INL August 15 2019 Digital Edition

September 21, 2019 

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An old friend returns as Indian High Commissioner 

Venkat Raman 

When Muktesh 

Pardeshi visited New 

Zealand in 2002 as 

Deputy Secretary 

(Australia, New Zealand and 

Pacific Island Countries) at the 

External Affairs Ministry of India, 

little did he know it was the start 

of an enduring engagement with 

the region; neither did anyone 

have an inkling that 17 years later, 

he would head the Diplomatic 

Mission in Wellington. 

Mr Pardeshi arrived on 

Monday, July 29, 2019 and presented 

his Credentials as the High 

Commissioner and Plenipotentiary 

of India the following day to 

Governor General Dame Patsy 

Reddy at the Government House in 

the Capital. 

This was not the first time 

for an Indian or other Heads of 

Mission to present Credentials 

quickly. Retired Admiral Sureesh 

Mehta, who arrived in Wellington 

to take charge as India’s High 

Commissioner on December 8, 

2009, presented his credentials 

to the then Governor General Sir 

Anand Satyanand the following 

day. 

Mr Pardeshi will also be Non- 

Resident High Commissioner to 

Samoa and Ambassador to Kiribati 

and Nauru. 

Engagement with New Zealand 

As we have reported on several 

occasions over the past 20 years, 

India’s Foreign Policy is based on 

‘Strategic Thinking’ and is largely 

driven by its philosophy of Non- 

Alignment and Non-Interference 

Muktesh and Rakhi Pardeshi with Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy and at the Government House in Wellington on August 1, 2019 soon after 

presenting his credentials as High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary of the Government of India (Picture from Twitter @MukteshPardeshi). 

This Report is an abridged version. For full text, please visit www.indiannewslink.co.nz 

in the internal affairs of other 

countries. 

It is one of the most admired policies 

in the world and Indian diplomats 

are respected for their 

competence to enhance bilateral relations 

in every foreign posting. 

Mr Pardeshi is a fine product of 

India’s inimitable diplomacy. 

Since the introduction of economic 

reforms, the focus has been on increasing 

Foreign Direct Investment 

and since 2015, the ‘Make in India’ 

initiative aims to make India aviable 

alternative for international 

manufacturers to consider India as 

a base. 

Mr Pardeshi would certainly prioritise 

strengthening of political relations 

between India and his host 

country, although there are no serious 

issues of concern. 

The Challenge of FTA 

Talks on aFree Trade Agreement 

(FTA) between India and New 

Zealand began in November 2007 

but have remained inconclusive. 

“There are many other opportunities 

for New Zealand businesses 

in India. It would be worthwhile 

to explore them,” Mr Pardeshi told 

Indian Newslink, adding that businesses 

of Indian origin can tap into 

the vast potential. 

Interest in the region 

Mr Pardeshi’s involvement with 

New Zealand and countries of the 

South Pacific has been pronounced. 

His groundwork was largely responsible 

for India to become a‘Dialogue 

Partner’ of the Pacific Islands Forum 

in 2002 and he was apart of the 

delegation that attended the 34th 

Annual Summit of the Forum hosted 

by the then Prime Minister Helen 

Clark in Auckland at Sheraton (now 

Cordis) Hotel in Auckland from 

August 12 to August 19, 2003. 

New Delhi has been seeking membership 

status which has thus far 

not materialised. India shares the 

Commonwealth heritage and common 

interests with most countries of 

the region. Afull membership will 

be mutually beneficial. 

The Sir Edmund Hillary 

connection 

Mr Pardeshi was involved with 

the visit to New Delhi of the late Sir 

Edmund Hillary in 2003 to be honoured 

by the then Prime Minister, 

the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The 

celebrations included publication 

of aSpecial Commemorative Stamp 

and the naming of the Road where 

the New Zealand High Commission 

is located as ‘Sir Edmund Hillary 

Marg.’ 

Another milestone relationship 

Relations between India and 

New Zealand touched another milestone 

when the Indian Government 

conferred the title of ‘Padma 

Vibhushan,’ the second highest civilian 

award posthumously on Sir 

Edmund at aCeremony held at the 

Government House in Auckland on 

May 22, 2008 under the patronage 

of the then Governor General Sir 

Anand Satyanand. 

Lady June Hillary received the 

posthumous award given on behalf 

of the Indian President (Pratibha 

Patil) by the visiting Commerce and 

Industry Minister (Kamal Nath) 

in the presence of the Indian High 

Commissioner (Kadakath Pathrose 

Ernest). 

Indian Newslink was closely involved 

with the ‘Padma Vibhushan 

Project.’ 

About Muktesh Pardeshi 

Born in Bihar, Mr Pardeshi (who 

is proficient in many languages including 

Spanish), joined the Indian 

Foreign Service in 1991 and worked 

in his country’s diplomatic missions 

in Columbia, Nepal, Indonesia and 

Mexico, apart from postings in the 

External Affairs Ministry in New 

Delhi. It was during his tenure as 

the Head of Passports (2010 to 2016) 

that the systems and procedures 

were streamlined, improving the 

standard of service on apart with 

the best in the world. His services 

were applauded by the government 

(and personally to this Reporter by 

Overseas Affairs Minister Vayalar 

Ravi during his visit to Auckland in 

2010). 

Among the highlights of his diplomatic 

career was the ‘Disarmament 

Programme’ in Geneva in 1998. 

Married to Rakhi, ateacher by 

profession, the couple have two 

daughters who live in London and 

New Delhi. 

Calling for Entries and Nominations 

To the Twelfth Annual Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2019 

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7. Business Excellence in Ethics (New) 

8. Business Excellence with Social Responsibility (New) 

9. Best Small Business 

10. Best Medium Sized Business 

11. Best Large Business 

aiming excellence 

12. Business Excellence in International Trade with India 

(this category is open to all businesses registered in 

New Zealand doing business with India) 

13. Best Accountant of the Year 

14. Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year 

15. Best Businesswoman of the Year 

16. Best Financial Advisor (Mortgage) of the Year 

17. Best Financial Advisor (Insurance) of the Year 

Supreme Business of the Year Award 

(All entries will be entered for this category) 

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Nomination Process: Direct by Entrants; Nominations for Individual Categories (13 to 17) by companies and individuals; Nominations by 

commercial banks and chartered accountants for companies and individuals with information prescribed in the entry forms available on the 

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AUGUST 15, 2019 

Homelink 

New Law decriminalises Abortion, makes it health issue 

Sourced Content 

Abortion Law would only 

require amedical test 

for women who are 

more than 20 weeks 

pregnant, in proposed changes 

announced by the government 

on August 5, 2019. 

The government released 

details of aBill which would 

remove abortion from the 

Crimes Act and instead treat it 

as ahealth issue. It comes after 

months of stalling and backand-forth 

negotiations between 

coalition partners. 

Currently, the Law allows for 

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abortion to be performed only to 

save the life of the mother, or to 

preserve her physical or mental 

health, and only if the procedure 

is approved by two doctors or 

consultants. 

The Fourth Option 

Last year, the Law 

Commission recommended 

three options for Abortion Law 

Reform. 

One option was that the 

decision would be for awoman 

and her doctor, another that a 

mental health assessment be 

carried out for all abortions, 

and athird would require a 

woman’s mental health to be 

ONE 

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examined only after 22 weeks of 

pregnancy. 

However, the government 

has opted for adifferent option, 

requiring an examination if a 

woman is more than 20 weeks 

pregnant. After 20 weeks, a 

health practitioner would 

need to determine that they 

reasonably believe the abortion 

is appropriate with regard to the 

pregnant woman’s physical and 

mental health, and wellbeing. 

A Reformation 

Justice Minister Andrew 

Little said that the Bill would 

modernise New Zealand’s Abortion 

Laws, bringing them into 

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Justice Minister Andrew Little (RNZ Photo by Ana Tovey) 

line with many other developed don’t know precisely where the 

countries. 

numbers sit on this, but Ithink 

“Abortion is the only medical the bill in the current form that 

procedure that is still acrime in it’s in gives us the best chance 

New Zealand. It is time for this of getting the best numbers on 

to change. Safe abortion should Thursday,” he said. 

be treated and regulated as a The Provisions 

health issue; awoman has the The Bill, which will had its 

right to choose what happens to first reading in Parliament on 

her body. The safe systems and August 8, 2019 will (a) remove 

regulation that we need to do any statutory test on the health 

this are already in place through practitioner for awoman who 

other health legislation and codes is not more than 20 weeks 

of professional practice within pregnant. For awoman who is 

the medical profession. Oversight more than 20 weeks pregnant 

of abortion services would be would require the health 

transferred from the Abortion practitioner to reasonably believe 

Supervisory Committee to the that abortion is appropriate with 

Ministry of Health,” Mr Little said. regard to the pregnant woman’s 

Discussions with Partners physical and mental health, and 

Speaking to reporters, Mr Little well-being (b) Ensure that health 

said that the final details of the practitioners advise women of 

Bill were decided after discussions 

with government parties. services if they are considering 

the availability of counselling 

“New Zealand First... has been an abortion or have had an 

very constructive, very positive. abortion, although counselling 

In fact, we have got the bill to the will not be mandatory (c) Ensure 

point that it is with the support that awoman can self-refer to 

that they’ve given. The vote an abortion service provider 

will be treated as aconscience (d) Enable aregulation-making 

issue which means MPs do not power to set up safe areas around 

have to vote along Party lines. I specific abortion facilities, on 

a case-by-case basis (e) Ensure 

that practitioners who object to 

providing services on the grounds 

of conscience must inform the 

pregnant women about their 

objection, and that the woman 

can obtain the services elsewhere 

(f) Retain the criminal offence for 

unqualified people who attempt 

to procure an abortion on a 

pregnant woman or supply the 

means for procuring an abortion 

(g) Retain the criminal offence of 

killing an unborn child for any 

person who causes harm to a 

pregnant woman and in doing so 

causes the death of afetus. 

Conscience Vote 

The Bill will be treated as a 

conscience issue, meaning MPs 

will be able to vote independently 

at each stage. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 

said she senses the vote results 

“will be close.” 

“But Ihope one of the 

considerations MPs would give is 

the chance for the public to have 

their say -that will only happen 

if it passes at this first vote,” she 

said. 

More than 200 people marched 

to Parliament late last month calling 

for reform of New Zealand’s 

abortion laws, on the day Cabinet 

ministers were considering the 

draft Bill. 

A petition posted on the 

Parliament website in May 

gained 37,856 signatures before 

it was presented in July asking 

MPs to remove abortion from the 

Crimes Act. 

Published under a Special 

Agreement with www.rnz. 

co.nz. The above is the edited 

version. For full text of the 

above article, please visit www. 


Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi 

National List MPbasedd in 

Manukau East 

Contact 

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F 

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1/131 Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland 

09 278 9302 

09 278 2143 

bakshi.mp@parliament.govt.nz 

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Homelink 

The Pride and Honour of being Police Recruit Wing 328 Patron 

Venkat Raman 

As 79 men and women 

graduated from the 

Royal New Zealand Police 

College in Porirua, 

Wellington on Thursday, August 

1, 2019, it was a moment of 

joy, pride, satisfaction and 

achievement, not only for the 

new recruits, but also for their 

teachers, trainers, superior 

Police Officers, parents, relatives 

and friends. 

It was a moment of gratification 

for me. 

For, they belonged to Police 

Recruit Wing 328, of which I am 

the Patron. 

I was told that I would 

the Patron of the 79 recruits 

throughout their career in the 

New Zealand Police and in fact, 

throughout their life. 

It is elating to realise that as 

their Patron, I initiated them into 

16-weeks of rigorous training 

on April 15, 2019 and as their 

Patron, saw them graduate along 

with about 500 people. 

There were not just tears of 

joy but also tears of sorrow, that 

they would perhaps would not 

see each other again, unless 

they happen to work together 

in the same Police District and 

on the same beat. Such was the 

bond that they struck day-in and 

day-out at the College that they 

had a sense of belonging for 

each other. 

Opportunity and Commitment 

I deemed it a great honour to 

be the Wing Patron of the New 

Zealand Police Recruit Wing 328 

and express my gratitude to the 

Police Commissioner Mike Bush with (from left) Manasa and Indra Sirigiri, Venkat 

and Uma Venkatram (Picture by Inspector Rakesh Naidoo) 

(From left) Porirua Mayor Mike Tana, Inspector Rakesh Naidoo, Venkat Raman, 

Deputy Police Commissioner Wallace Haumaha and Uma Venkatram 

(Picture Supplied) 

Commissioner of Police Mike 

Bush, Deputy Police Commissioner 

Wallace Haumaha, Inspector 

Rakesh Naidoo and to many 

other Officers of the New Zealand 

Police Force. This was a rare 

opportunity and a role, which I 

hoped I fulfilled with a sense of 

responsibility and purpose. 

I have had the privilege of 

working closely with the Police 

in a few countries around the 

world, and each day of my 

engagement with Police Officers 

has accentuated my admiration 

and respect for them; for, they 

not only carry, justifiably of 

course, the pride of belonging 

to a select force of men and 

women but also because they 

are charged with the unenviable 

task of keeping our parks, roads, 

a thousand other places of public 

congregation, increasingly our 

homes and in recent times even 

in places of worship. 

