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ASIAN A T MY TABLE Raybon Kan: S o l e A s i a n s t a r s h i n e s a t Comedy Festival 2012 page 4
ABC OF TEACHING IN NZ
Kolaveri Di:
All the rage in Malaysia
pg 17
pg 20
Nursing
SHORTAGE EASES
pg 18
An interactive show on
Living, Working & Learning in NZ It’s the 10th anniversary of this amazing FREE event! Don't miss a one-of-a-kind 'info fest.’
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A NZ experience for migrants and refugees!
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Page 2
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ASIANZ - 21 YEARS ON:
Makeover for paper that voices Asians’ concerns “'Change is the only constant', is a proverb that is an integral part of our company's mission statement”, says the founder of New Zealand's first-ever Asian newspaper - AsiaNZ. The publication that Mel Fernandez founded in 1990 has undergone yet another exciting makeover. Two decades later there's been a change in focus in tune with the changing demographics and the changing interests and lifestyles of its readers, both the older generation with traditional values, and the more adaptable and political savvy newcomers. “Today AsiaNZ sports a fresh look and a new name: ASIAN Migrant News (AMN)”, says Fernandez. “The paper will voice the aspirations of the Asian community and champion its rights. “We've revamped our news and features section to seek out stories that matter to our readers – human interest leads, interviews with high profile personalities and in-depth reports. “We have new columnists from New Zealand and abroad providing an Asian perspective to the news. And the readers' feedback section, entitled Talk Back, is packed with views and opinions. “To cap it all off, we've launched a vibrant realtime website: www.asia2nz. co.nz, where readers can view updates on the stories carried in the print edition and access stories that are breaking news.” The very first edition of AsiaNZ hit the streets in late 1990, bearing this headline on the cover: Isn't Asian money good enough? In 1986 the Labour government had started dismantling immigration policies that had discriminated against the entry of people from Asia. “But successive governments kept tinkering with the policy to either roll out or roll back the red carpet and Asians needed an avenue to vent their displeasure at the yo yo style of managing immigration to this country”, says Fernandez.
Looking back at AsiaNZ's letters to the editor page - immigration matters and racism were very hot topics. Fortunately, round about this time the Asian economies were on fire, so wealth and financial power began gravitating to the East. If New Zealand wanted to get close to this axis of new money then it had to reach out by opening its doors to Asian immigrants and the white New Zealand policy of the early years had to be mothballed. The Asia 2000 Foundation was set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to forge links with Asia and to gently nudge Kiwis to look East. The publisher of AsiaNZ played a part in facilitating this mind shift with the launch of a second publication called Focus Asia, a colour magazine that promoted trade opportunities to and from Asia and gave people an understanding of Asia's cultures and its people. In 1991 changes to the immigration policy saw a dramatic increase in arrivals from Asian countries. Asia NZ featured special sections for the fast growing communities from China, India, Korea and South East Asia. The paper celebrated their achievements and championed their causes. Readership grew by leaps and bounds. As wave after wave of migrants arrived on our shores, the readership profile of AsiaNZ also changed. Migrants from South Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe were starting to pick up the paper. It was a logical step to change the publication's name to Migrant News. In 2001, a sister publication, Filipino Migrant News (www.filipinonews.co.
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Editor:
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FILIPINO Directory 2012
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TRAVEL Galore MIGRANT News Online www.migrantnews.co.nz Migrant Handbook 2012
Like us at: www.facebook.com/ asianmigrantnews MEDIA PARTNER: NZ EXPERIENCE: The 10th Migrant Expo 2012 26 May, Auckland 18 August, Hamilton www.migrantexpo.co.nz
26 May 2012 10am-4pm
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THE TEAM: Editor - ASIAN Migrant News: Mel Fernandez (not pictured); Editor - FILIPINO News: Sheila Mariano; Art Director - Jason Aragon; Opinion Poll: Shawn Tan; Contributor: Maricar Siayngco; Photo Editor: Greg Honasan; Contributing Editor (India) - Padma Krishnan; Contributor: Taj Muhammad Shaikh; Features: Bill Harrison
Copyright Matters, Terms and Conditions of Publication and Advertising: All material appearing in Asian Migrant News (AMN) including advertisements are copyright and cannot be reproduced unless written permission is given by the publisher - SM Publications Ltd. Copyright laws that have come into effect in New Zealand protect intellectual property rights with severe penalties for plagarism. Our Pro-Bono Barrister at Amicus Lawyers, will pursue legal avenues and seek compensa-
tion if any material, be it advertising artwork or editorial content is copied in any manner. Views expressed in AMN do not necessarily reflect that of the publisher. The publisher does not accept any responsibility or liability for views and claims in the editorial matter or advertisements appearing in this publication. ADVERTISING TERMS AND CONDITIONS: While reasonable care is taken, the Publisher will not accept liability for any error, omission or inaccuracy in the publication of any material. Advertisers are deemed to
nz) was launched with a vibrant website to cater for the rapidly increasing Filipino community. And 21 years later, AsiaNZ has come back as Asian Migrant News (www. asia2nz.co.nz), to once again be the voice of Asian New Zealanders and international students. “According to population projections, by 2021 a third of all Aucklanders will be Asians”, says Fernandez. “I believe AMN is on track to once again become the most influential Asian newspaper in New Zealand.”
have accepted the terms and conditions in the Publisher’s Advertising Order Form, whether they book directly with the Publisher, by using the Official Order Form, OR confirm bookings by email or book through their advertising agents. Cancellation of advertising contracts at any stage attracts a 50% penalty on all unutilised bookings. Prepayment required from first time advertisers. A 7-day account is offered to regular advertisers and 30 day terms only by special arrangement. Unpaid accounts over 30 days will attract penalty fees and all debt collection costs.
Migrant News continues as a settlement support newspaper for new settlers, and is accessible online: www.migrantnews. co.nz. Over the years, the publication group helped launch major events for migrants and the business community: the Asian Expo, the Asia Pacific Expo and later the Migrant Expo and Halo Halo NZ (Filipino Expo).
“According to population projections, by 2021 a third of all Aucklanders will be Asians”, says Fernandez. “I believe AMN is on track to once again become the most influential Asian newspaper in New Zealand.”
Visit out stand at the NZ EXPERIENCE - 10th Auckland Migrant Expo on Saturday, 26 May 2012 @ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane Road, 10am-4pm
MIGRANT JOB FAIR
Page 4
WELLINGTON Currently he is one of New Zealand’s top comedians and the most well-known Asian face both on and off screen, but strangely enough many of his countrymen have never heard of him. This is because Raybon Kan prefers to perform to sell-out Kiwi, not Asian, audiences, and prefers to communicate in the English language rather than in his mother tongue Cantonese. He was featured in an article titled ‘Comedy Coup’ in Focus Asia (the magazine edition of our ASIAN Migrant News) about 15 years ago. Nothing’s changed since then. Kan is still boldly leading the way, except for a brief spell when he was out of the limelight. Thankfully he’s back and is as scintillating as ever, pulling in the crowds at gigs around the country. His one man show titled ‘Uncalled For’ will run from 11th and 12th May at Auckland’s Comedy Chamber, which forms part of the 2012 Comedy Festival. The youngest son of a Chinese immigrant family who came here more than 43 years ago, Kan can relate to both sides of the cultural coin. He was born in Masterton, grew up in Wellington, relocated to Auckland, then had a spell in the UK before returning to Wellington. “My oldest sister was seven years old when my family came to New Zealand, so it was hard for her to adapt easily”, says Kan. “I was very lucky because I picked up English from TV, radio and the street.” Even though he spoke Chinese at home, Kan was quick to master the English language and went on to become a lawyer, a journalist for the Listener and the Dominion in Wellington, and then a movie reviewer for TV3’s Nightline show. He then found his niche as a stand-up comic in a very competitive field; in an industry that’s very uncommon for Asians to be in because they are perceived to be more interested in becoming doctors, lawyers, or computer scientists. However, it is not surprising that Kan headed into this industry, because
ACHIEVER
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he loves the English language and the wordplay you can create from it. “The richness of English can be used in verbal comedy so the audience only have to listen without watching anything; the humour is in the breakdown of the words”, he says. He doesn’t want to be seen as a token ‘Chinese comedian’, but just as a ‘comedian’. Considering his saucy material, its fortunate that his parents can’t speak English. His fans know him as a talented celebrity, but Mum and Dad know him by his Chinese name of Du Hai Ban. Having an English sounding name “has been helpful, as it takes away a barrier”, says Kan. “I think people who only speak English prefer a basic common name as it makes life easier for them generally. I remember thinking when Barack Obama was elected that I couldn’t believe that he didn’t change his name to Barry. I was very surprised that Barack Obama got elected with that name. “Its weird. Raybon is an unusual name; its kind of a take on my name in Chinese. It’s not quite my name in Cantonese - Hai Ban. Even though it's not a completely Chinese name, people still ask me how to say Raybon. Kan graduated with Honours in Law from Victoria University and was admitted to the bar. After practising law for a year, Kan realised this wasn’t the life for him and that he would not subject himself to a life sentence of it. So in 1995 he began his first solo one-and-a-half hour show called ‘Egotesticle’ in Wellington. “About a quarter of the material in this show was about me being Chinese, and I developed on this to make humour out of the stereotypes of the Chinese people”, says Kan. It is only natural for Kan to mention his background during his acts, along similar lines as the world famous Scottish-born entertainer Billy Connolly. Although Raybon Kan’s intention when he first hit the public eye was not to be seen as an icon for Asian members of the community, he seems to be bringing the two cultures together at
ASIAN
at my table By Mel Fernandez Raybon Kan prefers to perform to sell-out Kiwi, not Asian, audiences, and prefers to communicate in the English language rather than in his mother tongue - Cantonese.
