being otherwise closed
to foreign travelers, a group of some 30 high
net worth individuals were allowed to spend
three months in the country as part of a special
agreement with the government.
The reopening news was met with happy
responses from Fiji's tourism community,
which has taken a significant hit during the
pandemic.
"We are ecstatic that before the end of the year
we will be able to share the Fijian bula spirit
with the world once again,"
Christopher Southwick,
owner of the Royal
Davui Island Resort,
told CNN. "We
are anticipating
a strong opening
for those looking
to celebrate the
holidays under a
palm tree."
"Fiji
Airways is
committed to
putting on a strong
schedule right from
the get-go. They are
committed to opening
across a number of
their ports that they
flew to and providing
capacity
security threats.
Brigadier General Qiliho said strengthening
levels of cooperation on security matters
will benefit both countries and the Fiji Police
Force looked forward to the formalisation of
a Memorandum of Understanding that will
enhance capacity building and development
cooperation in mutual areas of security.

14
INDIA
Friday, September 17, 2021 The Indian Weekender
WHO congratulates India for
administering 75 cr vaccine doses
India’s Covid vaccination coverage under
the mass vaccination drive crossed the
landmark of 75 crore doses on Monday.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya
said in a Tweet that India has crossed the mark
of administering 75 crore vaccine doses.
Lauding the entire country for the
achievement, Mandaviya tweeted, “With PM
Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Sabka Saath -
Sabka Prayas’, the world’s largest vaccination
drive is achieving new heights. India has crossed
the landmark of 75 crore vaccinations as India
entered into the 75th year of Independence.
#AzadiKaAmritMahotsav.”
The daily vaccination tally is expected to
increase with the compilation of the final
reports for the day by late on Monday night.
More than 67 lakh (67,04,768) vaccine doses
were administered till 5:30 pm on Monday.
“The country has also become home to
more than 99 per cent healthcare workers and
frontline workers vaccinated with one shot of
Covid vaccine,” said a statement released by
the Health Ministry.
The World Health Organization Regional
Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) has also
congratulated India for achieving the 75 crore
vaccination mark.
Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional
Director, WHO South-East Asia, said, “WHO
congratulates India for scaling up Covid-19
US likely to
join Modiinitiated
International
Solar Alliance
New In what can be termed as a major
achievement for India’s global efforts
at mitigation of climate change, the
US is likely to join the International Solar
Alliance (ISA), conceptualized by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
Launched jointly by India and France in
2015, the ISA is an alliance of 124 countries,
most of them being sunshine countries, either
completely or partly between the Tropic of
Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
“America has shown willingness to join
the International Solar Alliance. There is
positivity (from the American side) about solar
energy and the ISA,” a top level source from
the Environment, Forests and Climate Change
Ministry told IANS.
vaccination at an unprecedented
pace. While it took 85 days to
administer the first 100 million
doses, India reached 750 million
doses from 650 million in just 13
days.”
Meanwhile, India logged 27,254 new Covid
cases in the last 24 hours.
The country also reported 219 Covid deaths
India’s Power and New and Renewable
Energy Minister R.K. Singh had earlier in the
day urged the US to join the ISA.
The development comes in the wake of
Indian Environment Minister Bhupender
Yadav and US President’s Special Climate
Envoy John Kerry jointly launching the
Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation
Dialogue (CAFMD) earlier in the day.
The launch was preceded by a bilateral meet
where both sides discussed at length a wide
range of climate issues relating to COP26,
climate ambition, climate finance, global
climate initiatives, including ISA and the
Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate
(AIM4C). Incidentally, there was no mention
"WHO
congratulates
India for scaling up
Covid-19 vaccination at an
unprecedented pace. While it
took 85 days to administer the
first 100 million doses, India
in the same time span. The
country presently has nearly
3.75 lakh active cases.
Kerala, which turned out to
be a Covid epicentre recently,
has also started showing declining
trends and has reported a decline of
nearly 20 per cent in terms of daily caseload in
the past week.
reached 750 million doses
from 650 million in
just 13 days."
of ‘net zero’ (removing the amount of carbon
equal to that is emitted by any given unit, an
organisation, a state or any country).
“The talks generally revolved around
technology transfer. The modalities for
CAFMD are yet to be worked out,” a source
said. The CAFMD is one of the two tracks
of the India-US Climate and Clean Energy
Agenda 2030 partnership launched at the
Leaders’ Summit on Climate in April 2021 by
Modi and US President Joe Biden.
During the launch at a public event at the
Ministry, Kerry had applauded Modi for setting
an ambitious target of achieving 450GW
renewable energy by 2030 and congratulated
India for already achieving 100 GW of it.
219 deals worth
$8.4 bn in August,
record volumes
since 2005
It has been an ‘August’ month for India Inc.,
which witnessed 219 deals aggregating
$8.4 billion last month, record volumes for
any given month since 2005.
