FIJI DYNAMICS - October 2020
Bula! Welcome to our new Magazine : FIJI DYNAMICS - the Voice of our Communities The theme for this inaugural issue is Fiji's 50th Independence Day Anniversary. FIJI DYNAMICS will help inspire our communities, and further enhance our rich diversity and multi-cultural heritage. The FIJI DYNAMICS team is made up of senior Fiji journalists and media personalities, who now live and work in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Bula! Welcome to our new Magazine : FIJI DYNAMICS - the Voice of our Communities
The theme for this inaugural issue is Fiji's 50th Independence Day Anniversary.
FIJI DYNAMICS will help inspire our communities, and further enhance our rich diversity and multi-cultural heritage.
The FIJI DYNAMICS team is made up of senior Fiji journalists and media personalities, who now live and work in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
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FIJI
DYNAMICS
THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
YEARS
1970-2020
A N N I V E R S A R Y
OCTOBER 2020 | NO.1 OCTOBER | 2020 FREE 1
T H E V O I C E O F O U R C O M M U N I T I E S
FIJI 50 YEARS LATER
Where
to now?
Where to now?
Roy Krishna: Proud
to be a Fijian
Page 32-33
Fiji’s own star In
Bollywood
Pages 30-31
Cash Prizes
to be won
Inside back cover
YEARS
1970-2020
A N N I V E R S A R Y
YEARS
1970-2020
2 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
YEARS
1970-2020
A N N I V E R S A R Y
OCTOBER 2020
3
YEARS
1970-2020
Contents
Where to
now?
A N N I V E R S A R Y
One love
to unite us all
IF there's one thing in this
world that unites us all as
Fijian diaspora, it is the love
of the land we are born in or
have some attachment to - Fiji.
From the swaying coconut
palms, the white sandy beaches,
beaming smiles, the sugar cane
fields, the hardworking farmers,
the allure and beauty of our 3seas,
the maginficient outer islands,
bustling Suva, the vibrant cultures,
fusion of food, and the list
could go on ... it all compacts into
a gem of a country.
From the moment Prince
Charles handed over the Instruments
of Cession to Ratu Sir
Kamisese Mara 50 years ago, the
young Dominion of Fiji has always
risen to the fore to make its
mark in the world - and has been
mostly successful.
Then came the storm caused by
the military coups, the country
then teetered on the edge of an
abyss of unfathomable chaos.
She stumbled badly four times,
but did not fall, and has now just
managed to regain composure.
There was a lot of uncertainty
and fear.
It must be noted that the sons
and daughters of Fiji stayed
together and carried on. We
are a resilient lot, and Covid-19
gatecrashing the 50th Independence
Anniversary party will not
diminish the spirit in us.
It is this spirit that prompted
the Fiji Dynamics team to want to
celebrate, promote and cultivate
the good work being done by our
diaspora not just in New Zealand,
but throughout the world, hence
the birth of this magazine.
Fiji Dynamics is being put
together by a team of former
senior Fiji journalists now living
and working in New Zealand
with the sole aim of celebrating
our people.
This issue is dedicated to Fiji's
50th Independence Anniversary,
but future editions will be focusing
on other events in the community.
If you're keen to share your
stories, please do contact us - we
are looking forward to hearing
from you.
- the team at Fiji Dynamics - the
voice of our communities
FIJI DYNAMICS is published by The Whānau Community Trust from its offices located at 35 East Tamaki Road, Papatoetoe,
Auckland, Aotearoa-New Zealand and Printed by Horton Media Limited, Auckland.
Phone: 0800437686; Email : info@fijidynamics.com; Websites : www.fijidynamics.com; www.fijidynamics.online
All material appearing on our printed, web, mobile app, social media, downloadable and email editions are the copyright of
FIJI DYNAMICS. Reproduction in full or part in any medium is prohibited, unless expressly obtained from and approved by
FIJI DYNAMICS and/or The Whānau Community Trust. FIJI DYNAMICS and its management and staff do not accept any
responsibility for the claims made in news items and advertisements. Publisher: The Whānau Community Trust.
For Advertising, Subscription and Contribution enquiries: Phone 0800437686; Email: info@fijidynamics.com
NOTE: The views of contributing writers are not necessarily those of FIJI DYNAMICS. While FIJI DYNAMICS makes every
effort to ensure that no misleading claims are made by advertisers, responsibility cannot be accepted by FIJI DYNAMICS or The
Whānau Community Trust for the failure of any product or service to give satisfaction. Inclusion of a product or service should not
be construed as endorsement of it by FIJI DYNAMICS or The Whānau Community Trust.
Forging ahead as one nation ......................................7
Professor Steven Ratuva:
Reflections of the past 50 years ...........................8 & 9
Ruth Achari:
A shining example of service before self...........10 & 11
Tauranga kicks off celebrations..................................14
Faiyaz Khan: Military discipline serves him well.........15
Daren Kamali: Vunimaqo and Me..............................17
Dr Api Talemaitoga: Fiji has come of age ..................21
Phil Goff ........ ....................................................4
Sir Anand Satyanand .........................................5
Jenny Salesa......................................................6
Chandar Sen (NZFBC) ....................................12
Ibrar Sheikh (FIANZ) ....................................... 13
Messages
A loss of Fijian identity .......................................22 & 23
A KaiIndia’s search for identity in Aotearoa................23
Ajay Vasisht: Through a glass brightly ..............26 & 27
Aisha Bali: The force behind Radio Bula Masti .........29
Anil Rai Mani: Fiji's first in Bollywood ...............30 & 31
Roy Krishna: Proud to wear the Fiji jersey ........32 & 33
Waisale Serevi: A Fijian sports legend ......................34
Satya Dutt: On a mission to preserve culture ............36
Auckland Rotumans .........................................19
TISI Sangam (NZ)............................................ 25
Sachin Dutt (NZFFI)......................................... 28
NZ Punjabi Multi Media Trust................................. 35
St Joseph’s Secondary School NZ Alumnae......... 35
Cover images: Department of Archives, Fiji. Main picture, dancers at Albert Park, Suva, Prince Charles, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, October 10, 1970.
Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern.
Friends of Fiji....................................................18
Fiji Catholic Group.............................................40
YEARS
1970-2020
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
YEARS
1970-2020
A N N I V E R S A R Y
OCTOBER 2020
5
Best wishes to our
Fijian communities
Congratulations
due all round
by Phil Goff, Mayor of Auckland
Ni sa bula vinaka and namaste!
My warmest congratulations and greetings to Fijians
around the world, and to Auckland’s Fijian communities,
on the 50th anniversary of Fiji’s independence this
October.
Auckland is a proudly multicultural and multiethnic city, and our
Fijian communities play an important part in its economic success
and cultural vibrancy. The Fijian Village at Auckland’s Pasifika Festival
is well-known for its hospitality, music, art, dance, craft and
cuisine, and is always a highlight of this important festival.
New Zealand and Fiji share strong cultural, sporting and
economic ties, reflecting our common Pacific identity, and the
relationship between our two countries continues to grow.
Although we are experiencing many challenges this year as a
result of the Covid-19-19 crisis, I look forward to the resumption
of travel and tourism between our countries.
Once again, my congratulations on the 50th Anniversary of Fijian
independence and my best wishes for the rest of the year.
Phil Goff, Mayor of Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau
by Sir Anand Satyanand GNZM, QSO, KStJ
AS someone linked on both sides of
my family to Fiji, I am delighted
to offer greetings on the 50th
Anniversary of the country
achieving its independence in October 1970.
Despite never having lived in Fiji, I have
maintained, over many years, links out of my
life as an erstwhile lawyer, judge, ombudsman,
governor-general and functionary of the
Commonwealth.
To celebrate a significant birthday last year,
three generations of my family spent a week
with me in Fiji, travelling the roads and visiting
friends and family in a number of places.
This enabled a pulse-taking of the country
in many settings – from a seminar/conference
about the girmitya legacy at the University of
Fiji, to seeing in action local enterprises in food
production and tourism, and visiting places
lived in by my grandparents in Sigatoka and
Suva.
In 1970, the notion of independence was
something new for a place that had functioned
as a colony of the United Kingdom for 146
years.
The former administration was of a
kind that placed emphasis on order and
administration ahead of business and
advancement of ordinary people.
Fifty years on, despite some stumbles with
maintaining democracy, Fiji has come to take
its place at the forefront of Pacific and wider
international affairs and as a tourist destination
for people from many parts of the world with
facilities and businesses to match.
The portent for the future is strong and
is present because of the goodwill people
elsewhere have for the country and its
inhabitants. Congratulations are due all round.
- Sir Anand Satyanand is a former Governor-
General of New Zealand who lives in semiretirement
in Wellington
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
A celebration of resilience
Young nation
forging ahead as one
It hasn't all been plain sailing for Fiji for the past half century, but renewed
enthusiasm for stability points to better times ahead
Bula Vinaka! Namaste! Mālō e lelei!
tēnā koutou kātoa!
My congratulations to you all on
the anniversary of Fiji Independence
and, especially, to all people from Fiji in my
electorate of Manukau East.
This year marks a very significant date for
Fiji as it is now 50 years since Fiji became an
independent nation in 1970.
Fiji is very much in our thoughts this
week, as it is also the 8th official Fijian Language
Week in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It is a poignant moment to celebrate your
independence anniversary in the middle of a
worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
However, this anniversary is also a time to
reflect on the hardiness and spirit of all the
people of Fiji and to gather this strength to
overcome present afflictions and to create a
better future.
Bula vinaka and congratulations!
Honourable Jenny Salesa
Member of Parliment for Manukau East
A young Prince Charles prepares to hand over the Instruments of Cession to the first Prime Minister of
Independent Fiji, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. photo: Fiji Department of Archives
FIJI'S Independence from Great Britain 50 years
ago ignited a fresh new wave of social and
political consciousness after 96 years as a British
colony.
Self-determination under the watchful gaze of the Commonwealth
gave Fiji’s citizens an appetite for social change
and political empowerment.
Suva’s Albert Park on October 10, 1970, was teeming
with people of different races, religions and ages to witness
the country transition into the Independent Dominion of
Fiji.
Under sweltering heat thousands of young students
watched proudly as the Union Jack came down and Fiji’s
new emblems hoisted high in the sky.
Who can forget the flypast of war planes and the thunderous
volley of cannons and soldiers firing their rifles in
unison.
The Prince of Wales beamed proudly as the remnants of
colonial power slowly slipped into the hands of the citizens
of Fiji.
The population at the time was 500,563 and the quest for
education and employment saw Fijians of all races abandoning
their rural settlements for the bright lights of Suva.
Multiculturalism thrived in the cities while village communities
were content to while away their days farming,
fishing and looking after their families.
Fiji enjoyed exponential economic growth until 1987
followed by relative stagnation caused to a large extent by
political coups in 1987, a civilian putch in 2000 and another
military coup in 2006.
In the pages that follow you will find the stories of our
people who shared Fiji’s 50-year post independent journey
and those who will continue their own chapters in the next
50 years.
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Reflections for the past 50 years: Fiji’s challenges and hopes
Professor Steven Ratuva from the University of
Canterbury, New Zealand
Ratu Sir George Cakobau, high chief and first
local Governor-General of Independent Fiji, taking
over from Sir Robert Foster in 1973.
Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, high chief and also a
former Governor-General of Independent Fiji.
by Professor Steven Ratuva
I
VIVIDLY remember that memorable day,
10 October 1970, as a young village boy
attending Yale District School in Kadavu,
when the British flag was lowered for the
last time and the new sky blue Fijian flag with
its colourful design was hoisted high amidst
cheers and tears.
It was a moment of youthful hope and optimism,
and now 50 years later, I am reminiscing
and reflecting on a journey so full of intrigue
and challenges as well as resilience and hope.
Governments and constitutions have come
Two Fijian policemen on patrol in Suva, near what is now MHCC in the background. photos: Department of Archives, Fiji
and gone, either through democratic elections
or illegal use of force, but Fiji as a collective
of ordinary people living their ordinary lives,
remain the cornerstone of hope in a country
scarred by ethno-political tension, economic
inequality, contestation of power by competing
groups and abuse of authority by leaders.
Since independence, Fiji underwent a multiracial
experiment under Ratu Sir Kamisese
Mara, which saw two main contending forces,
communal nationalism (ethnic and cultural
groups demanding attention) and civic nationalism
(unity and common identity) competing
for supremacy in syncretic and complex ways.
There were moments of contractions and accommodation
taking place simultaneously and
by and large there was a sense of equilibrium
until the first coup in 1987 when communal nationalism
expressed itself in a seriously violent
way with the help of the military.
This was repeated in 2000. While the 2006
coup was meant to reverse the trend using
the fallacious “clean-up” narrative, it merely
entrenched an ethno-business and political
patronage under the tutelage of an all-powerful
despotic clique.
The neoliberal reforms which followed have
led to the dysfunction of the civil service, accumulation
of crippling debt, nepotism and the
formation of an ethnic clique system operating
under the guise of “merit” and “de-ethnicisation,”
which undermines the spirit of multiculturalism,
equity and diversity.