his performances. He notes with pride that at his earlier shows in Auckland there were Chinese immigrants of all ages in the audience. “Nowadays pretty much a third of my audience are Asians. “Many were coming up to me after the show and speaking with an accent, which proved that they were migrants”, says Kan. This entertainer is determined not to sell himself as ammunition for racists so they can tell their jokes in the playground. Instead he acts as a conduit for Asian people to ‘fight back’ through humour against the negative policies of certain politicians in relation to immigration to New Zealand and foreign ownership of land here. “Why is it okay for Chinese people to own dairies, but not to buy dairy farms?”, he asks, commenting on the Crafar Farm purchase. “I communicate through humour. Some jokes do have a level of truth in them”, he admits. An Otago Daily Times review of his show is extremely complimentary: “Comedian Raybon Kan has always been an intelligent and witty commentator on life and all its incongruities. His decision to make the giant leap from the printed page to centre stage some years ago was a daring one. But as he showed last night, he has made live comedy his own.” “Visually many Asians feel they can’t fit in. I am hoping my face in the public eye might be able to break down this view”, says the man who believes
that Winston Peters forced him to become Chinese and brought his comedy into the limelight. “In a way I’m trying to get away from Chinese material because I don’t want to be pigeonholed, but it is inevitable and I guess I bring it on myself a bit.” Kan is worried that many of the Asian immigrants who have been here for a while are losing their identity, “this coming from a man who can only just speak enough Cantonese to talk at home with his parents”, and that they need cultural ballast to have more belief in themselves. The vibrant entertainer is still mastering his trade and is not on a crusade to rid New Zealand of racism - it will always be here no matter what! “What I achieve is very much limited to what I do; I don’t think people are going to see me, for example, doing comedy on TV and then treat other Asians in New Zealand any differently if they walk along Queen Street or Dominion Road. I don’t think that's the way it works. “Just as I don’t think people watch the Cosby Show and then treat Somalian people differently in Christchurch. That’s not how it works. People don’t connect those things. I can be treated in racially unpleasant ways in New Zealand; racial acceptance does not even apply to all of my life, let alone apply to other Asian people. I can’t spread the magic. I can hardly make the magic work for myself. “However, it would be a great step if a Chinese guy became an All Black, but I
don’t know how we can breed one big enough”, he laughs. “Asian doctors have not been featured on Shortland Street”, he observes. “One was featured 20 years ago, so that’s not good enough, is it? The fact is that only two people played Asian doctors, both women, in the last 20 years, and that’s not a good representation of any healthcare office in Auckland. It represents the sort of people who write for Shortland Street.” Does he bring up the Paul Henry factor in his acts? “Not at all”, says Kan. “It’s only in New Zealand that he (Henry) could say something racist and it would only help his career. He went from being whatever on breakfast TV on TVNZ to getting paid heaps by TV3. That’s a job promotion for being racist. Now he’s making a million dollars in Australia. That’s the message there. “When I started in comedy, what was big at the time was the whole Winston Peters and the Asian bashing thing. My feeling on the situation in Auckland now, 16 years later, is that there is more racism against Asians. That’s my impression of it.” Career wise, Kan has also been successful internationally. “I’ve done the Edinburgh festival twice and Montreal and Melbourne a couple of times.” He has also performed in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sydney. “I’m always thinking of how to get my jokes to work with overseas audiences. I speak Cantonese,
but I didn’t perform in Cantonese when I played in Hong Kong; it was very much for an expat crowd. I wouldn’t even know how to perform to a Chinese speaking crowd.” Over the years he’s taken part in three movies and published three books, which includes ‘An Asian at My Table’, published by Penguin in 2004. His television work includes regular appearances on sketch shows. Kan has been named Best Comedian by Metro and North and South magazines on repeated occasions in New Zealand. And he’s been named one of the 50 Most Trusted Kiwis by Reader’s Digest. He has three film roles to his credit, I'll Make You Happy, Tongan Ninja and Spooked. In August 2009 his NZ comedy-horror film Diagnosis: Death was released in the UK. A popular after dinner speaker, Kan also performs as an MC for awards ceremonies, conferences and corporate events. “That Raybon Kan holds our attention and keeps us laughing for 80 minutes that seem like 40, is a good indication of his talent. He offers extraordinary ways of seeing the ordinary.” National Business Review. He's been there, done that. So what comes next? “It's something for TV”, he confides. “That’s really on my mind after the Auckland Festival. I want to come up with a TV show.” Raybon can. Credit for article: This article is an update of an article titled ‘Comedy Coup’ written by Brian Peters for our Focus Asia Magazine in 1996.
Page 6
By Mariann Spehar The year of the dragon was ushered in throughout many Auckland communities and was celebrated in many ways. The Auckland Chinese Community Centre hosted a very tradition celebration featuring traditional food and cultural music and dancing, as well as a visit from Prime Minister John Key. And there was a Lion Dance presentation and dumpling making at Wynyard Quarter. Not-so-traditional events took place as well, such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's presentation of The Yellow River Cantata by Xian Xinghai. With an estimated 40 million Chinese living overseas, and Chinese New Year being one of the most important Chinese holidays, 'Xin Nian Kuai Le' is a phrase that echoes across every corner of the globe. China has a long tradition of emigration, with one of the first significant migrations from China dating back to the Ming dynasty when Zheng
NI HAO
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Everyone gets to be
Chinese for a day
He (1371-1435) sent people to explore and trade in the South China Sea and in the Indian Ocean. Today at least 31 countries, including New Zealand, have significant Chinese populations. As expatriated Chinese settled into their new homes, neighbourhoods that were ethnically dominated by Chinese became established and are Filipino band ‘Hangar’ performs at a Chinese New Year Festival at now widely referred Northcote Town Centre on Auckland’s North Shore. to as Chinatowns. In some cases Chinatowns Even though Dubai techni- pleted in 2010, out of 58 became tourist destinations, cally has the largest foreign- countries, such as San Francisco's born population, it is widely Canadians are the second Chinatown which is the old- understood that Toronto, most accepting of diversity, est and one of the largest Canada is the world's most whereas New Zealand came Chinatowns in North diverse city. Dubai's foreign- in eighth place. America. born, who are largely comIt was in Toronto that I prised of guest-labour, skew experienced my first Chinese the Dubai totals. More New Year. Chinatown didn't importantly, Dubai lacks the look all that different than it global cosmopolitanism to typically does, in that it's make it diverse. Having lived always crowded with shopin Toronto, I believe it to be pers looking for imported the world's most diverse city trinkets at the shops and grosimply because diversity is as ceries at the food market, or much a part of Toronto's discerning eaters picking out identity as is its famed the best Chinese restaurant. Canadian National Tower. Chinatown is usually heavFifty per-cent of Toronto's ily adorned with lanterns and population is foreign-born. bright banners with Chinese Immigrants and aboriginals translations, so it was the make up the two fastest subtle cues like seeing more growing groups in the popu- children than usual, all bunHon. Judith Collins, Minister for Ethnic Affairs lation and according to the dled in parkas with hoods officiating at a Chinese New Year function, World Values Survey com- that covered their faces, that Parliament Buildings, Wellington.
ENTER THE
DRAGON YEAR really made it feel like a holiday. People were cheerier than usual as well, given that it was a cold Toronto day; every time I received the slight head-nod as a greeting it made me feel as though in the same way that on St. Patrick's Day, that everyone was Irish, that on Chinese New Year, everyone gets to be Chinese for a day.
(below:) Chinese New Year celebration in Onehunga (below right:) Chinese musician at the Northcote Chinese New Year Festival
People were cheerier than usual ... every time I received the slight head-nod as a greeting, it made me feel as though in the same way that on St. Patrick’s Day, that everyone was Irish, that on Chinese New Year, everyone gets to be Chinese for a day.