While the volumes almost doubled, compared
to August 2020, transaction values jumped by
5.8x times driven by over 13x increase in the
PE investment values, according to an analysis
by Grant Thornton Bharat.
“Domestic consolidation led to 68 per cent
of the deal volumes in M&A. Unicorns, such
as Byju’s, Unacademy and Dream Sports sealed
some of the M&A deals. As improvement
in industrial indicators and external demand
unfold, we hope economic activities would
normalize in the coming months driven by
pent-up demand, ongoing vaccination drive,
support from policy mix and a resurgence in
global growth,” said Shanthi Vijetha, Partner
(Growth), Grant Thornton Bharat.
According to the report, August saw total
M&A transaction value at $867 million
across 37 deals, as opposed to August 2020
that witnessed 30 transactions with values
aggregating to $908 million.
Private equity and venture capital firms
recorded 182 deals, valued at $7.6 billion
driven mainly by high value investments in
Indian companies and unicorns, supported by
confidence in recovery, lucrative opportunities
in the startup space and promising
entrepreneurial talent.
The star sector of the month continued to be
tech followed by education, pharmaceutical
and energy sectors. The bulk of the deals
were in IT solutions, data analytics, cleantech,
pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, consumer
retail, digital healthcare, fin-tech and ed-tech
companies, whose products and services have
seen strong demand during the Covid-19
pandemic.
The month also saw the birth of seven new
unicorns. This trend indicates that both fund
inflow and startups with a valuation of $1
billion are likely to continue to grow and expand
through the year, Grant Thornton Bharat said.
The Indian startup ecosystem witnessed
fund inflow of $1.4 billion, as reflected by the
positive funding momentum with 115 deals (63
per cent share of the PE volumes). With this,
the sector topped both the volume and values
chart for the month.
August also witnessed a surge in deal activity
at 219 deals with 21 per cent hike compared
to July 2021. However, the deal values on the
hand dropped by 36 per cent on the back of a 6x
drop in M&A deal values.
India, Chile explore possibilities of enhancing trade and investment partnerships
India and Chile reviewed the entire
gamut of their bilateral relations at
the 7th Foreign Office Consultations
India and Chile are exploring the possibilities of enhancing
trade and investment partnerships in the post-pandemic
economic recovery.
The issue was discussed at the 7th Foreign Office Consultations
(FOC) between India and Chile held in Santiago on Tuesday.
During the FOC, both sides comprehensively reviewed the
entire gamut of their bilateral relations which included trade and
investments, defence, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals,
energy, space, cooperation in Antarctica, disaster management,
cultural and consular issues, said a Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) Statement.
Both sides exchanged views on the COVID-19 situation and
the possibilities of enhancing trade and investment partnerships
in the post-pandemic economic recovery, the MEA said.
Secretary (East) MEA Riva Ganguly Das (right) and
Chilean Vice-Minister Carolina Valdivia Torres
The Indian side was led by Secretary (East) MEA
Riva Ganguly Das and the Chilean side was led
by Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Carolina Valdivia Torres. The two sides acknowledged that trade
is an important pillar of India-Chile relations and expressed
satisfaction at the ongoing negotiations for the further expansion
of the Preferential Trade Agreement which was signed in 2006
and expanded in 2017.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and
international issues on common interest including
The
two sides also
exchanged views on
regional and international
issues on common interest
including cooperation in the
United Nations and agreed to
work closely with each other
in the multilateral arena.
cooperation in the United Nations and
agreed to work closely with each other
in the multilateral arena.
The talks were held in a friendly
and cordial atmosphere, with both
sides agreeing to maintain the
momentum of dialogue in areas
of interest through the established
bilateral mechanisms.
Both sides agreed to hold the
next round of FOCs in New Delhi.

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
FEATURES 15
Healthy cooking every day
Lighter Takes
& Easy Tips
Quick and easy dinner ideas
Chicken and sweetcorn
noodle soup
Kids and adults alike will love this simple but
delicious chicken and sweetcorn noodle
soup, ready to devour in under 25 minutes!
Ingredients
• 2tsp sesame oil
• ½ brown onion, finely diced
• 1tsp minced ginger
• 410g tin cream style corn
• 410g tin corn kernels, drained
• 1.5L chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 400g udon or hokkien noodles
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• Sliced spring onion to garnish, if desired
Method
• Place a saucepan over a low to medium heat with the
sesame oil, onion and ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes or
until the onion has softened.
• Once the onion has softened, add the creamed corn and
corn kernels, then stir to combine. Add the stock and
soy sauce, then stir and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
• While the soup is simmering, add the noodles along
Chicken Caesar pasta salad
Pasta salad reaches new delicious heights with
this twist on a classic Caesar salad. On the table
in 30 minutes, this pasta salad not only makes
for a great dinner but for next-day leftovers too!