Despite these setbacks, the sense of shared
resilience and collective benevolence of the
people is a reason why we have not had an
ethnic civil war as we have seen in Rwanda,
Solomon Islands, Bosnia or Sudan.
While strategic manipulation and leveraging
of ethnicity as an instrument of political
mobilisation by political leaders, parties and
ethnic entrepreneurs may have to some degree
had the desired effect of winning votes, it did
not meet the minimum threshold to usurp the
strength of civic nationalism and thus spark an
open racial war.
The reason may be that despite being thwarted
by a series of coups and ethnic machinations
by leaders, the post-independence multiracial
experiment, despite its shortcomings, had some
positive impact in terms of entrenching a sense
of collective consciousness, although this is not
generally acknowledged.
It is true that at one level communal anxiety,
stereotypes and a certain degree of inter and
intra-ethnic distrust exist, at another level, the
collective spirit of civic-nationalism (as opposed
to communal nationalism) as manifested
in the euphoric inter-cultural support for the 7s
and 15 rugby teams, collective sense of belonging
and pride under the “Fiji” brand, common
adherence to the kava drinking culture and so
forth.
Independent Fiji is now 50 years old and the
journey has been one of mixed review, as film
critics would say. The people, not just the government,
have to make choices for the future,
not based on conspiratorial motives concealed
under appealing political narratives, but on the
aspirations of more than a million Fijians in Fiji
and around the world.
The challenges of the past 50 years have
helped to built up the people’s sense of uncompromising
resilience and cool sturdiness in the
face of adversity as we have seen in responses
to coups, climate change, cyclones, Covid-19,
economic crisis and political instability.
Their inventiveness and innovations such
as Barter for a Better Fiji, amongst others, are
indicative of the creative potential within our
people to connect, to think outside the box, to
transform and to provide workable alternatives.
Herein lies the hope for the next 50 years.
Half a century ago, as I watched the new
Fiji flag rise to the crescendo of applause and
cheers, I noticed with boyish curiosity and
innocence seagulls flying lazily circling the Yale
District School ground squawking loudly, as if
warning us about what they could see away in
the distant horizon.
Now 50 years later as I look back with a
bird’s-eye view of history and with adult eyes,
I can now see what the seagulls were probably
hinting - for a small country, Fiji has gone
through mindboggling andm at the same time,
reassuring challenges. Despite the tribulations,
we have survived and we will become even
more resilient than ever.
-Professor Steven Ratuva is Director of the
MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies
at Canterbury University, Christchurch,
New Zealand.
We wish the people of Fiji a happy
50th anniversary on her
independence.
All the best for the future. God bless
Harry & Mehar Singh (QSM) Auckland
nido
Bula! NIDO
wishes to congratulate and celebrate
Fiji’s 50th Independence Day Anniversary
Vinod Kumar - Director of NIDO.
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Ruth Achari: A shining example of service before self
Ruth Achari receiving her Queens Service Medal in 1984 from then Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau
Ruth Achari now after migrating to Brisbane, Australia
Ruth Achari hoisting the Fiji flag to mark Fiji’s
Independence at a ceremony attended by Prince
Charles at Subrail Park in Labasa, in October 1970.
Ruth Achari at Government House with her family after receiving her Queen’s Service Medal (from left)
daughter Angelin Achari, husband Jonathan Achari, Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau and
daughter Veena Achari.
by Sam Thompson
I
received one as a nine- year- old.
I remember it was nice and shiny, attached
to a robin blue and red stripped ribbon, but
not much about what was written on it nor
what it represented.
It was my first medal, the Fiji Independence
Medal.
I did nothing for it but to exist.
I don’t know what became of that medal, I don’t
have it anymore.
But as a kid at school, we received it to mark
Fiji’s independence on October 10, 1970.
As a young St Mary’s Primary School student
in Labasa, I was handed a miniature Fiji flag on
a stick to wave as part of hundreds who lined the
main street of Labasa, to this European guy driven
in an open vehicle waving back at us.
I had no concept of royalty in those days - to be
honest still don’t.
But that I think, was Prince Charles’ one and
only visit to Labasa.
For my enthusiastic waving of that miniature
flag I received the shiny Independence Medal.
It was a symbol of cutting the shackles of British
rule and forging our own path in the international
arena as Fiji citizens and what a journey that has
been.
I don’t remember much of the pomp and ceremony
of that day apart from having lots to eat, but
one person who does was Mrs Ruth Achari.
She actually earned her independence Medal.
Achari was at the centre of events to mark the
occassion and was officially presented the medal.
She was an iconic figure in Labasa, achieved a lot
and earned tremendous respect in the community.
Achari was among those who greeted Prince
Charles on that sunny day 50 years ago.
She raised the Fiji flag as Prince Charles looked
on from a podium especially erected for dignitaries
on the grounds of Subrail Park.
Achari says she wasn’t expecting much for
herself from an Independent Fiji.
“I felt it was good, people had jobs and were
getting promotions,” she says.
“I don’t know whether people around me
were expecting anything big from the shift out of
colonial rule, I was doing my own thing, for me it
was normal.
“I was born during the colonial era, you had to
work hard, I kept on working hard even after independence,
nothing was given to me on a platter.
“I followed the example of my grandparents,
who were brought to Fiji under the indenture
system, and my parents, they were all every
hardworking.”
It wasn’t easy for her coming from a family of
Ruth Achari with Fiji military and police in a march past Prince Charles and dignitaries after the Fiji
Independence flag raising ceremony at Subrail Park in Labasa in October 1970.
seven girls and four boys - two of the brothers died
at an early age.
Achari packed a lot community service work
into her busy schedule as a school teacher and later
assistant head teacher at St Mary’s Primary School
and All Saints Primary School and head teacher of
Bethel Primary School where she started a unit for
the intellectually handicapped children.
She devoted much of her time to the Girl
Guides, becoming the Divisional Commissioner
for the organisation. She was also actively in
involved in the Red Cross Society.
Achari served on a number of boards in various
capacity as member, secretary and chairperson.
They included the Fiji Broadcasting Commission
Advisory Board, Board of Visitors Labasa
Hospital and Old People's Home, the Labasa Crippled
Children’s Society and Housing Assistance
and Relief Trust.
Not to be out-done in the sporting arena, she
represented Fiji in the New Zealand Dominion
Bowling Championships in 1978.
Achari was awarded the Queens Service Medal
in 1984 to add to her collection.
She was recommended for a Queens honour
by former MP and Roko Tui Macuata Ratu Josefa
Iloilo.
While there was recognition for her services
there was also tragedy.
Seventeen years after I was waving the miniature
Fiji flag ushering in the country’s independence,
I was witness to another historic event that
has changed Fiji’s landscape forever.
I was the editor of FM96 Radio Station at the
time.
On that fateful morning on May 14, 1987, I
was sitting at the press gallery in parliament when
the then Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka walked in with
his balaclava-clad armed men and kidnapped the
elected government members at gunpoint.
There was a mad scramble among the journalist
Prince Charles and dignitaries looking on from an
especially built podium at Labasa’s Subrail Park as
Ruth Achari raises the Fiji flag to mark Fiji’s Independence
on October 10th 1970.
to get to the nearest phone to tell the story of the
coup.
I charged out of parliament, bursting through
the batwing door at the entrance, only to come
to a screeching halt with a rifle digging into my
stomach.
Rabuka’s men in parliament were brandishing
pistols. It hadn’t occurred to me at the time
A dignified Ruth Achari as she was in 1970 after
playing a key role in Fiji’s Independence ceremony
attended by Prince Charles at Labasa’s Subrail Park.
that there would be more outside with a lot more
firepower.
I managed to convince the gunman that I was
just a journalist trying to get out of there and made
my way to the Ministry of Information next door,
used their phone to call the radio station to break
the story.
I remember putting to former Prime Minister
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara at the time, how he felt
about the end of democracy as we know it.
His reply “which democracy, the United Nations
has 193 of them?”.
Well this new rule in Fiji also sparked violence
and increased crime especially break-ins and theft.
One of the victims, a few weeks after the coup,
was Ruth Achari.
Her house was broken into while they were
away and her medals stolen in the burglary including
the Independence medal.
The only medal, police managed to recover
around six months later, was her Queens Service
medal, worse for wear with the thieves trying to
scratch her name out.
She was told it was sold to an elderly woman.
But her symbol of Fiji’s independence, earned,
is now lost.
“The loss of the medals was disappointing and
disheartening,” she says.
“It had a lot of sentimental value, but it didn’t
take away the honour of being of service.
“It also didn’t deter me from carrying on with
my community work. I continued to work with
Girl Guides and the Anglican Church.
“I believe in service, doing whatever you can
and as much as you can without seeking reward.”
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
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Strengthening the
bond of business
by Chandar Sen President NZFBC
Kia Ora
On behalf of the New
Zealand Fiji Business
Council, I congratulate
Fiji Dynamics and the team of
senior Fijian journalists and media
personalities, who now live and
work in New Zealand on their
initiative in launching this magazine
dedicated exclusively to unite
the Fijian community, through
promoting the Fijian diaspora's
views, identity and culture.
There is a definite place for a
magazine like Fiji Dynamics and
I am sure this will be welcomed
by the Fijian diaspora not only all
across New Zealand, but back in
our motherland Fiji.
Likewise, I am sure it will be
embraced by the other communities
and the New Zealand public
at large given the strong links,
including trade and business links,
New Zealand Fiji have.
And what better time to launch
this but the celebration of Fiji’s 50
years of independence.
Trade between our two
countries - New Zealand and
Fiji - goes back a long way and is
one of those things that has kept
the two countries connected in an
inseparable manner.
The New Zealand Fiji Business
Council was established more
than 30 years with the importance
of retaining a line of communication
for business at all times,
irrespective of the government of
the day.
The New Zealand Fiji Business
Chandar Sen, president of the
New Zealand Fiji Business Council,
is urging other businesses to
join and reap the benefits.
Council works closely with its
counterparts in Fiji – the Fiji
New Zealand Business Council.
The business council is well recognised
at government level both
in New Zealand and Fiji.
In fact, the business council
has retained its credibility with
successive governments and has
continued to provide that line
of communication our founder
members so earnestly sought to
ensure more than three decades
ago.
The membership is diverse
and consists of companies from
sole traders to publicly listed
companies and across a range
of sectors. Many member companies
of the business council have
been actively involved in business
and investment in Fiji.
The business council provides
an excellent forum for networking
and undertakes a number of
member events throughout the
year. The business council will be
holding its AGM on October 30
with an enlightening speaker from
the NZIER.
Many of the events are member-only
events and I invite those
who are not already members to
join and take advantage of the
many benefits that come with it.
Membership application package
can be obtained by contacting our
secretariat at nzfbc@chamber.
co.nz or by visiting
www.nzfiji.org/
Various prime ministers and
ministers from both New Zealand
and Fiji have recognised and
noted that there is absolutely no
doubt the council has contributed
and continues to contribute
significantly towards the business
relationships between the two
countries, which has already
surpassed One Billion dollars
in two-way trade in goods and
services.
This makes Fiji one of New
Zealand’s top 20 trading partners
internationally. The Fiji Dynamics
magazine will no doubt provide
another forum for the business
council members to showcase
their products and services and to
help grow the trading relationship
to Two Billion by 2025.
On behalf of the New Zealand
Fiji Business Council, I wish Fiji
Dynamics every success.
- Chandar Sen is President of the
New Zealand Fiji Business Council
A sincere wish for progress
and prosperity
Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatoh
(Peace and Blessings Upon You)
Ibrar Sheikh, President, FIANZ
On behalf of the Muslim community
in New Zealand, it is my honour
and privilege to congratulate the
team at Fiji Dynamics on the inaugural
issue of a new monthly magazine.
It is also pleasing to note that the first
edition of the Fiji Dynamics will be issued
to coincide with Fiji’s 50th Independence
Day Anniversary. It is timely that
a magazine will be available to the Fiji
diaspora living in New Zealand to update
themselves of the news and progress of
their beloved country.
The Fiji community is the largest in
New Zealand. Although we have accepted
New Zealand as our home, we are still Fijians
in our hearts. We are hardworking and
resourceful and have contributed much to
the world.
On this auspicious occasion of the
50th Anniversary of Fiji, all Fijians can
justifiably be proud of their country for Fiji
has achieved great strides in economy and
social wellbeing of its people.
I wish the President, Prime Minister, the
Government and the People of Fiji, good
health, happiness and continued progress
and prosperity.
I also wish Fiji Dynamics every success
in your endeavour.
Thank You
Wassalaam
Ibrar Sheikh, President, The Federation of
Islamic Associations of New Zealand
www.xdigital.co.nz
Bula Fiji! Congratulations on your
50 years of Independence
Brand Your Business and Get More Customers
by Driving More Traffic and Retargeting 100% of
all your Website Visitors
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
14 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 15
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
Tauranga sets the mood for celebrations
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Military discipline
by Sam Thompson
serves Khan well
THE city of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty
is not the first place you would think
would be celebrating Fiji’s Independence.
But that’s exactly what’s happening.