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AUCKLAND - Fluency is the glittering but distant goal driving newcomers forward. But some revel more in the unexpected gains scattered along the journey itself. A cluster of New Zealand's annually arriving 4,000 plus long-stayers urged their fellows to relax the quest and instead reset themselves as ongoing trialists, thus celebrating each new level of word power, while even more, poised to absorb the finer points of life learning. Paul and Maria Yen from Taiwan are Auckland-based high school teachers who dared to celebrate their hardwon immersion. Then, a dispute within their investment property avalanched this couple into a living dictionary centred on conflict and its complex settlement. “Suddenly”, recalled Paul, “we were legal survivalists! Everything we said or wrote was likely to take on some extreme meaning”. Though now heading for a likely end before any formal hearing, the trauma left the Yens exhausted, but with Maria adding, “Our English really sharpened up”. Minoo Peter of Kerala, India, works as a porter in three cityside hotels. For Minoo, fluency speeds forward when locals readily volunteer their goodwill. “Even gestures like valuing our opinions can make us feel at home here.” “God loves diversity. All mankind is a brotherhood and a sisterhood. It is so life giving to see people take on that total communication to strengthen each other.” Latai Pelesikoti, a 2007 arrival from Tonga, insists that settlement is about “bringing much of your world with you, and then helping it grow into more than what you are yourself”. A mother of four daughters and a son, aged between nine and 22, Latai first thought she had left her true identity within her island nation. “But my role is now to keep these youngsters up to date with their Tongan side. Even if it's mainly for their flights home to visit grandparents.”
LANGUAGE
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Page 8
By Bill Harrison
ENGLISH MASTERY:
The long, winding road
Fluency is the glittering but distant goal driving newcomers forward. But some revel more in the unexpected gains scattered along the journey itself. (left:) Winnie Lam, Hong Kong: So easily, can the tower tip over
(above:) Minoo Peter, Kerala, India: “Always, you are in the role of someone breaking through”
(top:) Paul and Maria Yen, Taiwan: “Our English really sharpened up...” (after dealing with an investment dispute)
For Sunny Hwang, a restaurant kitchen manager, guiding diners through straight EFTPOS style transactions will soon upscale into higher study. The multi-tasker conceded, “English is powerful, attractive, and my favourite foreign language. “My mental translations from Korean are reducing, although I still don't know much English that is related to emotions. “Yet I am emotional by nature, so will likely improve here by studying to become a local chemist and sharing the discovery with others who never tire
“On the comical side are migrants and locals insisting each should speak more understandably. Instead, both will merely repeat the same but with rising irritation! Useful would be some quieter and more creative energy.” - Karen Venter, life skills facilitor of it.” Successful conversation is a bridge Winnie Lam began building for herself soon after her 1997 touchdown from Hong Kong. Having come as a 13year-old school girl, Winnie is now delighting in doing mid-management hospitality and affirmed, “You get used to tracking guests' responses all the way through a transaction as it becomes so easy to lose each other”. “If you do, this is like your own English pushing you over a cliff! You're never sure how far to backtrack and re-phrase!” To Nadia, an Iraqi former administrator/translator, peace of mind has meant letting go of corporate ambition in favour of voluntary care of the frail aged.
Despite a relevant professional resume, Nadia found local employers reluctant to take a chance on her overseas background. “To me, success is now being among those who welcome you and need you.” From our language leaders come confirmation of newcomers' freedom here. Noel Harrison is an author and multi-level educationalist, much of whose retirement is dedicated to Wellington's Somali community. “Immigrants don't have to give up or change all of their personality characteristics to fit into a new society. “New Zealand, in my experience, is a country which makes it possible to have a wide range of opinions and ways of life.”
(Above:) Sunny Hwang, Korean: ‘Graduating’ into phrases of feeling and creativity (Above left:) Latai Pelesikoti, Tonga: “Its still about you but not in the way you’d imagined”
Honey Rasalan is a project funding officer with Migrant Action Trust (MAT) and among New Zealand's 40,000 plus Filipinos. Honey recalled a female performing artist resettled from Korea and seeking backing for a community group. “Her English communication skills were capable, but she was still anxious about letting herself down in the presentation of her proposal. So we were also invited to attend the meeting. “So many newcomers fit well into everyday living, yet will struggle with the expression of abstracts and ideas. However, we can support their courage in working through this.” Karen Venter is an employment and life skills
facilitator, also with MAT. A South African psychologist, Karen arrived in 1994 following a career spanning Cape Town and Johannesburg. “On the comical side are migrants and locals insisting that each should speak more clearly. Instead, both will merely repeat the same thing, but with rising irritation! Some quieter and more creative energy would be more useful. “Many settlers are an inspiration. But some could challenge themselves to offer empathy and understanding just as much as they seek it.”
Page 10
OPINION POLL
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“ ... I did find myself enjoying
“ I wrote a play all about migrants and rugby (www. firstasianAB. com) and in the process discovered a love of the game myself! This from never having the inclination to learn. - Renee Liang
the community feel, the excitement and the camaraderie that the Rugby World Cup engendered. I also learnt quite a bit about the history of the sport and the rules of play.” - Priyanca Radhakrishnan
By Mel Fernandez AUCKLAND - There has been a strong reaction from the Asian community to Dr Dickson's comments that migrants were not really interested in the Rugby World Cup and may have felt marginalised because of it. Asian Migrant News conducted an Opinion Poll on this topic and found that most respondents rejected Dr Dickson's views. Renee Liang: “I wrote a play all about migrants and rugby (www.firstasianAB.com) and in the process discovered a love of the game myself! This from never having the inclination to learn. “The spirit infected my cast members (also migrants) too. We had a good response from audiences and I'd say there were also a fair number of migrants among them!” Bevan Chuang: “The ethnic community was definitely involved. There were ethnic wardens together with the Maori wardens and security staff at the Fans' Zone. There were ethnic volunteers. “There were, of course, many of us watching the game, as visitors in Eden Park, at the Fans' Zone, or in the comfort of our own homes. The Rugby did, as the theme said, bring 'The World in Union'. “We came together and supported our boys, and were very proud of our boys. And I certainly know many migrants were taking photos of themselves with the massive ABs poster outside Rebel Sports! “Yes, my mother asked me to go and find an AB to marry and kept asking me why (Sir) Richie McCaw is not married. She even had a poster of the boys in her room. My mother growled at my dog the other day because he stole her AB Kiwi bird toy that plays the Haka. The first thing she did was to ring me to express her anger! “Even my friend's mother, who is Muslim, was ecstatic to see the boys on screen!” “The Rugby World Cup united New Zealand as one. It united all the ethnic communities, regardless of country of origin, language, gender, or age, as one (perhaps not as united when their country of origin was playing!). “The 250,000 people cheering for the All Blacks at Auckland CBD on Monday, 24th October were all there because of their patriotic spirit for New Zealand. “Rugby is not a popular game in Asian countries. Although China is beginning to start up their own Rugby Sevens teams, it is definitely a game that we knew little about and had little interest in. “Many of us are definitely more interested in soccer (or football!) and followed the Manchester United v Manchester City
Maria Siayngco: “I feel everyone who loved the sport got involved. It does not matter whether you are a migrant or not; it's more about loving rugby. That's why sport helps remove boundaries, as the World Cup slogan states: 'Its about a world in union'.” “The Rugby World Cup provided an excellent opportunity for people from different communities living in New Zealand to be part of the national sport. The rugby was embraced by all and it was hard to differentiate between a Kiwi and a non-Kiwi when you attended the mass fan gatherings at an All Blacks' match, such was the passion shown by the supporters. It helped create a feeling of oneness amongst everyone. “I still remember the moment when the last seconds of the final counted down and New Zealand finally won the cup; everyone started hugging and dancing. It was really a collective spirit of New Zealand; no one could point out a migrant or a non-migrant. It was really about the game and the happiness it brought to everyone. “I even got the chance to be on the same flight as the All Blacks, including Richie McCaw and coach Graham Henry. I got their autographs and they were really humble; even after a long day's parade they were happy to sign autographs and pose for photos. “My being a migrant or someone from outside New Zealand did not change the way they interacted with me. I got autographs from my favourite players and will cherish the memories for a long time. “It just showed that the players themselves realise that New Zealand is a multicultural country and the All Black team itself consists of players from different cultures. Together, the team succeeded and now bringing up topics such as migrants not being involved in the World Cup etc. will only detract from their achievements.” Mary Dawson: “As someone working in a migrant serving agency listening to conversations amongst migrant employees/volunteers, and as someone who went down to the Auckland waterfront several times during the WRC, my strong impression was that there was enthusiastic engagement from many people from many migrant communities. “There were so many activities that there was really something for everyone, quite apart from the huge support that the ABs generated amongst people of all walks of life and cultures, no matter how long they have been living here.”
Did migrants engage in World Cup celebrations? “The tournament will provide a point of celebration for a lot of New Zealanders but I do not subscribe to the ‘all of New Zealand’ argument. Look at the ethnic communities who live here. I just don’t see the migrant or refugee communities engaging in the World Cup to any significant level. That means there’s potential for an unintended consequence where they may feel less part of the wider community.” – Dr Geoff Dickson, AUT’s New Zealand Tourism Institute
game very closely on the same day as the RWC finals (which left little for the Man U fans to be happy about). “Rugby has united the Chinese youth in New Zealand. Priyanca Radhakrishnan Many of them were posting feeds on Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, about the game. They were posting score boards, snaps taken with fellow All Blacks supporters, news about the game and their support for the All Blacks. “It also became a way for Chinese people in China who have a connection with New Zealand to feel connected to New Zealand. This was a proud moment for New Zealanders and for me as a Hong Kong Chinese New Zealander. A moment when we were in union, together as one.
