11 December, 2015 • Vol. 7 Issue 38 • www.iwk.co.nz
NZ’s first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper
The pulse of Kiwi-Indians
the good, the bad and the ugly
india’s epic win
crusher COLLINS IS BACK
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CONTENTS
11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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NEW ZEALAND
Pg 6
Auckland gets a stunning new cycleway
Pg 17
OPINION/EDITORIAL Does GST make sense for India?
Pg 23
SPORTS
India wins series against South Africa
INDIA
The inspiring side of struggle
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Pg 20
Special report: Chennai floods
Pg 25
MIGRANT TALES
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Pg 27
HEALTH
Food fixes for healthy hair
NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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IWK Bureau
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t a well-attended year end event organised by the India New Zealand Business Council, NZTE presented the findings of a research done in the Indian market that sheds new and valuable insights into tapping the topend market. According to the research, India has enormous potential as a major destination for premium New Zealand food and beverage products. India is New Zealand’s 10th largest export market with two-way trade of $1.9 billion in the year to June 2015. With a population of 1.27 billion, there is an opportunity for New Zealand companies to take advantage of the 26 million top-end consumers and meet their demands. As usual INZBC is at the forefront to assist Kiwi companies access this opportunity in India. NZTE’s Trade Commissioner Mumbai, Kevin McKenna gave the presentation with Daljit Kohli, Business Development Manager, NZTE Mumbai. The research gave new insights such as only two per cent of weekly food shopping in India is done in a supermarket or that consumers in India love smaller test packs for new products, and that food and beverage (F&B) products tailored for special events and holidays are always big sellers. Kevin said, “India has enormous potential as a major destination for premium New Zealand food and beverage products. The
Kevin McKenna adressing INZBC members
Indian market is characterised by varied taste preferences, challenges in distribution channels and fierce competition from wellestablished premium brands. India provides a challenging but exciting opportunity for New Zealand companies.” New Zealand Trade and Enterprise commissioned this research to better understand how New Zealand F&B companies could tailor and market their products to take advantage of India’s growing top-end consumer segment. The report outlines marketing tactics that can be used by companies to target
the 26 million wealthy Indians who purchase premium F&B products on a regular basis. However the insights from this research can also be used to draw parallels for similar products and services. Robert Barker, INZBC Chair, said that NZTE is doing a great job at educating the market to have a good strategy. He said, “The success and the failure of the entry into the Indian market lies with the correct strategy and sessions like these help in knowing the market better. This is key for the success of Kiwi businesses trying to venture into India.” Bhav Dhillon, Treasurer-INZBC said, “We at INZBC are trying to cover all areas to spread knowledge and information about doing business with India. This event was more focussed on research and strategy. We did a similar event in October on Taxation and Finance where the Trade Minister spoke and one in early November with the ICT industry. It is our endeavour that participants at our events experience valuable learnings about doing business with India, therefore, we have a healthy pipeline of knowledge imparting events for 2016.” PwC Auckland had hosted this event in support of the Kiwi export businesses, who share the passion and vision to work with India. Mark Russell, Partner at Auckland
PwC said, “PwC has been actively involved in helping our clients expand into India and are active proponents of telling the New Zealand story in India. PwC has many employees from the Indian diaspora who maintain strong links to India. Together with our PwC colleagues in India, we are more than happy to share our learnings and insights.” Wenceslaus Anthony, Head of Government Relations at INZBC said that the government is playing a crucial role in making this market a success. He said, “It is due to the hard work and vision put in by the agencies [such as] NZTE and MFAT, that we can provide the right support and direction to the Kiwi businesses.” He also reiterated that INZBC is the pre-eminent body promoting trade with India and New Zealand and is working with various like-minded agencies to create the forum for discussion, participation and knowledge dissemination. “Recently we had an event where INZBC supported the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to promote this research done by NZTE. The chamber had organised a very fruitful event, called the Market Snapshot: India, which also spoke about some case studies of local businesses and their experiences of working with India. At INZBC, we continuously support such endeavours to promote international trade with India,” said Mr Anthony.
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
National’s reshuffle
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IWK Bureau
Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Key announced changes to his Ministerial portfolios. The first major change came with the long-anticipated departure of Tim Groser who has been appointed as New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States. And as he resigns from the Cabinet on Monday, December 14, Judith Collins will be sworn in; she rejoins the Cabinet fold and will take up the Police and Corrections portfolios.
New ambassador to the United States
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ollowing his resignation from the Cabinet on December 14, Mr Groser will resign from the Parliament on December 19 and will take up the post
The return of Crusher Collins
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udith Collins returns as she takes up the Police and Corrections portfolios from Michael Woodhouse and Sam Lotu-Iiga. “I am pleased to welcome Judith Collins back to Cabinet,” said Mr Key. “Judith has been a competent Minister and will quickly be able to pick up the Police and Corrections
Corporation and Ethnic Affairs in 2011. In August 2014, she resigned from the Cabinet following allegations that she had undermined the then-head of the Serious Fraud Office, Adam Feeley. In November, she was cleared of any involvement. “I suspect the 12 months she has had on the backbench has given her a chance to reflect...and I think it will make her stronger as a minister,” added Mr Key. Talking about the Serco debacle, an excited Ms Collins told TVNZ that she “desperately
as the new MP for Epsom. “I respect his decision and look forward to continuing to work closely with him in his current roles,” says Mr Key.
Other changes
as the new ambassador to the US in early 2016. He will be replaced by Maureen Pugh from the West Coast, who will be sworn in as a new Member of Parliament. “New Zealand’s relationship with the United States is one of our most crucial,” says Mr Key. “As the world’s largest economy and New Zealand’s fourth-largest trading partner, the United States is a key destination for our exporters. New Zealand and the United States also cooperate on a range of international peace and security issues.” Mr Key added that Mr Groser’s extensive experience as Trade Minister makes him well-paced for the role of ambassador to the US. “I want to congratulate Tim Groser on his appointment as Ambassador to Washington. His experience in the trade portfolio, including the successful conclusion of the TPP negotiations, makes Mr Groser an ideal person to represent our country’s interest in Washington,” said Mr Key. “On a personal note, Tim will be very much missed by his colleagues in Cabinet and Caucus. Tim has been a valued colleague since his election to Parliament in 2005 and has made a significant contribution to New Zealand’s interests.” Mr Groser became a Member of Parliament in 2005 and has been a Minister since 2008, holding the Trade, Climate Change Issues, Conservation and Associate Foreign Affairs Ministerial portfolios then. His climate change portfolio will be handed over to Paula Bennett and his trade portfolio would go to Todd McClay. Mr Groser replaces outgoing Ambassador Mike Moore.
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wanted to get in there”. Even though she is considered to be partly responsible for Serco—as the contract was set up during her regime—it is interesting to note that as an instant reaction to her return, the decision to sack Serco has been announced. Ms Collins will be sworn in on December 14.
The David Seymour rejection portfolios that she has successfully held before. Ms Collins’ became a Cabinet minister in 2008 and her initial ministerial portfolios were Police, Corrections and Veterans’ Affairs.” Her portfolio changed to Justice, Accident Compensation
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CT Leader David Seymour was offered the positions of Minister for Regulatory Reform and Associate Minister of Education. However, Mr Seymour rejected the role. “He declined my offer, as he wants to see through his member’s bill on End of Life Choice. He is also focused on continuing to rebuild the ACT party and working hard
he other key changes made by Mr Key are as follows: Paula Bennett picks up the Climate Change Issues portfolio from Mr Groser Todd McClay becomes Minister of Trade. He retains his responsibilities for State Owned Enterprises while handing over the Revenue portfolio to Michael Woodhouse Michael Woodhouse picks up Revenue portfolio Sam Lotu-Iiga picks up the Local Government portfolio from Paula Bennett while handing Corrections to Ms Collins
Serco’s contract not to be renewed
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he Department of Corrections has confirmed that it would not
renew Serco’s contract to run Mt Eden Corrections Facility. Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga said that he supported the decision: “The decision is one of the chief executive of Corrections to make. However, I fully support the decision he has made. The contract allowed for non-renewal after six years, and I have been briefed on the reasons behind this decision. “This decision to not renew the contract will allow the department to consider changes to the management contract that will ensure it is run safely and effectively.”
INDIAN WEEKENDER CHRISTMAS & YEAR-END SPECIAL To advertise, call 022-3251630 / 021-1507950
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www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
Number of households projected to rise
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IWK Bureau
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ll 16 regions of New Zealand are projected to have more households in 2038 than in 2013, Statistics New Zealand has revealed. This is based on the ‘medium’ projection of the 2013base subnational family and household projections. Most territory authority areas (TAs) will also have more households. “There will be more one-person households and family households will be smaller in most areas,” population statistics senior manager Vina Cullum said. “These trends are driven mainly by the general ageing of our population.” Average family size is projected to decline, largely because of an increase in the proportion of couple-without-children families (which contain two people) and a decrease in the proportion of two-parent families (which contain about four people, on average). Couple-without-children families are projected to increase the fastest of the three broad family types over the next 25 years, for all regions and most TAs. Couplewithout-children families will continue to be the most common family type, increasing their share of families from 41 per cent to 45 per cent, as baby boomers increasingly become ‘empty nesters’. The Auckland region is projected to account for about half of the national growth in the number of households between 2013 and 2038, increasing from 500,000 to 750,000. Over the same period, the region is projected to account for roughly 60 per
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Auckland’s stunning new cycleway opens Red
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he city’s highly-anticipated and most ambitious cycling project, the Nelson Street Cycleway, was inaugurated last week on December 3. Following the formal opening by Transport Minister Simon Bridges, Councilor Chris Darby and Bike Auckland’s Barbara Cuthbert, a group of students from Freeman’s Bay School along with the minister rode their bikes across the section. Named Te Ara I Whiti, which translates as the Lightpath, the cycleway starts from Upper Queen Street, crossing the motorway and continues on the revamped magentacoloured Nelson Street motorway off-ramp. Maori artist Katz Maihi and iwi were involved in the design stages to add a distinct New Zealand identity to the path by including Maori designs. The $18 million project—part of the government’s urban cycleway programme—has been delivered by the NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport. “The NZ Transport Agency is proud to have worked with our partners to combine the new architectural excellence of the Canada Street Bridge alongside the innovative use of the existing offramp to provide such an exciting new cycling connection for Auckland,â€? says Mieszko Iwaskow, the Agency’s Project Delivery Manager. “Next year, the Nelson St Cycleway will be completed to Quay St where it will connect with other cycleways allowing people to move more freely throughout the downtown area. It is part of a rapidly expanding network of inner city cycle improvements that will provide more travel choice for people travelling into and around the city centre.â€?Â
On the completion of the project, Auckland Council Urban Design Champion Ludo Campbell-Reid said, “It has been fantastic to see the partnership approach making it happen, with input from iwi and stakeholders. Aucklanders told us they wanted this to be modern and distinctly New Zealand. The result is not only stunning; it will be an icon for cycling in Auckland and will grab attention around the world. “This is a moment to celebrate; a celebration of a youthful, innovative and progressive city where people and mobility are key factors to unlocking the potential of Auckland.� The project is a part of the three-year $200 million investment in cycling. Phase 2 of the cycleway, extending from Victoria Street West to Quay Street will be open by mid-2016.
Expansion of e-Visas modernising travel to NZ IWK Bureau
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mmigration Minister Michael Woodhouse welcomes the widespread roll-out of e-Visas as a major milestone in modernising travel to New Zealand. “The expansion of e-Visas for online applicants will make the visa application process faster, cheaper and easier,� Mr Woodhouse says. The roll-out means e-Visas are now available to the following online applicants:
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Inaugural ceremony of the Nelson Street Cyleway
applicants (excluding Chinese nationals) who apply for a visa while in New Zealand Student, visitor and work visa applicants from visa-waiver countries who apply from offshore “This is a great result for people coming to New Zealand for work, study or a holiday. Many customers will no longer need to send their passport away as part of the application, making the whole
process smoother and more convenient. “Modernising the visa application process is also beneficial for many key industries such as tourism and education as we continue to see an increase in the number of visitors and students travelling to New Zealand. “e-Visas are a great example of the government making greater use of technology to deliver better services to customers and support efforts to grow the economy,� Mr Woodhouse says.  In practice, e-Visas mean recipients will not have a physical visa label in their passport; instead their visa is held electronically. Customers receive an electronic visa approval notification with their visa details, including visa start/end dates and conditions.
NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
Crown and Council to ‘Regenerate Christchurch’
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n a first for New Zealand, with potential for replication beyond Christchurch, the Crown and Christchurch City Council have outlined plans to establish Regenerate Christchurch (RC)—“a jointly owned and funded entity tasked with overseeing the long-term $40 billion development and enhancement of the Central City, residential red zone, New Brighton and other potential regeneration zones”. With a working mandate of five years— till 2021—RC will have an independent board reporting to both the Crown and Council, which in turn will ensure that the new agency is managed completely different from the existing entities—the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and the Christchurch City Council. Moreover, RC will work in close coordination with the city council’s newly-established development company Development Christchurch Limited—the point of entry for new investors in the city— as well as a Crown-controlled company, which is currently also being developed. Notably, the announcement for forming RC came after a government-commissioned report headed by Jenny Shipley, argued for
ongoing central government support for Christchurch so as to generate confidence in the private sector to invest in central city developments. Stressing this to be the beginning of a new era in federalism in the country, Gerry Brownlee, who is the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery, and Lianne Dalziel, the Mayor of Christchurch, both, pointed towards a shift in focus for Christchurch from recovery to regeneration.