Faiyaz Mohammed Khan was a 13-year-old student at Marist Brothers at Suva St on
The growing Fiji community here has decided to
October 10, 1970. He remembers Prince Charles had come to Albert Park and it was very hot. One of the
mark the occasion.
highlights was watching three people descending on the crowd on parachutes.
There will be a big celebration to mark Fiji’s
Watching the Union Jack come down and the Fijian flag raised by Sergeant Major Maciu Vakaciwa was memorable for
50th Independence anniversary on October 10th.
the young Khan. His decision to join the Royal Fiji Military Forces when he turned 18 brought him
It’s the first time people from Fiji in the area
in contact with Sergeant Major Vakaciwa.
are hosting a celebration to commemorate Fiji’s
independence.
NOT many of us have had the privilege of visiting Britain’s
Behind the move is Patrick Rounds, originally
Pitcairn Island let alone supervise five inmates on the
from Kulukulu, Sigatoka, but he spent most of his
island’s only prison.
time in Nadi, before moving to New Zealand in
Former senior Mt Eden Corrections Officer Faiyaz Mohammed
Khan spent six months on Pitcairn Island in 2008 as Prisons
2008 at the age of 30.
Initially he moved to Wairarapa, spent a stint in
Superintendant leading a team of four.
Martinborough before moving to Tauranga seven
Pitcairn is a British colony that’s administered by New Zealand and
years ago.
its current population of 52 are modern day descendants of the nine
Rounds works as a Youth Pastor at the Te Puke
mutineers on board the HMS Bounty in 1790.
Baptist Church and he’s a mentor for all the pacific
“If I didn’t do military training in Fiji it would have been very hard
island students at Te Puke High school.
Organising committee for the Fiji Day Celebration: From left, closest to camera, Kamal Nair, behind him
He also works with seasonal workers who come Patrick Rounds, Ben Lasaqa, Aisea Tamani, Joe Vukicanasau.
because its 48 hours from Tahiti by boat and you’re surrounded by
the ocean and in two metre square and that’s your life for the next six
here from the islands to work in the agricultural “We have also invited other seasonal workers “We are in the early stages of starting a Fiji Community
Trust,” he says.
“All we did was make sure the medical facilities were good, the
months, very little contact with the rest of the world,” Khan says.
sector picking fruit.
who are stranded here because of covid 19.
“There was 20 seasonal workers from Fiji when “This is the first time Fiji workers are still here, “We feel we are quite fragmented here, and it’s
footpaths were clean, drainage was good, there was enough firewood,
they first arrived in the Bay of Plenty in 2015, now usually they are back home in Fiji around this very easy to stay that way, so we decided we should
rubbish had to be collected.”
that number has grown to more than a hundred, time.
do something about it.
“There was no TV, only videos that came on the supply ships which
“says Rounds.
“We’ve other seasonal workers from Vanuatu, “Even if it’s things like when Fiji’s playing rugby,
came every three months. They brought onions, potatoes and all that
He says he floated the idea of commemorating Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and we could meet at a bar somewhere or have a
sort of thing but if you ran out that’s it you did without,” Khan says.
Fiji’s Independence with a group of fellow Fijians Tonga.
barbecue at somebody’s house and have a reason
“One thing that was plentiful was fish, so it was fish for breakfast,
and after wider consultation they decided to go “There are also some people from Kiribati who for a gathering.”
lunch and dinner very nice tropical fish.”
ahead with it.
are good volleyball players.”
Divulging any scandalous details about the five inmates runs
“We approached the Pacific Islands Community
Trust for some funding and businesses who and address from dignitaries including the Te The Day's programme
The programme kicks off at 9am with a prayer
against the grain for Khan who spent three decades rising up the
ranks in New Zealand’s Department of Corrections.
employ the seasonal workers,” says Rounds. Puke Board chairman and they are hoping Bay of Venue: Te Puke Baptist Church,
Khan is one of a handful of internationally accredited boxing umpires
and his love of rugby and soccer draws him close to the tight knit
He says they have a fun filled day planned, Plenty MP Todd Muller can find some time from
8:30am to 2pm.
catering for kids and adults.
election campaigning to join them.
Free Health Checks
Fiji soccer circuit in Auckland.
It will be held at the Te Puke Baptist.
“We are working with the Pacifika students to
Rounds says the facilities of the church has provided
an opportunity to include games for people for one of the walls of the venue,” says Rounds. Games in the gym for grown ups
create a timeline of Fiji from British rule to today Kids' Fun Programme
“Sports brings our people together and there is always good support
for our boys when they come through. I have been involved in
the disciplinary side of Fiji sports and I notice there has been a lot of
to participate in.
“It will be interactive with space provide for Food (Curry, Palau, Chop Suey, and Lovo)
improvement in recent years.
“We will have football, netball and volleyball people to add what they think is relevant that has 50th Anniversary Cake
He spent three years in Fiji military and later worked as an agent's
competitions,” says Rounds.
been missed.
Chief Guest
Customs officer at the Suva Wharf before moving to New Zealand in
“There will also be kids activities including a “A prominent figure in the Tauranga Fijian
Bouncy Castle
1986.
bouncy castle, face painting and games like the old community Aisea Tamani will be presenting a
fashion sack race back in Fiji.
talk on the Fiji Independence Day History and the The colour theme is come in white or blue.
“It wasn’t easy fitting into the prisons service here and there were no
“And where will an occasion like this be without journey until today.
It's certainly a good time to celebrate and
Fijians working as prisons officers at the time. You had to work hard
to prove your worth within the first five years.”
food ? There will island and Indian cuisine and of “There will also be a free health check set up for come together and get to know other
Several decades on Khan continues to give back to the country of
course a lovo.
people attending to take advantage of.”
people.
his birth. He bought a sugar cane farm in 2009, which is now managed
by the Fiji Sugar Corporation.
Former senior Mt Eden Corrections Officer Faiyaz Mohammed Khan.
“We are not charging anyone for the food, it will Rounds hope this Fiji Independence celebrations
will be a catalyst for other events to get Fiji
If you want to bring something towards the
all be free. The aim is for everyone to enjoy the day
event, bring some baking for morning
together.
people in the Bay of Plenty together.
Congratulations
Fiji, the land, and the people-on your
50th Anniversary of
Independence
Bula Vinaka
Best wishes for 50th Independence Day
Anniversary
May Fiji be Blessed always...
Kushma Nair - Director
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
16 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 17
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Kia ora, Ni sa Bula, Cola Vina, Namaste, Noa’ia e Mauri, Assalamualaikum, Namaskaram,
Ni Hao, Sat Sri Akal, Halo, Mauri, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava, Greetings
Distribution of Free Masks at the Whānau Community Centre last month – a joint project by Papatoetoebased
Fiji Groups
The Whānau Community Centre
was setup to help all communities
with advice and support.
It is indeed a privilege to be able
to celebrate with our Fiji Communities on
the 50th anniversary of Fiji’s independence.
The initial focus of the Centre is to
include our diverse Fiji Community groups
as part of this collective.
It will become the Community Centre
for Fiji people.
And it is fitting for the Centre to support
the publishing of a magazine that is the
“Voice of our Communities”.
Plus at the same time, for the first issue,
to acknowledge this milestone in Fiji’s journey
as a young nation.
The Whānau Community Centre hopes
to help inspire our communities, through
promoting our views, identity and culture.
And further enhance our rich diversity
and multi-cultural heritage.
The Centre is used for the gatherings of
our elderly people to enjoy themselves.
And a space for our children to grow and
be empowered.
The Centre recognises all different
ethnicities and serves people from all walks
of life.
With your support, the Whānau Community
Centre and FIJI DYNAMICS will
become the hub of our Communities.
Some of the Community Seminars & Programmes include :
• Leadership Training – capacity building, political representation
• Elderly – get-togethers, lunch and learn, seminars on well-being, estate planning
• Family Violence – prevention programmes, education awareness
• Mental Health – awareness, suicide prevention, support
• Family Support Services – family well-being, children’s programmes
• Financial Literacy – budgeting, mind my money for children, smart shopping
• Housing – ownership programmes, support
• Migration – immigration, settlement support
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse – support, awareness
• Children’s’ Programmes – extra tuition classes, financial literacy, trips and events
• Food Bank Service – food parcels, community meals, cooking classes
• Media Publishing – awareness, translations, support
• Business – entrepreneurship, mentoring, advice
by Darren Kamali
Vunimaqo sits on the front yard
We sit together
Blessed family home
Home to Nana Emma and Papa Polito
We prayed together
We use to pray together
What should happen when Nana Emma goes?
I will miss Nana dearly
Thou shalt never forget
Cause Polito will not
We used to fly kites together, you and me
What has happened to the children nowadays?
Where has the tropical sun gone?
The Samabula North spirit gone?
Where is my brown skin?
Harvest season
Fresh kakana
Papa’s teitei
Papa on his typewriter
Yummy lovo
Buried not so deep in the vanua
Saturday kana from the wai-tui
Kuita – ika – qari - lumi
My heart long for -
One last day with my Nana
Nana Emmaline
Miss how close we were
You - watching over us
Samabula North is -
How we supposed to be
Aunties - uncles – family and friends
No matter how extended we may be eh?
Vunimaqo
and Me
Daren Kamali
You know
We all related
Can we be like that forever?
Miss those laughs
All my cuzzies
Spread out across the world
Jokes with nephews - nieces
All grown and moved on
My eyes crave one more night of sleep
On your sitting room floor at 27 Tubou Street Nana
One more night around the tanoa
We talanoa on the back porch
Smell of mosquito coil burning red hot
Brings back fond memories
One more afternoon of cool breeze
Under the Vunimaqo with you Nana
Sipping on a young coconut Bu
Like the iTaukei say -
Eat its flesh
Fresh for the strengthening of the -
Mind - body - spirit
Drink its ka vinaka
Just one more golden moment
Last box of Fiji Gold for us - bros
One more bowl of yaqona
One more night of nana’s prayers
No more fights
No more worries
Neighbours speak in Fijian - English
Top of their voice
Top of the morning
Would like to hear that again
Clapping hands - laughter and songs
Stories of Uvea mo Futuna
Vila Maria - Mead Road
Do not go there grandson
Papa Ipolito’s voice fills the room -
Filling this tranquil space -
Vunimaqo
In my heart
Follows me overseas
Growing in me
My routes
My roots
Leads me home
To Vunimaqo
Wherever I go
Whatever I do
There shall we always be –
Together…
Vunimaqo and Me
Daren Kamali is
Poet/ Heritage Adviser Pacific -
Auckland Libraries
Bula Fiji. Congratulations on 50 years of Independence
Raj Chand – Director
www.abcsolutions.co.nz
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
18 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 19
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Friends of Fiji Heart:
Making a life-changing difference in Fiji
Wishing all a
joyous 50th
Friends of Fiji Heart Foundation founder Dr Parma Nand, cardiac thoracic surgeon, leads his team of specialists to perform heart surgeries in Fiji.
THE Auckland Rotuman Fellowship
Group Incorporated wishes to take say
congratulations to Fiji Dynamics for
the achievement in putting together a
magazine to celebrate Fiji’s 50th Independence
Anniversary.
We congratulate Fiji and Rotuma on 50 years of
independence.
Our group, ARFGI, focuses on sharing and promoting
our unique Rotuman culture and language
with the rest of the world.
We teach our children the importance of their
identity and language, by hosting Rotuman Language
and Cultural classes every Saturday.
And we started the Rotuman Language Week
series in 2018, and also the Rotuman Fui Helava
Community Awards last year.
Our Rotuman people are a separate ethnic
group with our own distinct language, culture, and
identity.
We originate from the Polynesian Island of
Rotuma, which is very much a part of Fiji, and is
administered by Fiji as a dependency.
The majority of Rotuman people live in Fiji.
Rotuma consists of the island of Rotuma and its
nearby islets, and is located in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean, about 500km north of Fiji.
Rotuma was annexed by the British in 1881,
and so we also gained our independence from the
Faga Fasala
British Empire in 1970, as part of Fiji.
We would like to thank the New Zealand
government and all different communities
in supporting the ARFGI group
and all Rotumans living in Aotearoa.
We wish everyone a blessed and joyous
celebration.
And we pray that our good Lord will
continue to bless us and keep us safe.
Alalum ma hanisiof
- Faga Fasala is chairperson of the
Auckland Rotuman Fellowship
Group Inc
FRIENDS of Fiji Heart Foundation
expresses its sincere gratitude to Fiji
Dynamics for the opportunity through
its first publication, to acknowledge the
contributions made by the Fijian diaspora.
Over the past 14 years, the foundation has
benefited immensely from the support received by
businesses, professionals, and the general public
of Fijian diaspora, which have some life-changing
difference to hundreds of Fijian families through
heart-related treatments not available in Fiji.
In dollar terms, to date around $20 million
worth of treatment has been delivered for free.
The foundation is a brainchild of Dr Parma
Nand, well recognised cardiac thoracic surgeon,
supported by a board of trustees who have
provided valuable administration, logistical and
operational support, without cost.
We send our best wishes and congratulations
for the initiative taken to recognise the
contribution made by the Fijian diaspora through
Fiji Dynamics.