Well done!” Priyanca Radhakrishnan: “Quite a few of my friends and colleagues went to a number of games and many others watched it on TV. “I'm not parMaria Siayngco ticularly sportsinclined myself and had an embarrassingly basic grasp of the game prior to the RWC but I happened to be in Auckland during opening week and loved the energy and festive atmosphere myself - didn't really care for the aggro that went with it, especially later at night, but I did find myself enjoying the community feel, the excitement and the camaraderie that the RWC engendered. I also learnt quite a bit about the history of the sport and the rules of play.”
- Foto Credit: Renee Liang, from her play ‘FIRST ASIAN AB’.
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Travel Destinations. Cultural Cuisine. Events. Festivals.
Even if our visit to the Muriwai Gannet Colony was unplanned, it was still a very enjoyable one.
MURIWAI GANNET COLONY
By Mavis Bacaltos
Bird watching, on a beach too far
We saw (and smelled) the gannets as much as we wanted with their newly hatched chicks quite so fluffy and cute to look at and were even able to sneak in some sand castle building and play on the beach.
Foto credit: Chris McLennan (www.cmphoto.co.nz)
when we asked for directions at the petrol station, we were given instructions to go to Keri-Keri up north instead. Talk about lost in translation! The Indian attendant must have thought we were looking for Keri-Keri in Northland, as he directed us that way. And against my better judgement, we followed it too! So I’m looking at the map and I had a sinking feeling that we were really traversing the wrong path so we decided to ask for help again, not from a petrol attendant this time, but from a local who was filling up. He was utterly amused at us two ladies as we told him where we wanted to go. He kindly told us we were very far from where we wanted to go but directed us to a nearer and easier to find beach. He told us Muriwai Beach is very interesting with surf waves and black volcanic sand. And I thanked him for pointing us in that direction as Muriwai Beach remains up to this day one of my
favourite spots in Auckland. Though the waves and rips can be dangerous to the unwary swimmer and to the pieces of loose swim wear (as I found out one time), its unique beauty both for bird watchers and beach goers is hard to beat. Even if my visit that weekend was unplanned, it was still a very enjoyable one. We saw (and smelled) the gannets as much as we wanted with their newly hatched chicks quite so fluffy and cute to look at and were even able to sneak in some sand castle building and to play on the beach. On our way home, we
stopped by a strawberry shop and ended our hectic day with scoops of fresh strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries and I thought to myself, sometimes, the best trips are those which are unplanned. HOW TO GET TO MURIWAI BEACH: Follow State Highway 16 to Waimauku. Turn left into Muriwai Rd and continue to the park. Distance from Auckland CBD: 45 km. A windswept rugged coastline, 60km of surf beach and rolling dunes of black sand characterise Muriwai Beach
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AUCKLAND - We had an unplanned trip to the Muriwai Gannet colony one weekend. As always, the fine weather was the deciding factor. As we came out of Chipmunks after attending a children’s party, the sun was shining so brightly that I thought it would finally be a good time to fulfill one of my son’s birthday wishes, to go bird watching. I’m not sure where he got this notion to go bird watching but for someone who just turned five, it seems to be a bit out of character. But as he kept asking about it, I remembered that there is a gannet colony in Muriwai so we don’t need to travel far. He also watches a TV show called Takapu the Gannet of the South Seas with some scenes actually shot in Muriwai, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring him there. My first visit to Muriwai Beach was purely unplanned as well. We were planning to go to Kare-Kare Beach where they shot the movie ‘The Piano’, but I think
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Travel Destinations. Cultural Cuisine. Events. Festivals.
Head-hunting is now outlawed in Borneo but it was once the test of manhood.
Once were
Journey to the longhouses of Malaysian Borneo by Mel Fernandez
HEADHUNTERS Visitors to Sarawak remember the festive nights spent as guests in longhouses, the exhilarating experience of riding the rapids, and the tradition and culture of the people - in that order. Sarawak’s allure for tourists is without a doubt its unique longhouses. And a longhouse tour one of the last adventure of its kind in rapidly changing Southeast Asia is the main attraction in the itinerary of most tour operators in Kuching, the capital city. Each local tour operator has a favourite locality and longhouse for a visit, and the rates depend on the elaborateness of the arrangements. For the less hardy, there is the Longhouse Hotel, right where you need it – in Kuching. As you would expect, this up-dated version of the longhouse, with air-conditioning and other modern conveniences, is a caricature of the real thing. Longhouses in the jungle have no modern conveniences and visitors are told in advance that they must be prepared to rough it out. A typical tour begins with a journey of about 233 km (145 miles) out of Kuching by coach, to reach the banks of the Skrang River. It takes five hours. After this point, the journey is by motorised longboats. An hour’s traveling brings you within view of the first longhouse – longhouse Mujan - stretching along the river bank. The tual rumah (headman) and the reception party have been forewarned about our arrival and they come out to
greet us. The guide has gifts for the old chief usually cigarettes or cloth. The party is then shown into a communal hall where flickering kerosene lamps light up the late evening darkness. Dinner is longhousestyle. As we sit crosslegged on the bamboo floor, little dishes of chicken, rice and fish are placed before us. The headman makes sure that the guests don’t go thirsty. Young Iban damsels are summoned and they move around serving the local winetuak. The rice wine is strong and it burns as it goes down. But it washes away the aches of the tiring journey up-stream, and it loosens the tongue. After dinner, everyone settles down to enjoy some dancing. The Iban orchestra, which consists of girls, strikes up a heady rhythm on gongs and bamboo drums. As the music hots up, a youth steps out from the darkness into the lighted area. Dressed in elaborate head-dress of tall blackand-white hornbills’ feathers, a bright-coloured loincloth, silver belts, and a goatskin poncho over his shoulders, he cuts a striking figure. The lady guests are impressed and they reach for their cameras, but they are persuaded to wait for the finale. More dancers appear. They break into the first steps of an Iban dance with a fierce yell, enacting a dramatic version of a fight with swords and wooden shields. The women do not dance at officials functions. But a later stage,
they dress up in ceremonial finery to pose for photographs. Women go completely naked above their waists in many longhouses. But they enjoy dressing up wearing multi-coloured skirts, and adorning themselves with silver jewelry chains and bracelets. The evening is needed strange and exciting. And an overnight stay is necessary to enjoy the entertainment some of which goes on until dawn if the guests can take it! There are good reasons why the Ibans continue to live in longhouses. One reason is purely economical. To build attached houses saves material. A longhouse looks just like what its name implies - it is a long house. Each longhouse may have five rooms or it may have 100. Longhouse living is part of a social life for the Ibans. In the longhouse the people are together, this means that they have collective labour and they are also better protected. Longhouses have always been built on stilts with only one ladder leading up to it. In bygone days, this afforded protection against headhunters on the warpath from a rival longhouse. Head-hunting is outlawed today, of course. It was once the test of manhood. Iban girls showed little interest in men, who had not taken a head, as young braves tattooed themselves each time they brought in a kill. Although head-hunting has not been practiced for a long, long time, heads still find a pride of place in many remote longhouses. Early next morning, the
party moves up-river to longhouse Panchor. This trip takes about five hours as the journey is up-stream, where rapids are encountered. A strange and impressive calm pervades that part of the jungle. And in the cool of the morning, the city-dweller finds the jungle sobering, even a shade intimidating. The thick vegetation finally gives way to a space of pebbly shore where longhouse Panchor stands. Here, we are again treated to an elaborate welcoming ceremony. To propitiate the spirits, a live cock is brought to the chief. Its throat is slit and the warm blood is dabbed on our foreheads. The music and dances
go on late into the night and Iban hospitality here as in all longhouses can be summed up in one wordoverwhelming. Soon it is time to go, and we are all eager to start on the journey down-stream. There is a stretch along the way where you ride the rapids. The longboats travel at terrific speeds, but the skilled boatmen will get you through safely. It’s a great relief to know that in a few hours you will be back to the comforts of a hotel room. There will be time enough to relax in Kuching, to do some shopping and sightseeing before catching the plane home. The longhouse safari is by far the most popular
tour in Sarawak today – and it is an experience you will not easily forget.
HOW TO GET THERE: You can go on a longhouse tour in either Sabah, Sarawark or Brunei. Malaysian Airlines flies to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) from Kuala Lumpur and Silk Air flies to these cities from Singapore. Singapore Airlines flies to Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) from Singapore. Photo Credit: The longhouse shown in the above foto is in Sabah. Courtesy of Sabah Tourism Board.