Ingredients
• 150g dried pasta
• 3 cups roughly chopped lettuce
(cos, romaine or iceberg)
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• 1 cooked chicken breast, diced
• telegraph cucumber, diced
• Olive oil
• ½ tsp dried mixed herbs
• 2 slices thick sliced bread
• ½ cup Caesar dressing
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
• Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
• Cook the dried pasta as per pack
instruction, then run under cold
water and drain.
• Place the cooled pasta in a large
mixing bowl. Add the lettuce,
red onion, chicken and cucumber
to the pasta, and toss well to
combine.
• To make the croutons, slice the
bread into small cubes. Bring a
small frying pan to a medium
high heat with a drizzle of olive
oil, then add the dried herbs and
cubed bread. Stir to combine,
then toast for 2-3 minutes or
until golden brown. Drain on a
paper towel, then add to the pasta
mixture.
• Pour the dressing into the salad,
then add the parmesan and toss
to combine. Season with salt and
pepper to taste, then serve with
fresh lemon.
with the shredded chicken. Cook while stirring for a
further 1 - 2 minutes until the noodles have softened
and the chicken has heated through, then season to
taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve the soup while hot, then garnish with sliced
spring onion if desired and enjoy.
TOP TIP: If your kids love their green vegetables, add
broccoli florets or frozen peas (at step two) to this soup for
an extra nutritional boost!
Cheesy chicken
quesadillas
Ingredients
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 pack Pams Burrito Mexican
Spice Mix
• 1 red capsicum, sliced
• ½ onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups Pams Tex Mex Cheese
• 1 jar Pams Mild Salsa
• 6 Pams Flour Tortillas
Method
• Add the diced chicken to a mixing
bowl with the spice mix and toss
to combine.
• Add a splash of oil to a large
frying pan over medium-high
heat. Add the chicken, onion and
capsicum and cook until the veges
are soft and the chicken is cooked
through.
• Add the garlic, season with salt
and pepper and continue cooking
for a further minute. Transfer to
a mixing bowl and leave to cool
slightly.
• Add the cheese and ½ cup salsa
to the chicken mixture and toss to
combine.
• Spoon the chicken mixture onto
one half of each tortilla and fold
over to sandwich together.
• In a large frying pan over medium
heat, cook the quesadillas on each
side until they are crisp, golden
and the cheese has melted. Repeat
with remaining tortillas
• Cut into wedges and serve with
remaining salsa.
One pot smoked
fish and leek rice
Ingredients
• Pams 100% Pure Olive Oil
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup Pams frozen garden peas
• 200g smoked fish, flaked
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup fresh parsley or coriander,
roughly chopped
• 4 boiled eggs
• Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
• In a large pot or pan, bring a
drizzle of olive oil to a medium
heat. Add the leek and garlic,
and cook while stirring for 3-4
minutes or until the leek has
softened.
• Once the leek has softened, add
the curry powder and mustard
seeds and cook while stirring for
a minute before adding the rice
and frozen peas. Stir and cook
until the rice has heated through
and the peas are tender, around
4-5 minutes.
• Carefully add the flaked fish and
lemon juice, then fold through
until just combined. Sprinkle the
chopped coriander over the rice,
then halve the boiled eggs and
nestle them into the rice.
• Garnish with fresh lemon wedges,
and serve immediately.
Peanut chicken rice bowls
Simple and delicious, these peanut chicken rice bowls
combine flavoursome satay chicken with punchy pickled
vegetables for a truly divine weeknight meal.
Ingredients
• ¼ cup Pams white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp caster sugar
• 1tsp salt
• ½ Telegraph cucumber, thinly
sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ½ cup Pams smooth peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp Pams soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Pams sesame oil
• Steamed Pams jasmine rice, to
serve
Method
• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees
celsius. In a bowl, combine the
vinegar, caster sugar and salt with
½ cup of warm water. Stir until
the sugar and salt has dissolved,
then add the cucumber and carrot
and set aside to pickle.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together
the peanut butter, soy sauce and
sesame oil until smooth, with a
dash of boiling water if needed.
• Place half of the peanut sauce into
a jug or bowl for serving and set
aside, then place the chicken into
the remaining peanut sauce. Rub
the sauce over the chicken thighs,
then lay onto a baking tray and
season with pepper.
• Grill the chicken thighs for 15-
20 minutes or until the chicken is
cooked through, turning after 10
minutes. Once cooked, slice into
large strips.
• Serve the cooked chicken on top
of steamed jasmine rice, alongside
the pickled cucumber and carrot.
Spoon the remaining peanut sauce
over the chicken and serve.