Endearing Respect 

My respect for the New 

Zealand Police is even more 

endearing, because, over the 

past 16 or so years, I have had 

the honour of working with 

them in addressing some of the 

needs of increasingly diverse 

communities. 

And all of us New Zealanders 

have grown to respect our 

Police to a much higher degree 

for their role in the aftermath 

of the Christchurch massacre 

on March 15, 2019. Those of 

us who have read William 

Shakespeare’s Julius Cesar 

would have learnt of the Ides 

of March and the abomination 

that descended that day. 

To borrow and tweak the 

words of the late Sir Winston 

Churchill, the War-Time Prime 

Minister of Britain, ‘Never in 

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the history of humankind have 

so many owed so much to so 

few.’ The quick action of our 

Police diminished what could 

have been mindless, nefarious 

and prodigious slaughter of 

incalculable proportions. 

Diverse Family 

Times are changing. Like our 

country, our society and our 

communities, our Police are 

also becoming an extensively 

diverse family. There are more 

than 12,000 Police Officers 

serving throughout the country 

day and night, so that we can 

feel safe wherever we are. As 

the Police numbers grow to 

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meet the growing demands of 

the country, so will its diversity. 

Our Police Force is also 

becoming diverse in ethnicity 

and in the number of women 

officers. I am proud that my 

Wing has 23 of them, extremely 

capable and enthusiastic and 

I hope that there would be 

increasing numbers of them as 

new Wings are created. 

Police Minister Stuart Nash 

said that the 79 new constables 

brought the total number of 

recruits since his government 

took office in October 2017 to 

1524. 

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Homelink 

Applications for Queen’s 

Counsel open 

Supplied Content 

Attorney General David Parker 

has announced the appointment 

round for Queen’s 

Counsel in 2019 but said 

that there would be fewer successful 

applicants. 

Appointments of Queen’s Counsel 

are made by the Governor-General 

on the recommendation of the Attorney-General 

and with the agreement 

of the Chief Justice. 

The Governor-General retains the 

discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel 

in recognition of their extraordinary 

contributions to the law in fields other 

than advocacy. 

Updated Guidelines 

Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann 

and Attorney-General David Parker 

have issued updated Guidelines for 

Candidates this year after consulting 

with the New Zealand Law Society and 

the New Zealand Bar Association. 

The guidelines now include the 

new criterion of acommitment to 

improving access to justice. 

Mr Parker said that in recommending 

barristers to take silk, he wanted 

to have agood understanding of each 

applicant’s personal contribution to 

improving access to justice for those 

who need it. 

“It will be an important factor in my 

decisions,” he said. 

Less Successful Applicants 

He said that he expected fewer 

successful applicants than in recent 

years. 

Attorney General David Parker 

“There are over 100 practicing QCs. 

I want to make sure that we reserve 

the rank for those who are at the 

very top of their game, not just in the 

quality of their legal work but also in 

their relationships with others, and in 

their contribution to the profession. I 

also want to ensure the rank in New 

Zealand represents the diversity of 

our profession, both regionally and in 

their practice areas,” Mr Parker said. 

The Guidelines (and an application 

form) are available at www.crownlaw.govt.nz. 

Applications open today 

(August 1, 2019) and must be sent to 

Solicitor-General Una Jagose QC no 

later than August 30, 2019. 

Una Jagose will consult with the 

New Zealand Law Society and the 

New Zealand Bar Association regarding 

the candidates. 

It is expected appointments will be 

made in November 2019. 

New Police recruits cross 1500 mark in two years 

Venkat Raman 

The total number of new 

constables who have joined 

the New Zealand Police 

since the current government 

took office in October 2017 

now stands at 1524, Police Minister 

Stuart Nash said in Wellington on 

Thursday, August 1, 2019. 

He was speaking at the Graduation 

Parade of Police Recruit Wing 

328 at the Royal New Zealand 

Police College in Porirua. 

Extra Police officers are 

being deployed from Northland to 

Southland with this graduation, Mr 

Nash said. 

“The graduation of 79 constables 

means that 1524 new constables 

have been deployed since the 

government took office. One 

quarter of the new constables will 

be deployed to our largest Policing 

district, Counties Manukau. The 

remainder will commence duties 

on 12 August in towns from the far 

north to deep south and all across 

regional New Zealand,” he said. 

Mr Nash said that it is important 

for Police to maintain an active 

and visible presence in neighbourhoods 

all over the country. 

Firearms buyback 

The success of the firearms buyback 

and amnesty in many small 

towns has highlighted the strong 

relationship between local police 

and communities, he said. 

“Reports from towns like Piopio, 

Waipu, Fairlie and Picton show 

that conversations between 

Police Minister Stuart Nash inspecting the Graduating 

Constables of Wing 328 on August 1, 2019 


Wing 328 Patron Venkat Raman greeting Constable 

Zane Wienk on August 1, 2019 


Police and gunowners are positive and 

engaging. Many officers graduating 

from Wing 328 can expect to play a 

part working alongside communities to 

remove the most dangerous firearms 

from circulation,” Mr Nash said. 

The buyback is also making the 

everyday job of Policing much safer for 

our new recruits. Every month Police 

are called out to 200 crimes involving 

firearms. Every year up to 1000 guns are 

reported stolen from licensed owners. 

Many disappear into the hands of gangs. 

“Today’s new constables will help 

tackle gang-related crime and reduce 

harm from drugs like methamphetamine. 

They are also increasingly 

supporting vulnerable communities. 

Last year Police responded to 

33,000 mental health callouts, 

an increase of 11% over the 

previous year,” Mr Nash said. 

Strong Commitment 

“Wing 328 continues 

the strong commitment to 

increased diversity in our Police. 

Just over 30% are women, 

13% Maori, 10% Pasifika, and 

6% identify Asian. The youngest 

is 19 and the eldest is 50 

years old. Between them, they 

speak eight languages other 

than English. Their sporting 

and cultural achievements 

include aprofessional rugby 

player, an Olympic swimmer, 

and aWaka Ama Champion,” 

he added. 

This Reporter is the Patron 

of Wing 328. 

Mr Nash said, “I want to 

personally acknowledge 

and thank the Wing Patron, 

Journalist and Community 

Leader Venkat Raman. He 

has long supported the work 

of Police through Advisory 

Forums, and been agreat 

mentor to the recruits during 

their training.” 

The Constables are being 

deployed to Police Districts 

as follows: Northland 2; 

Waitematā 12; 

Auckland 2; Counties Manukau 

19; Waikato 7; Bay of 

Plenty 6; Eastern 4; Central 5; 

Wellington 7; Tasman 2; 

Canterbury 7; Southern 5. 

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Family tragedy brings forth adetermined Constable 

Supplied Content(Edited) 

Tavita Milford decided 

to join theNew Zealand 

Police afterhis father 

died tragically in the 

KaiparaHarbour on November 

26, 2016. 

The newly-graduated Constable 

from Wing 328 proudly 

wore hisPoliceuniform on 

Thursday, August 1, 2019, as 

he celebrated withhis Wingmates 

andfamily on their 

Graduation dayatthe Royal 

New Zealand Police Collegein 

Porirua, Wellington. 

It was aday of happiness 

and sadness as his late father 

TauLagoAfamasaga could not 

be with him to celebrate his 

graduation. 

Inspiring Service 

“I was inspired by how the 

Police dealt with our family 

and ourcommunities during 

that sadtimein2016. Iwas so 

impressedwith how the Police 

helped us during what wasfor 

our family,areally tragic time, 

Iwanted to jointhePolice to 

help people too, especially 

those in my community,” he 

said. 

The Boat Tragedy 

Eight people died when their 

fishing charter boat capsized 

on the KaiparaHarbour and 

it claimed the lifeofTavita’s 

father, with Police callingita 

national maritime tragedy. 

The professional fishermen 

who make their living taking 

groups out over ‘the bar’and 

into theTasman Sea know that 

it is to be carefully negotiated 

at all times. 

The entrance to the Kaipara 

Constable Milford during the inspection 

on Graduation Day on August 1, 2019 

Constables Tavita Milford with 

Constable Sam Yerro. 

Harbour has long been known 

as oneofthe most treacherous 

stretches of water in New 

Zealand. The 12 metre fishing 

charter vessel Francie tried to 

re-enter the KaiparaHarbour 

in 4metre waves beforeitwas 

reported missing. 

Defence forces were 

involved with hydrographic 

specialists from theNew 

Zealand Defence Force. NZDF 

teams helpedsearch for the 

boat with 11 peopleonboard 

that capsized in heavyswells 

in KaiparaHarbouronthat 

fatefulday. 

PacificCommunity in pain 

Policeand rescuehelicopters 

were involved in thesearch, 

and the Royal New Zealand 

Navy assisted with acrew 

from Coastguard New Zealand. 

The Navy’sside-scan sonar 

equipment waseven used in 

the underwater search for the 

sunken boat. 

PacificResponsiveness Manager 

Inspector Willi Fanene 

from Counties Manukau Police 

said: “All themen on theboat, 

apart from the skipper, were 

of PacificIslanddescent. Four 

of the deceased men were 

Tongan, one was Samoan 

and onewas of Cook Island 

descent. Not onlywas this a 

terrible tragedy for the New 

Zealand fishing community,it 

was enormously sad for our 

wider Pacificcommunity.We 

organised PacificIsland staff 

with cultural and language 

knowledge to support the 

families of thedeceased –we 

had Tongan, Samoan and Cook 

Island officers assigned to each 

family,” he said. 

Humbling Experience 

Mr Fanene saidthat he is 

extremely humbled to know 

that Constable Milford joined 

the Policeinspired by his 

father’s tragedy, andsohas his 

brother -in-law ConstableSam 

Yerro. 

“Constable Yerro came to 

me when he joined andtold 

me asimilar story of how he 

was inspired to join after the 

contact he had with the Police 

followingthe Francie tragedy 

where his uncle(Tavita’s father) 

died. Iamsoproud that 

we could makesuch agood 

impression on these young 

men at such atragic timein 

their lives,” he said. 

Constable Milford and 

Constable Yerrowill be based 

in Waitemata. 

Homelink 

05

06 


Educationlink 

Vocational Education overhaul gets majority approval 

Laura Walters 

Stand First: The Education 

Minister is working hard 

to provide certainty as the 

Government begins its 

vocational education overhaul. 

The Government’s biggest reform 

of the vocational education 

sector in 25 years was initially 

met with strong opposition, but a 

softly-softly approach has brought 

the majority on board. 

Issue on Priority 

Education Minister Chris Hipkins 

named an overhaul of the Vocational 

Education Sector as apriority 

soon after coming into Government, 

due to the long-term challenges 

of skill shortages, the mismatch 

between the training provided and 

the current needs of employers, and 

a sector that was losing money hand 

over fist. 

Last year alone, the Government 

pumped $100 million into bailing 

out the polytechs, and more are on 

the cusp of needing astate handout. 

In February, Hipkins released the 

proposed plans, which laid out a 

significant shift in how vocational 

education –both on-job and off-job 

training –would be delivered. 

Amalgamation of Polytechnics 

The main change was the amalgamation 

of the polytechnics into a 

single, centralised provider, which 

would be followed by unifying and 

simplifying the dual funding system. 

At its core, the system would 

move from one where vocational 

Education Minister Chris Hipkins (Photo: Lynn Grieveson) 

education is primarily split between 

eleven industry training organisations 

(ITOs) supporting work-based 

training, and 16 institutes of technology 

(ITPs) delivering provider-based 

training, to an integrated model 

where four to seven industry-governed 

workforce development 

councils (WDCs) have oversight of 

all vocational education, which is 

primarily delivered or supported by 

a single institution spread across a 

range of regional campuses. 

While some providers, especially 

those that had been struggling 

financially, were onboard with 

the changes, there was astrong 

opposition. 

Resistance and thereafter 

Hipkins was slammed by the ITOs 

and some of the polytechs on his 

approach to consultation. 

As aMinister that’s no stranger to 

significant reforms –and the resistance 

that comes with them –Hipkins 

continued with his plan. 

However, he changed his 

approach to consultation and 

engagement, making stakeholders 

feel more apart of the process, and 

extending the transition timeframe 

in order not to spook students, staff 

and employers. 

In an unusual move, on Thursday, 

August 1, 2019, the Minister 

announced his (largely unchanged) 

finalised plans via aFacebook 

livestream from his office. This 

was followed by a45-minute Q&A 

session with the public and students 

via social media. 

Teleconferences with the 

major trainers and providers had 

taken place ahead of the public 

announcement. And amedia Q&A 

session followed later on Thursday 

afternoon. 

It was clear he’d learned his lesson 

and realised just how important it 

was to take everyone along for the 

ride. 

Comms change, plans stay the 

same 

As well as the amalgamation 

of polytechs and the replacement 

of ITOs with WDCs, the finalised 

plan includes Centres of Vocational 

Excellence (CoVEs) at regional 

campuses to drive innovation, and 

a Māori Crown Tertiary Education 

Group –Te Taumata Aronui –will be 

established to work with education 

agencies and ministers. 

The single institution, with the 

working title New Zealand Institute 

of Skills &Technology, will also have 

a statutory charter to guarantee 

continued provision in the regions, 

while Regional Leadership Groups 

(RLGs) will ensure regional skills 

needs are met. 

The institute will be run by an 

establishment or transition board. 