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
20 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 21
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Fiji Community Association of Auckland. Bula Early Childhood Education Centre
Fiji
has come of age
Fiji-born health clinician Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga sits on New Zealand's Covid-19 Surveillance and Testing Strategy Group.
He has been part of New Zealand's hardline response to Covid-19 since March as the Pacific voice advising the
Minister for Health and part of the Pacific health response team.
These are Dr Talemaitoga’s recollections from Fiji’s Independence in 1970.
For Fiji, ever Fiji
Ni Sa Bula Vinaka! Namaste! Noa'ia 'e
Mauri!
What a milestone it is to celebrate Fiji's
50th year of Independence. We, the
Fiji Community Association of Auckland (FCAA)
and Bula Early Childhood Education Centre (Bula
ECE Centre) extend our heartfelt regards and warm
wishes to all people and communities of Fiji.
For many of us who now live in various parts
of the world, Covid-19 has amplified the distance
between us and our loved ones.
We have been forced to consider other means
and platforms to communicate with one another,
to learn, and also, to earn a living. We have had to
adapt within our environment, in order to survive.
Fiji has also seen her share of changes, fractures
and remoulding over the last 50 years. Yet, she
continues to adapt in her environment.
She continues to grow. She is resilient. She is a
survivor. Covid-19, whilst it may have gate-crashed
our 50th party, it has not dampened our desire to
celebrate Fiji in all her splendour.
For the FCAA, during this past 2020 term, our
focus has been to rebuild and to provide oversight
and support of the Bula Early Childhood Education
Centre (Bula ECE Centre), New Zealand's only
Fijian early childhood centre. The Bula ECE Centre
is situated in Mangere, South Auckland, and is
licensed for 30 children but has maximum capacity
to cater for 50 children. Our children are of Fijian,
Rotuman, Indo-Fijan, Tongan and Samoan backgrounds
with a small dedicated team of teachers.
As we head into a week of acknowledging our
precious Fijian language and culture, our children
have been preparing steadily for their performances
and activities.
It is an exciting time for our Fiji community,
which we are grateful to be a part of.
For Fiji, Ever Fiji!
- Lisa Samusamuvodre, secretary Fiji Community
Association of Auckland
- Nirshad Rokodi, manager, Bula Early Childhood
Centre, Mangere
Community Seminars: coming up throughout the year
Subscribe now for more information.
And stay in touch at
www.whanau.org.nz
Family Matters . Immigration . Leadership . Elders . Wills & Trusts . Home Ownership
I
WAS 10 years old attending school in Lami. My
parents were school teachers at the Seventh Day
Adventist School at the SDA headquarters.
We didn’t have TV then,but I remember the
papers mentioning Prince Charles and the late Ratu
Sir Kamisese Mara working through the process of
Fiji gaining independence.
If I am correct, in 1969 I think the money currency
changed from shillings and pounds to dollars and
cents.
I don’t think it really hit me what independence
meant to us as a country. Somebody had written an
opinion piece in the Fiji Times at the time which said
“About time because Fiji was now 96 years old, an
old man". Was it 1874 when Fiji was ceded to Great
Britain?
But we did it and as a country it’s been amazing.
We’ve had our differences - people have had different
opinions as to whether we’ve done well or not, but I
think as a country Fiji has really come of age.
I went to Fulton College in Tailevu before Marist
Brothers High School, then first year med at the University
of the South Pacific. That year, three overseas
scholarships were on offer and two of my classmates
got scholarships to go to India and Scotland and I got
Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga.
the one for University of Otago in Dunedin.
There was no choice, we were told where we were
going and that was it.
I was 18 when I first came to New Zealand to study,
graduated in 1986, then worked here for three four
years before going back to Fiji in 1989.
I was always going to go back. I thought I would
stay on get additional qualifications as a consultant
physician. I even thought about psychiatry in mental
health but because of the military coup in 1987 Fiji
lost a whole lot of doctors.
All of us who were studying overseas and had qualified
were asked to return home sooner. I didn’t mind
I’ve always thought I would return home.
I think Fiji has done really well and I think they can
continue to improve. Fiji has always struggled a bit
with resources and the health workforce.
The doctors and nurses I’ve worked with in Fiji are
some of the hardest working people I know. They
work so hard to do so well with so little for the people.
Fijians in general have a reasonably good level of
education and understanding of good health.
We are broadminded because we have been exposed
to good race relations with people of different races
and cultures.
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
22 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 23
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
A loss of ‘Fijian’ identity … or no identity at all in Aotearoa
Who am I? The KaiIndia’s search for identity in
Aotearoa
by Sri Krishnamurthi
When a New Zealand youth, an eighth
generation Indo-Fijian, recently
spoke out against education policies
that exclude some Pacific Island
people from Pasifika programmes and scholarships
as unfair, he did not realise he was opening that hoary
debate that goes back to 1879.
It was the year Indian indentured labourers were
introduced to the Pacific with the first forebearers
being brought aboard the Leonidas and have proliferated
since becoming part of the diaspora, or in Aotearoa
NZ case became part of the double diaspora.
Between 1879 and 1916, 87 voyages were made by
40 ships by the British bringing in the “Girmityas” or
the people of the "Agreement".
As the venerable Professor Vijay Naidu of the
University of the South Pacific in Suva attests to
that: “Indo-Fijians or Fiji Indians or Fijians of
Indian descent are descendants of the 60,500 British
Indian indentured labourers who were transported
between 1879 and 1916 to establish and work on the
plantations of sugar, coconut, banana, tea, and rubber
and sugar mills owned the Australian Colonial Sugar
Refining Company."
As he says these Girmityas lived in “lines”
comprising of single rooms and worked in atrocious
conditions in which has been called a new system of
slavery, and "narak'' or hell.
“In Fiji, their roots lay in cultivating the land as
small holder tenant farmers in mainly indigenous Fijian
owned land. There has been more than a century
of this relationship with iTaukei, mostly co-operative
and beneficial, and occasionally conflictual,” as Naidu
points out.
Through the 100 years and more they managed
to reinforce their culture and religions while doing
away with caste system and gone too were dowry for
marriages.
Indo-Fijians have migrated to other parts like New
Zealand, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the
United States - all for a better life.
However, so too are the iTaukei, all in search of
new opportunities using both military service and
rugby as a means to settle abroad.
But it is the better of two pursuits that makes for a
good Fijian – iTaukei or Indo-Fijian.
As children’s book author Ryan Gounder believes
all young people need role models to look up to.
Gounder, who was born and raised in Fiji and now
lives in New Zealand, is writing a new series, starting
with Rugby Superheroes Volume One, published in
Fijian with English translations this year.
In Fiji, rugby players are like superheroes for many
children and the lessons they teach us can strongly
“No matter how we come to be in Fiji, or how long we have been here ...we all are
part of the land. It is the land of our birth or land of our adoption,
the land to which we belong.”
– the late Archbishop Petero Mataca
Sitiveni Rabuka (Photo Credit: Asia-Pacific Report)
Ryan Gounder. (Photo Credit:Fiji Times)
impact children in the community, says Gounder.
“We need to develop more tangible resources for
our young Pacific people that resonates with their
identity as Pasifika people, and which will empower
them and help develop resilience to be the 'best
versions of themselves' - a famous phrase often using
within the Rugby Sevens circles in Fiji,” says Ryan,
whose first name resonates with Ben Ryan, the coach
of the winning rugby sevens team in Brazil in 2016.
The irony of Ryan Gounder is that he is the recipient
Languages Innovation Fund set up by the Ministry
of Pacific Peoples, despite being an Indo-Fijian. I
will come back to that later in this article.
However, the iTaukei, in the process of seeking
better opportunities for their children and themselves
too have lost their identity as they pursue the all
mighty dollar.
Professor Vijay Naidu (Photo Credit: Asia-Pacific Report)
Roko Tupou Draunidalo (Photo Credit: Asia-Pacific Report)
While language remains one of the strongest sense
of identity, so too are culture and religion that makes
a person know where his or her Turangewaewae
(standing place) is.
“In the Fijian community, it is often discussed at
our annual gatherings how language is being lost,”
Gounder says of the more serious discussion around
the kava bowl.
It is not just the loss of language, but traditional
culture that displaces the iTaukei and the Indo-Fijian,
who has had adopt new ways to cope with being in a
new environment.
While the proponent of the coups in Fiji in 1987,
which caused thousands of Indo-Fijians to emigrate,
making them a minority in Fiji once more, Sitiveni
Rabuka tried to reconcile with a democratic constitution
review with joint sponsorship of the bill with the
No matter where we are in the world,
October the10th is always a day to remember.
Congratulations Fiji and fellow brothers on our
50th Independence Day
leader of the opposition, Jai Ram Reddy,
in 1997.
“It was unfortunate that the 1997 constitution
was unilaterally revoked in July
2009 by the (Voreqe) Bainimarama-led
military regime,” Rabuka wrote in a
column in the Fiji Times in the lead-up
to the 2018 election.
“For me personally I have three reservations
about the adoption of the 2013
constitution of 'Fijian' as our common
name.
“Firstly, the people were never
consulted. It was imposed just like the
Bainimarama regime’s repudiation of
the 1997 constitution and the abolition
of the Great Council Chiefs (GGC) the
Bose Levu Vakaturaga in 2012.”
His second reservation was the
allowing of dual nationality which, he
said, diluted patriotism even if it paved
the way for reversing of the brain drain
which took place after his 1987 coups.
The third reservation was most concerning
for him was that which ignored
the group rights of the indigenous
iTaukei and Rotuman people.
To him it was unacceptable, as he says,
that the 2013 constitution presumed
there was no differentiation between the
people.
“For an indigenous iTaukei to be
called a Fijian means more than being a
Fijian citizen. It means being registered
in the iTaukei Vola ni Kawa Bula (VKB)
as a member of a customary landowning
Mataqali. Traditionally, each Fijian
villager is born into a certain role in the
family unit or Tokatoka. Various heads
of the family will administer and lead the
family unit within the village community.
Each chief of the village will in turn
lead the people to fulfill their role to the
Vanua.
Each village will have several family
units / Tokatoka which are part of one
clan or Mataqali. Several Mataqali will
make up the larger tribe or Yavusa. Several
Yavusa will belong to a certain land
mass and comprise thereby the Vanua
(confederation of Yavusa)..
Dr Asesela Ravuvu (1983) describes
the Vanua as: The living soul or human
manifestation of the physical environment
which the members have since
claimed to belong to them and to which
they also belong. The land is the physical
or geographical entity of the people,
upon which their survival...as a group
depends. Land is thus an extension of
the self. Likewise, the people are an
extension of the land. Land becomes
lifeless and useless without the people,
and likewise the people are helpless and
insecure without land to thrive upon.
Therein lies the dilemma for the
iTaukei who no longer recognises the
Mataqali he or she belongs to in Aotearoa
New Zealand having been away from
the family clan.
With that comes the loss of identity
and a reversion and accession to the
Western World and hence that brings its
own problems.
As Niuean Dr Colin Tukuitonga, who
left Fiji after the 1987 coup, assesses:
“People feel disconnected from their social
norms and traditional values, family
connections are disturbed and of course
that is almost an inevitable consequence
that young people in particular would
turn to drugs and crime. That is why I
see languages as a protective element for
our people.”
The impacts of the loss identity can
be devastating, but HOPE party leader
Roko Tupou Draunidalo, stepdaughter
of the 1987 Prime Minister, the late
Timoci Bavadra, has a different take on
the subject.
“I am otherwise of the view that every
Fijian born in Fiji or anywhere in the
Pacific or with Fijian ancestry that lived
in the Pacific with Pacific cultures and
interactions is Fijian and therefore a Pacific
Islander,” she says with conviction.
“iTaukei have not lost their culture, it
is alive and well and you need to go any
village or iTaukei home to realise that.”
However, that is not case in New Zealand,
that Ryan Gounder was recognised
for his work by the Ministry of Pacific
Peoples despite being Indo-Fijian is a
rarity rather than the norm.
The search for the Indo-Fijian identity
will require an act of Parliament so that
they differentiated from South-East
Asian Indians.
Currently they have to tick the Indian
box in the census and aren’t recognised
by some universities as Pasifika peoples.
As Professor Vijay Naidu explains: “In
response to a letter from Lorraine Pillay
in early 2000 which inquired whether
Indo-Fijians were ‘Pasifika’, the then PM
Helen Clark’s office responded strongly
in the affirmative."
Pillay raised this identity question
when she was told in a Wellington workshop
for senior teachers and principals of
secondary schools that Indo-Fijians were
not eligible for scholarships, etc as they
were not considered to be "Pasifika".
In sharp contrast to this standpoint,
when I joined Victoria University of
Wellington, Pasifika staff and students,
and the wider community welcomed me
as a "Pasifika" person.
As Professor Brij Lal has stated, "generations
of living in Fiji have changed
our identity and outlook. We are indeed
children of the ‘Pacific’.”
- Sri Krishnamurthi has been a
journalist and worked in communications
for more 30 years in Aotearoa NZ.