“The structure of the new entity allows for community engagement in the decision-making process, which is crucial to the future prosperity of our city,” said Dalziel. While Brownlee added, “This is a unique partnership and offers a new way of thinking about how central and local government could operate in the future. Christchurch will be leading the way and the rest of New Zealand will look to this partnership as a
new way of working.” After five years, the RC will be transfer to the city as a fully Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), the minister also informed. Headed by Andre Lovatt, who is also the Chief Executive of the Arts Centre of Christchurch, RC will develop plans and strategies to assist with regeneration, monitor regeneration outcomes and interventions, as well as facilitate seamless investor experience. “The aim is to really take where we are now and run with it, using the backing of the Council and Crown to test new ideas and create a fantastic city for the future,” noted Lovatt. Also, since there is no existing shared ownership model that meets the objectives of both the Council and the Crown, the government has introduced the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Bill in the Parliament, supporting regeneration of Greater Christchurch following the expiry of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011 on April 26 next year. The bill, apart from establishing the RC, will provide “for the timely, future development of greater Christchurch and enabling an increased role for local leadership”, said the government in a release.
IWK Bureau
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new three-day festival has just been launched in Great Lake Taupo. The Taupo Winter Festival will be a celebration of the arts, community, family and a whole lot of fun. Perfectly placed in the middle of school holidays, the festival will see three actionpacked days over July 15, 16 and 17, 2016 and is expected to attract thousands of visitors from around the North Island. The festival has been created by The One Taupo Charitable Trust. Trustee and Town Centre Taupo Chairman, Chris Johnston explains, “The Taupo Winter Festival has the ability to bring a real vibrancy to the town. The schedule looks like it will appeal to a wide variety of attendees. From young families travelling into the region, right through to some of our older population right here in town.” Taupo District Council Events Manager, Steve Giles, is excited to see the festival come to life and think it has the success factors to grow into an iconic festival for the district. “We believe the proposed event will be of great social and economic benefit during what is traditionally our off-peak season. It will also provide a muchneed large arts and culture event on our calendar.” Further scheduling will be announced in early 2016.
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
ITA Courier delivers a readable package IWK Bureau
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ndia Trade Alliance (ITA), the organisation that promotes trade, investment, sporting and cultural links between New Zealand and India, launched the maiden issue of its magazine ITA Courier on December 7. The invitation-only organisation, launched in September this year, has a growing body of membership both in New Zealand and India. The membership represents a cross section of government and private trade promotion bodies, public and private sector companies, global consulting firms and high-profile professionals, businesspeople, administrators and officials, many of them respected opinion makers with influence on policymaking. “ITA is as much of a trade and investment promotion organisation as it is a think tank,” ITA Chairman Giriraj Gupta told Indian Weekender at the launch of ITA Courier. “Coming up with a magazine almost immediately after ITA’s launch demonstrates our intent to make the alliance successful for the benefit of not only our members but more importantly in the interests of the New Zealand-India relationship.” The inaugural issue introduces readers to ITA as an organisation and has a set of excellent articles on topics ranging from an overview of the India-New Zealand relationship and its potential to grow to how the trade alliance plans to make this relationship mutually gainful through closer economic relations. It also has an in-depth
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piece on the hotly contested topic in India—“Does India need GST?” penned by former Reserve Bank of NZ Governor Dr Don Brash. “The magazine will publish thoughtprovoking articles that will provide the right impetus for growing the New Zealand-India relationship across many layers—from business to culture and sport. It is aimed at both our valued members and decision makers among our different stakeholder groups,” he added. Asked who these stakeholder groups were, Mr Gupta said, “ITA works with a cross section of stakeholder publics ranging from government ministries and policy
makers to chambers of commerce and the private sector in both countries.” ITA has administrative centres in the Indian cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Auckland in New Zealand. The alliance hosted its first major event in Auckland on Monday, October 26, where its members met a high profile visiting information technology delegation from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Mr Gupta said few trade promotion bodies such as ITA had effective communication vehicles like a regularly published magazine to think up and convey ideas for cementing trade and investment relationships between countries among stakeholders. “ITA Courier will be available across print and digital formats and will have useful articles authored by knowledgeable people, decision makers and policy influencers both in India and New Zealand,” he said. The alliance recently launched its website www.ita.nz. The inaugural issue has been well received, Mr Gupta revealed saying, “We’ve begun with a small issue of just 24 pages for starters but it has been very well received according to the feedback that is coming in.” He said the issue had been distributed in the New Zealand Parliament and among several government and public and private sector organisations. Copies have also been shipped to India for distribution through ITA’s administrative centres in major Indian cities.
Kiwi kids swamp Santa with lettersBlack this yearOrange Red IWK Bureau
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anta has received tens of thousands of letters from Kiwi kids with their wish lists for Christmas this year. New Zealand Post has so far received 64,037 physical and online letters. New Zealand Post’s ‘Letters to Santa’ coordinator Katey Cameron says New Zealand Post loves being part of Christmas celebrations in New Zealand. New Zealand Post began helping Santa and his elves with Christmas letters in 1998. As usual, children aren’t leaving anything to chance, writing detailed letters about their expectations come December 25. One girl asked for video games and world peace. Another asked for a mermaid light, pink scooter, kinetic sand and blade ranger. A boy requested dinosaur DNA, real dinosaur bones and a remote control dinosaur. Many children asked for Santa to call or write to them. Others sent in cards containing gifts for Santa, like sparkles, beads and chocolates. He also received many drawings and elaborate art work. The most popular gifts requested this year were iPads, iPhones, Nerf guns, dolls, make-up and mermaid toys. The ones who missed the deadline of submitting an online form can still post their wish list to Santa’s Workshop, North Pole 0001. New Zealand Post has also provided a template on our website where parents can download a reply from Santa at https:// www.nzpost.co.nz/christmas/send-aletter-to-santa
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www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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Films that make a Diplomatic protest difference over Japanese whaling
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IWK Bureau
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ew Zealand has led a joint diplomatic protest over Japan’s decision to resume whaling in the Southern Ocean, Prime Minister and Acting Foreign Minister John Key says. “New Zealand and other concerned countries today sent a strong message to the Japanese Government over its resumption of whaling in the Southern Ocean, delivering a formal message in Tokyo expressing their opposition.
resume its Southern Ocean whaling programme, with the whaling fleet departing on December 1. The protest was led by New Zealand’s Ambassador to Japan, Mark Sinclair. “We have urged Japan, as a member of the International Whaling Commission, to respect the Commission’s procedures and the advice of its scientific bodies. “We consider that there is no scientific basis for the slaughter of whales and
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“A total of 33 countries, including the US, Australia, Mexico, South Africa and the EU member countries, were represented at today’s demarche, expressing concern over Japan’s actions.” On November 27, the Japanese Government announced that it would
strongly urge the Government of Japan not to allow it to go ahead. “New Zealand has repeatedly expressed its opposition to Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. We will continue to work to see this outdated practice brought to an end,” Mr Key said.
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nspiring Stories was started in 2011 with a vision to unleash the true potential of every young New Zealander. A nationwide charity and growing movement, it was founded by 2015 Young New Zealander of the Year and documentary film-maker Guy Ryan. Their annual film competition, aptly named Making a Difference, highlights inspiring anecdotes of Kiwis who are contributing towards the society. The competition provides aspiring film-makers a platform to present a short film about a young Kiwi who has made a difference in their community or the world through the art of storytelling. This year, the grand prize winner was Michelle Vergel de Dios’ Sehar’s Story, which recounts the journey of Sehar Moughal, a young migrant woman, who led an initiative to help migrant and refugee women integrate into the society. It explores the challenges Sehar faced as she made her way in a new society and how she provided assistance to others who had to go through the same ordeal. Talking about the situation, Sehar says, “We can’t write off the migrant and refugee women coming into New Zealand just because we don’t or won’t understand their difficulties. We need to acknowledge their pain [and] then take steps to ease their suffering.” The entries were judged by a panel of industry professionals and the finalists were announced in October. The winners were awarded at a ceremony in Wellington on December 5. The overall winner received
$2,000 and a two-day internship at Images & Sounds in Auckland. O t h e r winning films included Rewind by Liam Van Eeden and Jean-Martin Fabre, Youth Pride, Youth Passion, Youth Change by Nina Griffiths, Aspire by Samantha Smyrke, Mountains for Malawi by Henry Donald and Whenua Finds a Future by Sarah Ridsdale. The winning films can be viewed on Make a Difference’s website: www.makingadifference.org.nz.
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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PM’s Scholarships for Asia announced
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he 2015 Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia have been awarded to 152 students from across New Zealand. “These scholarships are a special opportunity for young New Zealanders to study, conduct research, or take up internships in countries that are hugely important to New Zealand, both today and in the future,” says Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce. Now in its third year, this fifth round of scholarships takes the total number of recipients to date to 617. Funding of $9 million over
NZ formally joins Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
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ew Zealand has formally become a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Finance Minister Bill English says. Ratification by members with 50 per cent of the capital of the AIIB is needed for it to establish operations. New Zealand’s ratification will contribute to the organisation reaching the 50 per cent threshold needed for the AIIB to establish operations. This is expected to take place by mid-December. This follows the passage of the International Financial Agreement Amendment Act here in New Zealand in November. “Being the ninth country to formally become a founding member is the next step on from our early engagement with the AIIB,” Mr English says. “New Zealand was the first developed western nation to join negotiations to set up the AIIB, and our membership will enhance our already strong economic, trade and investment links with the Asian region. “Through our role in establishing the AIIB, we have been able to ensure it has strong governance, environmental and social policies, and transparency— so we have good reason to expect it to deliver efficiently and effectively. New Zealand is benefitting from the rapid and sustained economic development across Asia. For this to continue, the region needs to address constraints posed by infrastructure bottlenecks,” he says. The AIIB will have around NZ$150 billion (US$100 billion) of initial capital to promote sustainable development in the region.
five years was provided in Budget 2013 for the programme as part of the government’s Internationally Focused Growth Package. “During the trade missions and education
delegations I lead overseas, I meet several Kiwis immersing themselves in the education and culture of our Asian neighbours as a result of these scholarships. These young people are making an investment for themselves and their country by picking up skills and experience that will place them at the forefront of our future in this Asia-Pacific century,” Mr Joyce says. The 152 recipients awarded funding this round includes 82 individuals and four groups. Group recipients include 20 students from Lincoln University undertaking summer school in Indonesia, learning more
about Indonesian culture and business with a particular focus on agribusiness and food supply. Meanwhile 15 students from Unitec will undertake a student exchange to Chongqing University of Science and Wuhan University this month. Individual recipients include a cyber security postgraduate student at the University of Waikato who will take up an internship with Interpol’s Global Complex for Innovation (GCI) in Singapore to continue their work into cybercrime. “These young people are embracing our 21st century globalised world. We even
have one student studying for a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts using their scholarship to add Thai to a set of language skills that already includes Japanese, Mandarin and Taiwanese. “More and more members of this new generation are changing tack and heading to Asia rather than New Zealand’s traditional OE destinations,” says Mr Joyce. Applications for the next round of scholarships are now open. It closes at 5 p.m. on March 30, 2016. Applications can be made by individuals or groups to Education New Zealand, the lead agency for the promotion of international education.
NZ joins Global Geothermal Alliance
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ew Zealand is the newest member of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA), Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges announced in Paris. The GGA is an initiative led by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to increase geothermal electricity generation and the direct use of geothermal heat. The announcement of New Zealand’s membership of the GGA took place in Paris as part of the Climate Change Conference. “Joining the Alliance will position New Zealand firms to benefit from geothermal projects and partnerships around the world,” Mr Bridges says.
Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges
New Zealand currently has geothermal experts operating around the world including
the Philippines, Indonesia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. “We have a very unique value proposition and advantage in geothermal. New Zealand has a long and successful history in the development of geothermal resources, with the first plant established still providing a reliable electricity source more than 50 years later. “We are now the fourth largest geothermal power generator in the world, after the United States, the Philippines and Indonesia. “As the world transitions towards a lower carbon future, the increased demand for renewable energy, coupled with the ongoing interest in energy security, has focused attention on geothermal
energy. Worldwide installed capacity is forecast to double this decade.” The GGA’s objectives are to reduce risks associated with geothermal business, encourage geothermal investment and help integrate geothermal facilities into energy markets. It also promotes ways of using geothermal resources and associated network infrastructure efficiently. Other members of the GGA include: Bolivia, Burundi, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, France, Honduras, Iceland, Nicaragua, Kenya, the Philippines, the United States, Turkey, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
Microsoft deal opens up new world of learning in schools
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new agreement with Microsoft will reduce IT complexity for schools and enhance access to the online world for students, enabling them to learn anywhere, any time and on any device, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye. Ms Kaye announced the new agreement between the Ministry of Education and Microsoft during a visit to Lyall Bay School in Wellington on Tuesday, December 8. “The Ministry has extended its Schools’ Agreement with Microsoft NZ for the next three years. The new contract includes a range of exciting features that will benefit schools, teachers, students and their families alike,” says Ms Kaye. “A key feature of the new agreement is that it will enable
schools to move to a cloud-based IT environment. “This means instead of storing software, teaching information and student records on school PCs and servers, it can now be stored in the cloud, reducing both cost and IT complexity for schools. “An added bonus in the deal for students and teachers in schools using Office 365, is that they will be able to download Office software to their personal devices and home computers free of charge. In the past, you might have paid around $200 a year to license
Office. This is a significant saving that will help more students and their families use the online world for learning. “Twenty-first century learning and education goes beyond the classroom and this agreement reflects that. It gives schools, teachers and students the latest software to help them work together on projects, share documents and give and receive feedback in real time. “Under the agreement, the Ministry and Microsoft will work together to provide support and training to schools to help them make the transition to a cloudbased system. “New software supplied to schools as part of the deal makes it easier for schools to run their IT environment, freeing them up to concentrate on teaching. I
recently announced that around 90 per cent of schools are now connected to the N4L Managed Network, which provides highspeed internet and uncapped data funded by the Crown, and all schools will be able to connect by the end of next year at the latest. “The government is committed to helping schools and students harness the power of digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning, and this latest agreement between the Ministry and Microsoft is further testament to this. “Technology is changing the world we live and work in at an ever-increasing rate, and we want every student to gain the skills necessary to succeed in that world, no matter where they live or go to school in New Zealand.”