16 ENTERTAINMENT
Friday, September 17, 2021 The Indian Weekender
Most popular movies on Netflix right now
All American
On the Verge Learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, and
more with J.J. in this musical series that
brings fun times with nursery rhymes for the
whole family!
The Circle
approaching, and what began as a robbery will
turn into a war. Part 5 of the iconic series will be
released in two volumes, on September 3 and
December 3 2021
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
When a star high school football player
from South Central is recruited to play
for Beverly Hills High School, two separate
worlds collide.
Octonauts: Above and Beyond
The Octonauts expand their exploration
beyond the sea — and onto land!
Sharkdog
10 year old Max and his best friend Sharkdog
- half shark, half dog, all appetite. Blissfully
unaware of his own strength, stealth and
general sharkiness, Sharkdog often leaves a
trail of chaos in his wake.
ON THE VERGE (12x30’) written by the
heartwarming words of Julie Delpy (2
DAY IN PARIS, BEFORE SUNRISE) brings
us a comedy set in the crazy world of LA. We
dive into the lives of four women that are ON
THE VERGE.
Manifest
commercial airliner suddenly reappears
A after being missing for five years. As those
aboard reintegrate into society, they experience
guiding voices and visions of events yet to
occur, and soon a deeper mystery unfolds.
Cocomelon
cast of eight new contestants enter The
A Circle, where they flirt, befriend, piss off,
and compete in challenges against each other
on a unique social media platform to earn the
ultimate cash prize as top influencer. With
$100k on the line, will they be able to earn clout
and figure out who is real and who is a catfish?
Money Heist
The gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain
for over 100 hours. They have managed
to rescue Lisbon, but their darkest moment is
upon them after losing one of their own. The
Professor has been captured by Sierra and, for
the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan. Just
when it seems like nothing else could go wrong,
an enemy comes on the scene that is much
more powerful than any they’ve faced: the
army. The end of the greatest heist in history is
Must-watch movies on Disney Plus
Captain America: The First Avenger
chance to rejoin humanity presents itself in the
person of the charming Jane (Minnie Driver).
The stakes still feel worthwhile--which family
will Tarzan go with--while also using some of
the most stunning animation of the era.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Based on a true story, the film follows three
Black female mathematicians who were integral
to solving problems at NASA that paved the
way for the U.S.’s space race dominance.
Cruella
The September 11, 2001 attacks changed
the world in ways that have taken decades
to understand. Twenty years later, following
the longest war in American history and
Afghanistan once again in Taliban control,
TURNING POINT: 9/11 AND THE WAR
ON TERROR answers the questions: Who
attacked the U.S. and why? What breakdowns
in intelligence allowed it to happen? How
did decisions at the highest levels of three
administrations in the war on terror bring us to
this moment?
Clickbait
Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier) is a loving
father, husband, and brother, who one day
suddenly and mysteriously disappears. A video
appears on the internet of the badly beaten
Nick holding a card that says "I abuse women.
At 5 million views, I die". Is this a threat or
confession? Or both?
Casarosa’s childhood, the movie takes place
in 1950s-60s Italian Riviera where a young sea
monster named Luca (Jacob Tremblay) gets
his wish to meet humans when he goes to the
surface, only to discover he transforms into a
human boy when out of the water.
We Bought a Zoo
While many Marvel fans will swear
by Captain America: The Winter
Soldier, I'd counter that The First Avenger is not
only the superior Captain America movie, but
also the best Marvel movie. If you're looking to
make a movie about superheroes, then maybe
it's a good idea to understand heroism and in
no Marvel movie is that better encapsulated
than The First Avenger.
Tarzan
Look no further than Mrs. Doubtfire for proof
of Robin Williams’ range as a performer.
This 1993 family film lets Williams showcase
his tremendous impressions and knack for
character creation, while also allowing him to
show a softer dramatic side.
Hidden Figures
Cruella is certainly one of the stronger
Disney live-action remakes so far, largely
because it delights in doing its own thing
versus trying to feel too much like its animated
predecessor. The film is an origin story for
Cruella de Vil set in 1980s London, as Emma
Stone plays an orphaned small-time crook with
a passion for fashion who gets a dream gig
working for renowned designer the Baroness
(Emma Thompson).
Filmmaker Cameron Crowe is known for
making some of the best films of all time,
from Almost Famous to Jerry Maguire, but
running through all of his work is an earnestness
that shines through.
Isle of Dogs
Luca
If you haven't seen what largely qualifies the
end of Disney's second Golden Age, the film
is absolutely worth a re-watch. The film follows
the traditional story of Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn)-
-a man raised by apes who is then torn when the
If you’re looking for an inspirational movie
to watch with the whole family, Hidden
Figures is both entertaining and enlightening.