He left Fiji in 1987 after the first
coup, he has a MBA from Massey
University and Postgraduate Diploma
in Communications from Auckland
University of Technology.
By Jennifer Khan Janif
Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud
Draped its white protective cloak to shield me
From the bitter cold winter in July as the Air Pacific airline
touched the tarmac of Auckland International Airport
flying in from Fiji
Three arduous months spent at sea by my ancestors sailing
from India to Fiji in 1879 was no comparison to
my comfortable three-hour flight
from Fiji to Aotearoa
Indenture/Girmit system, brainchild of the British Colonial
administrators and settlers in the colonies replacing
slavery with millions of Indians snatched
from the bosom of Mother India
Without passport or visa cast into the far flung continent
of Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific
Whose warmth dried the teardrops of grief
and sorrow to face the unknown.
In 1879, I arrived in Fiji as an Indian
In 1989, I left Fiji for Aotearoa as a KaiIndia
meaning from India in Fijian language
In Aotearoa I struggle to fit in a box titled “Asian”
for census data collection
My leanness enabled me to fit
the “South Asian” box for health officials
My “Indianess” was not an entry criteria
to the “Mainland India Club” as I spoke funny Hindi
and didn’t know my caste or class
In the eyes of Mainland Indians
the generations of hard work and prosperity in Fiji
by my ancestors could never free me from the shackles of
being from a lower class with origins in Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh in India
I could only be a descendant of the slaves
not fit to be associated with
During an afternoon nap in Puketapapa
I dreamt that draped in my six-metre colourful sari with a hibiscus
flower stuck behind my ears carrying a bowl of spices
infused with the sweet fragrances of frangipanis, hibiscus and coconut
Singing melodious tune of “Isa Lei” I rode the big waves
of Oceania on a coconut frond
Following the route taken by my ancestors to cultivate green gold
in Fiji for their colonial masters
Guided by the steady hands of my ancestors
I rode the waves of Oceania navigating the space
of my identity
A proud Pacific Indian with links to India, the ancestral homeland,
Fiji, the beloved country of my birth, resting place of my ancestors
Living in Aotearoa the land of the long white cloud
my adopted new homeland where the “kiwi” birds live
and pohutukawa trees blossom in summer
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Always a
longing for home
Juliana Satchell Deo is the Associate Curator Pacific at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Her story is multi-layered,
having been born in Port Moresby, raised on Daru Island then moved to Suva at the age of 13. After studying at
the University of the South Pacific Juliana moved to Auckland where she now lives with her family.
This is her story …
How has being born in PNG,
raised in Fiji and now working
in Auckland shaped who
you are today?
I was born in Port Moresby, Papua New
Guinea and raised on Daru Island, PNG,
by my Abere and Nogere until I was ready
to go to Primary School in Port Moresby.
I moved to Queensland, Australia,
to start high school then shortly after I
moved to Suva, Fiji, when I was 13 years
old to live with my stepfather, mother and
siblings. I lived in Fiji until I was 24 years
old and then I moved to Auckland, New
Zealand.
I am of Torres Strait Islands, Australia;
Daru Island, PNG and Malaita, Solomon
Islands descent.
I come from different Pacific Island nations
like many of my family, friends and
peers and collectively we are all passionate
about our identity as Pacific Islanders but
individually we all have our own innate
worldviews that are shaped by the places
we grew up in and the families we were
raised by.
Most of my vuvale live in PNG and
Fiji and so I regard these places as home
– especially Fiji! My beloved stepfather
is buried at the Lami Cemetery and my
mother, two younger sisters, younger
brother and nephew live in Fiji – along
with all my beautiful vuvale. My father and
stepmother live in Rabaul, PNG.
We're interested in your perspectives as
a spatial designer, museum curator and
artist with several layers to your identity.
My life now in Auckland is built around
Juliana Satchell Deo
the people I have met and become friends
with – my Auckland vuvale. When you build
a connection to a place, you grow with that
place, and the inherent qualities of such places
get woven into your identity. For me and my
family, Auckland has added another layer to
our worldviews and our cultural identity.
Growing up in PNG and Fiji has significantly
influenced my professional practice but
most importantly this cultural background
has shaped who I am as a mother, friend,
colleague, student and individual.
I am deeply interested in the domestic and
familial customary rituals of my culture and
the spatial relationships that are made and
nurtured within these spaces. In my practice
as a museum professional - I am always
intrigued by the spatial transactions the
taonga (object) offers and my intentions are
to explore and reveal these hidden meanings
and stories.
The taonga was once activated through use
– either through adornment, tools or other
performative aspects and so like most of my
colleagues - that’s where we come in and try
to bring the voices back to the objects and to
the source communities.
In my interactions with taonga, I imagine
sounds of singing and instruments, dancing
bodies, crafting hands and working legs
along with hopeful eyes, overflowing laughter
and rich talanoa.
Knowing the value of storytelling through
taonga, dance, song and talanoa helps in my
role and I attribute this knowledge to my
PNG and Fiji background.
How have your personal experiences and
life experiences affected your world view?
Like so many Pacific Island people who
must live away from their homeland or
family – there is always a longing for home
and that need for connection and a sense of
belonging.
It brings me so much joy to go back home
to Fiji - I am always so happy when I sit
and chew betel-nut with my mother at the
Suva Market and talanoa with my mother’s
friends. I think of Fiji every day and I miss
everything about Fiji – even the potholes on
the road! I wish the beautiful Fiji Islands and
every Fijian a very Happy 50th Independence
Anniversary.
Ni sa Bula Vinaka . Noa’ia ‘e Mauri . Namaste
Greetings from the Auckland Vatukoula Group, and
the golden people from Fiji’s Gold Mine Town.
A celebration
of togetherness
$1000
Cash Prize draw
4 chances to win
Enter now at
fijidynamics.com
Namaskaram and Greetings
T.I.S.I. (NZ) Sangam celebrates
Fiji’s 50 years of independence
with all Fijians and fellow
Sangam members throughout Fiji and the
world.
Sangam is a representative cultural body
for people of South Indian heritage, and
has been active in New Zealand for over
three decades, with first group formed in
Auckland in 1988.
Members are mainly from the Fijian diaspora,
and take part in religious, social and
sporting events throughout the year.
In Fiji, the T.I.S.I Sangam is the largest
non-public provider of education with 26
schools, a nursing academy and numerous
pre-schools. And there are dozens of
branches and temples around Fiji.
The word Sangam signifies a number of
things including togetherness and a movement
of people – which is very much what
Fiji and the Fijian diaspora is.
Fiji people now live in all corners of the
world, but always come together “under
noble banner blue”.
And so it is very fitting to have a magazine
that celebrates this and Fiji’s 50 years
of being a nation.
M K Pillay
Chair
Then India Sanmarga Ikya (NZ) Sangam
Charitable Trust
be in to win
1st Prize NZ$500
2nd Prize NZ$250
3rd Prize NZ$150
4th Prize NZ$100
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
26 FIJI
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FIJI
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Through a glass brightly
by Ajay Vasisht
A
RRIVING in a pre-Covid-Fiji, late last
year was everything I had imagined.
And more.
On an island that prides itself for having
the most tourism friendly environment - the people
at the check-in, on the flight, and the people at
the arrival hall, including the Fijian band playing
in the Customs and arrivals was very much like
something from a picture postcard.
It was a great welcome, though I wish more
people acknowledged them, while they beamed
their 100 Watt smiles and belted out island
melodies.
But Fiji is more than a tourist destination. It is
also the land of many islands and cultures that has
its own mythology, history and diversity, whether
indigenous or otherwise.
A remote part of the Pacific which seems to be
almost lost in the vast expanse of the ocean. That
isolation has kept Fiji working almost in a time
warp from its century old colonial past where the
British came and settled and set up indentured
labour in the cane fields to its current more modernised
city dwelling and rural, almost utopian
existence.
Europeans visited Fiji from the 17th century,
and, after a brief period as an independent kingdom,
the British established the Colony of Fiji in
1874. Fiji was a Crown colony until 1970, when it
gained independence as the Dominion of Fiji. A
republic was declared in 1987, following a series of
coups d'état.
Ask anyone travelling to a foreign land and I
think the answer in terms of what makes a place
interesting, beautiful and compelling you to return
to them again and again - it has to be its people.
There is a warm, welcoming and inclusive as
well as inquisitive nature that the Fijians carry
with themselves almost as a second nature. I might
change that to first nature. They are indeed a
happy, outgoing, fun and relaxed “kind of chilled
out to the max” island folk.
I have been traveling to Fiji off and on since the
80s and have had the pleasure of going there to
explore so many facets. In the 80s it was tourism,
sugar and garment factories that did so well in the
quota regimes of the WTO. In the late 80s and 90s
they were exporting golf shirts, board shorts and
surf apparel to the Americas and to Europe. Remnants
of that industry still thrive in pockets.
I got to hang out on the cane farms, chase after
chickens and goats, pull out the dalo plants for an
Locals enjoy a dip at Suva Point along Queen
Elizabeth Drive.
evening meal, and drink fresh coconut water.
And you haven’t really had the quintessential
Fijian or island experience unless you attempt to
climb a coconut tree.
I say attempt because it was not easy. Yet, my
local mates Jo (Jone) and Mo (Mohammed) could
scurry up the side of the tree almost without effort.
They made it look easy.
I also got to explore Fiji as a beautiful and
rugged film location, whether it be on land or
on sea where you could shoot a blockbuster like
Anaconda or the Tom Hanks film Castaway, to
being able to explore and work with people in the
media sector.
In fact, probably one of the most memorable
outings has to be have been the yellow bucket kava
on Friday night drinks at one of the radio stations.
A challenge that I faced and conquered, along with
the perhaps 18 others who lasted through several
yellow buckets through a night full of stories,
recollections, camaraderie, friendship and the
general sense of ease only the “island time” vibe of
Fiji can provide.
In my several trips to Fiji since the 1980s there
were also times where I have come rather close
to the tumult that has occurred with its various
coups. In fact in 2000, a day before the George
Bula! Congratulations
Fiji on 50 years of independence.
Speight coup I happened to be in downtown Suva
where there was some ruckus on the street, and
a little bit of unease about something that just
seemed like a small protest, but turned out to be an
element of the coup, later on. There are forgotten
or buried stories of the chaos and mayhem that
followed, and it impacted so many people. It was
a country still working on defining and finding
itself.
Yes, there is indeed the challenge of building the
island up to a booming economy a la Tahiti or Hawaii.
Yes, wages could be higher, and land reform
is needed so vast swathes of once fertile lands with
bumper crops can be productive once again.
We won’t even talk of the potholes that underline
these challenges as a daily reminder on urban
roads. Yes there is the spectre of geo-political jockeying
for resources and wealth. Yes, there is a lack
of opportunity and growth, but on the whole that
is trumped by the indomitable spirit of its people.
What stood out for me, about the Fijian people
has to have been their spirit and a sense of contentment.
A happy-go-lucky attitude that they bring to
facing almost every problem, issue or challenge. A
sense of community that emanates from its rural
roots.
One striking thing for me has to have been the
permeating atmosphere of faith, and the prayers
and singing, whether in churches or temples. Or
the calm and peacefulness in the mosques. When
the Fijians attend church it is a sight to behold and
one that appeals and touches all the senses and the
renditions of their hymns and songs in full flight
are so high energy, it gives you goosebumps.
Another fascinating aspect of the islands is the
almost effortless mingling of cultures, cuisine and
languages, while still maintaining individuality
and identity.
The two largest groups, the indigenous Fijians,
and the Fijian Indians switch between languages
with envious ease. Perhaps not everyone, but so
many do it so effortlessly.
Fiji Hindi, also known as Fijian baat or Fijian
Hindustani, is the language spoken by most Fijian
citizens of Indian descent. It is derived mainly
from the Awadhi and Bhojpuri varieties of Hindi.
It has also borrowed a large number of words
from Fijian and English. The relation between Fiji
Hindi and standard Hindi is similar to the relation
between say Afrikaans and Dutch.
Indian indentured labourers were initially
brought to Fiji mainly from districts of eastern
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, North-West Frontier and
Ajay Vasisht with a Grand Pacific Hotel staff member
in Suva.
South India such as from Andhra and Tamil Nadu.
They spoke numerous, mainly Hindi, dialects and
languages depending on their district of origin.
And as someone from India, it was fascinating
to see how the local hindi had evolved over the
last century or more. The indentured “girmitiya”
labour were brought from different regions and
ports from all over in India.
Fijian Hindi or Fijian Hindustani was borne
out a need for people with several different mother
tongues to communicate with each other – Hindi,
Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Urdu and smattering of
many more regional languages from India went
into the mix.
The development of Fiji Hindi was accelerated
by the need for labourers speaking different
dialects and sub-dialects of Hindi to work together
and the practice of young children being left
during working hours in early versions of day care
centres.
A language soon developed in Fiji that
combined the common elements of the Hindi
dialects spoken in these areas with Fijian, Urdu,
and English words; this has diverged significantly
from the varieties of Hindi spoken on the Indian
sub-continent.