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
Community and govt deliver more social housing
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ommunity Housing Providers will deliver more than 500 new social housing places in Auckland, well in excess of the 300 target, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says. The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will contract with five registered community Housing Providers to deliver 508 new social housing places over the next three years. $10 million in up-front funding will be provided to support costs related to bringing the supply on stream. The prime minister announced the supply boost in January as a part of the Social Housing Reform Programme to increase and improve New Zealand’s social housing supply, particularly in highdemand areas such as Auckland. The Salvation Army will provide 87 places, Accessible Properties will provide 358 places, and the Chinese New Settler Trust will provide 36 places. A further two Community Housing Providers are expected to sign contracts for the remaining places in the next few weeks. “I’m really thrilled with the response we’ve received,” says Mrs Bennett. “We have been working closely with the community housing sector to find sustainable ways to grow the supply of social housing in Auckland and house more vulnerable New Zealanders. “While developing housing in Auckland remains challenging, this announcement shows real progress. “This initial request to the community sector was seeking 300 places and was
primarily to gauge providers’ interest and capability, and to test a competitive process that was new to many of them. “The response is beyond our expectations and signals an innovative sector that is ready to work with the government to play a bigger role in social housing.” Under changes introduced in May 2015, MSD is able to negotiate contracts for the Income Related Rent Subsidy up to 25 years, giving Community Housing Providers a government-backed guaranteed income stream. “A crucial part of the Social Housing Reform Programme is working closely with those on the frontline to enable them to grow and provide more support to the vulnerable New Zealanders they work with on a daily basis,” says Mrs Bennett. “Community providers consistently told us they needed longer term, more flexible contracting to fund new social housing developments, and we have responded to them. “Fundamentally, this is about vulnerable New Zealanders, and ensuring they can get access to housing while they need it.”
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Life-saving treatment only for those who can afford it? Phil Goff
Labour MP
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ast week, the government’s drug purchasing agency, Pharmac, said that it had decided not to fund a new drug, Keytruda, which cancer treatment specialists say is a breakthrough treatment for advanced melanoma. Without treatment, most of those suffering from advanced melanoma will die. The drug won’t save every life but clinical trials show for at least a third of sufferers, Keytruda will be effective in curing their cancer. Melanoma kills about 300 Kiwis every year. That means that being able to access the new drug will save more than
100 lives a year. It’s not cheap. A full course of treatment costs around $300,000. For those who have access to that sort of spare cash, they will pay for the drug themselves. Who wouldn’t make that investment to save their life? But for others who don’t have the money and don’t want to burden their families with huge debts, particularly if they don’t survive the treatment and leave their dependents without a breadwinner, the cost is prohibitive. It is fundamentally wrong that life or death should depend on wealth and income. Every person, regardless of their means, should have the right to access lifesaving treatment. In Australia and the UK, Keytruda is publicly funded but in New Zealand the decision has been taken not to fund it. I don’t blame Pharmac. As an agency, they have to live within their means.
Over the last six years it is estimated that National has underfunded the health sector by $1.7 billion. Pharmac, for example, put in a modest claim this year for an additional $11 million for its budget to be able to invest in new medicines. It got less than half of this amount. Of course, the government doesn’t have an endless supply of money but it is about priorities. We are currently spending $26 million on a referendum on a new flag. One referendum could have been held at a fraction of that cost, coinciding with the next general election. For reasons never explained, the government has taken the high cost option despite every public opinion poll showing a new flag will be rejected by a sizeable majority. What is more important? Funding a referendum that is likely to fail or paying for a drug that will save lives? The government
is saying they can’t overrule Pharmac, but National got elected in 2008 on a promise to do just that. They promised to overrule Pharmac to put additional funding into a breast cancer drug Herceptin. National MPs carrying mock coffins in protest marches said funding cancer drugs was the right thing to do. That was, of course, then when there was a political motivation to win votes. That’s an absolute double standard. This issue around Keytruda should be about saving human lives and not politics. The drug has been proven to be effective in a significant proportion of cases and is publicly funded in other countries. National should fund Pharmac adequately so this drug is available to people fighting for their lives. There’s no way that access to this treatment should depend on personal wealth rather than need.
Supporting businesses and households Parmjeet Parmar
National List MP
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mall businesses are the understated heavy lifters of the New Zealand economy. In an electorate such as Mount Roskill, the vast majority of our businesses are small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). The government is committed to maintaining an economic environment where our SMEs can flourish. I know firsthand what it takes to keep an SME going and that’s why I’m proud to talk about the government’s economic record as we deliver for New Zealanders.
Businesses are the engine rooms of the New Zealand economy. Growth in the economy is driven by businesses investing another dollar or hiring another person. The government’s role is to support an economy where businesses can be flexible and resilient enough to respond to changing international and domestic conditions. The current state of the global economy underlines the continued importance of this approach. Among our steps to help businesses and households we’ve reduced taxes on work and saving to encourage more jobs and investment and increase take-home pay. We’ve controlled government spending. This is helping to keep pressure off interest rates. It also helped us deliver on our promise of returning to surplus in 2014–15. Reduced ACC levies, with more to come, are helping businesses and households, as
is the roll out of ultra-fast broadband and investment of billions in roads. We’ve negotiated New Zealand’s biggest trade deal—the TPP—to support more jobs and diversify the economy. Our economy grew by 2.4 per cent in the year to June 2015—putting us in the top half of developed economy growth rates. Growth is expected to average around 2 to 2.5 per cent over the next three years. The average wage is now just more than $57,000 a year. That’s an increase of more than $10,000 since National came into office in 2008. Wages increased by 3.1 per cent on average in the last year, which is significantly higher than inflation at just 0.4 per cent. And 34,000 more jobs were created in the year to September 2015, with around 180,000 more jobs in the past five years. We are seeing a lift in business and consumer
confidence. ANZ’s latest Business Outlook shows business confidence continuing to improve in November, with net 15 percent of businesses being optimistic about the economy for the year ahead with 32 per cent positive about their own businesses. Profit expectations, investment intentions, employment intentions, and export intentions have all improved. ANZ’s quarterly review of regional trends shows activity rose in eight of the nine North Island regions and in four out of the five South Island regions, with the strongest activity growth in Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Otago. The government’s focus remains on managing the government’s finances in a sensible and responsible manner, continuing to pay down debt, and on building a more productive and competitive economy.
New visa to grow value from international students Kanwaljit Bakshi
National List MP
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e all know New Zealand’s a great place to live. It’s little wonder that it is a popular destination for study as well. International students have a special, strong place in New Zealand. They strengthen and contribute to the economy and provide a great contribution to
education providers and their communities Contributing $2.85 billion a year to the economy and supporting more than 30,000 jobs, education is our fifth-largest exporter. Last week, we announced a new Pathway Student Visa programme aimed at making us as a country more competitive for retaining and attracting top international students. The Pathway Student Visa will allow international students to undertake a pathway of up to three consecutive programmes of study with selected education providers. A pathway can be offered by a single education provider or in partnership with
other selected education providers and will be valid for a maximum time period of five years. Beginning on December 7, this 18-month pilot period will cover more than 500 higher quality primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Immigration New Zealand will have ample time to evaluate the programme’s
success, and how arrangements between providers are functioning well for all concerned. As well as attracting world-class talent from around the world, this visa will provide assurance for students that they have a visa for their entire planned pathway of study. Safeguards in place, such as a requirement for providers to have a 90 per cent global student visa approval rate for entry into the pilot programme, will help to ensure the programme works out successfully as planned. International education continues to be an important export earner for us as a country—and long may it continue.
NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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Music and Movies in Parks from January
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hree months of free entertainment begins in January, with the 2016 Music and Movies in Parks series. Roll out the picnic blankets for free Movies in Parks from Friday, January 15. Movie buffs can look forward to a wide range of outdoor screenings
including
Jurassic
World, Minions, Pitch Perfect 2, Big Hero 6, Inside Out, Grease, Ghostbusters and Furious 7. The best live music Aotearoa has to offer—including hip-hop, rock, electronic, jazz and opera— can be found with Music in Parks from Sunday, January 10 at free outdoor events right across the region. Acts range from cutting-edge young artists to established local favourites, and January’s line-up
Music and Movies in Parks 2015
Rock the Park in February—
years, and the Music and Movies
with major musical acts still to
series has become an essential
be announced—plus George in
part of Auckland summer. “I’m
enjoying our beautiful parks
the Park in March. Councillor
really excited about the line-up
all across the region.”
Alf Filipaina, Chair of Arts and
of musical acts and can’t wait
The
Music
and
includes Benny Tipene, Maala,
Culture, is a long-time fan of
to check out some of these new
Movies
Into
the series.
local artists.
programme is
available
online
website:
The
East,
Kantuta
and
Lord Echo. Big line-ups still to
He says, “Music in Parks has
“As always, I’m also looking
come include Demon Energy›s
been run by the council for 22
forward to seeing families out
in on
Parks their
2016
www.moviesinparks.co.nz.
“I’m really excited about the line-up of musical acts and can’t wait to check out some of these new local artists. As always, I’m also looking forward to seeing families out enjoying our beautiful parks all across the region.”
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FIJI
11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Scholars recognised for research excellence
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ore than 100 staff and students of the University of the South Pacific (USP) were recognised for having their highquality research published in high-ranked publications in 2014. These researchers were presented with certificates during the 4th Research Excellence Awards Evening at USP’s Marine Studies Lecture Theatre. Speaking to recipients, deputy vicechancellor (Research and International), Professor Derrick Armstrong said 2014 had recorded the highest ever quality research output with 53 A and A* ranked publications. “At our present rate, we are likely to well exceed the 2018 objectives for publication outputs,” he said. Recipient of the vice-chancellor’s prize for research impact, Joeli Veitayaki said he is grateful to USP for the opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for his effort. Mr Veitayaki, the Associate Professor in Marine Studies,wrote a book chapter titled,
Recipients of the A ranked publication awards with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and International), Professor Derrick Armstrong
Vakarau ni se siga toka (prepare while there is time): Lomani Gau’s response to climate change. He dedicated his award to the people of Gau island, saying that it is the recognition of the work that he and the people of Gau islandhave put in. “It is our duty to serve the issues of communities of the region and if we can work
with some of the communities to help them with real life needs that they are currently struggling with, I think USP research will be heading in the right direction,” Mr Veitayaki said. In his publication, Mr Veitayaki discussed about how the local communities in Gau are preparing for the future influenced by climate change.
Fiji Sevens hit by food poisoning
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ew Zealand is not the only team with health issues heading into World Seven Series leg in Cape Town. The All Black Sevens have called in three replacements after five players were injured during the opening leg in Dubai. Dubai winners Fiji have arrived in South Africa with a bout of food poisoning going through the squad. Fiji coach Ben Ryan expects it will be a challenge for his players to back up their performance in South Africa. He says the players are tired, which hasn’t been helped by a run of diarrhoea that has swept through the team. Ben Ryan says a few other teams are also suffering but he’s hopeful his players will be right by the weekend. He says Fiji is a curve ahead of the rest of the teams playing in the 2015–16 World Sevens Series. The Vodafone Fijian 7s coach is confident of repeating the feat and winning the inaugural Cape Town Sevens in South Africa this weekend. Ryan made the bold statement after the Vodafone Fijian 7s clinched the Dubai 7s title in clinical fashion beating England 28–17 in the Cup final. Meanwhile, New Zealand finished the Dubai tournament with just five fit players
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Source: Fiji Sun
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ive thousand new recipients will benefit from government’s social pension scheme next year. The new recipients will be in addition to the 16,472 senior citizens who are already part of the scheme. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Rosy Akbar says the decision comes after the State increased the Social Welfare Department’s budget from $8 million this year to $13m in 2016. “This increase will accommodate the expected increase of applicants due to the lowering of the eligibility age from 68 years to 66 years from July next year,” she said. Recipients are senior citizens above 66 years who do not have accessibility to any form of superannuation funds such as FNPF, Aftercare Fund or Ex-Servicemen’s allowance. The increase in the department’s 2016 budget allocation is to cater for the social pension scheme. “In 2015, government has reformed the social pension scheme to reduce the age of eligibility and has increased the allowance from $30 a month to $50 a month. “The funding for this programme had increased from $3m to $8m in 2015 in order to carry out this reform.” Ms Akbar said persons living with disabilities and the elderly would continue to be assisted with bus fare subsidies to ease the cost of travel.