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COMMUNITY
CHRISTCHURCH - A year since the fatal February 22 earthquake hit Christchurch, which claimed 185 lives, including nine Filipinos, the Filipino community remains optimistic that the Garden City will rise again. Four Filipinas share their thoughts with Fritzi Ann Lobo Udanga. The rubble of damaged property and infrastructure in Christchurch, estimated at between $20B and $30B to rebuild, has just about been cleared. It has been an excruciating process, made slow by the frequent aftershocks, some 10,000 of them in the 18 months since the September 2010 shake and the killer February 2011 event. The clearing process was witnessed almost on a daily basis by Christchurch City Council planner Marie Pollisco, who worked with the Planning and Intelligence Unit at the Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for three months right after the national state of emergency was declared and until it was lifted, and
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Hope rides high for
Christchurch By Fritzi Udanga
Foto: © Bloom, Fritzi Udanga
who was involved at different stages and in different roles in the development of the recently approved Central City Plan. “I was there every day, except in the areas with restricted access. It was eerie at first as the city looked like a ghost town”, Marie says. “But I feel optimistic about the future of Christchurch. We love Christchurch and we are all
helping out in different ways to make it a better place to live in, work in, play in and visit.” Lincoln University doctoral student Jovy Servitillo had to temporarily take refuge in Auckland after the earthquake so she could complete her thesis. Having been trapped on the 23rd floor of the Grand Chancellor Hotel, where she worked part time, during the
February 22 earthquake, she and her family still have plans to settle in the city once she's done with her writing. “The experience was traumatic, but we'd like to see Christchurch rise again”, she says. Work-to-Resident migrant Evangeline Dispo says her first sight of Christchurch in October 2011 “created a mixed feeling of peace and
sadness”. “It is not about survival”, she says, “but about working together to bring out the best of being one community and to build community resiliency from calamities, such as the earthquake”. Geotechnical engineer Anne Contawe was in Singapore when the earthquake hit. She moved to the city three months ago to work with Sinclair Knight
Merz, a member of Stronger Christ-church Infrastructure Re-build Team (SCIRT), a group of contractors and consultants formed to help rebuild a more resilient infrastructure in Christchurch. “It's a great opportunity to be a part of this team. It would be a great achievement for us to see the city up and running again”, Anne says. There remain uncertainties in the future, especially when experts have predicted that there will be more shakes for about 30 years. However, lessons with regards to infrastructure have been learned and structural codes and standards have been revised to withstand a calamity such as the February 22 earthquake. And with residents fiercely fighting to rebuild their city, Christchurch has nowhere to go but to become the Garden City once again. 'The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man be perfected without trials'; so goes a Danish proverb.
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By Noel Bautista THE NICE thing about keeping a blog is that it also serves as a sort-of diary, about your rants and raves, thoughtful and thoughtless musings. You may or may not be politically correct, socially conscious or morally upright at all times, and at the time you put pen to electronic paper, it’s not a deliberate thing, trying to be PC, a bleeding heart or a beacon in the moral wilderness, but things tend to be said, and remembered. Like I said, I’ve always been more or less yacky chirpy and flighty, sometimes all of the above at the same time, and the end result is a blog posted, but I used to do it on our high school batch Yahoo!group page, and unfortunately my high school batchmates were unwilling sounding boards of whatever wacky thought-processes happened to clutter my neural paths and brain-cell boulevards. But on one of those Yahoogroup blogs, I did note down that I was running around the block near Meadowbank, Auckland three years ago when a car sped past and the driver threw a tape cartridge at me, not intending to injure but certainly wanting to catch my Asian attention. I picked up said tape car-
TALK BACK
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Crimes against
RACE tridge, and it was an album of an unknown Taiwanese band. Certainly no relevance to me, but the message was clear. A little spittle of disrespect was hurled my way, no skin off my back, but quite unsettling, and almost surely from someone who didn’t like Asians in the neighborhood. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t Taiwanese (although ethnically Taiwanese and Chinese are the same, and I’m partChinese), it was like a megaphone shouted in my face : just so you haven’t been made aware, you’re the visiting minority here, and don’t you forget it for one single minute. Multiply the viciousness of that incident around a hundredfold, and you get an idea of what happened in Sydney Australia few days ago, and while it may be race-specific, the act I mean, it bodes forbidding
consequences for all Asians and migrants like you and me. I hope you either read the newsclip or viewed the YouTube clip (Seven News Sydney) “Racist Attack” – 26/04/2012, or even better did both, but even if you didn’t, I can tell you that whether or not the alleged criminal youths originally intended it, the act degenerated into a hate crime, against Asians and more specifically Chinese as a group. Equally if not more alarming were the “environmental” facts around the incident, of the Chinese being assaulted and robbed. One of the youths remarked that the group should focus their criminal acts on the Chinese because “they (usually) have money,” and that no one came to help the Chinese man defend himself. It’s very unfortunate, but
the acts of a very few people in civil society, when it is directed against a specific racial / demographic group, tend to incite fear, defensiveness and retaliation as well as other emotional responses in the group of the member attacked, and the group of the instigators. Ironically, both groups end up getting defensive. First of all, it creates the general feeling that there is a concerted feeling of ill will against a specific race or racial group. Whether or not this is true, the fact is those youths believed that certain groups of people, particularly the Chinese, are better targets for criminal activity, not the least because they (allegedly) tend to have more money on their persons. Second, the unfortunate consequence of the Chinese man receiving no aid from anyone else on the train
creates the spontaneous (on my part) impression that (1) the bystanders were too afraid for their own safety to intervene, (2) they didn’t care enough to help their co-passenger, or (3) they didn’t think the Chinese man, maybe because of his Chineseness, deserved any help. If guesses (1) and (2) were true, the Sydney commuting public and Australians in general have a lot to think about. If guess (3) turns out to be true, then all migrants in Australia, and maybe New Zealand, and come to think of it, the rest of the world, have a whole lot more to think about. *** *** *** It’s become a jaded observation in one PC-
uptight country that a childrapist murderer might get early parole if he plays his cards right, but not someone who makes the mistake of hurling racist epithets in public and has the misfortune of having his racist deeds magnified in media. In short, crimes against race sensitivity have become so odious that they have acquired a stigma above all other crimes, sometimes at the expense of commonsense, like the Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case capturing national attention beyond imagination. But there is a reason for this, because racial sensitivity and understanding underpins the relationships of whole communities in societies and in fact between societies and civilizations themselves. Being a member of good standing in the community of nations requires a basic understanding and acceptance that all races and cultures need to live and coexist alongside each other. If something like this can happen in First World, cosmopolitan Sydney Australia, a bulwark of the multi-racial 21st century global village, it could happen anywhere. And that, my friend, is not good for you and me. http://ylbnoel.wordpress.com
10 easy tips for enjoying a healthy winter 10 easy tips for enjoying a healthy winter The Auckland Regional Public Health Service has some easy tips to keeping yourself healthy this winter which will help ensure you spend your time doing the things you want to do and not staying at home, feeling unwell. While the most common illnesses during winter are colds and flu, these great general tips on how to keep you and your family healthy, will help prevent illness such as allergies, asthma, and other respiratory diseases. Here are 10 top easy tips for enjoying a healthy winter: 1. Wash your hands regularly and correctly. Winter
illness is easily spread via hands. It is important that hands are washed regularly, especially after using the toilet and before touching food. Don’t forget to wash both sides of the hands and between the fingers for at least 20 seconds, use soap and dry with a paper towel or clean dry towel when finished. 2. Open windows during the day and then close them before the sun goes down or you turn on the heating. This will ensure your home is kept ventilated, which helps keep it warm and dry. 3. Keep the bathroom door closed when shower-
ing or bathing to prevent excess moisture settling around the house. Excess moisture can lead to respiratory problems and cause mould and mildew. 4. Reduce damp in your home and don’t ‘line dry’ your laundry inside. This increases the amount of moisture in the air. 5. Where possible use a dehumidifier. If there is high moisture content in your home using a dehumidifier will reduce this. 6. Avoid using unflued gas heaters inside your home, which release polluting gases into the air. This type of
heater increases the level of indoor air pollutants which can cause respiratory problems. (Unflued gas heaters are usually portable gas heaters that don’t have a flue or chimney to remove the gasses to outside your home.) 7. Avoid coughing or sneezing near babies and small children. Many babies and small children are too young to be vaccinated against common illnesses and due to their developing immune systems are more susceptible to picking them up. 8. If you smoke, smoke outside, away from confined spaces. Even though it may be cold
outside, it is important to help protect the people around you from cigarette smoke. 9. If you or your child is feeling unwell visit a doctor early. Treating what can seem like small health issues early, can help prevent them getting worse or becoming bigger issues in the future. 10. Talk to your doctor about the influenza vaccination. Vaccination is particularly beneficial for those over 65 years of age, those with serious medical conditions or have asthma and pregnant women. Immunisation is offered between March and July and might
be free for you! Visit www.fightflu.co.nz or contact you doctor to find out more. Be aware of your neighbours, if you know of elderly or vulnerable people in your community, make sure they are ok, something as small as ensuring they have warm food and an extra blanket can help protect them during periods of cold weather. Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Brad Novak says “Warm, dry and ventilated homes help protect you against common respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.”