Overall, the changes are expected 

to cost between $285 million and 

$385 million, not including inflation. 

Worthwhile investment 

So far, the Government has put 

aside just shy of $200 million in a 

contingency budget, and Cabinet 

papers show about $50 million of 

it is expected to be spent in the first 

year. The funding will be topped up, 

as needed. 

Finance Minister Grant Robertson 

said this was aworthwhile investment 

and he was not concerned 

about the establishment costs associated 

with improving the system, and 

making it more sustainable. 

A Treasury regulatory impact 

statement put the efficiency benefits 

of the reform at $225 million to 

$368 million. Accurately putting a 

dollar figure on the wider benefits 

was not possible, but in the next 30 

years the total benefits relating to 

employment and earnings could be 

valued between $1.4 billion and $2 

billion. 

Institute and Campuses 

The launch of the new institute 

will now launch in April 2020, and 

there has been acommitment the 

Head Office will not be in Auckland 

or Wellington. 

There will be anational network 

of campuses throughout the country, 

and for the first two years polytechnics 

will be subsidiary companies of 

the core institute. 

The transition period for ITOs 

has also been clarified, with atwo 

to three year phase-in period to 

move the role of ITOs to training 

providers. Holding organisations 

will be formed from ITOs to smooth 

the transition. 

Laura Walters is a Senior Political 

Reporter of Newsroom based 

in Wellington, covering Justice, 

Education and Immigration. 

Reproduced under a Special 

Agreement. This is a highly edited 

version. For full text of the above 

article, please visit 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz, 

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Growth mindset embedded in our education 

Keiran Madden 

In just over adecade, the 

‘Growth Mindset’ has 

graduated from an exciting 

theory to accepted wisdom 

in classrooms across the world, 

now embraced wholeheartedly 

by many New Zealand educators. 

There is good science behind 

Stanford University Psychologist 

Carol Dweck’s theory that one’s 

belief about whether their intelligence, 

abilities, and talents can 

be developed has abig influence 

on future success. But when it 

comes to actually changing mindsets 

in the classroom, the hype is 

way ahead of the evidence. 

Developing Intelligence 

Dweck offers acompelling 

story, one that promotes putting in 

the mahi over being smart as the 

key to success. Someone with a 

Growth Mindset, according to the 

theory, believes that intelligence 

can be developed and therefore 

embraces challenges, persists 

through failure, and loves learning. 

Someone with a fixed mindset, 

on the other hand, sees intelligence 

as given and immutable, and 

therefore avoids hard things, gives 

up easily, and seeks to look smart. 

The theory is firmly embedded 

in New Zealand educational 

world. 

For example, the Ministry of 

Education’s ‘Online Knowledge 

Basket,’ has aspotlight with 

Growth Mindset resources for 

teachers and leaders, and also 

notes that “Growth mindset closely 

aligns with the high expectations 

principle in the NZ Curriculum.” 

In a2018 report, the Education 

Carol Dweck (From Facebook) | Image from Mindset Works 

Review Office also recommends 

that innovative teachers and 

leaders must have aGrowth 

Mindset. 

Sketchy Evidence 

Despite acompelling 

story and wide acceptance, the 

evidence of academic success 

in the classroom due to mindset 

interventions is sketchy. 

One commentator went so 

far as to say that the “literature 

is basically amenagerie of underpowered 

exploratory studies 

masquerading as acumulative 

and confirmatory research 

program.” 

Dweck herself has likened 

the science behind her work as 

a ‘firm foundation,’ but after a 

string of studies showing little 

evidence that interventions made 

any difference, she acknowledges 

that “we are still building the 

house.” 

A 2018 meta-analysis, for 

example, concluded that 

interventions had “little to no 

effect of mindset interventions on 

academic achievement for typical 

students.” 

Another recently-published 

evaluation by Education 

Endowment Fund in the UK 

also found that the intervention 

“had no impact on literacy and 

numeracy overall,” nor on afew 

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other non-cognitive measures. 

Worryingly, some of the schools 

in the latter evaluation “planned 

to press ahead regardless [of 

the evidence] as engaging in the 

sessions, in their view, was not 

having an adverse impact on pupils 

and was worth continuing.” 

Nuanced growth 

Spending hours of students’ 

time with an intervention that 

doesn’t appear to make any 

difference to achievement seems 

bonkers. 

We need to do better, taking 

a serious step back until we 

work out how to translate agood 

theory into great progress in the 

classroom. 

Perhaps many educators 

haven’t quite grasped the 

nuanced view of growth mindset 

and are teaching acounterfeit 

version of self-esteem instead, 

as Dweck worries. Perhaps, as 

the report says, everyone knows 

about growth mindset already 

so it’s hard to see any difference. 

What we do know is there is 

much that we don’t know about 

growth mindset, and when even 

the architect has “sounded the 

alarm,” we should listen. 

Kieran Madden is a Researcher 

at Maxim Institute based in 

Auckland. 

Auckland Council Candidates 

Educationlink 

Priyanca 

Radhakrishnan 

Labour List MP based in Maungakiekie 

Maungakiekie Office 

09 622 2660 

priyanca@parliament.govt.nz 

Level 1 Crighton House, 

100 Neilson St, Onehunga 

(entrance via Galway St) 

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08 


Fijilink 

Fiji showcases finest food products in Auckland 

Venkat Raman 

Some of the finest food 

products of Fiji formed a 

part of ‘The Auckland Food 

Show’ held in the City of 

Sails last month. 

Fiji had its own space for the 

first time in the largest Food 

Show that New Zealand hosts 

every year, with the event held 

from July 25 to July 28, 2019 

accounting for more than 30,000 

people. 

Auckland based Fiji Trade 

Commission supported the 

Show which witnessed the 

participation of six companies 

from Fiji, which displayed and 

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sampled their products. 

Auckland based Fiji Trade 

Commission Trade &Investment 

Manager Peter Rudd said that 

the Food Show provided alarge 

platform for Fiji companies and 

an opportunity for the Trade 

Commission to support them. 

“We feel that the companies 

we chose were able to compete 

with their New Zealand peers 

and have real potential in the 

food and beverage market here.” 

Big names, great brands 

Among the companies that 

participated at the ‘Auckland 

Food Show’ were Bula Coffee, 

Fiji Agro Marketing (Agricultural 

Marketing Authority), Fijiana 

Cacao, Pan Pac, Punjas and Vai 

Wai. 

Mr Rudd said that many 

products such as those of Bula 

Coffee and Fijiana Cacao are not 

currently available in any New 

Zealand retail outlets and hence 

used the opportunity to promote 

to distributors along with the 

public. 

Fijiana Cacao Founder and 

Chief Executive Tomo Zukoshi 

said that the Food Show helped 

him to gauge public perception 

of his company’s products 

and how Fijiana Cacao should 

position themselves in New 

Zealand. 

“It was great to interact with 

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Camila Eras, Peter Rudd, Daniel Corbett and Sharleen Singh 

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the public and carry out market 

research. Kiwis have been very 

responsive and open minded to 

recommend where they would 

expect to find our product,” he 

said. 

Vai Wai Marketing Director 

Cate Pleass said, “The Food Show 

represents afantastic opportunity 

to meet with those in the New 

Zealand beverages trade and 

to gauge opinion of the crowd, 

who have been overwhelmingly 

positive on the taste, packaging, 

quality and sustainability of our 

artisan water.” 

Outstanding Display 

While there were more than 

300 exhibitors, the Fiji Stall, 

featuring the six companies 

stood out and was marked for its 

modern, softening and friendly 

theme, for which Fiji is famous. 

Rajiv Prasad, General Manager, 

Pan Pac, which distributes Fiji 

Gold, Fiji Bitter and Rum Company 

said, “Many New Zealanders 

know about our products but 

have not had the chance to taste 

them. We have been received 

positive feedback on our beverages 

at this event and it is great that 

many Kiwis are excited to buy 

them and share with their family 

and friends.” 

J Punja New Zealand Sales 

Executive Gerish Punja said that 

although his company’s products 

have been sold in New Zealand 

for many years, ‘The Auckland 

Food Show’ offered an opportunity 

to promote them outside their 

typical customer base. 

“We were very happy with 

how well the Food Show has gone 

this year, especially for exposure 

of new and existing products to 

the mainstream public who were 

not aware of them. The feedback 

has been highly positive in 

regards to the quality with many 

comparing them favourably to 

their New Zealand equivalents,” 

he said. 

Market Survey Opportunity 

Many smaller companies including 

Bula Coffee also found it 

useful to attend as they were able 

to meet and survey other similar 

products in the New Zealand 

market. 

Sales Manager Grace McCafferty 

said, “It was great to have the 

chance to network with other 

food and drink exhibitors and 

look for any trends in the New 

Zealand market. Our Company’s 

products were well received. 

People loved that the coffee is 

from Fiji, organic, wild and part 

of asocial enterprise,” she said. 

Fiji Agro Marketing (Agricultural 

Marketing Authority) was very 

popular being the only stand at 

the event to sample and sell kava. 

Commodity Development 

Manager Eroni Qama stated, “The 

public have been very responsive 

to the quality of the kava. We 

learnt alot about the New Zealand 

market and the importance 

of value adding such as packaging 

and design,” he said. 

Growing bilateral trade 

New Zealand is among the top 

ten export destinations for Fiji 

over the past five years, with the 

two-way trade placed at F$ 992.2 

million as at the end of 2017, with 

annual average exports at F$ 110 

million. 

New Zealand has also been one 

of Fiji’s top five import markets. 

In 2017, the highest number of 

imports were from New Zealand, 

valued at F$ 858.1 million. 

During her visit to New 

Zealand in May this year, Fiji’s 

Trade, Tourism, Industry, Local 

Government and Community 

Development Minister Premila 

Kumar described Fiji as the ‘Hub 

of the Pacific, the hub of communications, 

trade, investment, 

tourism and innovation.’ 

“We established our Trade 

Commission in Auckland about 

a year ago in Auckland’s Central 

Business District, alongside 

major financial institutions, 

corporations and equally 

important, many Small and 

Medium Enterprises (SMEs). We 

are neighbours with businesses 

and investment partners who are 

strategically positioned to engage 

with each other for the benefit of 

both economies,” she said. 

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Calling for Entries and Nominations 

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CATEGORIES: (2 NEW CATEGORIES) 

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5. Best Employer of Choice 

6. Business Excellence in Health & Safety 

7. Business Excellence in Ethics (New) 

8. Business Excellence with Social Responsibility (New) 

9. Best Small Business 

10. Best Medium Sized Business 

11. Best Large Business 

12. Business Excellence in International Trade with India 

(this category is open to all businesses registered in 

New Zealand doing business with India) 

13. Best Accountant of the Year 

14. Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year 

15. Best Businesswoman of the Year 

16. Best Financial Advisor (Mortgage) of the Year 

17. Best Financial Advisor (Insurance) of the Year 

Supreme Business of the Year Award 

(All entries will be entered for this category) 

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Awards website (www.inliba.com).


Andrew McGregor to 

probe chopper accident 

Venkat Raman 

The Fijian government has appointed 

Auckland based Prosolve 

Limited Director Andrew McGregor 

to probe into a helicopter accident 

that killed a passenger in Savusavu. 

He arrived in Fiji on Monday, August 

5, 2019 and took charge as Investigator-in-Charge 

of the Robinson R44, 

(DQ-HPT) accident which occurred on 

Friday, August 2, 2019. 

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum 

described Mr McGregor as a 

‘reliable and experienced aircraft 

accident investigator with a solid track 

record of work in Fiji. 

Search and Rescue 

“We look forward to working closely 

with him to uncover how and why 

this crash occurred. We will keep 

the public regularly updated on the 

progress of that investigation as well as 

the ongoing search and rescue effort,” 

he said. 

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that there 

was at least one fatality of a passenger 

aboard the helicopter at the time of the 

crash. 

“Our search and rescue teams are 

working overtime to locate the other 

missing passenger and the pilot. On 

behalf of the Department of Civil Aviation 

and the Fijian people, we extend 

our deepest sympathies to all of the 

victim’s families at this unimaginably 

difficult time. Investigations into the 

root cause of this tragedy are already 

underway and we have engaged 

Andrew McGregor to lead that ongoing 

Andrew McGregor 

(Picture from Prosolve Limited Website) 

investigation,” he said. 

About Andrew McGregor 

Prosolve Limited specialises in 

forensic engineering and air accident 

investigation. 

Andrew McGregor has extensive 

experience investigating aircraft 

accidents in Fiji. He recently carried 

out the investigation into the crash of 

a Cessna 172R aircraft (DQ-FTR) in Fiji 

which identified inclement weather as 

a likely cause of the accident. 

In 2006, he investigated the crash 

of a Robinson R44 helicopter that 

crashed into the sea West of Vuda 

point near Nadi due to dis-bonding of 

one of the main rotor blades. 

As a result of his investigation, the 

National Transportation Safety Board 

(NTSB) of the United States issued five 

recommendations to the manufacturer 

of Robinson helicopters and the 

Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) 

to improve the design and manufacturing 

processes of future R44 main 

rotor blades. 

Following this accident, the 

manufacturer changed the design 

of the main rotor blades for the R44 

helicopter. 