The 2021 Pixar film Luca is a sweet, summery
delight. Inspired by director Enrico
T
hanks to Disney’s acquisition of 20th
Century Fox, Wes Anderson’s two stopmotion
animated movies (distributed by Fox
Searchlight) are streaming on Disney+.

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
FEATURES 17
FASHION AND BEAUTY
Cute summer outfit ideas to inspire
your reemergence wardrobe
Nights are getting longer, people are going out, and we’re feeling like debutantes itching
for a big debut. With a few cute summer outfit ideas on deck, you’ll be ready to go just
about anywhere—and we curated a bucket-load of looks that channel the optimistic energy
floating through the air. Some warm-weather formulas, like a flowy dress with white sneakers, can
be easily re-created with staples you already own, but there are plenty more cute outfit ideas worth
shopping right now. And if you’re looking to step up your game and experiment with personal
style, we’ve got statement pieces that’ll help you nail your first appearance with friends and
family. The world is your sartorial oyster, and whether you’re conjuring up the ultimate rooftop
picnic or planning a poolside escape, below are cute summer outfit ideas to usher in a major
style comeback.
Plaid Top With Puffy Sleeves +
White Jeans + Nude Sandals
Lexxola Tommy Gold and Orange Sunglasses
Leather Mini Shorts + Oversized
Cardigan + Crewneck T-shirt
Mazador Straw Beach Bag
Madewell Broken-In Baseball Cap
Wray Flounce Dress
Schutz Carlotta Slide Sandals
Urban Outfitters Strappy Heeled
Sandals
Ba&sh Cyrielle Short Dress
Wide-Leg Trousers + Button-Up +
Raffia Beach Bag
Will + Bear Foster Green Baker Cap
Ganni Silk Twill Scarf
Hot Pink Button-Down + Bermuda
Jeans Shorts + Open Square-Toe
Mules
White T-shirt + Ripped Denim Shorts +
Loafers + Colorful Trench Coat

18 NEW ZEALAND
CROSSWORD FreeDailyCrosswords.com
NO: 85
ACROSS------------,
I) "_ like old times"
6) "Fear of Fifty" author Jong
11) Endorsing
14) Like draft beer
15) Union group
16) "Anytown, _"
17) Hold grudges
19) Blazing
20) French wine classification
21) Australian with three toes
22) Doctor's due
23) Pathetically inept person
27) Cardinal
29) Japanese tie
30) Focal device
32) One-eighth of a piece of
eight
33) Faux_ (blunder)
34) Moved stealthily
36) Latin music type
39) Chancellor von Bismarck
41) Three-tone chord
FOUR SICK DAYS
14
17
2 3 4 5
43) Holier-than-thou
44) Jockey's controls
46) Like brains and ears
48) Alter _
49) The moon in Paris
51) Double negative?
52) One of the Bobbsey Twins
53) Some wrestling holds
56) Prejudice
58) Historic time
59) Alternative to NC, once
60) Cleo's killer
61) Butter unit
62) Reason for many surgeries
68) Brunched
69) Disease of cereals
70) Establish as law
71) _ Altos, Calif.
72) Does a casino job
73) Disney duck
Berns
1st February
DOWN
I) Weep
2) Memphis-to-Nashville dir.
3) Heathrow airport listing (Abbr.)
4) Chagall and Antony
5) DNA shapes
6) Architectural annex
7) Propel a boat
8) More frigid and slippery
9) Less agitated
10) Hints at (with "to")
11) Feeling of satisfaction
12) Basket weaver's material
13) Appraised
18) Giving off light
23) Deep sleep
24) Diminish in intensity
25) Some purified liquids
26) Small projecting ridge
28) Cotswold cries
31) Descendant or heir
35) Skewered fare
37) Common sweetener
38) Opposite of ecstasy
40) Unwelcome obligation
42) Rejection of a request
45) Emulated a bull
47) Iditarod vehicle
50) Curtain call
53) Country in the Himalayas
54) A Muse
55) _ different tune (changed one's
mind)
57) State one's views
63) Costa del _
64) "_ a deal!"
65) Shooter's marble
66) Bar rocks
67) Where bacon is stored?
ANSWERS CROSSWORD NO: 85
FreeDailyCrosswords.com
ACROSS------------,
I) "_ like old times"
6) "Fear of Fifty" author Jong
11) Endorsing
14) Like draft beer
15) Union group
16) "Anytown, _"
17) Hold grudges
19) Blazing
20) French wine classification
21) Australian with three toes
22) Doctor's due
23) Pathetically inept person
27) Cardinal
29) Japanese tie
30) Focal device
32) One-eighth of a piece of
eight
33) Faux_ (blunder)
34) Moved stealthily
36) Latin music type
39) Chancellor von Bismarck
41) Three-tone chord
FOUR SICK DAYS
1
s
2 E 3E M
s
s
1
b N T A p
1 l
1
il E A R I
t: R u
1 L L
43) Holier-than-thou
44) Jockey's controls
46) Like brains and ears
48) Alter _
49) The moon in Paris
51) Double negative?