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Fiji celebrate winning the 2015 Dubai Sevens
with coach Gordon Tietjens describing the injury toll as the worst of his career. Scott Curry has a dislocated shoulder, Gillies Kaka and Regan Ware both have ankle injuries, Tim Mikkelson suffered a concussion and Sherwin Stowers a broken arm. They have been replaced by Manawtu’s Antonio Kirikiri, Taranaki’s Beaudein
to represent Christ and her beautiful country, Fiji. You can vote for Miss Fiji by downloading the Miss World app for free on the Apple Store or Google Play, select Fiji in the contestant panel and vote. You can vote up to twice a day until 1:30 a.m. on December 20 Fiji time before the live finals of Miss World.
Waka and Manawatu’s Ambrose Curtis who played for the side last year. Waka was in Dubai but wasn’t part of the 12 strong playing squad as he suffered a knee injury but has now been passed fit to play. New Zealand play Samoa, France and Dubai in the first round in Cape Town on Saturday.
Miss World Fiji Pageant director Andhy Blake said the Miss World Sportswoman competition had finished and the results would be announced soon. The People’s Choice Award is selected on the number of votes a contestant gathers from her supporters and fans around the World and Miss Fiji is currently ranked in the top 25.
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Extra $5m for senior citizens
Christmas dinner for orphans
Brittany wants support iji’S representative to the 65th Miss World Pageant in Sanya, China, Brittany Hazelman is encouraging every Fijian to support her by voting her as Miss World People’s Choice. In an interview from China, Ms Hazelman thanked Fiji and her supporters for the incredible support, positivity and encouragement and said she was proud
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bout 100 children from five orphanages in the Central Division had reasons to smile. The children from Saint Christopher’s Home, Dilkusha Home, Homes of Hope, Happy Hope and Chevalier Hostel were hosted to dinner by officials of Carpenters Fiji Ltd at the MHCC food court in Suva. They were also presented with gifts, shopping vouchers, school stationery and cash. Carpenters Fiji Ltd’s director retail and marketing Kuna Sabaratnam said the yearly event was something they all looked forward to. “It feels so good when you actually do something for others, especially for these little children,” Mr Sabaratnam said. Dilkusha Home’s sister-in-charge Deaconess Leba Laveti said the children had looked forward to this event and were blessed to celebrate it with their colleagues from other homes. Ms Laveti said it was a memorable day for the little ones. Suluwaia Aditukana, 8, of Saint Christopher’s Home thanked the staff members and management of Carpenters Fiji Ltd for their kindness.
FIJI
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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Fiji in top 10 national costume and dances
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iss World Fiji, Brittany Hazelman is doing Fiji proud while representing the nation at the 65th Miss World Pageant in Sanya, China. The 25-year-old Savusavu lass is ranked Top 50 for People’s Choice and currently in the Top 10 National Costume and Dances of the World. Her national dance was choreographed by Navi Fong of Vou Dance group and national costume designed by Fijian designer Hupfeld Hoerder, which was featured on the Times of India website. In one of the pageant’s recent activities, Ms Hazelman joined other contestants in a charity initiative where they were allocated
families/children to work with. The contestants were also were treated to a funfilled day away from the hectic schedule, where they got to shop at one of Sanya’s premier shopping centres. Miss Fiji will wear Fijian designer Jadeine Whiteside’s (JW’s) black and gold custom designed gown during the designer gown and top model competition and at the final crowning night of the pageant. The gown features tapa prints, which is inspired by Fiji’s unique traditional culture and heritage. The lower-part of the gown also reflects the importance of the sea. Miss World Fiji national director, Andhy Blake said this was an opportunity to
Miss World Fiji Brittany Hazelman
showcase our top designers to the world.
on Sunday, December 20 at 1:30 a.m. on
The 65th Miss World final will telecast live
FBC TV.
Miss Fiji optimistic of good outing
we will beat any valid written fare
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embers of the Miss Fiji delegation to the upcoming Miss South P a c i f i c pageant in Rarotonga, C o o k Islands, are o p t i m i s t i c Ms Fiji Zaira Begg of their contestant’s chances. During a press conference for their promotional video launch at the Damodar Cinemas lounge in Suva, delegation chaperone Lice Movono said from a range of one to 10 their preparations were at number 10. Ms Rova says Miss Fiji to this year’s pageant will be dressed in local designer wear only. “All of her wardrobe have been designed by local fashion designers and this year we wanted to focus on traditional motifs and some of the designers whom we are fortunate to have include Rachael Fairfax, Andrew Powell, Robert Kennedy and Hupfeld Hoerder. “We really want to compete against other Pacific countries renowned for their island prints high end fashion market. Fiji has a stable garment industry that we hope to portray in this outing.” Ms Rova explains that the professional dancer has the best of two worlds when representing two different cultures. “We were working with very little resources, but despite that the support that we got from musicians, photographers, make-up artistes, designers and just our friends who believed in our journey was what brought us this far as well.” Ms Fiji Zaira Begg says she will be advocating on youth empowerment at the Miss South Pacific pageant. “I will be advocating mainly on youth empowerment, that it does not matter where you came from, only where you are headed and going. That anybody can be whatever they want to become and I’m glad to be the first Miss Fiji of mixed heritage. “I have had limited time, a month to prepare myself, but I am ready to represent Fiji at the Miss South Pacific pageant.” Ms Begg says the Fiji contingent flies out this weekend.
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Thought of the week
Without music, life would be a mistake. — Friedrich Nietzsche Editorial
Courtesy : Satish Acharya sify.com
From the desk of the Managing Editor
“
‘Can I show you something?’ I asked as I reached for one of her crayons. ‘Look, when you colour in one direction the drawing looks much cleaner.’ I flexed my wrist up and down to show her what I meant. ‘I’m fine,’ she answered. ‘Don’t you want your drawings to come out nice?’ I asked. ‘Yup,’ she said. ‘Then why aren’t you using the right colours, colouring in the lines and colouring in the same direction like me and your mom showed you?’ ‘Because it’s my drawing,’ she answered. She smiled and continued to colour.” —Idan Ravin from The Hoops Whisperer The above is an exchange between Idan and his niece that he talks about in the book. When I read this, I could not stop smiling to myself for a very long time. But that’s exactly how it is for each one us isn’t it? We are the ones who decide what our life’s journey is going to be like. There is no right or wrong way to get to where you dream to reach. It is important that each one of us finds that unique strength that takes us where we want to go. So trust your strength and continue on your path, no matter what anyone says. It has probably been this belief in their own strength that has led the Indian Cricket Team—under the very talented Virat Kohli—to clinch the 3–0 series victory over South Africa. Needless to say any big or small win for the Indian cricket team is a matter of great celebration for the entire nation. It is indeed a great way to end the year. Read our story with more details of this in our issue. The one reason that has a lot of people concerned is the Chennai floods. More than anything else it is definitely a major lesson to learn from. Even though the waters are now slowly receding, people are still angry and feel helpless about the entire situation. We bring you a special report on this. The one local news that has seemed to get almost everyone’s attention is the cabinet reshuffle that our Prime Minister initiated early this week. The much-anticipated return of Judith (Crusher) Collins to the cabinet was received with mixed feelings. Even though the opposition seemed opposed to her return, her own attitude amidst this all has been fabulous. Talking about her opposition to TVNZ she said that it was “a mark of tremendous respect”. There is much work that she needs to do with the two portfolios that she has been entrusted with and it will be interesting to watch the space. There have been other changes as well and we bring you the complete picture in our story on this. Christmas is fast approaching and everyone is gearing up for the festival season. There are also many efforts being undertaken by different organisations to raise funds or food or toys or gifts for the less fortunate ones. Let us just make sure that this festive season we spare a thought and a few dollars for those who may need them.
Pick of the week
We will be wrapping up for the year with our next issue. Until next time. Giri Gupta
Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 38 Publisher: Kiwi Media Group Limited Managing Editor: Giri Gupta | girigupta@xtra.co.nz Editor: Annu Sharma | editor@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Swati Sharma | reporter@indianweekender.co.nz Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | iwk.rizwan@gmail.com Reporter: Esha Chanda | iwk.eshac@gmail.com Reporter: Kumar Suresh | iwk.kumar@gmail.com Chief Technical Officer: Rohan Desouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | designer@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: Farah Khan | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Marketing: 022 3251630 / 021 1507950 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.
The Press Information Bureau of India circulated an image on Twitter showing PM Narendra Modi doing an aerial survey of flooded Chennai. An obvious photoshop job, PIB later removed the image and deleted the tweet amid a barrage of mockery.
Chrissy pressies Meaning: Christmas presents Usage: I’ve just finished buying all the Chrissy pressies!
Tip from the trenches
For a stress-free moving day
• Pack the items you will need first in a clear plastic bin. • Wrap your breakables (dishes, glasses, etc.) in clothing to save on bubble wrap. • Take a photo of how your electronics are connected so you can remember how and where all the wires go. • If you’re renting, take photos of your cleaned-out old home and your new home before moving in. • Fill the nail holes in your previous home with a bar of soap or toothpaste • Remember to defrost your refrigerator at least a day before moving, and wipe up any liquid.
OPINION/EDITORIAL
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
Prioritising ‘Safe in India’
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N. Hamsa and Divashri Mathur
Currently, the various private and public helpline in India are divided by the nature of support sought— police, fire services, ambulance, legal aid or counselling—and by geography (city and state). Some critics have pointed out that having multiple
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ince 2012, December has become synonymous with a rally of activity around women’s safety. We however need to look beyond the month. Statistics put the female workforce participation rate at 27 per cent. The government has emphasised the need for increasing women’s participation in the workforce in its various strategies. Social norms and orthodox attitudes are often cited for these poor figures, but one rarely acknowledges the fact that women in India do not feel secure enough to participate freely in any sphere, be it social, political or economic. Cases such as the rape of the physiotherapy intern, the photo journalist in Mumbai or the BPO worker in an Uber cab in Delhi lead to sporadic rhetoric about women’s safety and then die a gradual death. What remains constant after the media hue and cry has subsided is a feeling of fear among women and the backlash they face when they raise their voice for their rights. Contrary to the alarm raised by many about the streets being unsafe for women, a majority of the violence happens within the four walls of the home. According to data from 2013, in 97 per cent of rape cases, the accused was known to the victim. A number of initiatives have been taken to stem the tide of violence in both the public and domestic spheres. The Dowry Prohibition Act, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, the Criminal
Law (Amendment) Act and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act and fast track courts are the foremost legal initiatives. Besides legal remedies, which are often ineffective due to the complicated, lengthy and expensive procedures, technology can go a long way in providing aid to women if used effectively and as a supplement to other measures. Women’s helpline and safety apps are two resources that have been launched in recent times and possess the potential to make a large-scale impact. Several numbers are dedicated as women’s helpline. Some of these numbers such as 181 are run by the Delhi government. Others such as 100 and 1091 are under the direct control of the police control room and 103 is run or supported by civil society organisations.
women helpline numbers across the country is a limitation to gender justice due to a lack of Standard Operating Procedures. Also, in the absence of one single helpline like 911 in the United States awareness regarding helpline is low and often confusing for women. To address this concern, the central government has launched a scheme to universalise the helpline by releasing a single all India helpline. This was approved by the government on February 19 for implementation through States/UTs with effect from April 1. It envisages 24-hour emergency and nonemergency response to all women affected
Does GST make sense for India? Dr Don Brash
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any months ago, the Indian Government announced its intention to introduce a Goods and Services Tax (GST). Recently, I was asked whether such a complicated tax makes sense for India. My answer: it certainly does, provided that the government ensures that it is as simple as possible for small businesses to collect. In recent years, a reasonable consensus has emerged amongst economists about what constitutes a good tax and what constitutes a bad tax. There are many factors to take into account, but a country, which wants to encourage economic growth, will almost certainly be wise to minimise taxes, which discourage investment and focus instead on taxes on the unimproved value of land and on consumption spending. There is a world of difference between a well-designed GST and the kind of GST found in far too many countries. Ideally, GST should be easy for businesses to collect on behalf of the government. If it is complicated and involves high compliance costs, the tax will be a brake on economic growth and many smaller companies will try to avoid being registered to collect GST. The simplest GST has two characteristics. First, it is levied at the same rate on all goods and services, with no exemptions. This is difficult for politicians to understand. They often confuse GST with sales tax. It is relatively easy to apply a sales tax to some goods and services but not to others. It is much more difficult to apply a GST to
some goods and services but not to others. That’s because when businesses seek to calculate the GST they have paid on their inputs—raw materials, components, rent, electricity, etc.—they have to separate out the inputs used in producing the goods and services subject to GST from those used in producing the goods and services that are exempt from GST because they are not permitted to claim back the GST paid on inputs used in producing exempt items. For some items, that will be an easy calculation, but for many others it will be anything but easy. So the first reason to have no exemptions is that it vastly reduces the compliance costs involved in collecting the tax, and so reduces the adverse effects on economic growth. Moreover, while the natural temptation for political leaders is to exempt items, which are particularly important to low-income
citizens such as food and clothing, there is a tendency to forget that most of the money spent on food and clothing is not spent by low-income people: it is spent by middle and high-income people. So in exempting items such as food and clothing an enormous amount of revenue is foregone for the sake of trying to protect those on lowest income, people who can readily be protected from the impact of the tax by other means. It is also true that once some goods and services are exempted from the tax or are taxed at a lower rate, the political pressure to exempt other goods and services becomes very strong. The second key characteristic of a good GST is one which allows smaller businesses to account for the tax on a cash basis, without the need for accrual accounting which requires the employment of professional accountants. Most small businesses in
by violence. However, when compared, apps that conduct safety audits are more comprehensive and also go beyond providing emergency support. Perhaps the biggest advantage that auditing tools offer is the potential to include the community in the process of auditing. The safety audit is a simple methodology of delineating exactly what factors make a particular public space feel more or less safe The tools, when used by citizens, can gather information about safety in their localities, which can then be used by public authorities for better planning and governance. What this technology offers beyond large-scale information for helping stakeholders to plan safer localities is a chance to bring about an attitudinal shift in the community living together. For women to feel safe and accepted, a shift needs to be perceptible in society. Women need to feel accepted for coming out of their homes, working, walking around at night and in general enjoying the same rights and freedom that men take for granted. Combined with legal and technical measures, measures to bring about progressive thinking can go a long way to contribute to public spaces and homes that make our girls feel secure. However, a lot will depend on what we prioritise as a nation and perhaps it’s time to put “safe in India” before other campaigns, because a nation where half the population is discriminated against can never fully grow and reap its potential.