Later, another lot of Indian indentured labourers,
who were mainly speakers of Dravidian
languages (Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam), were
brought from South India. By this time Fiji Hindi
A fine day in central Suva.
The two largest
groups, the indigenous
Fijians, and the
Fijian Indians switch
between languages
with envious ease.
Perhaps not everyone,
but so many do it so
effortlessly.
was well established as the lingua franca of Fiji
Indians and the South Indian labourers had to
adapt and learn it to communicate with the more
numerous North Indians and European overseers.
Inward migration of free Gujarati and Punjabi
settlers further contributed to Fiji Hindi.
And now I find it one of the most enjoyable experiences
to converse in, and learn more and more
of Fiji Hindi. The raised tone and inflections of Fiji
Hindi, the baritones in the Fijian kaiviti language
and the expressions coming from both make it a
very interesting place to connect and figure out the
land and people that make up Fiji.
I miss greeting everyone with a Bula, Ram Ram,
or the occasional Annyeonghaseyo; thanking
them with a Bula Vinaka, and agreeing to things
with a simple “set”.
And I will definitely not be asking for a Doda
Dola when asking for a Coke! A mistake I made
in the early days when I first visited Fiji, faced a
rather confused shop owner, and then my Fijian
friends had to laugh out loud and rescue me,
saying they had just educated me on how Cakobau
Road was actually pronounced as “Thakombau
road”. The C in the local language, having a “tha”
or “Da” sound.
The enjoyable journey of growing my understanding
of Fiji, and of absolutely loving Fiji and its
peoples, continues. How I wish we were back there
now, to celebrate the upcoming 50th Anniversary
of Fiji finding and asserting itself!
One day soon Covid bhai, we will defeat you
and get back to our previous normal. We will once
again be back in the land that is absolutely “julum”,
and we will all be thoroughly “set”.
- Ajay Vasisht (aka Pardesi) is a movie buff, actor,
writer and presenter with an overlay of marketing
and business experience. He has run a magazine,
produced short films, and interviewed celebs and
politicians on TV and radio and currently streams
on a local channel. His credits include the shows on
NDTV, India, and New Zealand feature films Apron
Strings and Vindaloo Empire, Miramax's Heaven,
the major Indian television series Karishma, the epic
fantasy series Xena: Warrior Princess, a recurring
role in New Zealand's long-running soap Shortland
Street
We remember with gratitude,
the sacrifices of those who made it possible.
Remain blessed Fiji.
Nazir & Hazra Khan & Family- Auckland
Fiji Islands Islads
Congratulations on your
50th Anniversary of Independence
YEARS
YEARS
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
New Zealand Fiji Football Inc
Aisha powers Radio Bula Masti
BULA to all the readers of Fiji
Dynamics.
I, on behalf of New Zealand Fiji
Football Inc, am privileged to be
given an opportunity to send our heartfelt
blessings and good wishes to the people of the
beautiful Fiji Islands during this milestone and
memorable event.
Today, as we all proudly celebrate 50 years
of Independence of Fiji, I am sure we all
thank the Almighty for blessing us Fiji as our
homeland.
Fiji is known to the world as the Island
Paradise and this is only been possible through
the sheer dedication and commitment of all
citizens of Fiji Islands.
Today, as we live in different parts of the
world and proudly publicise Fiji to be our
homeland, we all should take a moment
to thank our ancestors for their foresight
and vision that not only gave us Fiji as our
country of birth, but also allowed the world
to recognise Fiji as a beauty unmatched by
anything.
The love, affection and cultural values that
has been educated to us by our own pioneers is
what we all are renowned for all over.
The brotherhood, uncompromised
bonding towards one another always stands
tall wherever we live and we as individuals are
very proud to meet another Fijian and share
memories of our homeland as if we have not
only just met, but have known each other
for generations. This is what unifies us all as
Fijians.
Sports plays a vital role in bring
communities together and at this point in
time I would like to proudly mention the 2016
Rio Olympics where Fiji Sevens team placed
all Fijians around the world as supreme. The
humbleness and respect shown by our heroes
Communities unite
through sports
Sachin Dutt
on that day while receiving the first ever Gold
Medal for Fiji at Olympics stood tall in the
eyes of the entire world.
Today, as we celebrate the 50th
Anniversary of Fiji’s Independence, we all
look back at what Fiji our homeland has
given us all, which we will all cherish for our
entire life. Thank you to Fiji Dynamics that
we all can join in and thank all our forefathers
for their sacrifices towards the future of Fiji
overall.
NZFFI, also takes pride in promoting
Fijian community in New Zealand, and as an
organisation, we provide a platform for our
members who are of all age groups to engage
in the Fijian flavour through football.
As we all celebrate the 50th Anniversary
of Fiji, NZFFI also celebrates its 15th
Anniversary this year. NZFFI, with the help
of its affiliates and its members, provides
opportunities to the community to showcase
their football skills and our tournaments
always bring out the Fijian football
atmosphere.
NZFFI over the years has successfully
hosted several Fiji FA national and district
teams while they have toured New Zealand
and also provides an opportunity to the
players of Fiji FA to come to New Zealand
and participate in our tournaments.
The Pacific Cup tournament, which is
in its 8th year of existence, has gained such
momentum and following that we are having
teams from North America participate in this
event on a yearly basis.
Finally, as the president of NZFFI, I with
all my members and their families wish one
and all a Happy 50th Independence.
- Sachin Dutt is President of the
New Zealand Fiji Football Inc.
by Rohini Murti
RADIO Bula Masti turns three this month.
Nothing extraordinary about that – all
radio stations grow older each year.
What’s amazing is the petite woman behind
this.
An immigrant to Canada from Tavua, Fiji Islands in
1993, Aisha Bali overcame her fear of public speaking
and launched what is now Radio Bula Masti, an online
radio that can be heard through its own app with a
listenership in 20 countries.
“My weakness was public speaking,” she told me
recently at the studios in Delta, Canada.
"So I challenged myself to take Toastmasters and
communication courses. From there, I went on to host
small functions as an MC.
I have listened to Bali on air and I found it hard to
believe that this confident woman’s weakness at one
time was speaking in public. So how on earth did she
end up in radio?
“My love story with radio began when I was
approached to volunteer at a newl- launched Punjabi
online radio. I had no experience in the radio industry.
“I took some online broadcasting courses and
watched lots of Ted Talks segments, along with some
coaching. With honest, and sometimes brutally so,
feedback from family and friends, I progressed," Bali
says.
"I realised how many lives I was touching through
radio and the feedback from my listeners gave me more
motivation.
"My vision was to touch people's soul and help all the
communities and I found this was coming true through
my radio programmes.”
Bali acknowledges the tremendous support from her
family and friends, but most importantly she credits her
Mum who, she says, kept praying for her and told her
not to stop but do things with respect and great ethics.
“I feel blessed to have such amazing friends around
me who helped with the start-up, and lucky to be able
to find great hosts who complete this company. The
hosts have become a part of my family and my life. I
also kept challenging myself and I believe that anything
is possible.
So how does she feel three years later? Is she on her
way to achieving what she had hoped?
“I didn't think the radio listenership would grow
this quickly and especially all over the world. This is all
because of the hard work and dedication of the Radio
Bula Masti hosts and the love and support we receive
from the community.
"Obviously, I want to keep growing and con-
In the Radio Bula Masti studios - Rohini Murti, left and Aisha Bali
Aisha Bali, left, with presenters Rohini Murti, middle, and Pravin
Prasad
tinue helping our communities through the radio
programmes both here in Canada and abroad and
since we’re an internet radio, I see a lot of potential and
possibilities with helping everyone.
"I really would like to see Radio Bula Masti become
the voice of our society.”
Did she consider herself successful?
“Success is measured through the growth of the
number of listeners and the demand from the community
to do more and more – and we certainly have
grown. I am truly amazed at our listenership which is
made up of diverse communities and ethnic groups.
This is amazing given that this is after all, an internet
radio with roots that are Fijian at heart.”
I asked her the million-dollar question: How on
earth did she cope with launching and running a radio
station on top of everything else?
“Actually, it is not easy. Having a part-time job,
managing the smooth running of the radio full time, as
well as hosting AND being a mother, wife and recently
a grand mother.
"Most days I feel as though I’ve gotten off a rollercoaster
ride with my head spinning, but I know it’s all worth it. We
are here in this world for a short time, not a long time. Do
all you can, and I wish I could do more.
"The challenges are never ending. Luckily my kids are
old enough and quite independent, but they still need their
Mom, so I give them attention when they need it.
"As for being a wife, yes - there was a lot of compromise
and adjustments to be made. Happy to say I
have been given a lot of respect and love as a woman
from different communities especially from our Fijian
community.
"But honestly, the biggest difficulty were the naysayers;
that it wouldn’t work," Bali recalls.
"People had doubts about my ability and were quite
in the beginning. The best way to deal with this is to
be surrounded by positive people, keep your head up,
focused and keep going towards your goal.
"I am pleased to say I am now in a position to help
those very people.”
Radio Bula Masti provides service to community
with free death, birthday and wedding anniversary
announcements and has been involved in food drives
for various communities.
What advice would Bali give to young girls?
“Just because you are a woman or a girl doesn't mean
you can't do what your heart desires. Be independent,
challenge your weaknesses. Don’t be afraid and don't
allow anyone to tell you that you can't achieve your
dreams.”
When Bali isn’t doing all of the above, she loves singing,
dancing, fishing and most importantly, laughing.
The Punjabi Multimedia Trust
Wishes to congratulate Fiji and all Fijians on their
50 year Independence celebrations
And acknowledging the Fiji Sikh families for their tremendous
contributions to Fiji and NZ
www.gbsnz.com
Congratulations to Fiji on her 50 years of
Independence
Business Specialists . Accounting & Taxation .
Corporate Governance Business Management .
IT Management & Digital Reputation Company/
Business – Structure and Restructure
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
30 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 31
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Meet Anil Rai Mani - Fiji's trailblazer into Bollywood
Mani's movies; "Nirankush", "Jodi" and "Hamare
Sapne
The Power, starring Anil Rai Mani.
Newspaper clippings of Anil Rai Mani in Mumbai
by Special Correspondent
IT'S no secret Fijians love Bollywood - the
stars, the movies, the glamour, fashion and
not to mention the gossip and intrigue that
goes with it all.
Be it Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Shah Rukh
Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Tabu, Taapsee
Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar or Madhuri Dixit - we
Fijians lap it up all with much fervour.
To date, quite a few movies have been made in
Fiji as well, where the passion is there for acting
and producing, but there is an evident lack of
direction.
But there have been some memorable ones as
well, made as best to the capability of the local
makers.
Anil Rai Mani, the Fijian who is making a name for himself in Bollywood.
But not too many Fijians - in Fiji and abroad
- know that Fiji has had a star in Bollywood for
almost a decade.
Yes, Fiji-born Anil Rai Mani has even won a
few awards along the way in his almost 10 years in
Mumbai, the hub of the Indian film industry.
Our very own Anil Rai Mani has been, and still
is, very much a part of Bollywood - having done
a few movies and has a few more to complete
when the Covid-19 restrictions ease.
Born in the gold mining town of Vatukoula,
Mani's journey to Mumbai began when he was
knee-high to a grasshopper - when things Bollywood
registered in his young mind.
"When I was small and we used to watch lots
of Bollywood movies, and I always thought that
I wanted to be in a movie as well," Mani recently
told Fiji Dynamics.
"I wanted to go to India and be on the big
screen, and now I have ended up there.
"It has been quite a journey so far," says Mani,
who is currently in Fiji, staying at his Vatukoula
farmhouse while waiting for the borders to open
up.
Growing up in Fiji, the passion for Bollywood
continued to grow inside young Mani, resulting
in him first making a music video of Bollywood
in 2009, starring himself and friends, all the
while lip-syncing to the numbers.
According to Mani, that musical video became
hugely popular locally in Fiji and also overseas.
The success of the video then inspired him to
go a step further towards his dream - he wrote,
produced, directed and acted in his first full
feature film made in Fiji - Jodi. He even wrote the
songs for Jodi as well.
"Jodi got a lot of attention and success," says
Mani. "It was even honoured by the Fiji Times as
the best Fiji-made movie."
The success of Jodi then pushed Mani even
closer to his Bollywood dream - the film's show
reels got noticed by Bollywood directors and it
wasn't too long after that he packed his bags for
Mumbai.
Then came his first Bollywood movie -
Nirankush - where he plays a lead role parallel to
the hero's. The movie is a psychological thriller
also starring Pankaj Badra, Khushi Sharma and
Sashi Ranjan.
Then came The Power in 2016 in which he
plays the lead role of an ayurvedic scientist.
His latest movie in Bollywood was The Indian
Tiger in 2019 - a short film.
Mani has twice collected awards for his
performances in Bollywood, and honoured by
the Mumbai Global Achievers, and presented by
popular actor Raj Pal Yadav, who has also visited
Fiji.
Because Mani was out of the country at that
time, the award was collected on his behalf by radio
presenter Sherine Prasad, who was studying
in India at the time.
For now, Mani is content with Bollywood
where he has three more movies to complete
as soon as lockdown restrictions end and he
is again able to travel. He has a flat in Mumbai
which he uses when he is shooting there, but
otherwise spends his time in Sydney where his
family lives.