Youngster honoured for 

‘Cyclone Winston’ bravery 

Azaria Fareen 

Tears flowed as the mother 

of 12-year-old Katarina 

Bubu watched her daughter 

receive the ‘Fiji Children’s 

Award’ for being an exceptionally 

brave young Fijian hero. 

Witnessing the moving ceremony 

at Nailuva District School in 

Rakiraki recently, Esita Lawaivalu 

could not hold back her tears as 

the event took her more than three 

years back 

to the day that led to her daughter’s 

act of bravery. 

Education, Heritage and Arts 

Minister Rosy Akbar led a standing 

ovation for Katarina as she was 

recognised for her selflessness and 

courage. 

Immense strength 

In the midst of the catastrophe 

caused by Tropical Cyclone 

Winston, Katarina, who was nine 

years old at the time, despite being 

severely injured, showed immense 

strength and courage to seek help to 

rescue her injured family members 

which included her sister who died 

because of her injuries. 

She suffered severe head injuries 

and joint misalignment in the face 

of the disaster and yet braved the 

heavy rain and strong winds to 

crawl a 45-metre cliff to her village 

to inform of the whereabouts of her 

mother and sister. 

Katarina Bubu receives the Award from Minister 

Rosy Akbar (Photo by Azaria Fareen) 

Speaking on behalf of her 

daughter, Ms Lawaivalu thanked the 

Government and organiser Vision 

Fiji for recognising Katarina as a 

courageous and honest person. 

“I am very happy and proud for 

the celebration held for my daughter 

today; and my family and I thank 

Government for the much needed 

assistance,” she said. 

Ms Lawaivalu recently received 

an all-terrain wheelchair from the 

Health and Medical Services Ministry 

upon her request as she found it 

difficult to walk unaided and had 

Fijilink 

09 

to crawl to get around. She had 

sustained serious injuries including 

severe knee fracture and a broken 

jaw and collarbone. 

True community spirit 

“We are here to celebrate how 

strong the survivors like Katarina are 

who did not care about their own life 

and went ahead to assist the people 

in need. I hope you will continue 

with the true spirit of how people 

live in villages and settlements where 

you feel for each other and your 

neighbour is like a family and where 

children are loved and cared for,” Ms 

Akbar said. 

She said that although one youngster 

was being rewarded, there were 

many children who show bravery, 

courage and honesty in their own 

way, in their daily lives. 

“They also deserve recognition. I 

commend the parents and villagers 

for having such children in your 

village as they must be emulating 

someone’s behaviour as it is you 

who have trained this girl who she is 

today so please continue to guide and 

support her,” she said. 

Vision Fiji Chairperson Gazala Akbar 

said that the organisation looks 

for unsung heroes among children 

whose extraordinary service to 

their families or communities 

would 

otherwise go unrecognised. 

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Businesslink 

As Australia snubs, NewZealand gets acquiescent 

PeterDunne 

Australia’slatest announcement 

that it intends 

to toughen its already 

strict deportation rules, 

with their likely impact on New 

Zealanders, is aslapintheface for 

the diplomacy of the Prime Minister. 

Remember that barely two 

weeksago, the Prime Minister 

was repeating her assertion to her 

Australian counterpart thatthe 

current policy wasdiscriminatory 

and a“corrosive” factor in the 

ongoing relationship between the 

two countries. 

Australia’sresponse was not 

just to ignore completely her 

representations, but, now,toalso 

rubsalt in thewounds by thelatest 

announcement. 

Media criticise NewZealand 

In the meantime, variousAustralian 

journalists, far less in the Prime 

Minister’s thrall than their New 

Zealand counterparts, have been 

vocal in theircynicism and criticism 

of theNew Zealand position. 

All of which leaves New Zealand 

in avery difficult position. 

No matterhow obnoxiouswe 

mayfeel the Australian policy is 

and successive governments since 

it was introduced in the time of 

Helen Clark have been vocalintheir 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern walks with Victoria State Governor Linda Dessau in Melbourne on 

July 18, 2019 (Photo for RNZ by Craig McCulloch) 

opposition, Australia hasnot only 

snubbed its nose at New Zealand’s 

protestations, but hasnow felt 

sufficiently emboldened to go even 

further. 

SuccessivePrimeMinisters have 

ruled out New Zealand stooping to 

Australia’s levelinretaliation which, 

although admirable in itsown right, 

has effectively left us with nowhere 

to go but acquiescence.The more we 

protest, the deafer Australiaseems 

to become, so more of the same 

from our part is not going to change 

anything. 

Moral outrage 

Australia has now roughly and 

cleverly boxed thePrimeMinister 

into acorner. It has createdthe 

perception of anice, well meaning 

but ineffectual Prime Minister 

“concerned” about the treatment 

of New Zealanders in Australia and 

refugees on ManusIslandversusthe 

pragmatic, realisticAustralianleader 

determined to keep Australia’s 

borders secure by either deporting 

undesirables to theircountryof 

origin or not letting them in in the 

first place. New Zealand’smoral 

outrage is all very well, but starts to 

lose its impact if it cannot deliver the 

desired change. This is thedilemma 

our Prime Minister now has to 

contemplate. 

It is apitythatthe Prime 

Minister was in the Tokelaus on a 

long-scheduled visitwhenthislatest 

announcement broke,but that does 

not prove Simon Bridge’s erroneous 

claim that she is apart-time Prime 

Minister. However, it does give 

some substance to his point thatshe 

seems far more comfortable in the 

international limelight than dealing 

with the immediate problems confronting 

NewZealand as acountry. 

Tough questions 

If theNew Zealand news media 

in general was far less in aweof 

the Prime Minister and seemingly 

unwilling to makelife too difficult 

for her they wouldbestarting to ask 

some tough questions by now. 

Forexample, whatadvice has the 

New ZealandHighCommission in 

Canberrabeen passing to theGovernment? 

Surely,itwould havebeen 

picking up strong messages from 

the Australian Government over a 

periodoftime on its attitudeand future 

intentions on deportationsand 

passing theseback to Wellington to 

better inform our responses? 

Whatadvicewereofficials 

in Wellington preparing for the 

government on thedeveloping 

situation, Australia’sincreasingly 

entrenched position, and options for 

possible diplomatic responses? 

If theadvice was that Australia 

was increasingly unlikely to budge, 

whatwas therationale behind having 

thePrimeMinister continuing 

to ride ahigh moral horse that was 

notgoing anywhere? Or was that 

her decision, contrary to any official 

advice? 

Public reaction and expectation 

While most New Zealanders 

will support the Prime Minister’s 

ongoingconcerns, equally most 

New Zealanders will not like being 

made afoolofbyAustralia’slatest 

decisions. 

They will be keen to know 

whether we do havesome sort of 

long-term endgame in mind,and 

that this is merely an unfortunate 

hiccuponthe way, or whether our 

Prime Minister has simply been 

comprehensively outplayed by 

the Australian PrimeMinister and 

his colleagues on theissue. They 

will want to know whether the 

one-upmanship of the sports field 

for so manyyears has now become 

the waythe politicalrelationship 

between ourtwo countries will 

henceforth be conducted. 

Above all, they will be looking 

to theNew Zealand news media 

to starttotreat thePrime Minister 

seriously on these andother issues 

by asking thetough questions they 

have shied away from for toolong. 

She is articulate andable, and 

deserves to be held to account as 

such, rather than justcontinuing to 

be demeaned by beingportrayed as 

little more than asmilingface on a 

magazine cover. 

PeterDunne was aMinisterof 

the Crown under theLabour and 

National-led governments from 

November1999 to September 

2017. He founded theUnitedFuture 

Party butwound it up when 

retired fromParliament. Mr 

Dunne lives in Wellington.


Youth Parliament 2019 has 

called for serious action on 

Climate Change. 

The government agrees. 

We are taking action to stop new 

offshore drilling. We are investing 

into cleaner public transport. We 

are planting one billion trees to 

absorb carbon dioxide. We are 

setting up the Green Investment 

Fund to partner with business to 

fund solutions to Climate Change. 

Importantly, our Zero Carbon Bill 

will help drive down our emissions 

to net zero by 2050. 

Long-term Challenge 

We look at Climate Change as a 

big, long-term challenge. We have a 

plan to tackle it. 

We are not looking at the next 

three years but looking ahead at 

the next 30 years. 

It is a huge challenge and it’s 

going to take all of us. 

We have a plan to safeguard our 

Planet and the future our children 

will inherit. 

We are getting on with it – with 

the fierce backing of our young 

people. 

My Youth MP for Mount Roskill 

this year was Saakshi Hedge. 

A Year 13 student at Mount 

Roskill Grammar School, she was 

selected in October 2018. 

In her video interview, which 

was part of her application, Saakshi 

impressed us by talking of her 

Businesslink 

Potential lawmakers urge serious action on Climate Change 

Michael Wood 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern poses with Saakshi Hegde and Michael Wood 

(Photo from Facebook) 

passion to advocate for the young 

people of Mount Roskill. 

She has been a part of several 

not-for-profit organisations as a 

volunteer and has led a community 

project in Mount Roskill as part 

of her Duke of Edenborough 

experience. 

At the time of her application, 

she stated that she stood for Innovation, 

Diversity and Representation. 

The selection process for the 

candidates for the role of Youth MP 

was challenging but Saakshi was 

appointed after a rigorous process 

involving a number of outstanding 

young candidates. 

About Saakshi Hegde 

Born in Pune, India, Saakshi 

New Zealand start-up flourishes with Forbes help 

Supplied Content 

Move over All Birds, 

there is a new 

Kiwi start up 

in town and its 

growing fast. 

VX Tours Nepal, a hiking 

tour company, has grown 

from selling small group 

tours to having single 

bookings of more than 400 

people (for safety reasons 

these bookings are then split 

into smaller hiking groups). 

The Company has experienced 

a rapid increase in 

growth due to its exposure 

at several prestigious Forbes 

events. 

New York Summit 

Chief Executive Vicknes 

Ganeshan was invited to 

the Forbes, exclusive, invitees-only 

Women’s Summit 

in New York, to bring together 

a community of inspiring 

and innovative visionaries 

whose ambitious actions 

are changing the world with 

unprecedented scale. Across 

industries and generations, 

the gathering spotlights how 

leading women are navigating 

monumental change to 

rearchitect industries, spark 

major movements and unlock 

opportunities for others. 

The Summit featured 

keynote conversations and 

dynamic panel discussions 

from speakers in business, 

media, entertainment and 

politics. 

Among the guests were 

Chief Flight Director for 

Nasa, UN Representatives, 

Eva Longoria and many other 

successful entrepreneurs. 

Supporting businesses 

Forbes events have helped 

businesses book 400 new 

customers from one such 

Summit. 

In a recent interview, Ms 

Ganeshan said, “We cannot 

thank the great people at 

Forbes enough for these 

amazing opportunities. I was 

particularly excited to see 

Moira Forbes again and had 

the opportunity of thanking 

her for all the amazing work 

that she has done to help entrepreneurs 

like myself. She 

is truly an inspiration to men 

and women everywhere. 

Forbes 30 Under 30 

VX Tours Nepal was also 

invited to the Global Forbes 

30 Under 30 Summit in 

Israel earlier in the year. 

This summit was the trigger 

for the Company’s rapid 

growth in sales and offers 

from numerous American 

investors. 

The tours have been 

popular with the Forbes 30 

Under 30 group. 

There was so much demand 

that VX Tours Nepal is 

organising a Forbes 30 Under 

30 Group hike to Everest 

Base Camp in 2020. This 

tour will be an event where 

entrepreneurs can network 

and discuss business ideas 

moved to New Zealand with her 

parents and sister when she was 

just four years old. Her parents 

are professionals and her sister is 

at school. 

Saakshi said that she always 

wanted to help people, even as a 

young child and make a difference 

to the world. She said that she 

found that opportunity and can 

give back to the community by 

being a youth MP. 

Promoting Mental Health 

Saakshi is very keen to raise 

awareness of mental health issues 

for young people, and to find 

practical solutions to help people 

who need support. 

She has also been working 

while hiking to Everest Base 

Camp and giving back to 

local communities. 

Ivy League universities 

VX Tour Nepal has also 

been in demand from Ivy 

League universities, with 

students from Harvard 

pre-booking their hikes 1.5 

years in advance. 

The tours to Everest Base 

Camp are extremely popular 

as they include helicopter 

flights that glide above 

Everest Base Camp, parallel 

to Mt Everest and many of 

the tallest mountains in the 

world. 

An extra selling point is 

the great working conditions 

they offer their guides and 

porters. The company pays 

their porters at least 50% 

more than any competitor. 

VX Tours Nepal is rapidly 

expanding the number of 

tours it organises for Ivy 

League students. 

“It is great to see these 

young students seeking 

out ethical ways to travel 

to Nepal and hike Everest 

Base Camp. This is just 

further evidence that ethical 

tourism is on the rise and 

that companies do not need 

to take advantage of local 

communities to make a 

profit,” Ms Ganeshan said. 

Endless potential 

VX Tours Nepal started in 

2019 with a small number 

of bookings and is booked 

out until November 2020. 

It is inspiring that a small 

New Zealand start-up can 

grow so rapidly and attract 

the attention of Forbes, 

while operating in a socially 

responsible way. It will 

be exciting to see where 

this unique New Zealand 

company will go next. 

closely with me on a major Climate 

Change forum we will be holding 

later in August. 