India—indeed in all countries—simply do not employ professional accountants, and introducing a tax, which requires them to do so involves a substantial compliance cost or creates a big incentive to avoid registering for the tax. In New Zealand, any business with annual turnover of less than $2 million can account for GST on a cash basis, which makes complying with the tax extremely simple. As long as compliance costs are low—as they are when GST applies to everything at the same rate and cash accounting is an option for small businesses—even very small businesses will want to be registered for GST. That’s because many of their larger customers who will have to be registered for GST won’t want to buy from unregistered suppliers because it makes their own accounting so much more complicated. The additional complication that India faces in introducing a GST, which fortunately the New Zealand did not face, is that India is a vast country with a federal system of government. To the extent that the introduction of GST is intended to substitute for a range of other taxes the challenge will be how to divide the revenue between the state and federal governments. It would enormously complicate the tax and increase compliance costs in a way guaranteed to damage economic growth if there were to be two levels of GST, one at the federal level and another at the state level. **This article first appeared in ITA Courier and has been reprinted with the permission from ITA
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Political, fiscal steps must for solar alliance to shine Kamal Meattle
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he Conference of Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the world’s most influential platform that has the power to change the face of the planet. And the word “power” reminds you of its importance at this stage, being among of the prime factors that play a pivotal role in the climate change. With the advancement of technology, the demand and dependence on energy has increased. Every growing city is energyhungry and adding to the climate issues. But we cannot ignore the fact that we need energy to sustain. In such a scenario, we certainly require a change. We cannot have Smart Cities unless we have smart strategies to govern our resources. Renewables are the biggest weapon for us, which needs to be tapped at the optimum level. And India has vast resources of solar and wind energy which is yet majorly untouched. In fact, India aims to expand its renewable sector by adding 175 Gigawatts though these mediums by 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself outlined this during the launch of the grand Solar Alliance of more than 120 countries on the opening day of the Paris conference on November 30. This gives an optimistic impression of the prime minister’s aspiration for creating clean fuel, while also making it available for use. We need a paradigm shift now: from fossils
to solar, shifting the dependence, in order to generate power that doesn’t poison the environment. From 20 MW in 2011, India’s installed solar capacity has increased to 3.74 GW as of March, 2015. With some 300 sunny days in a year, India projects 5 EWh/yr (5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours per year) of solar incidence on its land area alone. India’s geographical features are quite supportive of making the most of the wealth shining from the heaven. An initial investment of $30 million in setting up solar secretariat in India is like the foundation brick of this vision, which can eventually raise $400 million from the memberships, and international agencies as innovation funds. By creating larger solar market we lower the costs, increase demand and stir the change. This will enable villages deprived of electricity to also avail it. Additionally, the employment opportunities across the
country and globe will also magnify. But this mission isn’t here without hurdles. We need to re-look at the following aspects to make this grand plan happen as envisioned. • One of the major issues: service tax levied on the sale of solar power generated through the rooftop solar panel, by small entrepreneurs to its tenants, is not specifically mentioned in the negative list of the service tax. • Only renewable energy service companies and distributors are exempted from service tax. • Consequently, tenants refuse to buy solar-fed electricity from the small entrepreneurs with additional 14.5 percent service tax on it. This is discouraging. • Affordability, especially for the households, is in question. • Despite the fact that the prices of photovoltaic, or solar, modules have crashed 50 per cent since 2011, costs
involved in installing these panels on rooftops is high on the upfront. • Photovoltaic module constitutes approximately 50 per cent of the rooftop cost and installation of 1 KW potent panel costs Rs.65,000 without battery back-up and subsidy. • Assembling the parts for power storage is expensive. Additionally, technical specifications such as voltage, flicker and sync of net-metering system, and support is lacking. • We also lack financial support for solar projects due to limited track records and less awareness among consumers. All the issues listed above need to be resolved for making the alliance successful. Solar energy is likely a heavenly gift for us. Prime Minister Modi has been a clean energy propagator and his efforts towards rolling out more than 900 MW of solar energy in Gujarat are commendable. Certainly, his alliance proposal indicates a ‘sunrise of new hope’ for India. What can act like a cherry on the top is, banning production and sale of the conventional incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lamp, while accepting systems based on light-emitting diodes wholeheartedly? India will, then, have less craving for energy. And the proposed self-commitment by the country to the Paris meet—35 per cent reduction in its energy intensity and 40 percent share of installed capacity from renewable—would them be a viable goal.
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www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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India, Pakistan NSAs hold ‘constructive’ meet
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he National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan met in the Thai capital and “agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement”. A joint statement issued by the external affairs ministry said Ajit Doval of India and Naseer Khan Janjua of Pakistan held discussions “in a candid, cordial and constructive atmosphere”. The foreign secretaries of the two countries took part in the meeting. The meeting followed the meeting of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan in Paris. The statement said the national security advisers “were guided by the vision of the two leaders for a peaceful, stable and prosperous South Asia.
“Discussions covered peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, and other issues including tranquillity along the LoC (Line of Control). “It was agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement,” said. The LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The meeting comes ahead of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad for a “Heart of Asia” security conference this month. Earlier, a meeting of the national security advisers was called off in August after Pakistan’s High Commissioner here, Abdul Basit, invited Hurriyat Conference leaders for a reception ahead of IndiaPakistan talks.
Contribute to help rehabilitation of war widows: President
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resident Pranab Mukherjee called upon the people to make voluntary contributions for the rehabilitation of war widows, disabled defence personnel, ex-servicemen and their families. “I pay my respect to all gallant soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty and will remain the pride of the nation. “I call upon all citizens to voluntarily contribute towards the noble cause of rehabilitation of war widows, disabled defence personnel, ex-servicemen and their families,” the president said in a message on the eve of Armed Forces Flag Day, which is observed on December 7. Mukherjee said the armed forces were serving the nation “with great distinction”, both during war and peace. The armed forces had displayed the highest standards of professionalism and excellence in every task entrusted to them, he said. “Our armed forces have ensured the protection of our territorial integrity, fought the scourge of terrorism and provided succour to fellow citizens in
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President Pranab Mukherjee
times of natural calamities,” the president said while wishing success for the Flag Day celebrations. “The day reminds us of our responsibility towards the armed forces for their contributions to our motherland,” Mukherjee said.
LGBT community to march against intolerance
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he lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will turn out for the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk on December 13 against intolerance, organisers said. Against the backdrop of the debate on intolerance, the 14th edition of the walk will advocate protection of freedom of expression and equal rights for all. Participants will march from College Square to Y Channel in the city demanding “strengthening of the fights, large and small, being waged across the nation for freedoms, equality, dignity and rights.” “While a dialogue on gender rights (LGBT) movement has been initiated among masses, the nation overall, seems to have had taken a few steps back in terms
of safety, personal liberty and minority rights,” the organisers said. Given the reported incidents of rapes, lynching, murders, public debates over reports of caste-based violence and the growing incidents of intolerance and violence, the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk—the oldest pride walk of India— intends to make a political statement for equality, tolerance, love and solidarity According to Souvik, one of the members of the organising committee, the walk is for all the communities. “It is not just about gender rights or sexual rights now. The march will advocate for equality for all: the disabled, women and children,” Souvik said.
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11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Chennai floods: Water recedes, anger persists W V. Jagannathan
eeks of heavy rain and flooding in Chennai, one of the largest cities in India, had left the people in the metropolitan area stranded with no public transportation or electricity. Floodwaters have receded in some parts and rescue operations continue, but the situation in the flood-hit areas still remains difficult as life slowly tries to limp back to normalcy.
The good, the bad and the ugly The floods in Chennai and its suburbs, which have put millions into misery also showed the good, bad and the ugly sides of people and organisations. On the positive side, several individuals opened up their residences to strangers caught in the floods and provided food and shelter. Without waiting for the official agencies, many started offering food, blankets and more to the ones affected. Those who had access to Internet posted messages on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter about stranded people so that help could reach them. There were— and are—unscrupulous traders who jacked up the prices of milk, eggs and vegetables. But there are those who stuck to honest trading practice. “We sell milk and other essential items at normal rates. We have not jacked up the prices. In fact, I donated cooked food to the flood-hit, which cost me Rs.60,000,” Muthu, owner of Angalaparameswari Stores, a provision store in Mylapore said. Voluntary organisations and others gave away food and biscuit packets near water-logged areas. On the bad side, apart from traders who jacked up prices of essential commodities, autorickshaw and taxi drivers fleeced people even for travelling short distances. “Why blame the autorickshaw and taxi drivers? Look at private airlines. They ripped off passengers by charging sky-high rates to fly people out of Bengaluru to Delhi,” T.E.N. Simhan, a private sector employee said. “Is it not an irony when even common people are contributing their bit to the flood affected, airlines took
Top: Indian men with a boat move people to safety on a flooded street after heavy rains Above: An aerial view of submerged Chennai airport taken by an Indian Air Force helicopter Inset: A lady officer rescues a dog to safety
advantage of people’s distress,” he asked. Surinder Singh of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) told that he paid a whopping Rs.25,600 to a private airline to fly to Delhi out of Bengaluru. According to reports, vandals are breaking into locked houses in flood-hit areas in Chennai and swimming away with valuables. Rescue operations underway An intermittent drizzle since Saturday morning added to the worries of Chennai residents, battling the worst floods in a century, and now facing a shortage of drinking water and power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an exgratia relief of Rs. 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the Tamil Nadu floods while relief of Rs. 50,000 has also been sanctioned for those seriously injured. At least 325 people have
been killed so far. The National Crisis Management Committee, which met in New Delhi with Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha presiding, reviewed the situation and announced seven truckloads of dry ready-toeat food had reached Chennai and 20 trucks were on the way while the railways will supply two more lakh bottles of drinking water. Sinha directed that necessary steps should be taken to restore telecom services while the petroleum ministry was taking steps for the availability of petroleum products. State-run banks said they will work on Sunday. A union health ministry team will also soon visit the state to assess the situation. Armed forces and National Disaster Response Force teams continued operations, switching focus from rescue to relief while the army said it has deployed four medical teams to deal with
anticipated problems. Transport links were being slowly restored, with train services expected to resume, while limited civil flights continued from the naval airbase. Unlike some areas such as Mylapore, Adyar and Annasalai, where the water level has receded and electricity supply partially restored, people in many pockets in north Chennai continued to remain cut off. Air, train services resume, but Chennai is angry Chennai appeared to be split into two—one (mostly northern parts) and suburbs still under flood water and without power, and another where water levels have receded and electricity supply has been restored. The situation appeared to be no different in the other three Tamil Nadu districts Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Cuddalore. Adding further worries to
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Chennai is the prediction of more heavy rains following low pressure over the Bay of Bengal. Much to the relief of passengers stuck here due to cancelled flights and trains, the Chennai airport began operating flights on the domestic routes during the day. Regular services from Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore— the two main railway stations— have resumed. Chennai’s bus services have also improved a bit. Services of mobile and landline phones are patchy, but the supply of oil to fuel stations has improved, officials said. Despite the rains, the water level was receding in several areas but residents were beset with numerous problems. Large parts of the capital are still without electricity, seriously disrupting life. Chennai is clearly angry. People blamed the apathy of civic authorities for the flooding of their homes—and the near destruction of everything they possessed. Kodambakkam area residents complained about stagnant sewage water for the past several days. “No official agency brought us any food or drinking water. Only the residents of [the] neighbourhood gave us biscuits and water,” an angry resident of MGR Nagar in Ramapuram in Thiruvallur told the media. While ministers are overseeing the relief efforts, they are not available for comments. Even Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy does not talk to the media. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa made an aerial survey of the affected areas last weekend. Some two lakh acres of paddy, sugarcane and other crops have been destroyed in Cuddalore district alone. According to industry body ASSOCHAM, the loss due to floods will be around Rs.15,000 crore. Residents in some Chennai neighbourhoods complained about continued water logging. Thousands have taken shelter under flyovers and in buildings. Supplies of milk and vegetable showed a marked improvement in parts of Chennai. The military continued its rescue and relief work. But there were complaints that relief material had not reached many areas in north Chennai, causing widespread anger.
