4 September, 2015 • Vol. 7 Issue 24 | www.iwk.co.nz
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CONTENTS
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Pg 9
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Pg 18
Pg 17
NEW ZEALAND
DIRECT DIL SE
OPINION/EDITORIAL
The future of work
PM Modi talks about land acquisition and more
Pro Kabaddi League — Second Season
Pg 23
Pg 26
I AM WOMAN
BOLLYWOOD
Making India proud
Orange
Pg 28
FACE OF THE WEEK
Shahid-Mira at Lakme Fashion Week
In conversation with Atul Kumar
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3 Auction (unless sold prior) 11am, Wednesday 23rd September 2015 Maritime Square, Ground Floor 4 Viaduct Harbour Avenue Auckland, New Zealand Ranjan Unka M 021 711 755 B 09 489 0988 ranjan.unka@bayleys.co.nz Devereux Howe-Smith Realty Ltd, Bayleys, Licensed under the REA Act 2008
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NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
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‘Home sweet home’—a dream in a bubble or not? U Kumar Suresh
ntil June, the cost of property in Auckland rose by almost $500 a week for three months straight—a result of the economic bubble created in the real estate market. If the new reports are to be believed, the Auckland’s real estate market has hit its peak. One of the leading real estate agencies has come out with a report saying that in July, for the first time in many months, the average cost of the property plunged by almost $29,000. Although the market stabilised in August, it can be seen that the price rise has been slowing down in recently. With average prices of the houses in the north shore, Manukau East, old Auckland city council region and other parts of Auckland hitting one million, it was obvious that these superficial property rates were buying their time. The Reserve Bank cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to three per cent, and many banks such as BNZ, ANZ, Kiwi bank and ASB have followed suit by cutting their interest rates. Today,
How much will the property price fall if there is a correction in prices?
the mortgage rates are the lowest in 60 years. The rates are expected to go down further, and according to experts, the rate is expected to be low for another 6–12 months. Although the interest rate cuts are tempting, one needs to be careful and
be aware of the correction in prices of the property from time to time. Indian Weekender caught up with financing and mortgage experts, Global Financial Services, and other real estate experts, to get an insight into the various issues clouding the minds of property buyers in Auckland.
Experts: The key reason for the increase in property prices in Auckland is the imbalance in demand and supply of the houses. Until this imbalance is rectified, property prices are likely to increase. Correction in property prices in Auckland will take place but not immediately. It would also depend on how fast the government intends to correct the rates. The increase in prices has had a positive impact on the economy in recent times. It has also shielded the performance of the dairy sector of the entire country by a large extent. Apart from the policy change for lending by the banking sectors from October, there is little that the government has done to interfere in the real estate market. Therefore it will be safe to assume that even though the prices have almost peaked, they are here to stay for another 12 months at least. So is it a right time to buy property? Experts: There is never a right or a wrong time to buy a property. Always buy property on its merits after due diligence.
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COVER STORY
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
The best advice would be to keep an eye on the market, policy changes of the government and banking sectors, which might affect rates in real estate. Before buying a property, one should do a thorough research on the history of the property. It is important to know the highest and the lowest cost of the property in last five years in such times. This would help you know how the property fared during good and bad times in the past. It also helps to find out if the price of the property is going up in the market or is declining. What does the new loan– to-value (LVR) restriction means to a buyer? Experts: The new rules on LVR are applicable from October. The new lending rule is applicable mainly for purchasing investment properties in the Auckland Council region. This means, 30% deposits or equity is required if someone would like to purchase an investment property in the Auckland Council region. For purchasing property in other parts of New Zealand, these rules will not apply. How difficult is it to get a loan? What are the options available? Experts: Getting a loan is not difficult at all if one meets the lending criteria of the bank. It is at times advisable to approach a financial agency if one is not sure about where and how to seek loans.