52) One of the Bobbsey Twins
53) Some wrestling holds
56) Prejudice
58) Historic time
59) Alternative to NC, once
60) Cleo's killer
61) Butter unit
62) Reason for many surgeries
68) Brunched
69) Disease of cereals
70) Establish as law
71) _ Altos, Calif.
72) Does a casino job
73) Disney duck
7R 8 1 gc 1 A
0 C A L
w I L L I
2 1: M u E
2 R E D
1 i I R
2!, 2 2
b C k
2b B I N 35 3k E A L
,, A s u C 3k A L 35
3b T
E
I A 4b
0 B E 4b
4s
HITORI NO: 85
S N 0 N
511 I
A
T
E
D
L I 6 T 66 1 6 7S
7
ENAC T
1
bEWEY
1st February
DOWN
I) Weep
2) Memphis-to-Nashville dir.
3) Heathrow airport listing (Abbr.)
4) Chagall and Antony
5) DNA shapes
6) Architectural annex
7) Propel a boat
8) More frigid and slippery
9) Less agitated
10) Hints at (with "to")
11) Feeling of satisfaction
12) Basket weaver's material
13) Appraised
18) Giving off light
23) Deep sleep
24) Diminish in intensity
25) Some purified liquids
26) Small projecting ridge
28) Cotswold cries
31) Descendant or heir
35) Skewered fare
37) Common sweetener
38) Opposite of ecstasy
40) Unwelcome obligation
42) Rejection of a request
45) Emulated a bull
47) Iditarod vehicle
50) Curtain call
53) Country in the Himalayas
54) A Muse
55) _ different tune (changed one's
mind)
57) State one's views
63) Costa del _
64) "_ a deal!"
65) Shooter's marble
66) Bar rocks
67) Where bacon is stored?
Eliminate numbers until there are no duplicates in any row or
column. Eliminate numbers by marking them in Black. You are
not allowed to have two Black squares touching horizontally or
vertically (diagonally is ok). Any White square can be reached
from any other (i.e. they are connected).
Friday, September 17, 2021
The Indian Weekender
SUDOKU SOLUSIONS AND ANSWERS NO: 85
65 66 67
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
KIDS BETWEEN 4-7 YEARS
1. What is the capital of Chile? Santiago
2. What is the highest mountain in Britain?
Ben Nevis
3. What is the smallest country in the world?
Vatican City
4. Alberta is a province of which country?
Canada
5. How many countries still have the
shilling as currency? Four – Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia
6. Which is the only vowel not used as the
first letter in a US State? E
17 September to 23 September 2021 | By Manisha Koushik
ARIES (MAR 21-APR 20)
There is much activity happening on the social
front and you are likely to become a part of it!
You are likely to enjoy the company of your near
and dear ones in this week in a social gathering.
Someone may come from afar specifically to meet
you. Good understanding and mutual respect is
likely to enhance togetherness for the newlyweds. A drive round
the countryside is possible and may provide a welcome break from
the routine. Lucky No.:17 / Lucky Colour: Parrot Green
TAURUS (APR 21-MAY 20)
It is best to have a straight talk with someone
to sort out a long pending issue. An out of town
leisure trip is possible for some and promises
much excitement. Finding someone with common
interests and tastes may ring in a budding
romance and end your lonely week! Things move
favourably on both the professional and academic fronts. A property
issue is likely to be resolved amicably. Don’t forget taking a receipt,
while loaning money to someone. Lucky No.: 1 / Lucky Colour:
Crimson
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 21)
Your concerted efforts towards a particular goal may
require outside help. Shifting to a better location is
foreseen for some. You are likely to enjoy what you
are currently involved in on the professional front.
Chance to earn big money may present itself to
those running their own business. Performing well
on the academic front will not pose much difficulty
for you. Meeting family and friends is indicated in this week.
Spending time with lover proves most fulfilling. Lucky No.:7 /
Lucky Colour: Sky Blue
CANCER (JUN 22-JUL 20)