But Mani does have his sights on the bigger
picture - Hollywood.
"Yes, I do plan to go to Hollywood, there is a
director who has been impressed with my show
reels, so fingers crossed," Mani says.
"I know I will one day, I have the capabilities
and the courage. If you have courage, you can do
anything you want.
"One must have faith in everything you do,
and I am also straight forward and honest in
everything I do."
His advice to anyone from Fiji looking
towards Bollywood: "You have to be passionate
about it, just as I have been."
Bula!
Happy 50th independence Day to all the
people of Fiji
www.wyseauger.co.nz
Even though we moved on from Fiji our hearts are still in
that group of islands that is well known as the paradise of
the South Pacific.
A country that no doubt punches way above its limits due to
the people who live and work in it and no matter where in
the world you are now, a Fijian at heart you will always be
We are proud to be associated with FIJI. GOD BLESS FIJI
Sheikhil Khan – Advisor / Franchise Owner
mikepero.co.nz/Sheikhil-khan
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
32 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 33
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
‘I try my best to make my country proud’
One of the finest footballers to come out of Fiji, Roy Krishna shares his views on what
makes him tick, the game he loves, and the impact of Covid-19
What has been the standout out
of all the games and countries
you've played for and why?
The most important outing
of my career would be playing for Fiji at the
Olympic games in Brazil in 2016. Scoring Fiji’s
first goal at the Olympics and that to against a
strong team like Mexico at the Olympic games
would be the highlight of my career. Footballers
from this part of the region often only
dream of sharing the field with the world’s
greatest players from big named clubs. Playing
against Mexico, Germany and South Korea
at the Olympics was very special for me. The
exposure, experience and knowledge I gained
from the tournament was a boost I needed in
my career.
How different is the game in India compared
with Fiji and New Zealand?
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a relatively
new league. Fiji and the Australian League
(A League), where I played for over six years
would perceive it as very different to what we
are familiar with considering the style of football
they play and the length of their seasons.
Due to the fact that ISL is new and a growing
league, it sure looks like it will have a lot more
to offer with a growing fan base that is much
bigger than the A League. In the past, ISL was
not well known considering it’s only had six
season but it is now definitely on everyone’s
radar now.
You had several options to choose from after
New Zealand, some might ask why India?
I have spent the bulk of my football-playing
career in the Pacific and I was looking for a
bigger challenge. I had a few offers from around
the world, but my decision came down to the
club that valued me the most. I looked at every
potential employer as a long-term employer
and family, so I made my decision based on
who valued me more. India was the most
attractive because they also took into consideration
my family and accommodated their needs
especially since it’s so far away from Fiji.
Were you able to retrace some of your ancestry
in India ... possibly meet some of them?
I would love to trace my ancestors but it’s
very difficult with the limited information I
have at hand as my grandparents are no longer
Roy Krishna with wife Naziah Ali.
around. I would definitely explore this more
this year when I go back to India.
Who do you play for?
ATK Mohun Bagan Football Club.
How proud were you to be the flag bearer at
the last Pacific games?
It is every athlete's dream to lead their country
at an important sporting tournament like
the Pacific Game and I am honoured to have
had that opportunity.
As a vasu, it was a very proud moment for my
family. My paternal grandmother is from village
of Bulileka, in Vanua Levu, from the mataqali
cawaicolo, so wearing the masi and carrying the
flag made everyone in my village proud.
Could you tell us a little about your love
for soccer started, where and who was your
biggest influence?
I fell in love with football at a very young
age. I have been playing for as long as I can
remember. I started from kicking around in my
backyard to playing in our local community
tournaments. The key people that influenced by
life as a footballer would be my teachers in high
school. My teachers from All Saints Secondary
School Rajeshwar Chand, Ronald Ray and late
Vinay Singh saw potential in me and pushed
me to work harder. The two men that actually
changed the course of my life would be former
coach Carlos Buzzetti who selected me for the
Roy Krishna will stay on with ATK for another
season.
Fiji Team and my mentor Rex Dawkins who
brought me to New Zealand to play for Waitakere
United. Once I joined the Fiji team, I had a
burning desire to do my best to go overseas and
play for international clubs.
Do you consider yourself a Fijian?
Absolutely.
What did it mean to captain Fiji?
I’ve been the captain for the Fiji team for a
few years now and every time I don the national
colours, I am filled with pride. It’s a privilege
to be the captain but it also comes with a lot
of responsibility. I try my best to make my
country proud and respect the flag because it
represents my people who look up to me.
How has Covid-19 impacted on you?
Covid-19 has adversely affected me like
everyone else in the world. For a long time I felt
that my future was on hold and I was missing
out on being active on the field. When the
pandemic came into full gear I was travelling
back to Fiji to join the national camp, but it
was cancelled on arrival. Now, after six months,
I’m heading back to India for another season
that will look totally different to the last. We
are expected to wear protective masks and
keep social distancing. All our matches for the
season would be behind closed doors. That’s
the new normal that we have to get used to. At
In action for ATK in the Indian league.
With Yogesh Punja, Fiji's High Commissioner to India.
the moment I'm on quarantine in Auckland for
two weeks as I didn’t have a connecting flight to
India due to reduced flights. I am also unable to
use the gym or work out outside until after my
quarantine is over. As a footballer, this has a big
impact on my fitness. My wife couldn't join me
because she doesn't have a New Zealand citizenship
or PR to be able to transit through New
Zealand like me. We both don't know when she
would be able to join me. I am using this time
to do some reading online and I do yoga and
meditation for my physical and mental health.
Your favourite city, best meal and what do
you miss the most about Fiji?
My favourite city would have to be New York
City. My favourite dish is chicken pasta. The
most thing I miss about Fiji is the food and my
family.
Congratulations Fiji-on your 50th anniversary of Independence
www.akalfoundation.org.nz
Leadership training – capacity building, political representation
Family Violence – prevention programmes, education awareness
Budgeting & Family Support Services
Community Alcohol and Drug Services
Food Bank Service, Community and Business Awards
Kava
Calm
The wait is over!
Pure, potent, A grade Fiji waka kava
Joy is here and the wait is over! Taste and enjoy the difference
50 years of independence, Congratulations to our Fiji
www.kavacalm.online
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
34 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 35
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
The legend that is Serevi Best wishes to all Fijians
by Satend Kumar
their name back home in Fiji.
When Fiji wins the Hong Kong
AS a young boy in Fiji,
Sevens it's a good 12 months for
rugby star Waisale Serevi
CONGRATULATIONS Fiji United Kingdom, Australia and New
all in Fiji until the next Hong
strained to hear tales of
Kong Seven but when they lose the
on your 50th Anniversary of Zealand.
his heroes through the
Hong Kong Sevens, it's the worst
Independence.
Sikhs in Fiji are generally referred to
crackle of an old transistor radio.
12 months for both the players and
Unlike the majority of as Punjabis. Currently 5000 Sikhs are
Difficult to follow at times. There
the Fijian fans as all have to wait for
Fiji's Indian population who are living in Fiji Islands.
was no television in those days, only
another year.
descendants of Indian indentured New Zealand Punjabi Multimedia
the scrappy reception of the wireless,
Luckily for Serevi, he enjoyed a
those listening had to visualise the
labourers brought to Fiji between 1879 Trust (NZPMT) is a charitable trust
plethora of successes during his 17-
heroics of the rugby stars through
year career, including seven in Hong
and 1916, most of the Sikhs came to that encourages, promotes and recognises
the achievements and service of
the commentary.
Kong. In two of those glorious years,
Fiji as free immigrants.
The voice of rugby on the airwaves
in Fiji at the time was Graham
bled up as the World Cup Sevens.
as farmers. Sikhs also came to Fiji as art, culture, sports, and community
1997 and 2005, the tournament dou-
Most Sikhs established themselves the Punjabi diaspora in the areas of
Eden, who kept us all close to the
When Fiji won the World Cup
policemen, teachers and preachers. work.
action at the Hong Kong Sevens.
Sevens for the first time in 1997, all
The country fell silent that Sunday
In recent years, large numbers of
the people of Fiji, in Fiji and all over
in 1977 when Fiji made it to the
Parminder Singh, right, and Navtej Randhawa of the NZ
the world were over excited for the
Sikhs have emigrated from Fiji, especially
to the United States, Canada, the jabi Multimedia Trust
- best compliments from the NZ Pun-
semi-finals and silence erupted into
Punjabi Multimedia Trust.
Waisale Serevi in one of his many appearances for Fiji in Hong Kong.
achievement.
elation when they made it to the
When Fiji won the World Cup
final.
ance and outrageous natural talent, Vesito Rauluni. Nabua team were Sevens in 2005 29-19 against New
Proud of Achievements
It was an evening of anticipation that on many an occasion stunned highly successful in Fiji's sevens Zealand, they had to close the
when the final came on.
audiences in what can be described tournaments.
airport in Nadi because of the overwhelming
number of people who
Before 10pm the grog was ready, as a David and Goliath battle.
Serevi's inspiration to play rugby
the radio positioned best where Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi, stemmed from his childhood when turned up to welcome there heroes
everyone who had gathered could born May 20, 1968, is a member Fiji defeated the British lions in 1977. back home.
hear it.
of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, He missed watching the match, but At his final Hong Kong Sevens
Five minutes before kick-off, renowned for his achievements in decided to take up rugby after seeing as a player, Serevi showed why he is
the voice from the small transistor rugby sevens, while also enjoying how happy the victory made the revered.
radio echoed through the village a long career in 15-a-side rugby at people of Fiji.
In the semifinal match against
compounds in the country. The frog both club and national team levels. Fiji's famous win over the Lions New Zealand in 2007, he received
dare not croak. Graham Eden's His family moved twice when he came in the 15-a-side version of the the ball inside Fiji's 22-yard line,
voice would fill the silence with his was a child, the second time settling sport but, while Serevi went on to proceeding to effortlessly slalom his
empowering Kiwi accent coming in Suva where Serevi started secondary
school. There, he attended Lelean tional Rugby Board (IRB) Hall of before off-loading the ball to his
become a member of the Interna-
way through three attempted tackles
more from his nostril than his throat
In Nasole, a young Serevi was Memorial School. His schooling was Fame and played at three Rugby teammate on the halfway line.
listening, enthralled and inspired unsuccessful, however, and he failed World Cups, it was in the seven-aside
game that he excelled.
one last-gasp burst, receiving a final
Serevi summoned the energy for
to be among the action on the field his Fiji Junior Certificate Examination
in 1984. Serevi blamed his Sevens is a scaled-down, fast-
pass from Volavola before striding to
rather than listen to it.
Fiji's obsession with the oval ball love for rugby, saying he "played too paced version of the code requiring the try-line with the ball raised above
has seen it stand shoulder-to-shoulder
with more resourced interna-
studying".
bucket-loads of stamina.
He ran nearly 100 metres when
much and didn't spend enough time nimbleness of mind and body and his head in jubilation.
tional teams despite being a small Serevi quit school and continued At his peak, Serevi possessed all he scored the try. Not bad for than
island nation of 800,000 people. to play for his local club, Rewa. three in spades, so much so that he 38-year-old.
But kids in villages, more often Although he trained with the team, was dubbed the "King of Sevens". With his boots now firmly zipped
than not, couldn’t afford a rugby ball he was omitted from playing as the If Serevi was king, his royal up in his kitbag, the 52-year-old IT has been said that life begins at 40 and that when ues, our beliefs, our faith and our multiculturalism and
and made do with a coconut which coach Jo Rauto thought he was too residence was the Hong Kong Sevens Serevi is focused on finding the next
would later be de-husked and have small and would get hurt.
- the most famous date on the HSBC
you reach the age of 50, your troubles are over. stand with our heads held high and proud to be Fijians.
generation of sevens talent.
the milk squeezed out to be used for He was eventually selected to play Sevens World Series calendar and Serevi Rugby was set up in 2010
We dare say that in the past 50 years Fiji has had God bless our beloved Fiji and long may she prosper.
the family's fish and lolo dinner. for the senior provincial side when a tournament followed religiously by the now retired star and three
to face many challenges but not to detract from the
It was from this humble background
that Serevi emerged as a was asked to join the Nabua Rugby For the players it is a big burden encourage children into the sport all
he was 17. Several months later he in Fiji.
Seattle-based partners. It aims to
solid achievement of the past 50 years it has much to be Jacinta Chow
powerhouse on the rugby sevens Club – under the guidance of coach when they come to the Hong Kong
proud of.
Chairperson
over the world, with a specific focus
scene, blessed with flare, flambuoy-
Ratu Kitione Tuibua – by his uncle Sevens, they have to win to make on growing rugby in North America.
For us Fijians living abroad, we try to impart our val-
St Joseph's Secondary School NZ Alumnae - Auckland
www.mts.kiwi.nz
Congratulations Fiji and people of
Fiji - for your 50 years of
Independence
Ni sa bula Vinaka / Mālō e lelei.