In April this year, Saakshi took 

up a week’s challenge to stand 

against fast fashion by wearing 

the same outfit for seven days. She 

wanted to draw attention to the 

vast amount of clothes thrown into 

landfills every year and advocated 

to buy less or buy second-hand 

clothes to reduce the amount of 

waste we create. 

More recently, she organised a 

volunteer clean-up of Dominion 

Road. Dominion Road is one of 

the longest roads in our area and 

the rubbish that accumulates on 

the street, filters down into the 

wastewater system, flowing to the 

sea. The project drew attention to 

the impact of littering on ocean life 

and in particular the problem of 

cigarette butts being thrown away 

in huge numbers. 

Engagement with Democracy 

Saakshi urges young people to 

get involved in our democratic 

processes and to engage with ideas 

and express their opinions. It has 

been a pleasure and a privilege 

to work with an intelligent and 

hardworking young person like 

Saakshi. 

She has inspired me to strengthen 

my engagement with our local 

young people so that their views 

get fully heard in our democratic 

system. 

I wish Saakshi well in whatever 

she choose to do in the future 

11 

and also want to encourage 

other young people to have a go at 

getting into the Youth Parliament 

in coming years. 

About Youth Parliament 

Every three years, a group of 

young people bursting with fresh 

ideas replace the familiar faces 

who usually fill the Chamber of 

New Zealand Parliament. This 

gathering, called ‘Youth Parliament,’ 

brings forward many fresh 

ideas to make our country better. 

Since 1994, Youth Parliament 

has given young New Zealanders 

an opportunity to try their hand 

at life as an MP. During their time 

in Wellington, students take issues 

that concern them to the Debating 

Chamber, to Select Committees and 

to Party Caucuses. 

This year, a key theme was the 

anxiety that the next generation 

feel when they see the consequences 

of Climate Change around them. 

They talked of the real images that 

have made an impact upon them, 

the warming oceans, rising sea 

levels and extreme weather events 

that damage our land and our way 

of life. 

Michael Wood is elected Member 

of Parliament from Mount 

Roskill and is Senior Government 

Whip. The above article, 

which appeared in ‘The Wire,’ 

(thewire.in) Web Edition on 

August 3, 2018. has been reproduced 

here with the permission

12 


Viewlink 

The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) 

ISSUE 421 | AUGUST 15, 2019 

Holding the government to 

account improves governance 

Legalising abortion is 

matter for conscience 

Parliament on its hands 

a new Bill that would 

decriminalise abortion. 

Justice Minister 

Andrew Little has said that the 

existing Law is draconic and 

outdated and that a woman 

should have the right to decide 

what happens to her body, he 

said. 

Legal and administrative 

reforms are quintessential to a 

modern society but how a legislation 

that proposes Abortion 

as a right will meet with public 

opinion remains to be seen. 

Our lawmakers will of course 

use their conscience and cross 

party lines to vote. 

Many people across the 

world are ambivalent about 

abortion. A majority of them 

however would say that it 

should be legal during the first 

three months of pregnancy, although 

Mr Little has proposed 

a 20-week limit. Pro-lifers 

know that they cannot ban 

abortion outright. In America, 

the Supreme Court ruled in 

Roe v Wade case in 1973 that 

the procedure is legal until the 

fetus is viable, that is until it 

can survive outside the womb. 

But lawmakers in most 

countries would like to ban 

abortions after 20 weeks. 

Cultural War 

Abortion is made about to 

be a cultural thing, although 

it should really be health 

issue- that is the argument of 

many proponents such as Mr 

Little. But even as the cultural 

war changes, 

significant changes in 

access to contraception attract 

less attention. Some time 

ago, ‘Power to Decide,’ a US 

organisation estimated that 

19 million American women 

live in contraception deserts, 

meaning that they do not have 

reasonable access to health 

clinics that provide a full range 

of birth-control methods. The 

number could be more today. 

Is Pope Catholic? 

In a chat with journalists, 

Pope Francis said that he really 

was a Catholic. 

Some regard him a liberal. 

But addressing a recent 

Conference at the Vatican, 

the Pontiff said that abortion 

was always unacceptable, 

regardless of whether a fetus 

is fatally ill or has pathological 

disorders. 

“Is it legitimate to take a human 

life to solve a problem?” 

he asked. 

Salutations to a great 

Nation of people 

More than a billion 

people in India 

will mark the 

country’s 73rd 

Independence today, August 

15, 2019 and the Diaspora in 

New Zealand would be no 

exception. 

With a strong and powerful 

government at the centre, the 

Indian polity and economy 

have never been as strong 

since becoming a free Nation 

on August 15, 1947. Through 

tough times and rough political 

and economic weather, 

India has remained stable, 

winning the respect and 

accolades of countries around 

the world. 

World Bank praise 

A recent World Bank Report 

brought joy and satisfaction to 

economists and statesmen. 

India is in a period of 

unprecedented opportunity, 

challenge and ambition in its 

development. Already the 

world’s third largest economy 

in purchasing parity terms, 

India aspires to better the lives 

of all its citizens and become 

a high-middle income country 

by 2030, well before the 

centenary of its Independence, 

the Report said. 

“Long-term GDP growth 

has become more stable, 

diversified, and resilient. Over 

the next few years, India is 

expected to grow at well over 

7% per year, with progress 

being buttressed by dynamic 

reforms in the macroeconomic, 

fiscal, tax and business 

environments.” 

An Introspection 

But no nation can improve 

unless its people, no less 

journalists and analysts, 

subject themselves to an 

honest introspection. In such 

a mood, we would discern the 

difference between what has 

been achieved and what could 

have been achieved; and the 

level of performance against 

the potential. 

These can be found in our 

India Independence Special in 

this issue. 

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1, Number 166, Harris Road, East Tamaki, Auckland 2013 and printed at Horton Media 

Limited, Auckland. All material appearing here and on our web editions and social media 

are the copyright of Indian Newslink and reproduction in full or part in any medium is 

prohibited. Indian Newslink and its management and staff do not accept any responsibility 

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co.nz; www.inliba.com; www.inlisa.com 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan 

Although this year’s Indian 

Newslink Lecture (held on 

Monday, July 29, 2019) was 

the Ninth of its kind, the series 

was formerly known as the Sir Anand 

Satyanand Lecture. 

The event this year was the first 

of the rebranded lecture series and 

therefore, the first one where the 

Welcome Address was not delivered by 

Sir Anand. 

So while it was a privilege – it was 

also somewhat daunting. 

Sir Anand Satyanand 

I felt fitting at this point to acknowledge 

that the man who lent his name 

for so many years to this Lecture series. 

Particularly, as in his Welcome Address 

at the Inaugural Lecture in 2011 he 

began by quoting Oscar Wilde who 

famously said “There is only one thing 

in life worse than being talked about, 

and that is not being talked about.” 

To say that the career of Sir Anand is 

an illustrious one is an understatement. 

A Barrister and Solicitor of the High 

court, Judge, two terms as an Ombudsman, 

our first Governor-General of 

Indian origin. 

In all these roles, we trust that those 

who hold them act in a manner that 

is honest, transparent, accountable 

and steeped in integrity; all the values 

that Sir Anand has and continues to 

embody. 

Good Governance everywhere 

It was therefore appropriate that a 

Lecture series about Good Governance 

bore his name for all these years. 

Good Governance matters at every 

level; in the NGO sector, the private 

sector, public service and in local and 

central government. 

In all spheres, it is important to 

have trust in your institutions. And 

you cannot have that trust without 

attributes like integrity, transparency 

and accountability. 

They used to say that lawyers 

and politicians are the least-trusted 

professions. And then a 2015 Survey 

in New Zealand indicated that trust in 

politicians had risen slightly. 

We were no longer at that bottom 

A Section of the audience at the Ninth Annual Indian Newslink Lecture (July 29, 2019) 

Pictures by Narendra Bedekar (Creative Eye Fotographics) 

of the least-trusted list, we were slightly 

ahead of journalists who occupied that 

least-coveted spot. 

Importance of Trust 

So we were in good company at 

the Lecture; an event organised by a 

journalist, featuring a whole cast of 

politicians as speakers! 

On a more serious note, we are facing 

a rising tide of public suspicion. We often 

get people who say they’re not going 

to bother to vote because politicians are 

all the same and…why does it matter 

anyway? 

It matters because the decisions we 

make in Parliament and in (City) Councils, 

have the power to make life better 

or worse. The choices we have and the 

decisions we make affect everyone. And 

so, if you are alive, you have a stake in 

the decisions and the political process. 

Transparency matters 

And we have one of the most transparent, 

accessible processes – anyone in 

New Zealand can have their voice heard 

on a Bill that is being considered by a 

Select Committee and all that information 

is on the New Zealand Parliament 

website and often on their social media 

sites as well. Get involved, have your 

say. You also have the opportunity to 

vote in the upcoming Local Government 

Elections. 

The Fear Complex 

Globally, we are seeing a rising 

tide of fear. The fear that underpins 

conversations around migration and 

fuels the “Them and us” narrative. Fear 

of increasing insecurity – groups of 

people who feel they no longer enjoy 

the economic security they once did. 

That the disparity is growing and they’re 

being left behind. 

We have seen this kind of fear 

manifest in Brexit, rising protectionism 

and mistrust of the rule of law. 

Good Governance matters because 

without it, people lose trust and faith 

in those who are meant to look out for 

their interests. 

Good Governance matters because 

without it we politicians cannot take our 

communities with us. 

Good governance matters because 

without it, and the attributes that underpin 

it, we cannot contribute to long-term 

change on issues that do not fit neatly in 

box. The big issues like climate change 

and poverty. 

And so, it is chicken-and-egg situation. 

We need Good Government to build the 

trust that allows us to make the changes 

that benefit the nation. 

Now that I had suitably confused 

everyone (!), I left it to Finance Minister 

Grant Robertson, the Guest Speaker, to 

clarify how this government is tackling 

that growing divide and delivering 

long-term change on the big issues that 

are facing us. 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan is a Member 

of Parliament on Labour List and 

Parliamentary Private Secretary to 

Ethnic Communities Minister. The 

above was her Opening Address at 

the Ninth Annual Indian Newslink 

Lecture held on Monday, July 29, 2019 

at Pullman Hotel, edited to suit the 

print and web editions. 

Green Party is not drifting says Davidson 

Marama Davidson has 

defended fellow Green 

Party Co-Leader James 

Shaw after he was 

accused of being too centrist. 

Jack McDonald, who was ranked 

11th on the Party List in the last 

election, is removing his name from 

candidacy in Te Tai Hauauru and 

will not be seeking re-election as the 

Greens’ Policy Co-Convenor, citing 

the Party’s centrist shift under Mr 

Shaw as one of the reasons. 

At the Party’s AGM in Dunedin at 

the weekend, Mr Shaw took a swing 

at National Party leader Simon 

Bridges, branding him a Climate 

Change denier. 

“The politicians and their allies, 

who are the new climate deniers, 

are driven by something even more 

dangerous, short-term, calculated 

self-interest,” he said. 

Mr Bridges said he is not a denier 

and said that the accusation showed 

Mr Shaw was under pressure. But 

they were exactly the sort of comments 

Jack McDonald wished he 

would see more of from Mr Shaw. 

“That is speaking the truth and 

being bold and unapologetic and 

that’s what voters actually respond 

to, in my view, they don’t respond to 

timidity and moderation.” 

Moving to Centre 

Among Mr McDonald’s reasons 

Marama Davidson 

(RNZ Picture by Richard Tindiller) 

for stepping down was that he believed 

the party was becoming more 

politically central under Mr Shaw. 

“The Zero Carbon Act is an 

example, I think, of where James 

Shaw could have been stronger. He 

admittedly publicly that he gave 

concessions to the National Party 

without even getting their guaranteed 

support for the Bill. 

“So I think there are a number 

of issues to where his approach to 

politics are different to what I think 

the Greens should be and what the 

Greens were in terms of our roots.” 

But co-leader Marama Davidson 

does not agree the Party is becoming 

more centrist. 

Transformational Changes 

“James and I are working hard 

every single day to put up transformational 

changes, as well as the 

work that we’ve already done - but 

we agree with our members that we 

want faster and stronger change and 

that’s our priority.” 

Mr Shaw told Morning Report 

that the concessions on the Bill were 

aimed at ensuring bipartisan support 

so the legislation would survive 

multiple changes of government. 

“This was always going to be difficult 

in our first term of government 

ever, moving into a situation where 

we’ve got to make compromises... 

because under MMP there are many 

parties in Parliament and they’ve 

all got different views. The very 

clear signal that we have had both 

from environmental movement 

and, actually, from corporate New 

Zealand is that they desperately 

want bipartisan support for the bill 

to make sure that there is that longterm 

stability,” he said. 

The above Report is an edited 

version; for full text, please visit 

www.indiannewslink.co.nz) 

Published under a Special 

Arrangement with www.rnz.co.nz


India Independence Special 

13 

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14 


More than abillion people 

in India and at least 30 

million people of Indian 

origin constituting 

the Indian Diaspora across the 

Continents will mark the 73rd 

Independence Day of their Motherland 

today (August 15, 2019) and 

celebrate the 72nd Anniversary of 

their freedom from Britain on this 

day in 1947. 