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Digital commerce market to grow by 2017
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he booming digital commerce market in India is projected to grow to a whopping $128 billion in 2017 from $42 billion, thanks to mobile and Internet penetration, growing mobile-commerce sales and increasing payment options and discounts, a report said. “The digital commerce market in India, which has grown steadily to $13.6 billion in 2014 from $4.4 billion in 2010, has gathered momentum due to increasing in mobile and internet usage, multiple payment options, attractive discounts and advanced shipping,” said Future of e-Commerce: Uncovering
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Innovation—a joint study by Association of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and Deloitte. Japanese multinational telecom firm SoftBank invested $627 million in Snapdeal in October 2014 and Flipkart bought Myntra fashion website for $370 million in May 2014 while Ola Cabs acquired TaxiForSure in March this year. “With more and more customers using mobile applications for surfing ordering and transacting, leading e-tailers are registering about 50 per cent of the revenue in m-commerce space. As a result, they are focusing on
digital strategies to pitch for more business from online platform,” said the report. Noting that supply chain and logistics in e-commerce business were complex to manage due to inadequate infrastructure facilities, Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat expressed concern that taxation policies for e-business were not well defined. “The complexity is compounded by transactions across borders for selling goods and services online without foolproof security in place,” he said, while releasing the report here. Asserting that more business would take place in e-commerce
space through mobile platforms, personalisation and social media analytics, Rawat said newer technologies such as analytics and 3D printing would lead to a paradigm shift in online businesses. As shopping online through smart phones becomes a game changer, industry leaders believe m-commerce could generate 70 per cent of their total revenue in the coming years. “For a sustainable growth in e-commerce, the report recommends relevant laws in the legal and regulatory framework and involvement of banks as facilitators for providing cash
management solutions, secure payment gateways and related services,” the study highlighted. Online shoppers are projected to double to 40 million in 2016 from 20 million in 2013, while an additional 200 million people will access the Internet over the next three years, with majority of them through smart phones. “As 75 per cent of netizens are in the 15–34 years age group, more online shopping is taking place in this category than in any other segment, indicating a demographic dividend to the advantage of e-commerce growth,” said the report.
U-Flex unveils package for new, UAE prime minister likely to Rs.1,500-crore Gujarat unit inaugurate Kochi Smart City
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ome-grown flexible packaging major U-Flex has drawn up a Rs.1,500 crore investment plan for a new unit at Sanand in Gujarat to produce seven billion packs per annum for liquid energy drinks, milk and juices, the company’s chairman Ashok Chaturvedi has said. “The plant will come at our 72-acre Sanand site. It will eventually generate direct employment for around 3,000 people and revenues worth Rs.4,500 crore. In the first phase, we are expecting revenue of Rs.1,200 crore from the plant. It will be commercially operational by April 2017, Chaturvedi said in an interview. “About 90 per cent of the output from this factory will cater to domestic demand. The first phase of the project will produce up to seven billion packs, involving an initial outlay of Rs.580 crores,” the chairman added. “It will also serve our expanding capacities in India, particularly for cement packaging, tubes and holographic-film manufacturing in the future phases.” Chaturvedi said India’s flexible packaging market was growing at around 14 per cent per annum and slated to touch $32 billion in revenues by 2020. According to him, while traditional retail in India is carried out through the local grocery shops with nearly 75–80 per cent of items still sold in loose form, under the unorganized domain, flexible
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packaging market was also witnessing a demand growth from end-use industries such as personal care, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverages. Speaking about why Gujarat was chosen for the expansion, Chaturvedi said the state had several advantages—coastline of 1,600 km with 42 ports connecting it to major sea-based trade routes and trade centres, adequate power supply and a good industrial infrastructure. The 32-year-old Noida-based multinational, with production plants in India, Dubai, Egypt, Mexico, Poland and the US-and markets in 85 countries worldwide-makes polyester chips, plastic films, laminates, inks and adhesives for packaging liquid and solid goods. It has plants at locations including Noida, Jammu and Malanpur in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh.
Include acid attack victims in disability list, SC tells states
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he Supreme Court of India has directed the state governments and union territories administrations to include the names of the acid attack victims in the list of disabled people. “We additionally direct all the states and union territories to consider the plight of such victims and take appropriate steps with regard to inclusion of their names under the disability list,” said a bench of Justice M.Y.Eqbal and Justice C. Nagappan in their judgment. The direction came as it said that the Rs.3 lakh to the acid attack victims by the state governments as ordered was the minimum amount as actual compensation would vary from case to case depending on the nature and severity of the injury. “Keeping in view the impact of acid attack on the victim on his social, economical
and personal life, we need to enhance the amount of compensation. We cannot be oblivious of the fact that the victim of acid attack requires permanent treatment for the damaged skin,” said Justice Eqbal. The sisters were attacked around midnight of October 21, 2012 by four assailants who threw acid on their face and bodies while they were sleeping on their house’s rooftop “The state has the discretion to provide more compensation to the victim in the case of acid attack as per Laxmi’s case guidelines,” the court said. The court said that of the total compensation amount of Rs. 13 lakh, a sum of Rs.5 lakh shall be paid within a period of one month and the remaining sum of Rs.8 lakh shall be paid within a period of three months from the date of its order.
he first phase of Kerala’s much delayed signature IT project— Smart City Kochi—is most likely to be inaugurated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum next month, said a top official. State Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson said that once a confirmation is received on the visit of Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai, the date will be announced. “We are working out on protocol to facilitate his visit directly to Kochi instead of coming via New Delhi,” he said after the meeting of top officials of the project in Kochi. Inauguration of the first phase
including the 6.5 lakh square feet first IT tower and the launching of the 47 lakh square feet second phase will be held simultaneously. Coming up on 246 acres near Kochi, the prestigious project, which is a joint venture between Dubai Holdings and the Kerala government first came on the drawing board way back in 2004 but since then faced numerous road blocks. It was only last year that the construction of the first phase began.
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PIOs among 100 Leading Global Thinkers Arun Kumar
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our persons of Indian origin are featured in Foreign Policy magazine’s list of 100 Leading Global Thinkers who have generated ideas that could promise humankind a better future. Featured among innovators whose work has advanced “progress in global health, human rights, security, and more” is Nina Tandon, co-founder of Epibone, New York City, “for healing broken bones by growing new ones.” Typically, to reconstruct bone, surgeons must take bone either from somewhere else in a patient’s body, necessitating a double surgery, or from an outside source, such as a prosthesis or a donor. But Tandon has created a third way: growing new bones. A patient’s stem cells are placed in a bone-shaped mould, which is then
put into a special chamber that simulates the body’s temperature, nutrient composition, and other conditions. After three weeks, the cells have essentially formed a new bone. This method requires only one surgery and avoids implanting foreign materials, thereby reducing pain and complications, Foreign Policy noted. EpiBone has successfully replaced the jaw of a pig and is gearing up to start its first clinical trials, to be held within two years.
Among the ‘Moghuls’ who have “showed that progress is possible, whether in corner offices or on factory floors” are Rajan Anandan, managing director of Google, Southeast Asia and India, and Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Civic Accelerator, an investment fund for socially conscious enterprises. While Sri Lanka-born Anandan is included “for lobbying on behalf of the unconnected”, Khanna gets in “for nudging women into the corner office”. Anandan “has
used his stewardship of Google in India to greatly improve tech access for the poor by successfully lobbying Indian manufacturers to launch low-cost phones, pushing carriers to bring down the prices of data plans, and increasing the translation of Google products into many Indian languages”. “Beyond that, he is also one of the country’s most active tech investors. Between January 2014 and June 2015, he was the most prolific, according to Quartz, investing in 15 start-ups.” “Anandan’s work simply proves that good business doesn’t have to be at odds with good citizenry,” FP said. In November 2014, Ayesha Khanna and Shannon Schuyler, head of corporate responsibility at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), pooled resources to help women gain access to capital. This spring, with PwC funding,
3D software tracks embryo’s brain development
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n Indian-origin scientist has developed a new, open-source 3D software that can track the embryonic development and movement of neuronal cells throughout the body of the worm, and it is now available to scientists. Although scientists have identified a number of important proteins that determine how neurons navigate during brain formation, it is largely unknown how all of these proteins interact in a living organism. “Understanding why and how neurons form and the path they take to reach their final destination could one day give us
valuable information about how proteins and other molecular factors interact during neuronal development,” explained Hari Shroff, head of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) research team. The new technology will be pivotal in their project to create a 4D neuro developmental “worm atlas” that attempts to catalogue the formation of the worm nervous system. This catalogue will be the first comprehensive view of how an entire nervous system develops. According to Shroff, it will be helpful in understanding
the fundamental mechanisms by which all nervous systems, including ours, assemble. They also expect that some of the concepts developed, such as the approach taken to combine neuronal data from multiple embryos, can be applied to additional model organisms besides the worm. “We do not yet understand neuro development even in the
context of the humble worm but we’re using it as a simple model of how these factors work together to drive the development of the worm brain and neuronal structure,” he informed. “We are hoping that by doing so, some of the lessons will translate all the way up to humans,” Shroff added. The worm known as C. elegans has only 302 neurons, 222 of which form while the worm is still an embryo. The worm even has its own versions of many of the same proteins used to direct brain formation in more complex organisms such as flies, mice, or humans.
Indian to lead US varsity’s cancer prevention, control research
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he University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre has appointed Bhramar Mukherjee as associate director for population science research. He will oversee work on cancer causes, prevention, care delivery and outcomes. “As a biostatistician and epidemiologist, I can bring a lot to this role,” a university release quoted Mukherjee as saying. “We live in a very data-driven world. There are tremendous opportunities, both within the University of Michigan and nationally around big data—using medical records and mining large datasets to manage patient outcomes and care,” she said.
“Groundbreaking prevention and health communications research is happening today by using social media and mobile sensors. Data is helping us to better understand disparities in cancer care, delivery and outcomes.” Mukherjee is John D. Kalbfleisch Collegiate professor of biostatistics and professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health. She also serves as the associate chair for biostatistics. Her cancer research has focused on how the interaction between genes and the environment impacts cancer risk. She has studied the roles of diet, physical
activity and lifestyle factors, and their interplay with the genetic architecture of an individual. “I am so impressed with Mukherjee. She is a stellar researcher in biostatistics, epidemiology and disparities. These are key issues for our
cancer centre to address,” said Ted Lawrence, distinguished professor of Oncology and director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Mukherjee plans to foster and facilitate cross-collaboration within the population sciences programme in the cancer centre and across various other units at the University of Michigan, something she has done frequently as a biostatistician. The a ssociate director for population science position was last held by Stephen B. Gruber, who is now the director of the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Civic Accelerator’s cohort of 13 US start-ups—all of which had at least one female founder, and 11 of which were started entirely by women—participated in a 10week boot camp to test ideas and connect with investors. Khanna and Schuyler have pledged that at least half of future Accelerator-supported ventures will be owned by women. Featured among ‘Challengers’ who have “proved that even sacred cows can be toppled”, is India-born Zainab Ghadiyali “for cracking the STEM ceiling”. In Menlo Park, California, Ghadiyali and Erin Summers, both engineers at Facebook, are running “wogrammers”—a movement to end the “brogrammer” stereotype and highlight the technical accomplishments of their peers. In its first year, wogrammers highlighted 50 female engineers from around the globe.
Canadian Sikhs lauded
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anada’s Immigration and Refugees Minister John McCallum has lauded the efforts of Sikhs to help thousands fleeing Syria, a media report said.
McCallum described the refugee effort as a “national project”, the Globe and Mail reported. He praised the generosity of British Columbians, particularly the Sikh community. According to the report, Sikh Khalsa schools in Canada have offered one year of free education to 1,000 refugee students. The gurdwaras in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland are even willing to provide free meals and collecting non-perishable food, clothing and blankets. A Sikh grocer has offered free groceries to refugees for up to three months. “It was the Sikh community, which I belong to, which stepped up and said we wanted to do a coordinated effort. And when we got them together, it was an overwhelming response,” Randeep Sarai, MP for Surrey Centre, was quoted as saying. Sarai said job offers have also started coming in from trucking companies.
SPORTS
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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India wins by 337 runs, clinch series 3–0
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ndia ended South Africa’s second innings at 143 runs to win the fourth and final cricket Test by 337 runs and clinch the series 3–0. This was the first series victory at home for Indian skipper Virat Kohli and his second consecutive one after the triumph in Sri Lanka in September. India had won the first Test in Mohali and the third in Nagpur earlier in this series. With the series-win, India climbed to the second position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the most successful among the Indian bowlers in the second innings with figures of 5/61. Fast bowler Umesh Yadav bagged three quick wickets just after tea to return figures of 3/9. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja returned with 2/26. Jadeja bowled 17 consecutive maiden overs in the second innings. He fell four maiden overs short of the existing record of former India spinner Bapu Nadkarni when Faf du Plesis walloped him to the long-on boundary. A.B. de Villiers was the highest scorer for the visitors with 43. De Villiers consumed 296 deliveries during his marathon innings. Usually known and revered for his ability to repeatedly hit bowlers out of the park in limited-overs cricket, the 31-year-old showed he is one of best when it comes
India are crowned series champions during day five of the fourth Paytm Freedom Trophy Series Test Match between India and South Africa held at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi, India on the December 7
to defensive batting as well. Although Hashim Amla, du Plessis and J.P. Duminy fell at the other end, the experienced right-hander continued to hold back the Indian bowlers at the other end. His lengthy partnerships with Amla and du Plessis gave
the Proteas genuine hopes of snatching a draw before they suffered a dramatic collapse shortly after the tea break. Resuming at the overnight score of 72/2, South Africa batsmen de Villiers and Amla continued their efforts to deny a victory
to the hosts. Du Plessis took 53 deliveries to open his account. He is now third on the list of batsmen consuming most number of balls before opening their account. Jadeja knocked back Amla’s offstump in the morning session before du Plesis joined de Villiers
in the middle and the duo ensured that the visitors did not lose any more wickets till lunch. Amla scored 25 runs off 244 deliveries. The elegant righthander has not been at his best in this series. But he played a captain’s innings when his team needed it the most and it needed a superb delivery from Jadeja to dislodge him. The Kotla pitch became slow as the Test match progressed and lost most of its bounce, which allowed the visitors more time to read the deliveries and play their shots. Kohli used eight bowlers, including himself, in an attempt to dislodge the Proteas batsmen. Jadeja struck another big blow to South African hopes when he trapped du Plessis leg before almost immediately after lunch with one that kept straight after pitching. The Proteas hopes of avoiding defeat vaporised right at the start of the final session when they lost their last five wickets in the space of seven runs. Ashwin finally ended de Villiers’ marathon vigil in the very first ball of the next over when the South African was surprised by the extra bounce and was caught by Jadeja at leg slip. An Indian victory was only a matter of time after that. Yadav dismissed Kyle Abbott and Dane Piedt in quick succession before Ashwin bowled Morkel to send his team-mates and the crowd into raptures.
