India Weekender 23 Sep

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8 NEW ZEALAND Friday, 23 September, 2022 Read online www.iwk.co.nz AKKA celebrates Konkani culture, language in Aotearoa NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH India is an extremely culturally diverse country and assimilates so many different cultures in itself. While some cultures such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and Tamil are more prominent given the larger geographical spread and the numbers of people who speak these languages, there are also several lesser-known cultures, such as the Konkani Culture which runs all along the western coastal strip of India. Konkani people are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic community who trace their history as far back as the fourth millennium BC. With their population concentrated in South coastal Maharashtra, Goa, Northern Karnataka, Mangalore and North coastal Kerala they share their name with the coastline and the language they speak. The Konkani language is spoken throughout the western coastal belt of India – from Maharashtra through Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, though in distinct regional flavours. And since many Indians have Of the women, for the women and by the women NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH It is always a great feeling when community members come together for a cause. And the recent event organised by Naaree Women’s group was all about women from diverse backgrounds coming together to raise charity. Organised by the group’s founders Gargi Trivedi and Kashika Singh, the Bingo Night in aid of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ took place on Saturday (September 17). Talking about the overwhelming response to the event, Gargi told Indian Weekender, “ Our main reason to do a fundraising event in aid of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is as we believe migrated to New Zealand, there is a small yet growing Konkani population in Aotearoa. In this twenty-first part of our series on Indian cultural associations in NZ, we feature the Association of Konkani Kiwis of Aotearoa (AKKA) – the only association of Konkani-speaking Kiwis that was established in late 2018. Interestingly, the idea to have this association was initiated way back in 2004. Nitin Kundapur, AKKA’s Vice- President, gives more details: “It all started in 2004 in Auckland where a small group came together mainly for supporting those who are fighting breast cancer as well as admiring those who have survived it. Every Naaree who supported this cause is a celebrity within herself.” Adding to that, Kashika said, “Naaree group brings confidence in ladies who are twice shy in public but this platform has seen so many budding confident ladies coming out of their shell and become extroverts. Absolutely amazed at the overwhelming turnout ladies are now hungry for more I guess.” The evening at Columbus Coffee in Grafton had ladies who have fought breast cancer sharing their journeys. There was also a nurse from the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ who gave an interactive talk. Choose New Zealand’s most trusted paint brand! resene.co.nz Visit your local Resene ColorShop or shop online at shop.resene.co.nz Ganesh Utsav. That was the only time when families gathered. Most families are in Auckland, some in Wellington, and a handful in Christchurch. These gatherings went on for a while, and in 2016 a need was felt to expand the group and make it a formal organisation. That led to the formation of AKKA.” There is only one main wing of the organisation, and it has a family-based membership with a very nominal annual fee. What started with 15 families in 2016 is now over 40 families registered with AKKA. AKKA endeavours to keep the Konkani spirit alive and to pass it on to the younger generation. “Our main aim is to educate the younger generation and encourage them to speak and understand Konkani and its roots. "The future generation is evolving fast, and knowledge of one’s cultural background is essential. India is diverse in many ways, and we need to provide all possible resources to the coming generations, so that ethnic fabric and identity stay for years to come,” says Kundapur. Translating their vision into action, AKKA organises regular community gatherings on key festivals such as Ganesh Pooja, Choodi Pooja and Diwali. “We also have our annual sports meet and family picnics. Programmes are mainly centred around Konkani culture, sports and recreation, performing arts, etc. The forum is open to nonmembers, and all are welcome/ encouraged to join,” reveals Kundapur. Kundapur further reveals that they want more families to join AKKA and to engage the younger generation. “We plan One of the event’s highlights was a pink walk by the ladies in attendance to support the cause which had the ladies wearing pink to support the cause. Gargi reveals that they kept their guest list limited due to Covid-19 still in NZ. For the uninitiated, Naaree Women’s Group - a women’s Facebook Group, was established during the lockdown in 2020 It was a memorable evening with great food, bingo and spot prizes. Attendees, too, had a gala and shared their experience of the fun-filled do. Shital Sangani, one of the attendees, said, “It was really a great experience to be a part of this event, which had a very core purpose of enlightening all the Naaree on breast cancer - its symptoms, how to do a selfcheck-up and what are the facilities available for someone struggling with this. It was a very well-organised event that Naaree should be proud to pull off.” to have more gatherings and some fun theme-based events – hiking trips, Bring a pet event and more outdoor activities. We also want to focus on social media to discuss AKKA and its work. We want more people to attend for the effort, and the expense put into events.” Lastly, talking about AKKA plans, Kundapur says they have reached out to some international Konkani organisations and had a very positive response from Tristate- US, UK, Dubai, Mangalore-India and Melbourne. Moreover, plans to have virtual Konkani culture classes are also under way. “We are also working on having our online Konkani School so that we can have a virtual classroom each month that will focus on Konkani speaking, a few songs, stories in Konkani for kids,” signs off Kundapur. Another guest, Roshni Shetty, said the event brought a lot of awareness about breast cancer. “Thanks, Naaree, for organising the pink ribbon event and for getting narees (women) together under one roof and educating and bringing awareness of breast cancer. I gained a wealth of knowledge from guest speaker Debra.” Geetika Jalota Bhatnagar, another attendee, revealed that she couldn’t wait for more such events. “Beautiful event - well planned, coordinated and efficient meet and great for a great cause. Kashika and Gargi did an awesome job collaborating and organising the event, which was a super success. Pink walk, bingo, talks, and mingling was superb way to socialise. I look forward to attending more such events.”
Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 23 September, 2022 NEW ZEALAND 9 Labour, National lock horns over state of economy VENU MENON FROM THE PARLIAMENT PRESS GALLERY Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Grant Robertson raised his decibel level to drown out the heckling from Opposition benches while defending the Labour government’s fiscal policy in Parliament on Tuesday. New Zealand’s public debt remained under 20 per cent of GDP, Robertson claimed. “Our level of national debt is lower than what National left us,” Grant added, while forecasting a surplus in the 2024- 25 fiscal year. Robertson told the house he was hugely optimistic about the NZ economy that had been resilient through Covid. He claimed the prospects were strong with borders reopening and tourists and international students returning. Exporters were continuing to earn. However, National Party finance spokesperson Nicola Willis hotly contested those claims. Referring to the Appropriation (2022/23 Estimates) Bill, which had its third reading in Parliament, Willis said: “We see the biggest spending Budget in NZ’s history.” She said real wages had declined by 3.7 per cent in the past year. Prices were rising in NZ at the fastest rate they have in 32 years, while wages were not keeping up. Willis claimed the government’s budget failed to address the drivers behind the cost-of-living crisis. She drew attention to the bungling over the recent cost- of-living payments of $350 made to more than 6000 New Zealanders living overseas. Willis listed a litany of government failures, including the Three Waters Reforms, the long waiting times for emergency treatment, fewer elective surgeries, fewer children attending school, declining numeracy and literacy rates, state housing waiting lists quadrupling, “and 4000 families putting their children to sleep in a motel room.” Willis concluded that government spending was out of control with plans to spend $51 billion more this year than the National Party did in its last year of government. This represented a 70 per cent increase in spending, she said. It was left to David Parker, Minister of Revenue, to fend off National’s onslaught. He disputed Willis’ figures, saying government spending stood at 31.6 per cent of GDP. Parker added in 2013 government spending was 32 per cent of GDP under the National government after five years. “Vaccine and mask mandates have gone and the trees are blooming.” Parker highlighted the low unemployment rate of 3.3 per cent while admitting inflation was high. “But in Europe it’s higher.” He cited Stats NZ figures to show median weekly earnings from wages and salaries grew 8.8 per cent in the year 2022. Parker said the country’s net debt was lower than Australia, the US, Japan, the UK and Europe, and peaked on a net debt basis at less than 20 per cent of GDP, a “stunning result for NZ that shows prudent fiscal management.” Parker touted figures to show exports were up. Notwithstanding Covid, merchandise exports rose while primary sector exports have for the first time crossed $ 15 billion. “We enabled productivity and supply lines to be maintained.” With claims, counter claims and disputed figures bandied about in the House, it was clear the last word had not been said on the state of the economy. Trust Saffron Finance for expert Mortgage/ Insurance advice backed by years of experience Mortgages: • Home loans • Commercial Property loans • Business Loans • Top up & Debt consolidation • Re-Finance and Refixing • Investment Property loans • Restructuring of loan • Construction & Renovation Risk Insurances: • Life & Trauma • Key Person Cover • Medical / Health • TPD and Income Protection • Mortgage Repayment cover • New to Business & • Business Continuity Cover • Redundancy Cover If you require any assistance I and my office are always happy and ready to provide advice and support. Please get in touch on 09 520 0538 or at MPLee@parliament.govt.nz to make an appointment. Nimish Parikh Registered Financial Adviser M. 021 236 7070 nimish@saffronfinance.co.nz Contact for free assessment 18B Kirby Street, Glendene, Auckland 0602 P O Box - 69263 , Glendene, Auckland 0645 www.saffronfinance.co.nz Melissa Lee National List MP based in Auckland MPLee@parliament.govt.nz melissalee.co.nz mpmelissalee Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.
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India Weekender 23 Sep

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