While the country has earned an 

exclusive place of pride, honour 

and dignity as the world’s largest 

democracy, political stability has 

been underscored by astrong 

federal government over the years, 

especially since May 2014 when 

Narendra Modi led his Bharatiya 

Janata Patty (BJP) to victory, 

thrashing the Congress Party at its 

allies at the pools. He and his Party 

received amore massive mandate 

at the elections held two months 

ago and with the BJP gaining 

ground in several States, India is 

repeating its political history of 

Post-Independence era of political 

stability inspiring business and 

societal confidence. 

In today’s world of interconnectivity, 

that confidence is manifest 

in increasing flow of Foreign Direct 

Investment (FDI) and international 

financial institutions. 

Unprecedented Opportunity 

The World Bank, in its April 2019 

Report said that India is in aperiod 

of unprecedented opportunity, 

challenge and ambition in its development. 

“Already the world’s third largest 

economy in purchasing parity 

terms, India aspires to better the 


Strong government contributes to stability and growth 

Venkat Raman 

lives of all its citizens and become 

a high-middle income country by 

2030, well before the centenary of 

its independence,” it said. 

India is an interesting case study 

for economists around the world, 

for the country shines against its 

own contrasts of poverty (although 

at areducing rate) amidst plenty, 

poor infrastructure in anumber 

of States against world-class 

facilities in major cities and rising 

unemployment despite asurge in 

startups and small enterprises. 

The Indian economy however is 

robust and long-term GDP growth 

is projected to be more stable, 

diversified, and resilient. Over the 

next few years, India is expected to 

grow at 7% per year, with progress 

being buttressed by dynamic 

reforms in the macroeconomic, 

fiscal, tax and business environments. 

Wealth Creation 

The World Bank said that in 

recent years, India has made a 

significant dent in poverty levels, 

with extreme poverty dropping 

from 46% to an estimated 13.4% 

over the two decades before 2015. 

“While India is still home to 176 

million poor people, it is seeking to 

achieve better growth, as well as to 

promote inclusion and sustainability 

by reshaping policy approaches 

to human development, social protection, 

financial inclusion, rural 

transformation, and infrastructure 

development,” the Report said. 

Persistent Challenges 

While the country’s development 

trajectory is strong, challenges 

remain. Economic performance 

has been strong, but development 

has been uneven, with the gains 

of economic progress and access 

to opportunities differing between 

population groups and geographic 

areas. Despite regulatory improvements 

to spur competitiveness, 

levels of private investment and 

exports continue to be relatively 

low, undermining prospects for 

longer term growth. 

The country’s human development 

indicators, ranging from 

education outcomes to alow and 

declining rate of female labor 

force participation, underscore its 

substantial development needs. 

Economic Outlook 

According to the World Bank, 

India’s ability to achieve rapid, 

sustainable development will have 

profound implications for the 

world. 

“India’s success will be central 

to the world’s collective ambition 

of ending extreme poverty and 

promoting shared prosperity, as 

well as for achieving the 2030 

Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDGs). Indeed, the world will be 

only able to eliminate poverty if 

India succeeds in lifting its citizens 

above the poverty line. 

“For international trade and 

the health of the global economy 

too, India’s growth will be more 

important. In addition, the carbon 

footprint India leaves as it propels 

its high growth will have asignificant 

influence on the planet’s 

ability to keep global warming 

within the 2-degree threshold,” the 

World Bank said. 

As the country tackles several 

crucial issues such as managing 

scarce water resources, modernising 

food systems, improving rural 

livelihoods, ensuring that megaci- 

ties become engines of sustainable 

economic growth and inclusion, 

India’s development trajectory will 

have amajor influence on the rest 

of the world. 

Public Spending Boost 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

had, during his election campaign 

earlier this year, pledged that his 

Quality advice is 

assured through 

government will spend about US$ 

1.45 trillion on infrastructure over 

the next five years. In line with 

that promise, Ms Sitharaman announced 

that the government will 

commit investments up to US$ 72 

billion to improve Indian Railways 

and build 125,000 kms of roads at a 

cost of US$ 11.6 billion by 2024. 

Happy Independence 

Day of India 

15th August 2019 

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seeking to study, work,invest,dobusiness and live in NewZealand permanently 

Level1-166 Harris Road, 

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Indian Association (Manukau) supports move on Kashmir 

India IndependenceSpecial 

Papatoetoe in South Auckland emerges as Little India 

15 

Veer Khar 

India’sHome Minister 

Amit Shah introduced 

two statutory resolutions 

in the Upper House of 

Parliament (RajyaSabha) on 

August 5, 2019. 

The first was to recommend 

that President Ram 

Nath Kovind issues anotification 

rendering Article 370 

of the Indian Constitution 

inoperative. 

The secondwas to accept 

the ‘Jammu and Kashmir 

Reorganisation Bill.’ 

According to Article 370, 

Jammu and Kashmir had 

its own Constitution, and all 

lawspassed by Parliament 

were not be applicable 

to the State, unless the 

State government gives its 

concurrence. 

Abrogation applauded 

Indian Association 

(Manukau) of New Zealand 

strongly supports the 

abrogation of article 370 and 

35A in Kashmir, India. 

The Associationhas a 

strong membership of 

people of Kashmiri origin 

who have been ecstatic on 

hearing the news of this 

rectification of the inhuman 

law. 

Forthose who are unaware 

that these laws were 

discriminatory,inthe sense 

there were different rules 

Home Minister Amit Shah introducing the ‘Jammu &KashmirReorganisation Bill’ to Rajya 

Sabha in New Delhi on Monday,August 5, 2019 (Photo Credit RSTV) 

for men and women. 

Aman marrying someone 

outside the Province was 

acceptable, but awoman 

marrying aman from 

outside would lose her 

residency.Also,inguise 

of these laws, there was 

adefinitedrive towards 

fundamentalism which 

surfaced majorly in 1989 

when 300,000 Non-Muslims 

were chased out by these 

fundamentalists. 

Major Corruption Issues 

TheState of Jammu and 

Kashmir in India has had 

some major corruption 

issues and the only people 

who will be troubled by 

the change will be the 

entrenched politicians who, 

between afew families, were 

running the rot forthe last 

70 years. 

Indiadefinitely has shown 

thewill to correct the wrong 

and all the free world needs 

to support this correction. 

TheAssociation has information 

that amajority of the 

population has had asigh of 

relief in Kashmir andonce 

thecurrent security alert 

is tuneddown,the whole 

region will participate in the 

jubilation. 

Our Association is keeping 

aclose watch on the bias 

shown by some of the politicians 

which could be seen 

as irresponsible in avolatile 

situation. 

The Indian Association 

(Manukau) of New Zealand 

hopes thatthe people of the 

Pakistan realise the folly of 

perpetual animosity towards 

India and breeding of the 

religious fundamentalism. 

It is important thatPakistan 

looks at its own situation of 

near bankruptcyrather than 

indulge in Indian affairs 

which are quite complex but 

approached with humane 

intent. 

Veer Khar is President of 

the Indian Association 

(Manukau) of New Zealand, 

based in Papatoetoe, South 

Auckland. Theabove 

article, senttousonAugust 

3, 2019has been regrettably 

delayed. 

Kanwaljit 

Singh Bakshi 

Indians started to migrate 

to New Zealand from 

1880. 

From being land tillers 

who turned infertile and 

barren lands of Waikato 

and King Country to fertile 

Kiwifruit, Passionfruit and 

dairy farms to beingofthe 

ethnic group whose language 

Hindi is now the fourthmost 

spoken inthe country,Kiwi 

Indians have come along 

way. 

According to Statistics New 

Zealand, currently there are 

more than 155,178 people in 

New Zealand who belong to 

the Indian ethnicgroup. 

Asthe Kiwi Indian community 

continues to contribute 

positively in our adopted 

land.the areas in whichwe 

contribute also grow. 

New Zealanders on their 

part have welcomeduswith 

open arms. 

Singapore has LittleIndia, 

England hasCurry Mile, and 

my electorate ManukauEast 

has Papatoetoe. 

Papatoetoe, with its Indian 

clothing stores and food 

outlets is New Zealand’s Little 

India. 

Further research by 

Statistic New Zealand tells 

me that more than 68% of 

the Indian population lives 

in the Aucklandregion, anda 

majority ofthose, 14.5%, live 

New businesses blossom at Hunters Corner in Papatoetoe (File Picture) 

in my electorate of Manukau 

East. 

Largeclient-base 

Papatoetoe provides an 

experienced network of people, 

while the infrastructure 

and the environment ensure 

creation of acomparatively 

easierdevelopment period for 

businesses. 

Also astrong ethnic 

community means alarge 

clientbaseisavailable to 

target goods and services 

more inclined to be provided 

by these businesses. 

Communication is the base 

for anysuccessful business 

and South Auckland has the 

largest concentration of 

people who speak asimilar 

mother tongue. 

Therefore, Papatoetoe is 

well set up andnow thelocal 

population is taking it astep 

further and making it more of 

atourist hub for people. 

Hunters Corner accounts 

for 60 retail outlets of which 

about40have some form of 

Indian flavour. This has created 

ahomelyenvironment for 

people living in this area. 

New Initiatives 

New initiatives such as 

printed roller doors outside 

shops with colourful images 

of camels, peacocks, and the 

TajMahal on them provide 

agoodcultural feel for 

Papatoetoe. 

Ican write with pride that 

manyschools inPapatoetoe 

are home to award-winning 

teachers and students. 

Businesses thrive in 

areas where they see growth. 

Business owners andentrepreneurs 

invest in areas with 

good infrastructure. 

Future growth of Indian 

communities in Auckland will 

be dependent on educational 

and medical facilities provided 

in an area. 

Papatoetoe continues to 

grow andprovide more 

opportunities for trade and 

commerce along with facilities 

for familiestogrow. 

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi 

has been aMember of 

Parliament on National List 

since November2008. He is 

currently his Party’sSpokesperson 

for Internal Affairs 

and Associate Spokesperson 

for Justice, and Memberof 

the Administration Select 

Committee. 

Supporting theKiwi 

Indian community 

Wishing our New Zealand Indian 

community all the best for 

Indian IndependenceDay. 

“AsNationalParty Leader, 

Ivalue the contribution our 

NewZealand Indian 

communitiesmaketoour 

country and am committed to 

ensuring your voiceisheard.” 

Simon Bridges 

Simon Bridges 

NationalParty Leader 

Leaderofthe Opposition 

Kanwaljit SinghBakshi 

National List MP based 

in Manukau East 

Dr ParmjeetParmar 

NationalList MP 

based in Mt Roskill 

simonjbridges 

bakshikanwaljit 

DrParmjeetParmarMP 

Funded by theParliamentaryService. Authorised 

by SimonBridges, Parliament Buildings,Wgtn.

16 



Culture and Cuisine embellish life in Mount Roskill 

Michael Wood 

On the occasion of the 72nd 

Anniversary of Indian 

Independence, I want to 

acknowledge the Indian 

community of my electorate Mount 

Roskill and the huge contribution 

that the community makes socially, 

economically, and culturally. 

The Indian community is the 

second largest ethnic community in 

New Zealand, recorded at 174,000 

at the 2014 census and considerably 

larger now. 

Editor’s Note: Population figures 

for people of Indian origin vary 

between sources because of 

differences in inclusion and 

non-inclusion of students, migrant 

workers and people who identify 

themselves as from countries in 

which they were born and raised. 

People who hail from India have 

been in New Zealand since the earliest 

days of European exploration 

and settlement. The first Indian contact 

with New Zealand is recorded 

as a crew member on Captain Cook’s 

first voyage 1769 with the first 

Indian migration following around 

1809/10 according to historian Prof 

Sekhar Bandyopadhyay. 

The demographic mix 

For much of the Twentieth 

Century, the largest contingent of 

Kiwi Indians were born in Gujarat 

or were descendants from those 

born there while the next largest 

group had origins in Punjab. In 

Namaste! Jai Hind! Bhaarat Svatantrata 

Divas kee Shubhakaamanaen 

Congratulations and warm greetings to 

the Indian Community in New Zealand 

On the 72nd anniversary of Indian Independence 

From Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Labour Ethnic Communities Team: 

Hon Jenny Salesa, MP for Manukau East, 

Minister for Ethnic Communities 

Michael Wood with his wife Julie Fairey and their children in Mount Roskill (Facebook Picture) 

1981, 46% Kiwi Indians were 

New Zealand born. This dropped 

dramatically to 29% by 2001 with 

significant migration from the late 

90s while the Fiji-Indian community 

grew strongly in response to political 

tensions in Fiji. 

In Mount Roskill, the Indian 

community has a long and proud 

history. With close proximity to 

the City, good schools, and strong 

community networks, Mount Roskill 

has become one of the hubs of the 

community in New Zealand. 

Many Indian food outlets dot not 

just the main street of Mount Roskill 

but also neighbouring Dominion 

Road, Sandringham, Richardson 

Road and Balmoral area. 

Many schools in the area have a 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan, List MP based in Maungakiekie, 

Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities. 

significant numbers of students of 

Indian origin especially the Mount 

Roskill Primary, Intermediate and 

Grammar schools as well as the 

various primary schools in the area. 

Notably, many student leaders are 

emerging from within the Indian 

community including my Youth MP, 

Saakshi Hegde. 