Nadal’s debut in IPTL helps Indian Aces beat UAE Royals
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ourteen-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal has made his International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) debut for the Indian Aces and powered them to a 30–18 win against UAE Royals. It was an interesting match between two equally strong teams, both with two wins each under their belt. Ultimately, it was
Indian Aces who took the match away with a full score. The ace doubles chemistry of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna was too much to deal with for the Royals as Aces won the set 6–4. The women’s singles saw Sam Stosur face off with Ana Ivanovic and even a substitution with Mladenovic did not help Royals. The men’s legends singles saw
Fabrice Santoro chipping and slicing the ball with his backhand strokes. The Frenchman won it 6–3 over Goran Ivanisevic representing Royals. Tennis fans got to see some incredible doubles tennis action in the next match. Ultimately, Nadal and Ivan Dodig won it for Aces 6–3. In the most-awaited match of the evening, Nadal and
Thomas Berdych showcased some top quality competitive tennis action, fighting point for point, with absolute precision, taking the match all the way to the shoot-out. In a set that could have gone either ways, it was Nadal who clinched victory for his team winning it 6–5. After the match, Nadal said, “I heard some wonderful things
about the IPTL from the players last year. I was looking forward to playing last year too, but had to pull out because of my appendicitis injury. “But I’m really excited to be playing here today. It’s a great format; it is superbly organised, all the players love, and it’s great for the sport of tennis to be able to go to new markets.”
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KIDS ZONE
11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Reptiles
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• Have scaly bodies • Spend lots of time in water
J oin th e dots
• Lay their eggs on land • Are cold blooded animals • Turtles, alligators, crocodiles, snakes are all reptiles
Did you k now... A cockroach can live 9 days without its head. It only dies because it cannot eat
Word jum ble k u now... o y d i D
The coconut is the largest nuts in the world
Send us stories, drawings, poems and other contributions by your little ones along with their photographs for this page. E-mail us at editor@ indianweekender.co.nz
FEATURES
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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The inspiring side of struggles The tales of people who rise after all the hardships and struggle that life has thrown upon them Swati Sharma
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ife is never about only happy days or only struggles. Life—thy name is change. Struggles and hardships play an important role in our lives to keep us going and make us stronger and better. Such are the stories of immigrants. I recently visited India, where many people asked me how is it to live in a foreign country. Someone who wanted to settle abroad but was not sure about it asked if it was too difficult for him to go and settle in a country such as Canada, the UK, Australia or New Zealand. He said that when he meets NRIs or their families, they always talk about the difficult work and living conditions abroad and that he always finds it quite demotivating. But I believe that you have to struggle everywhere. I agree that struggles in a foreign country are different and sometimes even harder than in your home country, but if you follow the correct procedures and fulfil the basic requirements a country wants from an immigrant then there is not much to despair. For example, if you want to settle in a particular country, you should be able to speak and understand their language. If you are seeking good jobs in that country, you should be appropriately qualified for that job. And most of all, you should be confident about yourself. Many would think that even though basic requirements are met, there would still be reasons that hold you back. For instance, employers always ask for local work experience—something a migrant won’t have initially. However, if you are hardworking and know what you want, this is just an initial roadblock that doesn’t last for long. In the time span of two-and-a-half years in New Zealand, I have realised that this small country accepts you with an open heart. All you need to have is a little patience and a ‘keep going’ attitude. This week, we share the story of Ankur Lakhanpal who feels that he has learnt a lot from his journey to New Zealand and there’s still a lot more to learn: “The decision of coming to New Zealand was sudden. I had just quit my job in India. I spoke to my wife about moving to New Zealand. Initially, she didn’t take it seriously. But when I started preparing for it, she realised that it was actually happening. She was working for a well-established organisation and had just resumed her job three months after our wedding. She agreed to accompany me. Our arrival here was no less than an adventure. The place one of my friends had found for us was just a living room with a mattress on the floor and two
other couples living in the same place. Whenever I share my story, I can’t forget one name who was there for us when we had no one to look up to—Gurunishan Singh (whom we fondly call Nishan bhaaji). He is a friend of one of my cousin’s. He did not let us live at that place and took us with him where he was living with other eight to nine housemates—all boys. We lived there for a couple of days and then moved. Now it was the time to face the real struggle—to find a job. My wife was the principle applicant and studied for a year. Initially, she found it difficult to adjust to the new culture. The responsibility of working and earning was on me. Our family had already spent a lot of money on our visa, travel and university fee, and we didn’t want to burden them more. For nearly one month, I kept searching for jobs. Our savings were nearly used. I remember, for one week, we had to ask our landlord to give us until the next week to pay, as we had nothing. Just when our patience was wearing thin, I got a job. Actually, a few contract jobs, one of which also included heavy labour work. At that time, anything was better than nothing. Then gradually, after three to four months of work instability, I started to get better opportunities. All this while, my wife was focusing on her studies. During her summer break, she started working. I also got a better job with a better position by then. By the time she finished her studies, she got a job in her field. After a year of hard work and struggle, she was made full-time and permanent in her role. Her employer also agreed to support her application for Permanent Residence. Although all of this wasn’t as smooth as it sounds, I have to say that we have got what we worked hard for and now are happily settled. I wouldn’t say that I have achieved what I wanted to, but at least I can see ourselves reaching there. I believe that this country tests you and your patience but definitely gives you what you deserve. When I look back, I feel grateful to the people who have helped me and thankful to those who didn’t, as because of them I was motivated to work harder. Everything I have been through has made me a stronger and a better person.”
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atching famous Bollywood movies with friends was one of my favourite casual activists. I know I have been in love with the colourful Indian culture, amazing traditional music and dances since I was young. However, I never thought I would come to India. I am really happy that I got the opportunity to actually visit this spiritual place. On November 14, we arrived at the Bannari Amman Institution of Technology located in the state of Tamil Nadu. We learnt that Tamil Nadu is the second largest state economy in India. Its official language is Tamil, which is known as one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world. We were greeted by friendly and welcoming people of the Institute and received a lovely rose when we arrived at the guest house. BIT’s campus provides the environment for natural learning. The spacious and the earth-hugging buildings punctuated with landscaped courtyards has\ve the character of an excellent centre for learning. The campus has computer centres, lecture halls libraries, laboratories, conference halls, staff quarters, hostel and students’ centres. BIT’s campus is beautiful and colourful. There are amazing paintings everywhere, even on the floor of learning block. Students, teachers and campus workers are friendly and welcoming. One of our lovely friends from Wellington campus had a wonderful birthday party (thanks for Shiyamala and the teacher’s team). In our first week we visited few sp inning mills fabric waving and dying mills. This trip gave us a clear vision of we have learnt at school and extend our knowledge of yarn production and fabric manufacturing. We also saw the Bannari Amman, which is a house of the lady god Bannati Amman. A sacred place of local people where the old and young, men and women and poor and rich are all equal. They pray to the same god. Second week was more exciting. We went to a clothing manufacture factory that was making clothes for the brand Tommy Hilfiger. We saw the complete T-shirt making process including embroidery. Then we went to few printing, dying and knotting factories. After these visits, we went back to the school and had a class in the testing lab where we learnt about fabric quality testing for strength, flexural rigidly, crease recovery, pilling resistance and air permeability.
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Then we had a class on dying fabrics where we learnt about different dyes and how to use different techniques. Then we had dinner with the chairman of BIT and a presentation about the environment in India. People spoke about environmental issues such as saving wildlife, saving water resources, afforesting and they showed us the solutions they have been working on. Next day all of us attended the tree planting ceremony and planted trees around the campus. We didn’t speak much, but we worked together and helped each other. Planting few young trees made me feel like getting closer to the nature and local people. On Saturday night we took a four-hour drive to the temple of consciousness in Aliyar. It is a well-known yoga centre. People here are live a simple life and are happy and thankful. You can see a lovely smile that lights up people’s faces. We learnt the introduction of spiritual science and spiritual philosophy. We also learnt few different yogas and meditation techniques. This trip gave me a different experience. Here we once again learnt the importance of positive energy, self-control and being nice to each other.
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FEATURES
11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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City of dreams : dubai came to life with dj charlie
badshah & bollywood affair take auckland by storm
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FEATURES
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
Food fixes for healthy hair H
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air loss can affect men and women alike. While genetics plays a role, there are other factors, including hormonal imbalances, an underactive thyroid gland, nutrient deficiencies and insufficient scalp circulation that can cause this. Do not despair. Concentrating on your hair growth can yield actual results. Particularly when it comes to strategic eating there are many foods that offer vitamins and minerals that support healthy hair. Here are top 10 foods and natural remedies that can boost healthy hair growth. 1. Essential fatty acids Essential fatty acids are specific fats that are critical to the proper function of your body. Naturally your body is not able to produce these fatty acids on its own, so it is necessary that you eat foods containing them. Essential fatty acids from walnuts, flax seeds and avocado are great foods to eat for healthy hair. Salmon is also loaded with the strong hair supporters such as Vitamin D and protein, but it also contains omega-3 fatty acids that promote hair growth by keeping your scalp healthy. 2. Amp up the collagenproducing Vitamin C Collagen surrounds the hair strands, but aging causes collagen
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and scalp health. Dietary sources of biotin include nuts, brown rice and oats. Eggs are an excellent source of those aforementioned omega-3s, and they also contain biotin (which many people trying to grow their hair take in supplement form). But, just so you’re aware, it’s not the egg white that will make your hair long and beautiful, it’s the yolk. Eating too many egg whites can actually block the absorption of biotin into the body, causing a depletion of this micronutrient.
to break down, causing hair to be more vulnerable to breaking. The best way to boost collagen is simply by getting more vitamin C. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that strengthens the hair shaft and hair follicles, as well as prevents breakage. Foods high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, strawberries and red peppers. Supplementing with 250 mg daily can help boost collagen production which has the added bonus of reducing wrinkling. Yellow bell peppers have nearly five and a half times more vitamin C than oranges (341 milligrams, as opposed to 63). This is good news for your locks 3. Boost biotin Biotin, a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex, encourages hair
4. Boost keratin production with MSM Methylsulfonylmethane aids in the production of keratin (a protein in the hair) while doing double-duty to strengthen hair follicles. In one study, 100 percent of people who supplemented with MSM showed reduced hair loss and increased growth in only six weeks. Leafy vegetables such as Swiss chard, cabbage, and watercress, contain a small amount of MSM. Raw vegetables contain a higher amount than cooked vegetables because heat causes some of the MSM to volatilise. However, you still receive some when you eat cooked asparagus or beets. Those who like to eat alfalfa also receive MSM when ingesting its nutritious leaves.
5. Eat iron-rich Foods Iron is also essential for hair growth and can be found in blackstrap molasses, green leafy vegetables, leeks, cashews, dried fruits, figs, and berries. To help your body absorb iron, you’ll need enough vitamin C.
8. Rejuvenate Hair Follicles With B-complex Vitamins, 100 mg daily of a B-complex supplement that includes biotin and vitamin B6 can reduce hair thinning by increasing scalp circulation and rejuvenating hair follicles.
6. Give your hair a mineral boost The minerals silica and zinc are also critical for hair growth. Take 500 mg of silica two times daily and 30 mg of zinc once daily. Food sources of silica include cucumber, mango, green leafs, beans, celery, asparagus. Natural Organic silica is also found in horsetail herb. Among some of the foods high in zinc are pumpkin seeds, fresh oysters, Brazil nuts, eggs, pecans.
9. Prevent Breakage With Vitamin E Vitamin E is required to nourish damaged hair and to prevent breakage. It aids the body’s ability to manufacture keratin within hair strands to reduce breakage. Supplementing with 400 IU of vitamin E can be helpful to restore locks. Some foods high in vitamin E include sunflower seeds, just a few little seeds can supply you with an abundance of vitamin E, which will enhance blood flow to the scalp and promote faster hair growth. Other good sources are almonds, pine nuts, dried apricots, cooked spinach and olives.
