The Indian Weekender - Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame Special - 07 October 2022

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
We're seeing increasing use of ballistic missiles
and testing coming from North Korea and we must
continue to utterly condemn what is happening. It is a
breach of international rules. - Jacinda Ardern.
Editorial
Kiwi-Indians hold
key to building NZ-
India trade
India’s much-acclaimed External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, is in New
Zealand on a five-day visit this week. This is significant not least because the
previous such visit happened 31 long years ago.
Following the global Indian diaspora-centric vision of India’s Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, the visit is centred on the annual Indian Weekender Kiwi-Indian Hall
of Fame awards, and a busy schedule of bilateral official engagements.
Undoubtedly, the Kiwi-Indian diaspora is one of the biggest untapped economic
assets we possess. Despite the fact that Kiwi-Indians are almost the largest migrant
group, there’s a general lack of ‘India literacy’ in Aotearoa’s public and private
discourse. Its potential in unleashing trade growth between our two countries
needs urgent attention.
Just as the world at large has done for some time, It is high time that Kiwis and
the political establishment see India and Kiwi-Indians beyond the cliched ambit of
Diwali, Bollywood, curry and cricket.
At about 300k, Kiwi-Indians comprise some 6% of the population. With their
median age here being 30 – NZ’s is 38 – this cohort is playing a significant role in
the small business and service industry, the NZ economy’s backbone. It made its
impact during Covid, as when most of us were locking ourselves up in the safety
of our homes, they were nursing patients, driving buses, manning fuel stations,
running grocery stores and driving trucks, maintaining critical supply chains.
Kiwi-Indians’ growing influence in NZ is concomitant to the growth and reemergence
of India on the global political and economic scene. As India celebrates
75 years of independence, it has outpaced the UK to become the world’s fifth
largest economy and is on track for the third spot. India now has the highest
number of unicorns and is feted as the start-up and digital capital of the world,
with high inflows of foreign direct investment.
The world is beating a path to India, Australia included. Is India on top of NZ’s
priority list of countries to engage with? If not, why not?
Taking a leaf out of Australia’s India book
Culturally, Indians develop strategic relationships first and then enter the
transactional phase which results in trade. Australia has laid out a clear, successful
model pathway for NZ to follow.
Australia left no stone unturned in expending its political capital to develop
and deepen strategic relationship with India. The warm friendship between the
Indian and Australian prime ministers was palpable even over social media as they
effectively engaged with each other almost on a weekly basis.
The results are before us: Australia is reaping the benefits with the recently
concluded India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement giving
access to more than 90% of goods and services to each other’s markets.
It is proven beyond doubt that this trade agreement came into play only after
there was significant investment in the development and improvement of strategic
relationship. It is a convergence of mutual interests, creating real win-win outcomes
for both nations.
Agreed, Australia has some heft due to its size and scale, but that is where we
need to realise and accept that NZ has to work harder, as evidently in terms of
trade there are more wins for NZ and less for India.
Successive NZ governments have also failed to lobby hard for a direct flight
between NZ and India, despite Auckland Airport presenting a case for the
commercial viability of direct flights. Qantas now flies direct to three major Indian
cities.
While NZ remains steadfastly focused on transacting or selling its dairy and meat,
India, on the other hand, maintains its long-held position that strategic relationship
building will define future trade agreements. The result of this mismatch is that
India is no where near the top as a trading partner and instead is at number 15 with
bilateral trade languishing at a woefully sub-par $2 billion.
NZ must ditch its unworkable trade-first approach and work to deepen and
broaden its strategic relationship with India before it can expect any significant
market access and trade agreements.
India is a complex market but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is
worth the effort. NZ has the wherewithal to navigate this complexity: the highly
educated, experienced and entrepreneurial Kiwi-Indian diaspora. NZ companies
should hire them to front their India strategy. Policy is made by governments but
passion and action emanates from people.
Despite the challenges, India and NZ are on the cusp of an exciting, meaningful
and strategic phase of friendship and economic partnership, effectively fuelled by
the existing people-to-people bridge.
This piece appeared in the New Zealand Herald written by Bhav Dhillon Honorary
Consul of India in Auckland, a well-known community leader and managing
director of a major multi-site building products manufacturing company in
New Zealand and Australia.
IN FOCUS : Picture of the week
President of India Droupadi Murmu on Monday (October 3) paid
tribute to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati
Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
This week in New Zealand’s history
9 October 1967
First day of ten o'clock closing
Fifty years of six o’clock closing of pubs had ended two days earlier, after a
referendum convinced the government to change the antiquated licensing law.
10 October 1975
Waitangi Tribunal created
The Labour government created the Tribunal to hear Māori claims of breaches of
the Treaty of Waitangi. It has evolved ever since, adapting to the demands of
claimants, government and public.
12 October 1917
New Zealand's ‘blackest day’ at Passchendaele
Ever since 1917, Passchendaele has been a byword for the horror of the Great
War. In terms of lives lost in a single day, the failed attack on Bellevue Spur on
12 October was probably the greatest disaster in New Zealand’s history.
12 October 1996
New Zealanders go to the polls in first MMP election
In the first general election held under the new mixed-member proportional
representation (MMP) voting system, New Zealand voters selected 120 members
of Parliament through a mixture of electorate contests and party lists.
13 October 1975
Whina Cooper leads land march to Parliament
About 5000 marchers arrived at Parliament and presented a petition signed by
60,000 people to Prime Minister Bill Rowling.
14 October 2010
Silver Ferns beat Diamonds in Commonwealth Games
Just how close the NZ and Australian netball teams were became clear as the
match, the longest official game of netball ever played, stretched over 84
pulsating minutes.
Indian Weekender : Volume 14 Issue 29
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