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Before buying a property, one should do a thorough research on the history of the property. It is important to know the highest and the lowest cost of the property in last five years in such times. This would help you know how the property fared during good and bad times in the past Financial agencies such as Global Financial Services, help people with information about which bank can offer a better deal and are best suited for your requirement. If someone is not eligible for a loan in a particular bank, these agencies can help
you with loan approvals in other banks, as lending criteria is not same across all banks. They can also bargain for suitable terms and conditions, as they have a strong relationship and understanding with banks. Finally, it comes down to what your need is and how much you can afford. Managing finances will go a long way in being safe in the real estate market. However lucrative a property might look, rushing to buy an asset is never advisable. A holistic approach will always be productive. Although the capital gains of owning a property for a long time are huge, it is always better to understand the market to stay away from negative equity. One does not buy a property every day, so it is advisable to make an investment in a property that makes your home a better place to live.
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ecently, numerous reasons have Redbeen pointed out for the rise in property prices in Auckland. There have been debates at various forums and we have had the most controversial statements coming from the political arena. A section of it are blaming the government policies and importantly, offshore investment in Auckland’s real estate market. Phil Twyford, spokesperson for housing of Labour party, which recently came out with a report of Chinese investment in Auckland’s real estate market, spoke exclusively to Indian Weekender and shared his views on why the prices of real estate in Auckland is going up. He also spoke in length about some of the policies that are affecting the prices of houses in Auckland. IWK: What according to you is the situation like in Auckland’s real estate market? How affordable is a house for a common man? Phil Twyford: The dream of an affordable home has almost disappeared for people in Auckland right now. Thirty years ago, the average price of a home was three times the home income. That according to the international standards is considered being affordable, whereas now, that ratio has gone up by 10 times. So it means that it takes an average of 50 years to pay off for a property in Auckland
for a household. And that is why the mortgage rate is lowest in the last 50 years. Auckland isOrange a small Black city by international standards but according OECD, Auckland has some of the most unaffordable houses in the world when we compare the cost of houses to their incomes. So the situation is desperate. IWK: What do you think is the root cause of the problem? Why are these prices going up? PT: There are multiple reasons for the problem. Firstly, Auckland has a rising demand for houses because of its rising population. If the market was working properly, you would expect that the construction and development industry would meet the demand and supply of houses in the market. In the last few years, there has been an accumulated shortfall in houses. The productivity commission estimates this number to be 32,000. At present, the industry is producing 8,000 houses per year when it needs to build 13,000 just to keep up with the population growth. So the gap is growing every year by 5,000 houses and the productivity commission estimates that by 2020, at the current rate, the number will increase from 32,000 to 60,000. Now the big question is why isn’t the construction industry producing enough houses? One of the reasons is the way the council acts
COVER STORY
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015 under the resource management act. Labour party thinks that we have to get our system working so we need Orange to build Red Black more houses to eliminate the shortage and provide affordable houses for firsttime buyers. I would love to see more houses particularly in the areas where people want to live. For example, there is a restriction on height and density of the buildings in the city. A lot of people, especially youngsters and even the ones who have retired, do not want to live in the suburbs. They want to live in town houses and apartments. Those are some of the planning rules that need to be changed. Another reason is the rise in prices of land. That is probably because of the growing demand. Also, we have had planning rules, which has restricted the supply of land, and when you create an artificial scarcity of land, the cost goes up. There is also a problem with our construction industry. We have a boom and bust cycle. Real estate and construction go hand in hand. The real estate prices go up and when there is fall like we had during global economic fall, the demand falls. During the economic crisis, many skilled and trained people left the industry and went abroad. Now when the demand is high, the construction industry cannot scale up because there are not enough skilled people in the construction industry. The Labour policy is Kiwibuild, under which we would build 10,000 houses a year, train people for the industry and sell affordable houses to first-time buyers. We will also help loan firms to evolve to finance construction of these houses and reinvest the money earned in the process to build more houses. So we are using the same money over and over again and that would stimulate demand.