7. Address a possible underactive thyroid gland Hypothyroidism can cause thinning hair. Add sea vegetables such as kelp, nori, dulse, kombu and wakame, all of which are rich in iodine may be helpful to balance this condition. Avoid drinking tap water since it typically contains fluorine and chlorine, two chemicals that inhibit iodine absorption.You may also want to supplement with 100 mg or 1 mL of the herb bladderwrack (focus vesiculous) daily. Work with a qualified holistic health care professional if you suspect a sluggish thyroid gland.
10. Boost Scalp Circulation With Rosemary Essential Oil Rosemary essential oil has been traditionally used to increase circulation to the scalp. Add a few drops per dollop of shampoo or, better yet, add a few drops of rosemary or coconut oil and massage your scalp regularly. (Source: Food matters)
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ENTERTAINMENT
Don’t think films are a platform for charity: Kangana Ranaut
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ctress Kangana Ranaut, who was last seen in film-maker Nikhil Advani’s Katti Batti, said she does not believe the film business is “a platform for charity”. “I don’t think films as a business is a platform for charity. We as people can contribute and we do contribute to many platforms... Sometime we talk about it sometimes we don’t...you can’t make a film for charity,” she said at the 13th edition
11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
a little haywire; of course he’s doing really well which is great,” she added. Directed by Kushal Nandy, the film had run into trouble with the local film association when the cast and crew
“Yes, there is something in our minds. I will be working with my father, but at the moment it is too early to say anything about it. However, there is some work in progress,” Varun said. Varun’s film Main Tera Hero, which also starred Ilena D’Cruz and Nargis Fakhri, was directed by David. Meanwhile, the actor is also happy with the response of his latest song Manma emotion jage re from Dilwale. “The song has received a great response. It is pretty cool to get such positive reaction from the audience. Now I also hope the audience will enjoy watching the film as well,” Varun said. Directed by Rohit Shetty, Dilwale features Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun and Kriti Sanon in lead roles and will be released on December 18.
Rekha is my style icon: Sonakshi
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of Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, to a query if she thought of making a film for charity. She was participating with fellow actress Kareena Kapoor Khan and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali at a panel discussion at the summit. Ali, who directed successful films such as Jab We Met, Rockstar and his latest release Tamasha, added the film fraternity are doing their bit for the charity. “There are a lot of people in the film industry who are doing much (more) than you know. As much as charity is concerned the only thing is that we don’t go around and publicise our charity,” he said. The two-day event is led by 30 global leaders comprising politicians, corporate heads, artists, prominent sportspeople and economists who are meeting under one roof to discuss India’s future as “the world’s bright spot”.
were shooting for the film in Burdwan district of West Bengal in December last year. Nandy had complained of extortion from the members of the association and also claimed that he had to take help of local police to get Nawazuddin and Chitragada back to Mumbai. The film also stars Tahir Raj Bhasin. About the other project, she said, “I’m working on Band Of Maharajas. It’s about a Pakistani singer called Billo Mumtaz (her character) and it’s about her journey. There’s a lot of presence of Taliban in Pakistan and places like that where a lot of musicians are having a lot of trouble in pursuing (music) because the religion (Islam) doesn’t allow, it basically deals with all that.” The film has been directed by Girish Malik of Jal fame. Popular singer Hans Raj Hans’ son Navraj who has acted in Punjabi films before, makes his Bollywood debut with the film.
Varun Dhawan to work with his father
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ctor Varun Dhawan, who is busy promoting his forthcoming film Dilwale, will soon work with his
Two projects to finish next year: Chitrangada
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killed. In a letter addressed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, Shah Rukh wrote, “We are all deeply affected by the devastation wreaked on the city of Chennai by the fury of nature. “At the same time, the resilience of the people of Chennai and the way in which the community has come together to help each other and face this adversity is commendable and makes us all feel proud.” Appreciating the “massive effort” undertaken by the Tamil Nadu government to counter the crisis, the actor-producer and his film’s team has sent out Rs.1 crore to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. “On behalf of Red Chillies Entertainment and Team Dilwale, please accept our contribution of Rs.1 Cr (one crore) to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. “We appreciate the massive effort undertaken by your government and everyone in Chennai, to deal with this calamity and we hope our contribution will help in a small way,” the letter added.
I get immense joy by performing live: Farhan Akhtar
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ctor-singer Farhan Akhtar says he loves performing live as he gets instant reaction from fans during concerts. “I like to do everything but, genuinely, one thing that gives me immense joy is performing live concerts because you get an immediate reaction from the audience. That feeling of live performance is very different. That immediate reaction and that connection is genuinely something else,” Farhan said. The multifaceted star is also a renowned film-maker, who has directed
a part of your personality, like your attitude or the way of talking. And every person has his or her own style,” she added. On the work front, the Lootera actress shared that 2015 has been quite a busy year. “I was busy doing TV shows this year. I also have been travelling a lot, making appearances. Actually this year has been very busy for me. I have done lots of work professionally and personally as well,” said the former Indian Idol Junior judge.
Team Dilwale contributes Rs.1 crore for flood-hit Tamil Nadu
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ctress Chitrangada Singh said that she is currently working on two projects Babumoshai Bandookbaaz and Band Of Maharajas, and both will get completed next year. “You should see me next year. There are two projects which will finish this coming year,” said Chitrangada at the launch of Aldo Holiday 2015 collection. “Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is coming back on track. It was very unfortunate that Nawaz’s (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) dates went
ctress Sonakshi Sinha says her style icon is evergreen beauty Rekha. “For me, my style icon would be Rekhaji. She has effortlessly kept her style quotient identical for many years. You can recognise anywhere once you see Rekhaji. She is a great style icon,” said Sonakshi. “Style has nothing to do with fashion. It is something that is incorporated in you and
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he team of Bollywood film Dilwale, led by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has contributed Rs.1 crore to aid flood-affected Tamil Nadu. Lakhs of people were hit due to floods caused by torrential rains in Chennai and neighbouring districts and at least 325
films such as Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Don and Don 2. On the acting front, Farhan will next be seen on the silver screen as an ATS officer in Bejoy Nambiar’s upcoming film Wazir. Wazir also features Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Aditi Rao Hydari in key roles. The film co-produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and is set to hit the screens on January 8 next year.
ENTERTAINMENT
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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Indian animation films receive better response abroad than in India Sandeep Sharma
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n its more than 100-year-old journey, Indian cinema has raised itself to a world-class level but animation is a genre that is yet to find acceptability at home, animator and film-maker says. She feels Indian animation films, which are acclaimed at various international platforms, don’t find audiences in India. “I’m recognised abroad better than I am over here. Right now I’m making a feature film where I’ve a French co-producer because I couldn’t find an Indian producer. So this is the state where we all (animators) are; our work, which is quite specialised, is appreciated and trusted by people outside because they understand a new visual language of telling a story,” Rao said. “Indian art, culture, mythology and social problems seem very interesting to the rest of the world. So, if you have an
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animated film, which is of a high calibre having all this, it has a huge market internationally, but within India for us to think that it has this kind of a market is not monetarily viable. “Animation films from India get better response abroad than in their own nation,” added Rao, whose short animation films such
as Printed Rainbow and True Love Story have been honoured at various editions of the Cannes International Film Festival. Rao, however, stated that there are ample reasons why not many animation films are made in India. “In India, we don’t have an audience that is really prepared to watch animation films. I won’t
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CHALLENGING GRAVITY
blame the audience for it, as we also don’t have a long history such as the US, Russia and Japan, which started making animation films in the 1930s and are making more of that kind of films, which are doing well commercially,” she explained. She said that in India, animation came quite late and the knowledge of the genre had to be imported. “In India, it all started in 1960 by the Films Division of India, which is actually quite late. The fact that there was no education in animation and suddenly they started a studio which creates animation means you had to import your knowledge. We did it from Walt Disney. This is why some of the styles that we do are look-alike the style of Walt Disney,” she said. “For the last 20–25 years, there has been growth in the animation industry, as people like us want to make animation films, but the trust in the faith in complete animated
features is very little because people go by the market, unlike, say in 1960, the government supported the parallel cinema,” she added. “Animation never received that kind of support from any place. We suddenly find ourselves competing with Bollywood, which is very tough because we are asked to make that kind of money,” she said. Asked if big production banners in India show interest in producing an animation film, Rao said, “Some of the producers are, if we take them the safe way, which is children’s entertainment or animation films about superheroes. “Indians have a perception that animation films are only for kids and it will work only if there is mythology in it or it is made on a grand scale. Producers are still too scared to invest in animation films.”
30
FEATURES
11 December 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Making a mark in business
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Originally from Fiji, Viky and Nileshna Narayan purchased a CrestClean franchise in 2005 and became regional manager master franchisees in 2008. Today, they oversee the operations of 82 franchises and 180 personnel providing commercial cleaning services for more than 350 customers. They were recently awarded the Business Excellence in Marketing award and Business Excellence in Innovation awards at the Indian Newslink Business Awards. The Indian Weekender spoke to Viky Narayan to know more about his journey in New Zealand. IWK Bureau IWK: You purchased a CrestClean franchise in 2005. What made you take that step?
Viky and Nileshna Narayan
Viky: I am a qualified accountant and have always dreamt of owning a business. CrestClean had all the ingredients for my dream to come true, and so I decided to purchase a franchise. IWK: How would you describe your
Winning the Business Excellence in Marketing and Innovation means a lot to me. It proves that our marketing strategy works, which has doubled customer numbers in three years.
journey from 2005 till today? Viky:
We
became
regional
IWK: How does CrestClean have a competitive edge over other companies?
manager
master franchisees in 2008, overseeing the CrestClean’s large South Auckland
Viky: CrestClean compliance system has a competitive edge over their companies. All our operators go through NZQA cleaning course to make sure they understand and deliver the best service in the market.
customer base. In 2013 we added the East Auckland region to our business. The journey so far has been very exciting, successful and knowledgeable. IWK: How do you feel on winning
IWK: What are the biggest challenges a person in your position faces?
the awards at the Indian Newslink Business Awards? Viky: Winning the Business Excellence in Marketing and Innovation means a lot to me. It proves that our marketing strategy works,
which
has
doubled
customer
Viky: Word of mouth is a very powerful
created more opportunities to quote new
tool in the cleaning industry and helps
jobs just through customer referrals. More
IWK: What are some of the most
me achieve my objectives. My franchisees’
than 90 per cent of the surveyed customers
powerful marketing tools?
ability to replicate high quality services has
say they would recommend CrestClean.
numbers in three years.
Coca-Cola Christmas in the park
Hanukah in the Park
Auckland Lily Society—Christmas Lily Show
Summer Slams
Date: Saturday, December 12 Time: 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Venue: Auckland Domain, Parnell Gather your friends and family for a magical night under the stars. Enjoy an evening of star-studded entertainment and fabulous fireworks. Performances include Avalanche City, Jessica Mauboy, Caleb JagoWard, Vince Harder, Ben Lummis, Lavina Williams and Ester Stephens. Admission is free for all. Find more details on www.christmasinthepark.co.nz.
Date: Sunday, December 13 Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Auckland Horticultural Centre, 990 Great North Rd, Auckland The Auckland Lily Society presents its one-day Christmas Lily Show. Head to the Auckland Horticultural Centre this Sunday to view a vast display of the flower in season this year. The event is free and open to all.
Date: Sunday, December 13 Time: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: Albert Park, Princes Street, Auckland Join Auckland’s Jewish community to celebrate the festival of Hannukah. The evening will include live music from Truppman Brothers, jazz artist Alan Brown and his band Simcha and lively Israeli group Sababa. Taste Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine and drinks, which will include special Hannukah donuts, falafel, shawarma, hummus, hot drinks and juices. The event is free and open to all. Contact Tanya Hart on tanya@hartcomm. co.nz or 021 648 971 for more details.
When: Saturday, December 19 Time: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: Zeal, 20 Alderman Drive, Auckland Zeal West presents the best way to celebrate the end of the school year and kick off summer—a straight up allages creative festival. It includes markets, live art, dance, hip hop, alt rock and acoustics. The event will include more than 20 acts featuring some of West Auckland’s latest and greatest. The event is free and open to all.
Viky: Getting the right people to be involved within the cleaning franchise is one of the biggest challenges. Most people don’t like cleaning but by a guaranteed income attracts people to be owner operators. It is very challenging for me to make sure I always have my best team out there to deliver the service I have promised.
Christmas Lights, MOTAT Nights
When: Friday, December 11 to Thursday, December 24 Time: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Celebrate the spirit of giving at Christmas Lights, MOTAT Nights where all the proceeds will go towards buying children’s gifts for charity. Experience the museum’s heritage buildings, streetscapes and trams beautifully lit up with sparkling fairy lights. There will be a myriad of things to see and do, with live entertainment, tram rides, outdoor movies and traditional Christmas treats such as mulled wine and cake pops on sale. Entry cost is $2 per person. Find more details on motat.org.nz.
Britomart beach party
Date: Thursday, December 31 Time: 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. Where: Britomart, Cnr Gore and Galway Streets, Auckland Celebrate New Year ’s Eve in style at the ultimate inner city beach party. Venues this year include Roukai Lane, Britomart Country Club, Northern Steamship, Orleans, Racket, Basement, Sazarac Baar, Champagne Room, Better Burger and 1885. The six plus music zones will see a line-up of artists such as Che Fu, Laughton Kora, Frank Booker and Maneul Bundy. VIP tickets cost $99 and general admission tickets are priced at $59. Buy tickets by calling 0508 iTICKET (484-253).
FEATURES
www.iwk.co.nz | 11 December 2015
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