SURVEY
By Mel Fernandez AUCKLAND – If you are looking for a job in teaching, this is not a good time to enter the job market. And more so for overseas trained teachers thinking of migrating to New Zealand. Teaching jobs are almost non-existent and in December last year many teaching positions were dropped from the Immediate and Long Term Skill Shortages list produced by Immigration New Zealand (INZ). According to a recent cover story in the New Zealand Herald; “Hundreds of new teachers trained to overcome a staffing shortage in schools are struggling to find jobs”. The article goes on to say that “students who went in thinking they had a guaranteed job at the end of their training are now finding they have nowhere to go”. The paper interviewed a student who had applied for about 50 teaching jobs before giving up and going
WELLINGTON - A vital self-help group for Filipino early childhood educators in New Zealand was founded by Brigitte Ofrasio in 2009. Aotearoa Fellowship of Filipino Early Childhood Teachers (AFFECT), based in Wellington, is a registered charitable trust with over 30 members New Zealand wide. Dedicated to supporting Filipino early childhood educators, AFFECT aims “to weave the Filipino culture into Filipino early childhood educators' teaching practices within New Zealand’s early childhood settings”, says Ofrasio. The group provides basic support, advice and guidance for Filipinos wanting to teach ECE. The group has a lively Facebook page - AFFECT,
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Page 17
ABC of teaching in NZ “Salaries paid to New Zealand teachers are significantly behind their counterparts in Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and other countries.” to South Korea to work. Salaries paid to New Zealand teachers are significantly behind their counterparts in Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and other countries, says a spokesperson of the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa. The current oversupply of teachers is the result of various factors, not least of which is the recession. Teachers who are currently employed are playing it safe by staying put rather than looking overseas for better paying jobs. NZEI has suggested that smaller class sizes could provide a solution to what appears to be a teacher oversupply situation. The union is aware that teacher graduates are finding it dif-
ficult to find jobs and many schools say they are getting hundreds of applicants for one or two vacant positions. NZEI President Ian Leckie says that the oversupply could be turned into an opportunity to invest more in teaching and learning and to give extra assistance to vulnerable and underachieving students. “We know that for a long time there was a serious teacher shortage in this country and things have changed quite quickly. The oversupply is not necessarily going to last and it’s important that these teachers are not lost to the profession long-term. “There has already been considerable investment in training teachers, so it makes sense to use those
extra teachers to lower student-teacher ratios and create smaller classes”, he says. “In junior classes ratios have improved”, he added. Effective teaching happens in smaller classes, but in Years 4-8 ratios still stand at one teacher to 29 students, which in effect can mean class sizes of 30 or more. NZEI has long advocated that the teacher-student ratio should be lowered to 1:25. Mr Leckie says, “I’d bet every school in the country would welcome another one or two teachers onto their staff because parents and teachers know that children’s learning improves with more teacher contact. “The Government talks
about the need to improve the quality of teaching and achieve better student outcomes. Here is an opportunity to do that by not only ensuring our trained teachers have jobs, but also by giving children more individual and valuable teaching time.” Five years ago the scenario was quite different. Irene Cooper, ex-president of the teachers union, said primary teacher numbers were at an all time low then. Schools were facing a teacher supply crisis as 40% of new teacher graduates did not make it to the classroom. "Our relatively low salaries help push teachers overseas”, she warned. “The salary disparity must be addressed if we are to
avoid losing teachers overseas, particularly to Australia.” She says that the lessons of the 1990’s teacher supply crisis need to be remembered. “The problem cannot be addressed simply by importing foreign trained teachers. That plugged a gap, but did not provide a sustainable solution.” The profession has been plagued with fluctuating supply and demand problems and there have been issues with regards to new teachers entering the profession.
tration here. FMN: What was your background in ECE when you came to New Zealand? OFRASIO: I studied for a year at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), then finished my studies here. I graduated with a Bachelor of Education (teaching): Early Childhood Education in 2008. I received an Honours Degree in Education in May 2011, both from the University of Auckland. FMN: Are there many Filipino ECE educators in New Zealand? OFRASIO: Quite a lot these days. When I came here nine years ago there weren’t many of us. Only
within the last five years have the numbers increased dramatically. FMN: Is language an issue for Filipino ECE educators? OFRASIO: For Filipinos, language is not an issue. They adapt quite well. FMN: Are there many jobs in ECE at the moment? OFRASIO: A couple of years ago it was okay to just jump on the plane and come over, but ECE is no longer on the job shortages list anymore. There was a shortage five years ago. So for overseas teachers looking at working here the chances of getting a job are pretty slim. When there was a shortage of ECE teachers, funding was available for people who studied ECE, like scholarships and teacher
grants. Since then, the qualification requirements have been raised and the National government has tightened up on funding. There may be a lot of jobs available, but not enough jobs requiring qualified teachers. This is not only the case for Filipinos; a lot of qualified teachers are finding that there are not enough jobs out there because employers cannot afford to recruit qualified teachers because of the funding cuts.
Teacher’s Aid Photo: Brigette Ofrasio
“where we have discussions on any and all aspects of early childhood education”, says Ofrasio. FMN: Is the syllabus for early childhood education here the same as in the Philippines? OFRASIO: In New Zealand it’s quite different. But what I found is that Filipino family values are similar to New Zealand family values. FMN: What are the educational requirements to work in ECE in this coun-
try? OFRASIO: You need a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and at the moment it is the minimum requirement. They have admitted some people who have studied in the Philippines who were lucky enough to get in without being qualified. But it is on a case-to-case basis. Some people are qualified and some are not. It is the Teaching Council that decides what additional study is required for regis-
SURVEY
www.asia2nz.co.nz
Page 18
By Mel Fernandez
Nursing is now off the NZ Immigration Services’ immediate skill shortage list. Currently there are vacancies only in the more specialist areas of nursing.
Nursing shortage eases for now
AUCKLAND – The demand for overseas nurses in New Zealand has shrunk because of a glut of qualified and lesser trained nurses who are already on the ground. Nursing is now off the NZ Immigration Services’ immediate skill shortage list. Currently there are vacancies only in the more specialist areas of nursing. “I think between 2006 to 2010, the market for nurses became saturated,” says Dennis Maga of Migrante Aotearoa. “That was the peak for employment of nurses. “Nowadays if you look around the universities in New Zealand, there are a quite a lot of people attending nursing courses. “Obviously the government has to ensure that the graduates from nursing schools here have jobs waiting for them. That’s the focus of the government right now. And personally I feel this is fair. We don’t want to add to our unemployment problems.” So for those planning to come over from the Philippines to work in New Zealand, the advice is: “Don’t jump on the plane just yet. Get qualifications,
work experience and a job offer in New Zealand before coming over,” says Leonie Walker, a Researcher at the New Zealand Nurses Organization (NZNO). Meanwhile back in the Philippines, thousands of nurses are graduating from nursing schools every year. The Philippine Star newspaper reported that over the last 10 years, 3 million Pinoys took nursing courses and 400,000 passed the licensure examination. Many see nursing qualifications as a route to find better-paid work overseas. The proliferation of nursing schools and questionable standards in some of them is a growing concern for overseas employers. Not surprisingly, some countries have raised the bar for overseas nurses with stricter rules. In New Zealand the passing grade has been pushed up from the 6.5 to 7 in each band of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. In addition, those with nursing degree courses of less than four years will no longer be deemed eligible for employment in New Zealand. In some countries overseas trained nurses are
required to have at least two years hospital or clinical experience before they can work there. There was an outcry from migrant advocacy groups when the bar was raised with accusations that the professioal bottlenecks to the registration of overseas nurses are “unfair”. Leonie Walker agrees that the IELTS requirements are a stumbling block for many Asian nurses wanting to work here. But media reports of overseas nurses with poor communications skills having difficulty coping in the wards is a cause for concern. We asked Leonie Walker if she had some tips for migrant nurses who intend working in New Zea-land. “Firstly, you must pass your IELTS at the required grade before you come. IELTS English is not sufficient in reality to communicate well at work in New Zealand - accent, colloquialisms and idioms etc are very different especially from American English, so it helps to join conversational language classes here in addition to IELTS - and some
aspects of nursing scope etc are also different. “It is a good idea to find out from Nursing Council NZ if they will accept your study transcripts for registration before you come, and if not, what extra documentation you will require. Expect to work as a caregiver until you have met the requirements for Nursing Council, be aware the job market is currently very tight, and if possible, seek independent advice before you commit to any agent, or agree to be bonded for any length of time. “Also, seek up-to-date advice on the job/study /residence visa situation before coming: this is fluid, and mistakes are expensive and heartbreaking. Talk to nurses/get on discussion sites and find the real experiences of those who are here before you sign up for a move. “Join NZNO when you get here, we can often help
with specific issues, and ensure you have indemnity insurance independent of your employer - who may not have your interests at the top of the priority list. “Do not expect to find a job in your chosen location or specialism. Outside the main centres, there may be few nurses from your country, and little immediate social support. Make sure you understand the full costs of migrating and of living here - wages can seem higher, but so is the cost of living, travelling and studying too.” At the moment New Zealand appears to have achieved self-sufficiency in its nursing workforce. But further down the track difficulties in retaining nurses, an ageing nursing workforce and the demands of an ageing population may contribute to nursing shortages, leading to a dependence on overseas recruitment all over again.
