The Indian Weekender, 10 March 2023

Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 10 March, 2023
NEW ZEALAND 11
Homeownership can lead to
a sense of empowerment for
women: Rasleen Kaur
MAHESH KUMAR
To mark International Women’s Day
on March 8, The Indian Weekender
spoke with Rasleen Kaur, Mortgage
Advisor at Sandeep Khanna Mortgages
in Christchurch. She shared her inspiring
story of success through resilience and
determination.
Kaur takes pride in helping women
achieve their dream of home ownership
while also empowering them to take
control of their finances and becoming
financially independent.
Kaur started her career as a home lender
with a bank in 2014 and worked there until
2021. During these years, she worked as a
home lender in retail and business banking.
After having her second child in 2021, she
got an opportunity to work as a mortgage
advisor, which offered her the flexibility
she needed while working full-time and
looking after her young family.
Despite facing situations where her
skills, knowledge, and experience were
underestimated because of her gender,
Kaur feels fortunate to work with the right
people who believe in her capabilities.
“As a result of the encouragement and
mentorship I have received from Sandeep
Khanna and Mona, I have managed such
situations to deliver positive outcomes for
my clients,” she said.
Emphasising the importance of financial
independence for women, Kaur says,
“Homeownership provides financial
security and a sense of empowerment
that helps women focus on other goals,
such as retirement savings, raising family,
and improving the quality of their lives.”
She takes special pride in
helping women, including
“Being
a woman
professional in this
industry undoubtedly
can be a bit much
sometimes; this gets
even more challenging
when you are a
‘mom’ as well.
single mothers with young
children, achieve their
home ownership goals.
“I remember the feeling
of joy when I helped a
single mom with young
kids in achieving her home
ownership goals by working
with them for a few months.
This involved a lot of hard work
ranging from helping them with budget
planning to tidying up their accounts,
working with them on their short-term and
long-term goals,” she said.
She believes women these days have
many resources available to them, such
as social media, seminars by financial
institutions, and professional guides to
help them become financially independent.
Kaur’s tips for women wanting to secure
a home mortgage include sorting out their
finances, differentiating between needs
and wants, and cutting off other liabilities
and debts. She also advises seeing a
mortgage advisor early on in the homebuying
journey.
Indian players shine as NZ beats
Australia in O40I tournament
MAHESH KUMAR
New Zealand has defeated Australia
by 2-0 in the historic Over-
40s International series held in
Christchurch. The tournament that began
on 19 February lasted for a week, with two
warm-up games followed by three O40I
matches.
This victory marks an incredible
achievement for the New Zealand over-
40s cricket team, who put up a fantastic
performance against their Australian
counterparts. It was a thrilling series
of cricket, with both teams showing
remarkable skills, dedication, and
commitment.
The three Kiwi-Indian players
participating in the tournament- Vishal
Dube, Hardeep Singh and Deepak Joon all
contributed with their skills to help New
Zealand post the win.
The historic tournament which was the
first O40I played anywhere in the world
had the International Masters Cricket
Committee Chairman, Stirling Hamman,
present at the occasion.
Jim Morrison, Director of NZ Over-40s
Cricket said, “The series was a wonderful
way to start over-40s cricket around the
world. We hope that the success of this
series will attract new players, supporters
and sponsors to this amazing new format
of cricket.”
New Zealand won the first O40I match
by six wickets. The second match was
washed out without a ball bowled due to
damp pitch.
The second and final O40I match saw
New Zealand win by 43 runs. James
Marshall’s 70 runs and Adam Hastilow’s
3/13 helped New Zealand finish at 232/9.
Australia’s Over 40s Cricket scored 198,
and the New Zealand team won the series
2-0.
Commenting on the win, Vishal Dubey
told Indian Weekender, “Winning the
tournament was the best feeling and for
most of us it was realising our dream to
play and to represent the country in over
40s cricket.”
“I want to thank Jim for organising
the event and making it a memorable
experience and Rhys Henderson, the team
manager, for taking excellent care of the
team, allowing them to focus solely on
cricket and Our team physio Graham who
made certain the boys were ready for their
next game despite the most challenging
aspect of the tournament for us was being
match fit. We are now looking forward to
the first-ever over40’s world cup.”
Being a working mother in the financial
industry can be overwhelming as Kaur
shares, “Being a woman professional in
this industry undoubtedly can be a bit
much sometimes; this gets even more
challenging when you are a mom as well.
The mortgage mom is another level; I
am a mother of two little kids under
the age of 4, and no matter how
much flexibility we are given in
this industry, some days get
really tough.
Sometimes, I get calls
when putting kids to
sleep or when I am out
spending quality time
with them.
One of the reasons people
come to advisers is that
they can be contacted after
hours or on weekends. So
this is something that’s
unavoidable and we are
prepared for.”
Kaur says she is
fortunate to work for SKM, where she has
been given opportunities for professional
growth and flexibility in managing work-life
balance.
Kaur also hopes to see more women
join the industry to bring a different
perspective and empathy much needed in
the financial industry.