Celebrating Festivals 

The local Puketapapa library 

often holds Diwali, Holi and other 

Indian celebrations and frequent 

book displays on India, recognising 

and celebrating the diversity of its 

clientele. Annually a successful Holi 

in the Park is celebrated at Three 

Kings Reserve. 

I am very proud that our Puketapapa 

Local Board has two elected 

members of the Indian community, 

including the youngest elected 

Indian local government member in 

New Zealand, Shail Kaushal. 

Mount Roskill continues to be a 

hub for many Indian businesses 

from restaurants and cafes to 

education services, manufacturing, 

clothing and jewellery, accounting 

and business services, and many 

more. 

Famous Indian Cuisine 

In particular, Mount Roskill has 

become one of the best places to 

experience great Indian cuisine 

- almost every suburb has its own 

Indian food outlet and to most Kiwis 

now ordering a naan bread with a 

tikka, dhal, or korma is as familiar 

as ordering Friday night fish and 

chips. 

As I think about the future of 

Mount Roskill, my home as well as 

my constituency, I am filled with 

optimism. The growing diversity of 

our community is one of its great 

strengths and I firmly believe that 

the energy, creativity, and hard 

work of our local Indian community 

will make this a better place for 

everyone in the years to come. 

To those members of the Mount 

Roskill Indian community who 

paved the way, I thank you. 

To those young people who are 

now making their own path, I have 

every confidence that you will 

succeed. 

Michael Wood is elected Member 

of Parliament from Mount Roskill 

and Chief Whip of the 

Government. 

Michael Wood with fellow MPs Deborah Russell and Priyanca Radhakrishnan with a Muslim 

family at the recently held Eid Al Adha celebrations (Facebook Picture) 

Labour Ethnic Communities Team 

ethnic_communities_labour@parliament.govt.nz 

09 622 2557 021 845 009 

Level 1, Crighton House, 100 Neilson Street, ONEHUNGA 

Authorised by Priyanca Radhakrishnan MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington


India IndependenceSpecial 

17 

Fruits of Success come from the roots of ancestry 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan 

India has the largestDiaspora 

populationinthe world, with 

morethan 13 millionIndians 

living outside the country and 

17 million people of Indian origin 

spreadacross146 countries. 

Afew months after Ientered 

Parliament, Iattended aConferenceorganised 

by the Indian 

government that brought together 

Parliamentariansand Mayors of 

Indian origin from around the 

world. 

Frommemory,there wereabout 

600 of us there (MPsfrom come 

countriescould not attendastheir 

Parliament wasinsession at the 

time). 

Strongidentity 

As Ilooked aroundthe room, 

it struck me thatIndia wasquite 

possiblythe only country that 

could host such aConference –it 

has asignificant Diaspora population 

globally that is also politically 

engaged and active. 

The Conference had many 

highlights–meeting so many 

interesting people whowerein 

positions of influence around 

the world, allconnectedbya 

singlethread of Indian-nesswas 

fascinating. 

Forsome, likethe Jamaican 

Attorney-General who was fifth 

generationJamaican-Indian, it was 

their firstvisit to India. She knew 

that her ancestors were from 

Mumbaiand wascurious about 

various aspects of Indianculture, 

File Picture (supplied by the author) showing Suzannah Jessep, the then 

Acting High Commissioner at the New Zealand High Commission in New 

Delhi with (from left) Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Kapiti 

Coast Mayor KGurunathan and Dr Parmjeet Parmar at the First Conference 

of Parliamentarians of Indian Origin held in New Delhi on January 9, 2018. 

but identified predominantly 

with Jamaica.Bycontrast, 

there were manyofus 

(including me) who were 

borninIndia and grewup 

outside the country of our 

birth but still identified 

stronglywithIndia. 

TributetoSushma Swaraj 

MeetingIndian politicians 

likeSushma Swarajand 

Shashi Tharoorwas yet 

another highlight. Iwas 

sorrytohearofMsSwaraj’s 

passing last week. 

She was apolitician who 

was liked and respected 

by politicians across the 

political spectrum. At the 

PIO (PersonofIndian 

Origin) Conference, she was 

generous withher time as 

the New Zealanddelegation 

spoketoher about some 

of the aspirationsand 

challenges faced by the Kiwi 

Indiancommunity. 

Diverse Delegations 

The Conference was 

particularly noteworthybecause 

of the sheer diversity 

of the delegations. There 

were strong delegations 

from many parts of theWest 

Indies –the delegation from 

Guyana was the largest 

with 20 MPs, threeMayors 

and the formerGuyanese 

President, BharatJagdeo. 

There were alsostrong 

delegations fromFiji,South 

Africaand many other 

African countries. Imet 

delegates from Malaysia, 

the UnitedKingdom, Canada 

and the United States of 

America. 

Iwas pleasantly surprisedtomeetpoliticians 

of Indian origin from 

Switzerland, Portugal and 

the Philippines. 

Waves of Immigration 

The presentations by 

delegates alsohighlighted 

the different waves of 

migration from India – 

indentured labourers to 

former colonies including 

Fiji, the West Indies, Africa 

and parts of South EastAsia 

like Malaysia andMyanmar 

(then Burma). In New 

Zealand we’refamiliarwith 

the stories of the Girmityas, 

those who were taken to 

Fiji as indentured labourers 

from India. 

There havealsobeen 

large numbers of Indians, 

mainly from Kerala, who 

have migrated to the 

Gulf Statesinsearchof 

employment. 

The next two significant 

waves of migrationfrom 

India appear to be the 

skilled migrants and 

students who left India to 

furthertheircareersand 

academic qualifications 

respectively.Theymoved 

to countries like the United 

States, UnitedKingdom, Singapore, 

Europe, Australia 

and New Zealand. 

The Prime Ministers 

of Ireland and Portugal, 

respectively Leo Varadkar 

andAntónio Costa are 

of Indian descent. In the 

UnitedStates,politicians 

of Indian origin are in 

keyroles both in Trump’s 

Administration andinthe 

Democratic Party. 

The Vice President of 

Suriname, AshwinAdhin, 

is aGirmitya who traces 

his rootsback to Allahabad, 

Uttar Pradesh. There are 

anumber of politiciansof 

Indianorigin in Singapore, 

including the Country’sformer 

PresidentSRNathan. 

InternationalAsset 

It is clear thatthe Indian 

governmentviews its 

Diasporapopulationasan 

assetand wants to see them 

contribute to India’sgrowth 

story. 

Over the years,contributions 

of the Diaspora have 

been significant. 

Forexample,in2016, India 

was the world’slargest 

recipient of remittances. 

In fact,remittances have 

been crucial to the success 

of certain statesinIndia, 

likeKerala. 

Irecentlypassed through 

Kochi International Airport, 

which is theworld’s first 

Airport fully poweredbysolar 

energy.Apublic-private 

partnership, the Airport 

saw significant investment 

by agroup of non-resident 

Indians. 

There will alwaysbea 

special link to the land of 

our birth/ancestry. 

Challenge for youth 

Sometimes that leads to 

our younger generations 

feeling as though they are 

caught between two worlds. 

However, as Diaspora 

populations settle into 

theirhostcountry, andit 

becomestheir home, they 

formtheir own identities 

that strengthenovertime. 

In the Caribbean, it is 

Chutney Music, amix of 

Indian andAfro-Caribbean 

beats. 

We need to realisethat 

we don’t needtoloseone to 

become the other–wedon’t 

needtoloseour Indian 

identitytobeKiwi. We can 

be both –wedefine what 

that looks like. 

PriyancaRadhakrishnan 

is aMember of Parliament 

on Labour Listfrom the 

Maungakiekie Constituency 

in Auckland. She is 

Parliamentary Private 

Secretary to Ethnic 

Communities Minister, 

Member ofthe Foreign 

Affairs, Defence and 

Tradeand SocialService 

and Community (Deputy 

Chairperson) Select Committees 

of Parliament. 

MONDAY 

Bhel Puri $5 

Kadhi Chawal $9 

WEDNESDAY 

Happy 

Independence 

Day 

Daily Specials 

TUESDAY 

Amritsari Thali $10 

THURSDAY 

Papdi 

Chaat $5 

Rajma Chawal $9 

FRIDAY 

Bread 

Pakora $1 

23 Eric Baker Place ,Papatoetoe 

905 Dominion Road, Mt. Roskill 

1Normandy Avenue, Melville, Hamilton 

SATURDAY 

Makki Roti &Saag $7 

SUNDAY 

Raj 

Kachori $6 

Vada Sambar $6 

Aloo Tikki 

Chaat $5 

Kachori $1 

Mysore Masala Dosa $8 Any Pizza $7 

Pani 

Puri $5

18 



Indian community partners in Auckland’s development 

Phil Goff 

As we approach the end 

of this Term of Council, 

it is an appropriate 

time to look back at 

the successes and challenges of 

the past three years and what 

opportunities lie ahead, both 

for Auckland as aCity and for 

our Indian communities. 

Few would disagree that 

Auckland is an exceptional City 

and that it is an exciting time 

to be living here. The City is 

growing at an unprecedented 

rate: there are around 98 

cranes on our horizon –more 

than any City in the United 

States -and $73 billion worth 

of commercial construction 

under way or in the pipeline. 

Our population is increasing 

by up to 40,000 people each 

year and we are projected to 

receive 55% of New Zealand’s 

total growth over the next 

decade. 

The problems 

With this unprecedented 

growth comes challenges: 

traffic congestion, housing 

shortages and pressure on our 

environment. 

Auckland Council is working 

to address these challenges 

and we are making record 

investments to ensure that as 

our Auckland grows, it remains 

a world-class City where 

opportunity is available to all 

our communities. 

Amid Auckland’s unprecedented 

growth, the Indian 

community has continued to 

thrive. The number of Indian 

New Zealanders choosing to 

call Auckland home grew by 

42% between the 2006 and 

2013 census, and the Indian 

community now likely to 

account for more than 8% of 

Auckland’s population. 

Successful Indians 

Members of Auckland’s Indian 

community are achieving 

growing success as business 

leaders, entrepreneurs, 

community workers, and 

sportspeople. 

That success doesn’t occur in 

a vacuum. 

Strong leaders are aresult 

of strong communities and the 

Indian community supports 

and uplifts all its members to 

make the contribution they do. 

Media outlets such as Indian 

Newslink, with its more than 

65,000 readers, also provide a 

strong voice. The high calibre 

of entrants and winners at 

last year’s Indian Newslink 

Indian Business Awards is one 

example of the contribution 

our Indian communities make 

to our City, and Ilook forward 

to seeing similar success celebrated 

at this year’s Awards. 

Diwali Festival 

The increasingly important 

and visible role that Auckland’s 

Indian community plays 

in the life of the City is also 

exemplified by the growth of 

Diwali Festival. 

A generation ago, Diwali was 

mainly marked at home by 

the Indian community. Today 

it is apublic event celebrated 

not only by those of Indian 

descent but by Aucklanders 

of all backgrounds and faiths. 

Around 60,000 people now 

attend the Festival each year to 

enjoy dance, music and theatre 

performers, food and craft 

stalls, expos and more. 

Likewise, the Indian Independence 

Day celebrations that 

this edition of Indian Newslink 

marks are another opportunity 

to promote diversity and inclusion 

across our City, and Iwish 

everyone attending the events 

this year a happy, peaceful and 

enjoyable day. 

Acknowledging Leaders 

Indian Independence Day is 

an opportunity to acknowledge 

those who led India to independence, 

foremost of whom 

was Mohandas Karamchand 

(Mahatma) Gandhi: aman 

whose vision inspired and 

continues to inspire us with 

his commitment not only to independence 

but also peaceful 

activism, social justice and a 

world without conflict. 

Following the tragic events 

in Christchurch on March 15, 

2019, it is more important than 

ever that we reaffirm these 

values. 

Everyone in our City and 

country has the right to follow 

the faith of their choosing freely 

and safely. As Mayor, Iam 

proud of my commitment to 

a multifaith and multicultural 

Auckland, where people from 

all backgrounds are treated 

with mutual respect and can 

enjoy the rich diversity of our 

cultures. 

Phil Goff is Mayor of Auckland. 

He writes regularly in Indian 

Newslink. Local Government 

elections including for the 

office of Mayor, Counsellors 

and other important bodies 

are held throughout New 

Zealand every three years. The 

Election this year will be held 

from September 20 to October 

12, 2019. Please visit https:// 

www.vote.nz/enrol-to-vote/ 

enrol-check-or-update/ 

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Big Supermarket for 

in Christchurch 

Import, Wholesale 

and Retail 

At the heart of the upcoming, growing 

City of Christchurch 

The Owner has come to a retiring age and is looking 

The Owner is willing to keep percentage of the 

shares if required, but would not work within the 

Company for more than two hours every day. 

The Owner is also willing to help in any way to grow 

this business further with his experience. 

The Supermarket is fully secured with CCTV cameras 

with fully upgraded with POS system. The Business 

has a two-ton truck, Hiace van for deliveries and 

The Wholesale Division has been in 

operation since year 2005. 

The huge Retail Supermarket was set up last 

September with all new plant and equipment. This 

business is growing rapidly and needs fresh legs. 

The Company has its own brand and also 

imports most products from India, China, 

Malaysia and other countries. 

There is a potential to add a Café and 

Butchery Section. 