You may be handling too many things at a time, but take some time
off for yourself too. If you are in love, chances
of tying the knot look bright. A change of plan
is envisaged in a journey, but will not affect your
schedule. At work, you may be caught holding the
wrong end of the stick, despite clear instructions
regarding a situation. Gullibility on the financial
front threatens to make you lose money, so remain guarded. Lucky
No.:5 / Lucky Colour: All Shades of Green
7. What is the largest country in the world?
Russia
8. Where would you find the River Thames?
London, UK
9. What is the hottest continent on Earth?
Africa
10. What is the longest river in the world?
River Nile
11. What did the Romans call Scotland?
Caledonia
12. Who was made Lord Mayor of London
In 1397, 1398, 1406 And 1419? Richard
(Dick) Whittington
13. Who was Henry VIIIs last wife?
Catherine Parr
14. Who was the youngest British Prime
Minister? William Pitt (The Younger)
15. In which year was Joan of Arc burned at
the stake? 1431
16. Which nationality was the polar explorer
Roald Amundsen? Norwegian
17. Who was the first female Prime Minister
of Australia? Julia Gillard (2010-2013)
18. Which English explorer was executed in
Manisha Koushik is a practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and
fengshui consultant based in India with a global presence through the online channels. She is
available for consultations online as well. E-mail her at support@askmanisha.com or contact
at +91-11-26449898 Mobile/Whatsapp: +91-9716145644 • www.askmanisha.com
LEO (JUL21-AUG 20)
Be thankful for whatever someone is doing for
you, even if it is in a small measure. You will find a
distinct improvement in your health and feel more
energetic. Helping out someone on the social front
will give you an immense sense of satisfaction. A
child in the family may demand attention, so spare
some quality time for him or her. Meeting someone you have a soft
corner for is on the cards. Exercise caution on health front. Lucky
No.:3 / Lucky Colour: Yellow
VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 23)
Keep some time for yourself in this week, just
to rejuvenate and refresh. You are likely to enjoy
your heart out by persuading your near and dear
ones for an outing. Something you were fervently
hoping on the professional front is likely to
happen. Career prospects of those in uniform look
promising. Outstanding performance can be expected by some on
the academic front. You may find your coffer brimming, as a muchawaited
balance payment is received. Health remains satisfactory.
Lucky No.: 9 / Lucky Colour: Pink
LIBRA (SEP 24-OCT 23)
Enjoying your time with friends and neighbours
is indicated in this week. You will be able to
finish something that has been pending for long.
There is every chance of organising something
on the social front. Gaining the trust of someone
from the opposite camp may take you towards
romance. You will have to choose a better mode
of conveyance, if you want to reach your destination in good time.
Outside help will prove better for handling a property issue. Lucky
No.: 6 / Lucky Colour: Turquoise
SCORPIO (OCT 24-NOV 22)
Guests are likely to come a calling and add to
your celebratory mood in this week. You may
feel mentally at ease regarding some positive
developments on the professional front. Financially,
you will be able to shoo away your insecurity. On
the family front, you may have to learn to live
with changed circumstances. Family life will be fine, but still that
sense of complete satisfaction may elude you. Search for a suitable
residence will end in success. Lucky No.: 8 / Lucky Colour: Grey
1618, fifteen year after being found guilty
of conspiracy against King James I of
England and VI of Scotland? Sir Walter
Raleigh
19. Which English city was once known as
Duroliponte? Cambridge
20. The first successful vaccine was
introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796.
Which disease did it guard against?
Smallpox
SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23-DEC 21)
This is the right time to approach someone for a
favour, so look him or her up. You will finally
become the owner of a property you have invested
your money in. Someone may be watching your
performance closely at work, so don’t get caught
on the wrong foot. There is a strong possibility of a guest arriving at
your doorstep and brightening your week. Moodiness of lover will
have to be tackled with tact. Lucky No.:22 / Lucky Colour: Violet
CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 21)
You will only need an excuse to let go of yourself
and derive maximum fun. Generally a good
week, when everything you undertake turns out
successful. You are likely to be graded an achiever
on the professional front. Bagging a lucrative deal
is on the cards for marketing people. Whatever you
are spending, you are certain to earn double that. You are likely
to fall in love with someone who is a new entrant to your regular
crowd. Lucky No.:8 / Lucky Colour: Silver
AQUARIUS (JAN 22-FEB 19)
Someone whom you like arriving at your doorstep
is likely to make your week. Things that were
going wrong at work are likely to be set right
without getting you into any problems. Luck will
play an important role in adding to your wealth.
Some of you are likely to realise your sporting
aspirations by maintaining your level of skill and fitness through
practice. If love is what you are looking for, it comes looking for
you in this week! Lucky No.:4 / Lucky Colour: Olive Green
PISCES (FEB 20-MAR 20)
Celebrating something with friends is possible in
this week. Your premises may be used to organise
a party or a function, which you will be only too
glad to lend. Eating right will help you steer clear
of digestive ailments. Someone may upset you at
work by not agreeing to your proposal. Mounting
bills may cause mental worry on the financial front. Taking lover
for granted can strain relationship, so be considerate. Be careful of
big vehicles, if using the road. Lucky No.: 9/ Lucky Colour: Red

The Indian Weekender Friday, September 17, 2021
NEW ZEALAND 19
Simple Yoga exercises anyone can do
AVINASH SEN
Yoga. The practice of breathing, exercising, philosophy
and more, through which one strengthens one’s mind,
body and spirit. It is an ancient discipline that originates
from India and has been practiced by many for thousands of
years; and it still goes strong to this day, not just in India but all
over the world.