Dennis Maga Migrante Aotearoa
“I think between 2006 to 2010, the market for nurses became saturated,” says Dennis Maga of Migrante Aotearoa. “That was the peak for employment of nurses. “Nowadays if you look around the universities in New Zealand, there are a quite a lot of people attending nursing courses.
www.asia2nz.co.nz
NI HAO
Page 19
foto credit: Katie McAlister
Wellingtonian
helps fight cancer By Katie McAlister
\
Professor Swee Tan
Wellington plastic surgeon Professor Swee Tan and his team are planning to set up a laboratory for strawberry birthmark and cancer research at Victoria University this year
Dr Tan, director of surgery at Hutt Hospital, is also the director of the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute. The institute comprises a group of people using facilities around Wellington to conduct research into strawberry birthmarks, cancer and tissue engineering. Strawberry birthmarks, or infantile haemangioma, were tumours that occurred in one in 10 children, said Dr Tan. About 10 per cent of cases were life-threatening and about 25 per cent of cases required some form of treatment. If the tumour was in the liver, children could suffer heart failure. If it was around the airway they would not be able to breathe and if it was in the eye socket they could go
blind, said Dr Tan. The cause of strawberry birthmarks was unknown and treatments had included surgery, radiotherapy, high doses of steroids, and chemotherapy. Dr Tan said he became interested in vascular birthmarks while undertaking a fellowship at Harvard in 1995. Returning to New Zealand in 1996, he began a PhD at Otago University aimed at finding the cause of such tumours. “We have discovered that stem cells from the placenta travel to the foetus and they’re lodged somewhere where they take hold, multiply and are made into a tumour,” said Dr Tan. The drug propranalol, used to treat high blood pressure, could cause the tumours to undergo cell suicide, he said. About 50 children have been treat-
ed with the drug since 2008. “What this does is it bypasses everything we’d done for the last 100 years. And just imagine that you can do this to cancer. “One day we’re not going to do surgery. One day we’re not going to do radiotherapy. One day we’re not going to do chemotherapy, we’re going to give medication by mouth.” Another implication of the discovery was that the primitive stem cells from the placenta could be made into different types of cells in the body, such as red blood cells, he said. “We’ve already begun research applying the knowledge that we’ve got in a number of cancers, particularly ones around the head, inside the mouth and throat.” Dr Tan’s team includes Dr Darren Day, a scientist
at Victoria University, Dr Helen Brasch, a pathologist at Hutt Hospital and Tinte Itinteang, a PhD student. Dr Philip Leadbitter, a paediatrician, has treated a lot of the patients. Dr Tan’s team is now conducting the first clinical trial of a new medication, captopril, for treating strawberry birthmarks. “We are showing that it works quite dramatically as well,” he said. He said it didn’t lower blood pressure and his team predicted it might be more specific than propranalol. “We always need to think about a better way of doing things and that’s what research is all about.” Dr Tan was a semi-finalist in the 2012 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards for his research into strawberry birthmarks. Reprinted with permission from ‘The Wellingtonian’
Page 20
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia - Malaysians are so hooked to the addictive Tamil hit song ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ which has taken the cyber world by storm. The song, which has been viewed more than 46 million times on YouTube, was recently awarded a Gold Medal by the video sharing website for receiving a large number of hits within a short time. It has also gone viral on Facebook, with listeners of all ages, and even other races, sharing the video on the website. A group performing a flashmob of the song in Auckland has been uploaded on YouTube. “It is simple and cheeky,” said writer Anuradha Raghu, 23, while businessman Phua Eu Jin, 23, admits the song was catchy although he didn’t understand the lyrics. “I see it all over Facebook and just had to listen to it to see what it was all about,” he said. The song, which was produced as part of upcoming
Why is this ‘Kolaveri’ all the rage in Malaysia? VIDEO REVIEW: By P. ARUNA
GONE VIRAL: A videograb of the ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ video which has over 46 million views on YouTube Check out the ‘KK o l a v e r i D i ’ Flash Mob Dance in Auckland video at: www.asia2nz.co.nz
Tamil movie 3, stars actress Shruti Haassan and actor Dhanush, who also sang the song. The film is due for
Most searched YouTube video in
INDIA ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ was officially released on 16 November 2011, and it instantly became viral on social networking sites for its quirky “Tanglish” lyrics. Soon, the song became the most searched YouTube video in India and an inter-
MUSICAL
www.asia2nz.co.nz
net phenomenon across Asia. A down tempo dance gaana-ballad song, it has been described as “genre bending” by critics, built around an ancient South Indian folk rhythm. Its instrumentation con-
release next month on the eve of Ponggal the harvest festival. The title of the song, which means “Why this
sists of nadaswaram, shehnai, saxophone, urumee and thavil drums, acoustic guitar and keyboards mixed with electronic synths and scratches. The vocals utilize the singing style of Tamil folk culture. Lyrically, the song revolves around the film’s main protagonist being dumped by his girlfriend; the song is sung by the character in a drunken state, with many of the lines nonsensical. – Source Wikipedia
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murderous rage?” is a question posed by the film’s hero towards his girlfriend who has dumped him.
He laments the girl’s decision to leave him and how she had moved on while he was miserable.
Accountant Danisha Saravana Kumar, 26, said the song was extremely addictive. “The Tamil mixed with English lyrics sung with a drunken stupor gives the song that extra oomph!” she said while senior human resource executive Reuben Varughese Philip, 28, said the tune of the song had a very evident “feel good factor” about it. Besides the original video, a “Malaysian version” of the song is also gaining popularity on the video sharing website. Having received over 34,000 views on YouTube and 2,700 shares on Facebook, the video titled ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’, Malaysian version is sung by a Malay youth who adds his own twist to the song with lyrics in Bahasa Malaysia. Reprint with permission from ‘The Star’, Malaysia
Award winning Sam’s Butchery adds Asian product lines Sam’s Butchery which opened its doors in 2007 is celebrating its 5th Anniversary. In September 2009, the Butchery won Gold for their Middle Eye bacon in the Lesnies 100% New Zealand Bacon Competition. It was judged as one of the country’s best bacon because it was a taste sensation. And in 2011, Sam received a Bronze Medal for their streaky bacon. Not content to only attracting Kiwis, the Butchery has widened the net to also cater to Filipino, European, Chinese, Korean and Indian tastes. What is their success secret? “We offer the freshest and finest premium cut meats and fine foods to satisfy even the most discerning gourmet,” says Sam, a Malaysian. “You’ll find products such as delicious home-made Filipino sausages, chicken, garlic pork and sweet pork Longaniza and pork and chicken Tocino, pork, lamb and beef sausages including Italian, Smoked Kransky and Chorizo. “As a supplier of high quality 100% NZ pork, beef, lamb and chicken, we
make all small goods, pickled pork, corned silverside and smoked chicken breast on site in the traditional way. Scotch fillet, eye fillet, sirloin and rump steaks are aged to provide a more tender and juicer cut of meat. All our 100% NZ Beef products carry the Quality mark.” Sam’s top-quality products are very competitively priced and their friendly and experienced Asian butchers are ever ready to serve with a smile. They proudly display an A grade hygiene rating. All the Filipino products are made on site at the Butchery. So don’t take risks by buying from any home-based suppliers. Check out the weekly specials on their Facebook page link at www..filipinonews under Market Place. Sam’s Butchery is located at Shop 5, 4055 Great North Road, Kelston. Phone (09) 818 7718. Open seven days Monday to Saturday 7am to 6pm and Sunday 7am to 5pm.
NAMASTE INDIA
www.asia2nz.co.nz
Page 21
Indians say ‘NO’ to corruption By Padma Krishnan
Medha Patkar addresses protestors (against the backdrop of the image of Mahatma Ghandi) at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi in a movement against corruption, headed by Anna Hazare. © Gyaneshwar2000 | Dreamstime.com
NEW DELHI, India Corruption is not new to India, government and corporate scams have been reported even way back in 1948. So, what is different now? Indians are angry. Millions of them. That is what you would assume if you were a heavy consumer of electronic media during the recent anti-corruption agitation in India. The middle class in India is angry because of high inflation and the all-pervasive corruption. The political class is angry because they think that they are misunderstood and that there is a movement to undermine the democratic system that supports them. And the poor are angry because of high food inflation and being left behind in India's growth story. The anti-corruption
Corruption is endemic in many Asian countries, where it affects progress and economic development. In India, angry citizens are doing something about this blight on society - they have declared war on the culture of corruption. The catch cry of the crusaders is: 'We won't take it anymore!' The anti-corruption movement is spearheaded by an unlikely hero – Anna Hazare, 74. WHO IS ANNA HAZARE? Is he the “Messiah” that millions of Indians were looking for? The new Gandhi? An Anti-corruption crusader?
movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare, a 74 year old, ex-army truck driver turned social activist, and his team of civil society representatives, has garnered nationwide support from all strata of society,
most notably the urban, educated middle class. The public discontent is apparent in the participation of celebrities, students, professionals, housewives and former freedom fighters, in a movement which Anna Hazare named as the 'second freedom struggle'. Indians marched, fasted, organised sit-ins and kept candle light vigils in droves across the country, demanding a stronger anticorruption legislation, the Jan Lokpal Bill - a modi-
fied version of the Government's proposed Lokpal - Citizens' Ombudsman Bill. The Jan Lokpal Bill, drafted by civil society representatives, requires the setting up of independent agencies at the centre and state levels to investigate corruption cases. The agencies will have the power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without Government sanction. The bill also demands a set time-frame for inves-
tigations, protection for whistleblowers and moots recovery of losses from the corrupt by confiscating their wealth. Inspired by the Swedish institute of Ombudsman, the original Citizen's Ombudsmen Bill proposed by the Government was designed as a mechanism to address citizens' grievances. It has been in the offing for the last four decades; it was passed in the lower house of the parliament in
1968, but the upper house was dissolved before its passage and it lapsed. It has been reintroduced in the parliament many times since in different versions, but could not be passed. The current anti-corruption movement sparked by the fast unto death threat by Anna has brought it out of cold storage and public pressure has forced the government to send it to the Parliament Standing Committee for consideration. The anti-corruption movement wants the Jan Lokpal Bill - drafted by a team of civil society representatives supported by Anna Hazare, to be considered. The Government's Bill has been called 'toothless' and 'useless' by critics, and Anna called it 'a joke', ... continues page 22
... from page 21 whereas the Jan Lokpal bill has been termed 'draconian', 'impractical' and having the potential to create 'a super oligarchy', by dissenting civil society activists, including author-activist Arundhati Roy and Right to Information activist Aruna Roy. Corruption is not new to India, government and corporate scams have been reported even way back in 1948. So, what is different now? What motivated people to take to the streets supporting Anna's cause? It is the pervasiveness of corruption and the staggering amount of money involved in the post liberalization era scams that jolts one out of one's complacency and makes an average Indian 'aam admi' angry. The most famous BOFORS defense deal scam in 1987, which cost the Congress party an election and the late Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi his clean image, involved only Rs 650 Million, whereas in 2008, the 2G Spectrum allotment scam cost the country an estimated Rs 1,760 Billion and the 2010 Commonwealth games fiasco cost the exchequer an estimated Rs 400 Billion. Much of the swindled money is stashed away in tax havens across the globe, with Swiss Banks emerging as a favourite destination; the amount of dirty money hoarded is estimated to be 1.4 Trillion USD. While corruption in both government and corporations grew to mammoth proportions, the existing legislations such as the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act have not been successful in yielding results, hence the public outcry for more stringent and expedient laws to fight corruption. And the current agitation has answered the cries. ŠPadma 2012
NAMASTE INDIA
www.asia2nz.co.nz
Page 22
Krishnan,
Anna brings govt down to its knees
PEOPLE POWER - INDIAN STYLE By Padma Krishnan, Contributing Editor - New Delhi
NEW DELHI, India The man who took up the anti-corruption cause has become famous, more famous than the cause itself. The continuous media coverage on anti-corruption agitation has been phenomenal, surpassing even the Indian Premier League cricket matches, and that is huge in a cricket crazy nation like India. Who is Anna Hazare? Is he the 'Messiah' that millions of Indians were looking for? The new Gandhi? An anti-corruption crusader? A simpleton being controlled by an intelligent team? Or a front man for the right-wing fundamentalists, as his detractors accuse him of being? Opinions are divided and debated as passionately as the cause this man espouses. Below is a brief biography of the man who has stirred up a political storm as well as a nation's conscience and energized the apathetic Indian middle class.
Name: Kisan Baburao Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare. 'Anna' means elder brother. He was born in 1937 in Bhingar village in Ahmednagar, a district of Maharashtra. Career: From 1963-1978 he was a truck driver in the Indian army. He was the sole survivor of an attack by Pakistan at the border of the Khem Karan sector during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. After his voluntary retirement from the Indian Army in 1978, Anna Hazare returned to Ralegan Siddhi, a village in the drought prone Ahmadnagar district in his home state of Maharashtra, and started his social work by rebuilding a dilapidated temple. Many of his social initiatives in the village, such as
setting up a grain bank to help farmers to borrow and return grains instead of borrowing money, have freed them from the cycle of debt. He is credited with ridding the village of alcoholism and bringing in education. Though his methods of enforced prohibition and vegetarianism have come under strong criticism as being 'Brahaminical', he stands by his methods. His anti-corruption crusades in the past were successful in the state of Maharastra. He was closely associated with the 'Right to Information' agitation that resulted in RTI becoming a landmark law which is being used effectively by various NGOs and individuals to fight corruption. The recipient of many national and international awards, including Civilian awards by the Government of India (Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan), the Ramon Magsaysay award, the World Bank's Jit Gill Memorial Award and awards by Care International of the USA and Transparency International Seoul (South Korea). He has donated Rs 2.5 Million cash he received from various awards to Swami Vivekananda Kritadnyata Nidhi (a social gratitude fund). Some of his famous quotes include: 'I will live for the good of the nation, and I will die for the good of the nation.' 'Only if a person transforms his/her village, should the person be given a ticket to stand for elections.' His inspirations are Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. Anna used the time tested Gandhian non-violent tool of fasting and harming oneself rather than harming others, in his current agitation. But noted social activist Aruna Roy, who was instrumental in passing the Right to Information legislation, said, 'His method may be Gandhian but his spirit is not'. Anna's calls to blockade the houses of parliamentarians opposed to the JLB (Jan Lokpal Bill) added a coercive element to his protests.
The rants against members of parliament (MPs) by his key supporters, Dr. Kiran Bedi (first woman Indian Police Service Officer) and Bollywood actor Om Puri have been criticised widely, and both have been served with privilege motions for ridiculing MPs from the podium. Is this movement a political opera? Policy blackmail? A symbolic movement against corruption? A coup by the elite to hijack policy making? Or a World Bank sponsored agitation, as author-activist Arundhati Roy criticised in an article? Whatever it is, Anna Hazare's fast at the national capital has spurred the middle class, normally accused of political apathy, to get actively involved in the cumbersome political process of law making. Public participation of this scale in India's political process was last seen during the seventies. Comparisons are drawn between Anna's call for a 'second freedom struggle' and Jaya Prakash Narayan's 'total revolution' movement in the 70s. The 70s movement against Mrs Indira Gandhi's authoritative regime resulted in the imposition of a state of emergency by the government and the subsequent electoral defeat of the Congress party by the newly formed Janta Party. Anna Hazare has ruled out running for parliament at the moment and none of his core team members have expressed overt interest in entering electoral politics. The current anti-corruption movement is also akin to the Right to Information campaign led by activist Aruna Roy in the recent past. Both the campaigns used similar strategies for mobilizing people, using media, social networking sites and forming alliances with diverse civil society groups for a common cause. Anna and many of his core team members were closely associated with the RTI campaign. But, in terms of the ideologies of the two movements, the RTI was more red, with left leaning sympathisers, and the anti-
corruption movement is more saffron, drawing support from leading spiritual figure-heads such as Baba Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Both the Gurus have allegedly lent their organizational support as well as supporters to the movement. Anna's movement is criticised for being too personality centric, and catchy slogans such as 'Anna is India and India is Anna' and 'I am Anna' used during the agitation, have given a cult characteristic to the corruption crusade. 'Anna is India and India is Anna' is reminiscent of the emergency era slogan of Mrs Indra Gandhi's 'Indra is India and India is Indra' and Anna's detractors have cautioned people of the dangers of charismatic politics. The role of NGOs in Indian policy making has come under sharp focus during the current agitation. The way the entire campaign was coordinated was so impressive that questions were raised about their funding and whether they used an event management company to mobilize and manage volunteers. A study by the Union Home Ministry gives the number of NGOs operating in India as 3.3 Million. Many of the advocacy NGOs act as pressure groups to influence law making; the Disability Act and RTI act, to name a couple, were facilitated by sustained civil society campaigns in the past. With most NGOs receiving monetary aid from foreign countries, conspiracy theories are rife about hidden agendas. Anna Hazare's indefinite fast ended after twelve days, with the Indian parliament agreeing to the three key demands of Anna's team; they are the inclusion of lower bureaucracy, the Citizens' Charter and the setting up of Lokayukats Citizen's Ombudsman at the state level. But constitutional experts say that the resolution passed by the parliament by 'thumping of the desk' expressing 'the sense of the house in agreement' is not legally binding and the
Government has not really conceded anything. The focus has now shifted to the Parliament Standing Committee that will scrutinise the bill and submit a report before the winter session of the parliament. Critics have called this movement's excessive focus on corruption in state machinery while ignoring corruption in corporations, media and NGOs, an attempt to weaken Indian democracy and claim that they have a hidden agenda to pave the way for 'corporatocracy'. Rational analysis would show that the movement has a long way to go before achieving its stated goals, but there is no denying the fact that it has brought about healthy debate about corruption and misgovernance, and made Gandhian philosophy fashionable again. While the coalition championing the anti-corruption movement has garnered wide spread support mainly by keeping a narrow focus on corruption, it reminds to be seen how the people will respond to its future campaigns on other issues such as electoral reforms.
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