Also opening franchise stores in this fast 

growing City. 

We have a long history of existing Wholesale 

customers and anyone buying this business will 

start making money from the same day. 

You will understand this business fully if you make 

an appointment and view as its very 

large and fully stocked. 

Price on application. All serious buyers 

Call 027-6988382 

and make an appointment 

Entertainmentlink/Classifiedslink 

A unique Programme to showcase heritage of five States 

Festivals of South India on September 21, 2019 in Auckland 

Venkat Raman 

Indian Newslink is proud to 

present the first-ever ‘Festivals 

of South India,’ organised by 

five Associations representing 

the five States of South India on 

Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 

Sacred Heart College Auditorium 

located at 250 West Tamaki Road, 

Glendowie, Auckland. 

The organisations are the oldest 

serving their communities- they 

are the New Zealand Kannada 

Koota, which marked its 25th 

Anniversary in April, New Zealand 

Telugu Association (21 years), 

Auckland Malayali Samajam (20 

years), Muthamil Sangam (19 years) 

and the New Zealand Telangana 

Association (Four years), which was 

formed about ayear after the State 

was formed. 

The Programme, showcasing 

the Culture, Cuisine and Costumes 

of the five States, namely Andhra 

Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil 

Nadu and Telangana, will begin 

at 630 pm and will include dinner 

incorporating the cuisine of these 

States. 

How it began 

It was during an informal meeting 

in January to discuss the Sixth 

Annual Indian Newslink Sports, 

Community, Arts &Culture Awards 

2019 that Telangana Association 

President Narender Reddy Patlola 

suggested a‘South Indian Festival,’ 

to celebrate the cultural heritage 

of South India. The idea quickly 

gained the acceptance of the President 

of Telangana Association of 

New Zealand Srilatha Magatala and 

soon thereafter, with the approval 

of the Executive Committees of the 

five associations, an Organising 

Collage from Pinterest 

Committee was established and its first meeting was held on 

Tuesday, February 19, 2019. 

As well as the Presidents and General Secretaries of the 

Associations, the Organising Committee comprises leaders of 

the five communities and well-wishers of Indian Newslink. 

The Organising Committee 

Among them are Narender Reddy Patlola (President), 

Vinod Kumar Erabelly (General Secretary), Kalyan Rao 

Kasuganti Immediate Past President of Telangana Association 

of New Zealand; Srilatha Magatala (President), Bhavani 

Shankar Yeluri (General Secretary) of New Zealand Telugu 

Association; Bala (Venugopal) Beeram, Telugu Community 

Leader, Jagadishwar Reddy Magatala, Vijay Bhaskar Reddy 

Kosna, Telugu Community Advisors; Sadasivam Kutty 

(President), Kathir Sam (Secretary) of Muthamil Sangam; 

Yeldos Varghese (President), Sunny Mathew (Secretary), 

Joby George (Treasurer) of Auckland Malayali Samajam, 

Biju Surendran ,Kerala Community Advisor; Kumuda Setty 

(President), Roopa Nagvekar (Secretary), Prakash Biradar 

(Executive Committee Member) of New Zealand Kannada 

Koota, Kavitha Venkat (Interior Decorator) Venkat Subramaniam 

(Advisor), Sheba Soundhar, Ravi Nyayapati, Hemant 

Parikh and Venkat Raman representing Indian Newslink. 

Details of the Programme will appear on the dedicated 

website of the ‘Festivals of South India,’ Social Media and the 

three websites of Indian Newslink ,Facebook and Twitter. 

Combining Community Strength 

While the Culture, Cuisine and Costumes of the five States 

differ (in fact, they vary between regions within each State), 

19 

there are several commonalities that bespeak unity 

that is indeed characteristic of India as acountry. 

The attributes include traditional music, dance and 

drama, although each State has its own variations. 

Carnatic Music and Bharata Natyam are common 

to all the five States, which also share the culinary 

art. 

In the modern context, for alength of time 

(until perhaps the 1970s), the city of Madras (now 

Chennai) was the base for films made in Tamil, 

Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani and 

other languages spoken in the region. 

Topography and History 

The five States of South India plus the Union 

Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 

Lakshadweep and the State of Puducherry occupy 

19% of India’s area (635,780 Sq kms or 245,480 

square miles). Covering the Southern part of the 

peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded 

by the Bay of Bengal in the East, the Arabian Sea in 

the West and the Indian Ocean in the South. 

The geography of the region is diverse with two 

mountain ranges–the Western and Eastern 

Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. 

Resources 

Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Periyar 

and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial 

sources of water. The Capital Cities are Amaravati 

(Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru or Bangalore (Karnataka), 

Thiruvananthapuram or Trivandrum 

(Kerala), Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Hyderabad 

(Telangana). Among the major cities in these States 

are Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Mysore, 

Hubli-Dharwar, Belgaum, Coimbatore, Madurai, 

Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Kozhikode, Warangal, 

Khammam, Nalgonda. 

A majority of the people in South India speak 

one of the four major Dravidian languages: Telugu, 

Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. 

Human Development Index is high and the 

economy has undergone growth at afaster rate 

than most northern states. Literacy rates in the 

Southern States are higher than the national 

average with approximately 80% of the population 

capable of reading and writing. The fertility rate in 

South India is 1.9, the lowest of all regions in India. 

Welcome to the first ever 

Organised by 

On Saturday, September 21, 2019 from 6 pm 

At Sacred Heart College Auditorium 

250 West Tamaki Road, Glendowie, Auckland 

(Limited Free Car Park) 

M 

U 

T H TA M IL SA N G A 

M 

Tickets $34.50 (inclusive of GST) per person; Tables seating ten persons at $345 are also available. 

Contact details below. 

Five Associations from the Five States of South India- 

Telangana Association of New Zealand, New Zealand Telugu Association, Muthamil Sangam Auckland, 

New Zealand Kannada Koota and Auckland Malayali Samajam join Indian Newslink to present 

An Evening of Regional Costumes, Cultural Shows and Pure Vegetarian Cuisine 

Traditional Performances that distinguish the five Southern States 

No-Alcohol, No-Smoking Event for everyone above 12 years of age. 

Hurry! Tickets are now on Sale! 

For tickets and further information, please contact 

Telangana Association of New Zealand: Narender Reddy Patlola, President: 021-2345886; 

president@tanz.co.nz; Vinod Kumar Erabelly, Secretary; 021-2613357; generalsecretary@tanz.co.nz; 

New Zealand Telugu Association: Srilatha Magatala, President: 021-02750346 president@nzta.co.nz; 

General Secretary: Bhavani Shankar Yeluri: 022-3156805; generalsecretary@nzta.co.nz 

Telugu Community Leaders: Bala Venu Beeram: 027-8284063; balabeeram7@gmail.com; Kalyan Rao 

Kasuganti: 021-1881446; kasugantis@yahoo.com; Vijay Kosna: 021-739943; vijaykosna@gmail.com; 

Jagadishwar Reddy Magatala: 021-0669114; mjreddy10@gmail.com 

Muthamil Sangam Auckland: Sadasivam Kutty, President; 021-710180; sadakutty@gmail.com; 

Kathir Sam, Secretary: 021-1665166; muthtamilsangam@gmail.com 

New Zealand Kannada Koota: Kumuda Setty, President: 021-500192; president@kannadakoota.co.nz; 

Roopa Nagvekar, Secretary: 021-2014550; secretary@kannadakoota.co.nz 

Auckland Malayali Samajam: Yeldos Varghese, President: 021-0417162; yeldosvarghese@gmail.com; 

Sunny Kuzhikombil, Secretary: 021-1660428; secretary@aucklandmalayalisamajam.org.nz 

Indian Newslink: Sheba Soundhar: 021-678778; shebasoundhar@yahoo.com; 

Ravi Nyayapati: 021-950975; ravinz@gmail.com; Hemant Parikh: 021-629359; hemantparikh@gmail.com; 

Venkat Raman; 021-836528; venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz

20 


Sportslink 

Registration open for Rugby League Competition 

Venkat Raman 

Rugby players and enthusiasts of Indian 

origin have been invited to participate 

in the CMRL Ethnic Rugby League 

Competition 2019. 

Registration is now open for the Annual 

Competition organised by the Counties Manukau 

Rugby League (CMRL) from September 29 to 

October 27, 2019. 

CMRL General Manager Kasey King said 

that the Competition is open to young players 

between 14 and 17 years of age and for people 

aged 18 and above. 

“CMRL will provide Coaches, Managers and 

Trainers,” he said. 

Further details can be obtained from him on 

021-2756975 or (09) 5713865 or 021-2756975. 

Email: kasey@nzrl.co.nz 

Amoi Singh of CMRL was honoured with the 

‘Best Rugby League Player of the Year’ Award 

at the Sixth Annual Indian Newslink Sports, 

Community, Arts &Culture Awards 2019 held in 

Auckland on June 24, 2019. 

About CMRL 

Established in 2010, CMRL is one of the seven 

zones with membership to the New Zealand 

Rugby League (NZRL). One District, the Auckland 

Rugby League and 12 Clubs form the Membership 

of the Zone with more than 200 Schools 

from Otahuhu to Tuakau. 

Among the Clubs in Counties Manukau are 

Howick, Pakuranga, Otara, Otahuhu, Manukau, 

Mangere East, Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Papakura, 

Pukekohe, Waiuku and Tuakau. 

In 2009 aSPARC (now Sport New Zealand) 

commissioned Report identified Rugby League 

as abedrock sport in Counties Manukau and 

recommended establishment of the Zone. 

In 2010, this became areality and the Zone 

and sport has succeeded on many levels since. 

The Region 

The Zone technically stretches across three 

Councils –Auckland, Waikato and Hauraki with 

the most Northern Club and boundary starting 

at Otahuhu and covering Tuakau, the Southern 

most part of the territory. 

The Zone also serves 220 schools (Primary & 

Secondary) representing about 8000 registered 

members, excluding volunteers and supporters 

also involved in the game. 

An increasing number of Indians are joining 

the Rugby League family, an indication of which 

is the up and running Indian Rugby League 

Federation. 

The Federation successfully conducted its first 

District League Tournament in 2011 in Kashmir, 

India, with 25 teams featured in Male, Female 

and Youth categories. 

The way the Indian Rugby League Federation 

is taking anationwide and grassroots approach 

to the development of the Game is encouraging. 

Amanaki Mafi to stand trial next year 

RNZ 

Japanese Rugby Star Amanaki Mafi will stand 

trial in January over accusations that he 

assaulted aformer teammate. 

The 29-year-old is charged with injuring 

with intent to injure his then Melbourne Rebels 

teammate Lopeti Timani in Dunedin in July last 

year, following the Team’s season-ending loss to 

the Highlanders. 

The charge carries amaximum penalty of five 

years in jail. 

Mafi was again excused from appearing in 

Dunedin District Court, where Judge Michael 

Crosbie set atrial date of January 27, 2020. 

About the Case 

The player pleaded not guilty in September last 

year, and has not appeared in Court since his first 

appearance following his arrest in July last year. 

Mafi lives in Japan and Timani is understood 

to reside in France. Both were fined A$ 15,000 by 

the Rebels following the incident for breaching 

team protocols. The pair were drinking at aSouth 

Dunedin address early on 15 July 2018 following 

the loss to the Highlanders which ended the 

Rebels’ finals hopes. 

In last September’s call-over in Dunedin District 

Court, Mafi’s lawyer Anne Stevens QC told the 

Court that her client was arguing the statute of 

self-defence. 

The trial’s scheduling appears to clear the way 

British want India at CWG 2022 

RNZ 

The British government is hoping to 

reach acompromise with India over its 

threat to boycott the Commonwealth 

Games in Birmingham in 2022 following 

the removal of Shooting from the Programme. 

Indian shooters won 16 of the country’s 66 

medals at last year’s Gold Coast Games and its 

Olympic Association will soon make adecision 

on whether to follow through on its boycott 

threat. 

British Sports Minister Nigel Adams said that 

Amanaki Mafi playing for the Sunwolves in Tokyo in May 

(Photo by Photosport) 

for Mafi to play in Rugby World Cup which starts 

next month in Japan. 

Setting the trial for the first week of trial dates 

in the New Year, Judge Crosbie noted in Court on 

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 it would not clash 

with “a Rugby Season -the World Cup would be 

over.” 

Mafi is to appear before the Court on January 

21, 2019, the week before his trial, to answer bail. 

The trial is expected to last three to four days. 

The Japanese Rugby Football Union has previously 

said it would not make any determinations 

about Mafi’s playing future until the charges were 

dealt with in Court. 

Mafi started at number eight for Japan in their 

recent Pacific Nations Cup matches against Fiji 

and Tonga. 

Published under a Special Agreement with 

www.rnz.co.nz 

he was hopeful of acompromise that could see 

his country stage atruncated shooting event 

at Birmingham 2022 or aCommonwealth 

Shooting Championships that will not be part of 

the Birmingham Programme. 

“I totally understand how passionate people 

are about Shooting across the Commonwealth,” 

We want India to be here, no question,” he said. 

For extended version, please visit www. 


Published under a Special Agreement with 

www.rnz.co.nz 

Happy 

Independence 

Day of India 

Auckland | Wellington | Manukau 

Toll free Number 0800 024 404 | www.barodanzltd.co.nz.

INL August 15 2019 Digital Edition

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