Yoga has been and is practiced by many from all walks of
life, be they monks, intellectuals, warriors or anything else you
can think of, yoga holds no discrimination, it simply a means of
guidance for those who practice it.
Yoga and meditation have been known to help people deal
with stress, anxiety and otherwise unpleasant circumstances.
Now, seeing as most of us are stuck inside with nothing but our
festering thoughts, I’d say we’re in an extremely unpleasant
situation. So, now seems like as good a time as any to practice
some yoga and de-stress ourselves, even if it’s just a little bit.
Here, I’ll be discussing some easy yoga exercises that anyone
can do.
Small warning, just like any exercise, you should avoid
performing certain yoga poses if you are injured, ill or suffer
from a physical ailment that could be aggravated by doing these
yoga poses. Also, be sure to practice moderation, too much of
anything is harmful for you.
With that said, let’s get started.
Sets of poses
Surya Namaskar
This yoga exercise consists of 12 simple poses:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trick_to_
remember_Surya_Namaskar_Mantra.gif
Parvatasana: Lift your hips up and bring your chest and head
down until you form an upside-down V. This pose is also
called the mountain pose, as you are supposed to look like a
mountain.
Ashwa Sanchalanasana: Bring your right foot between your
two hands and keep your calf perpendicular to the ground.
Keep your left foot and knee on the ground. This is exactly like
the pose you made in step 4, but with the legs switched.
Ashwa Sanchalanasana: Keep your left foot fixed in position
and push your right leg back as far as you can. Place your
palms on the floor, using them to support your weight and
look up. Keep your left foot in the middle of your two arms.
Pranamasana: Stand up straight and place your hands close
to your chest with your palms touching in Namaste.
Hasta Padasana: Bring your left foot forward and bring
yourself back to the pose you made in step 3 where you
are either touching your toes or have your palms flat on the
ground. Remember don’t strain yourself.
Dandasana: Now take your left leg back to your right and hold
yourself up in a straight line or a plank pose as it is known in
western culture.
Hastauttanasana: Keep your hands joined, stretch your arms
above your head and arch backwards.
Ashtanga Namaskara: Gently lower yourself down to the
ground and rest your chest and chin on the floor. Raise your
posterior up a little and hold.
Hastauttanasana: Roll your spine up and stretch your hands
above your head, palms touching, while arching yourself
backwards as you did in step 2.
Hasta Padasana: Bring your hands down, keeping your spine
straight, bend down and try to touch your toes, avoid bending
your knees in this pose. If you can, try to place your hands
palms down on the floor. Don’t strain yourself though, if you
feel pain, go back to just touching your toes.
Bhujangasana: Slide forward; keeping your lower body down,
raise your chest up and look up. This pose is also called the
cobra pose, as you are supposed to be mimicking a cobra.
Pranamasana: Keeping your palms joined, straighten your
back and bring your palms down to your chest in Namaste like
in step 1.

Thank you for staying
strong at Alert Level 4
Lockdown has been tough but it is working – case numbers are heading in
the right direction and lives are being protected every day. All of New Zealand
appreciates your commitment to keeping everyone safe.
Auckland remains at Alert Level 4, and the rest of New Zealand remains
at Alert Level 2. These settings will be reviewed on Monday 20 September.
Stay at home
The Delta variant is highly infectious and can spread
from people simply walking past each other. So, it’s
important to stick to your bubble. Only go out for exercise or
to access necessities like groceries and medical care, including
testing and vaccinations.
Wear a face covering
It’s recommended you wear a face covering
whenever you leave home. If you’re aged 12
and over, you must wear a face covering when:
• Accessing necessities like food, medical supplies and petrol
• On public transport and at arrival and departure points,
for example train stations and bus stops
• In taxi or ride-share vehicles (both drivers and passengers).
Please respect those who can’t wear a face covering due to
a disability or a health condition.
Kia kaha. Let’s keep beating Delta
Check locations of interest
Locations of interest are updated regularly, so keep
checking to ensure you have the latest information.
If you’ve been at a location of interest, check testing
requirements at Covid19.govt.nz
Book your vaccination
Anyone aged 12 and over can reserve their free
vaccination online at BookMyVaccine.nz or by
calling 0800 28 29 26.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself,
your family and your community from COVID-19.
Seek help if feeling overwhelmed
Staying in your bubble can be hard for some people.
If you feel you need help, it is available.
For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing,
call or text the ‘Need to talk?’ service on 1737 to talk with a
trained counsellor. This is free and available 24 hours a day,
7 days a week.
Find out more at Covid19.govt.nz
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