I am a proud Tongan/Fijian (Lau) Radio and TV broadcaster based in Auckland.I
would like acknowledge our Fijian leaders who helped set the foundation
for us today and for future generations. I encourage our community to
stay united and work together as we celebrate the 50th Independence Day!
‘Ofa atu and Loloma Levu. Mālō ‘aupito John Pulu.
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
36 FIJI
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FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 37
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
On a mission to preserve culture
by Special Correspondent
October 19-24 around the country
(see programme).
Dutt, originally from Yako in Nadi, has been
passionate about the teaching of Hindi right from
his teacher days in Fiji - in total 19 years around the
country at Korovutu Primary and High Schools,
Nadi College, Dr Ram Lakhan Memorial School,
SSM Primary and as principal at Tuvu Primary in
Lautoka.
In New Zealand since 2001, Dutt has been teaching
at Southern Cross Campus, Sir Edmund Hillary
Collegiate, Fergusson Intermediate, and now fultime
at McAuley High School in Otahuhu.
Empowered by their mission statement - "Our
Language, Our Culture, Our Identity" - Dutt and
his team are determined to push on with their
objectives.
As Dutt puts it, their aim is to promote teaching of
Satya Dutt has been at the forefront of the teaching Hindi language and culture in New Zealand schools
of Hindi language in New Zealand.
in accordance with the Education Act and policies.
Cultural School, and the Wellington Hindi "New Zealand Hindi Language and Culture Trust
School - to name a few.
is non-profit organisation committed to promoting
And Dutt emphasises that the Indian High the propagation and celebration of Hindi language
Commission based in Wellington has also and culture to uphold diversity in New Zealand.
been supportive of their project.
"The trust is to foster language and cultural diversity
through Hindi language, providing the platform
Another project that has been identified by
the trust is school clusters to teach Hindi - in for spiritual and moral education and aims to develop
cultural, awareness amongst the Indian and wider
Mt Roskill, Papatoe and Flat Bush.
Hindi classes are already a part of Papatoetoe
High School where it was first introduced that is aware of its historical roots, appreciative of
population of the country, culminating into a society
by former principal Peter Gall.
the richness of cultural diversity and is proactive in
And Hindi Language Week celebrations maintaining language as the foundation of culture."
have been a regular on the calendar since For now, Dutt and his team appear to be on track
2008. This year's celebrations will be held over with their mission.
NOT too long ago, an Indian colleague
of mine said to me that out of all
Indian origin diaspora around the
world, the Fiji Indians were the "best
ambassadors".
Surprised, I questioned him further.
"It's true," he went on. "You Fiji Indians are the
best ambassadors of India."
How come?
"After more than a 100 years away from India,
the Fiji Indians have retained every aspect of
their culture and language in every way, and
perhaps even more."
His reply got me thinking, and it may actually
be true, even in New Zealand as well.
I then realised that there are Fiji Indians in
our community in New Zealand who still have
that vision to promote and cultivate culture and
language among the younger generation.
And one name that comes to mind is
Auckland school teacher Satya Dutt, who has
been leading the charge as far as teaching Hindi
language in New Zealand is concerned.
Dutt, 63, is keen to see Hindi included in the
New Zealand school curriculum, and has has
already made several submissions to the Ministry
of Education over the past few years.
"We are not entirely satisfied with the government
response," says Dutt, who heads the
non-profit New Zealand Hindi Language and
Culture Trust.
So far, Dutt and his team have made three submissions
to the government of the day - two to
National and one to the current government - for
Hindi to be included in the school curriculum.
And the government response has been that
schools can teach Hindi if they see a need for it.
But having Hindi included in the curriculum
means access to more resources from government.
"Sometimes we get disheartened, but we keep
going, keep pushing."
Dutt said Tongan and Samoan languages were
already included in the curriculum, and with
Hindi being the fourth widely spoken language
in New Zealand, and the third in Auckland, they
had a strong case.
But Dutt is not alone in his endeavours, he has
quite a few like minded individuals and organisations
who are equally enthusiastic about Hindi.
Dutt's trust works closely with the Waitakere
Hindi School, the Pooja Cultural Trust, Ram
Krishna Mandir, Shivarchan Hindi Language and
Satya Dutt at a Hindi Language Week celebration with MPs, from left: Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Ethnic
Affairs Minister Jenny Salesa, and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi.
Namaskaram . Ni sa Bula Vinaka . Namaste
Greetings from the Sangam Fiji families
Then India Sanmarga Ikya (NZ) Sangam celebrates together with
Fiji and all Fiji people their 50th Anniversary of Independence
Answers to
crossword
Puzzle on
page 40
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
38 FIJI
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FIJI
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DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
The intrepid traveller's Fiji
by Tobias Junginger
Fiji has left a lasting impression on Tobias Junginger, the other photos are just some of the scenic spots he visited.
FIJI. What does it mean to someone from
the other side of the world? Nothing at
first. Except the typical dream bubbles of
white beaches, palms and happy people
in the middle of the blue nowhere.
You usually don't even get second-hand
experience, since hardly anybody you know has
ever been to Oceania. That's how it was for me -
interested in the whole world and other cultures
and well-versed in them … just, the Pacific ...
there was such a white empty space on the map
of the world traveller.
Last autumn I came to the decision that I had
to change that. Bought books, ordered tickets,
got started. As soon as I stood at the Fiji Airways
counter, the world began to change.
The faces of the people, their calmness, their
reactions. So very different from the people of
the whole ''classic'' travel route that you have
done so far. On board the same. This makes you
forget that you have 48 hours of travel behind
at arrival.
You sat in the plane, read again about polyand
melanesian history ... still somehow this
hula stereotype in your head. But after a short
time you realise that Fiji doesn’t mean hula but
haka. It does not try to seduce. It’s itself, proud
of itself and its traditions and willing to defend
them if necessary.
It is not for nothing that Fiji's soldiers are
considered to be among the bravest and most
dedicated of the United Nations - amazing for
such a small country from a region that has no
war tradition with neighbouring countries. And
then there was the dictionary German - Fijian
...you're sitting there as a tourist in an airplane
and learning the meaning of ''bokola''...
But where does that come from? First of all,
I noticed in Fiji that people here are not as burdened
with history as in the entire old world. As
a friend explained to me: ''200 years ago we ate
each other, everyone knows and that's it". When
I look at what kinda trivial occasions have already
been constructed in Europe to prove why
one cannot exist on the same continent with
one's neighbour(s) under any circumstances.
Of course, the exposed position of the Pacific
is probably a major point. A country that is
hardly attractive from an economic point of
view, especially since it is small, and for the conqueror-addicted
Europeans it is blessed with a
climate that is harmful to their health and with
inhabitants that are quite belligerent.
The latter may have been missionaries in
the long term, but they never let themselves be
defeated. This was probably due to the fact that
they had been quite successful in their conquest
so far. Due to the wood - and not very scripture-based
culture, which was firmly rooted
even on the smallest islands far away from any
$1000
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contact, it was less easily attacked than on the
continents.
It presented the colonisers with challenges
similar to those faced by the Inuit, for example.
One of the best descriptions of this is probably
still Thor Heyerdahl's ''Fatu Hiva''.
But the missionary work was done. In
addition, the settlement of Indian contract
workers. This brought with it new challenges,
but ultimately also something rare: religious
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and cultural tolerance, lived daily.
This means a lot when you look at other
colonial areas with foreign ethnic groups settled
there, such as in Africa. It also gives Fiji an international
connection in worldwide trade that
is almost unique in Oceania.
In my country - Germany - almost everybody
knows the Maori. Many of them have even their
tattoos engraved themselves. Unfortunately,
hardly anyone knows their origin. Which would
be quite appropriate in times of ''Vikings'' -
enough parallels could be found. But the Fijians
have been spared to face a similar cultural
decline with only recently occurred slower
recollection as the Maori.
Fijians are cosmopolitan and adapt quickly,
but never lose their identity. You have good
relationships with everyone - in my experience
they are right to call themselves the friendliest
nation in the world - as long as you are accepted
on equal terms with the other side. I have never
experienced this without any animosities.
And unfortunately, you will hardly find it
outside of Oceania. It makes you concerned to
be shown what unfortunately will not prevail in
cultural imperialism.
I can only congratulate the islanders on
having managed to fully live out their martial
nature in sport. Fearless and genetically best
prepared for they are the nightmare of the rugby
world. All in all - a small nation from whom
the so-called ''great and high'' civilisations can
learn a lot.
As a young person, especially in the phase of
self-discovery, you should definitely have visited
Fiji once. There you will get to know an unbelievable
serenity that is at rest within yourself,
but never becomes phlegmatic.
People who love and preserve their environment
and home country in the truest sense of
the word - and who are usually not prepared to
sacrifice it for profit, as it’s usually the case in
Europe - interestingly enough, especially from
those who describe themselves as conservative.
Wherever you go – you'll find usual people
on the street caring for your welfare and trying
get a good connection with you – but rarely
in an indecent way. The Fijians have found a
unique way to cope with the past and use it for
the present. From bloody tribal wars prior to
colonisation to today's politics, both on a large
scale and on a personal level, this has been a
thread running through history.
Even if things go wrong - one reflects and
changes very pragmatically. One is not ashamed
of one's own history or takes oneself as a victim
or perpetrator. This preserves the peace that is
quite unique today and the feeling of being a
family from Hawaii to New Zealand... congratulations
to your 50th Independence Day! Au
domoni viti!
- Tobias Junginger is a 36-year-old bibliophile,
ethnological, historical and biological
interested traveller, by profession arborist, and
industrial climber (into edificeering)
Congratulations to all people of Fiji as we celebrate
the 50th anniversary of our Independence
We also pay our homage to those leaders whose
vision made this possible
Nitya Reddy & Family - Auckland
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
40 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 41
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
Fiji's always close to
our hearts
A community centre
for all
Noa'ia 'e Mauri
Members of the Auckland Fiji Catholic Community, from left: Greg Traill, Hector Zinck, Davina Kado, Jason Kean, James Kado.
KIA ora, Ni Sa Bula, Cola Vina, Namaste, Noa’ia, Assalamualaikum, Namaskaram,
Ni Hao, Sat Sri Akal, Halo, Mauri, Malo e Lelei, Talofa Lava, Greetings.
Congratulation and Happy 50th
Independence Day Anniversary
to all Fijians living in Aotearoa
New Zealand, throughout the world and
especially to all our beloved Fijians living
in beautiful Fiji.
We have achieved a lot in these 50
years of independence. For some of us
we have left our beautiful Fiji for greener
pastures, but Fiji will always remain dear
to our heart because that is where we
were born and nurtured to who we are
today. God bless Fiji.
Me da rekitaka na 50 ni yabaki ni
noda tu galala, vei keda sa mai tiko qo e
Aotearo, kei ira talega era sa tu e vei yasai
vuravura kecega, vaka bibi vei era na
tiko mai Viti.
Isa Viti na noqu Viti, ko ni na sega
ni guilecavi rawa, e votu mai vei yau na
qaqa ni sere Vanua Domoni Koya. Sai
Viti lomai na noqu vanua,Meu mate,
mate ga vuwa.
Kaulogata tiko na Vanua lomai ko
Viti.
Congratulation Fiji on reaching 50th
Independence Day Anniversary from
the families, members and the executives
of the Auckland Fiji Catholic Community
here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
IT is indeed an honour and privilege to
acknowledge this great initiative by the Fiji
Dynamics Magazine Team in allowing Rotuman's
living in Aotearoa, New Zealand to be
part of this publication.
And we wish to congratulate Fiji and Rotuma
on achieving this important milestone of 50 years
of nationhood.
The goal is to support all people in coming
together in love and unity.
The Centre is also used for the gatherings of our
elderly people to enjoy themselves. They organise
their own programs and share a weekly lunch.
The New Zealand Rotuman Community
Centre is also used for the teaching of the unique
Rotuman Language Classes and the Rotuman
Culture.
Rotuman people are a separate ethnic group
with our own distinct language, culture, and
identity. They originate from the Polynesian Island
of Rotuma.
The Centre serves not only Rotumans, but
people from all communities in Aotearoa New
Zealand.
Rotuma is described as an "untouched paradise"
with some of the world's most pristine and beautiful
beaches.
The NZ Rotuman Community Centre is committed
to serving all humanity.
Alalum ma hanisiof
The NZ Rotuman Community Centre
acknowledges our Fijian and Rotuman families and
their celebration of Fiji’s 50 years of Independence
Come and share lunch with our Elders every
Wednesday. All welcome
The Seafood Kitchen NZ wishes to congratulate the people of Fiji Islands for the
50 years of Independence Celebration.
God Bless Fiji....from Salesh Mudaliar & the Team
www.elliottstables.co.nz/eat/the-seafod-kitchen
YEARS
YEARS
1970-2020
1970-2020
42 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
FIJI
OCTOBER 2020 43
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
YEARS
1970-2020
A N N I V E R S A R Y
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Bula Fiji Cogratulations on your 50 years of Independence
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YEARS
1970-2020
44 FIJI
OCTOBER 2020
DYNAMICS THE VOICE OF OF OUR COMMUNITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y
YEARS
1970-2020
A N N I V E R S A R Y