Thirty years ago, the average price of a home was three times the home income. That according to the international standards is considered being affordable, whereas now, that ratio has gone up by 10 times. So it means that it takes an average of 50 years to pay off for a property in Auckland for a household. Now that was about the construction side. Another problem in Auckland right now is from speculators and land bankers. In Auckland, if you want to get rich, people think the only way to do is by owning a property. Just through capital gains, a modest house in Auckland can earn you a lot more money than by working. The prices of the property have gone up by 25% last year. It is a tax-free gain. What is making matters worse is the fact that it is also attracting foreign investments. What Labour wants to do is to crackdown on the speculators and change the policies that encourage property speculations. We would also ban non-residents buying existing houses. This is the policy they have in Australia. What we are asking them is if they want to buy houses in New Zealand, come here and settle down in this country. Make a commitment to the country. If you are offshore and nonresident and want to own a property, the only way to do that would be to build a new house. That way you will be adding to the supply. For example, in Sydney and
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COVER STORY
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Melbourne, Chinese citizens are investing in real estate by funding the construction of apartments. That way, we can shape an agreeable policy, which encourages foreign investors to deliver you new home rather than having foreign investors competing with local first-time buyers.
...if the bubble does burst and if there were Red Black to be Orange major correction in property prices, consequences could be disastrous. The Worst situation could be that the house value would drop so steeply that a large number of people would find themselves in negative equity as happened in the US the during credit crunch
IWK: Some say that there is this small real estate bubble that has been created in Auckland’s real estate market. Do you think that is true? PT: We either have a bubble or something really close to it. IWK: Dairy prices have crashed. Estimated GDP is only two per cent this year. With he Christchurch rebuilding process off its peak, some feel the only driving force of the economy at this point of time is the Auckland’s real estate market without which the economy will slump further. PT: That is true. That is one of the reasons why the national government is so reluctant to do anything other than minor tinkering with their housing policies. Other things, like you are suggesting, are that there is little happening in the economy now. Christchurch rebuild has come down off the peak, the dairy sector is tanking and the only thing left is the housing bubble of Auckland. So for that reason, John Key’s government doesn’t want to do anything about foreign money coming into the market, as they feel it would have a dampening effect on the economy as a whole. Another reason which is a bigger factor is the government’s thinking. John Key said that many Aucklanders, who own houses, want the prices of their houses going up because they would get wealthier. This is the most ridiculous thing that I have
ever heard of, for two reasons. One is that if you own a property in Auckland, it is paper worth. You can never cash in that wealth unless you move out of Auckland. For most people in Auckland, it is not worth to move out of the city because of their work and family. Secondly, if the prime minister of this country thinks that we will get wealthier by selling houses to each other, he is wrong. Real estate speculation is the most unproductive economic activity you can imagine. It does not generate wealth, jobs or exports for New Zealand. So national government policies are channelising vast amount of money into a very unproductive economic activity. What I find most offensive about the prime minister’s statement is that half of the Aucklanders don’t own houses in the
first place. The prime minister, through his policies, is sacrificing the whole generation of New Zealanders who are locked out of the housing market. IWK: When do you think this bubble will explode? What do you think will be the consequences? PT: Real estate market tends to move in cycles, and I am not in the business of predicting when and where the bubble might explode in Auckland. Like we all saw, after the global financial crisis, prices took a hit in Auckland and it paused before it took off again. But what I do know is that the current state of affairs is bad for the younger generation and bad for communities and bad for New Zealand. The housing situation in the market is increasing the inequality.
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The gap between the younger generation and baby boomers is growing big; the gap between the rich and poor is growing bigger. This is very bad for New Zealand. Coming to the consequences, here I want to be really clear that I am not projecting that this will happen, but if the bubble does burst and if there were to be major correction in property prices, consequences could be disastrous. The Worst situation could be that the house value would drop so steeply that a large number of people would find themselves in negative equity as happened in the US the during credit crunch. It could also have a serious recessional effect on the economy as a whole. Due to the paucity of space, we will feature the other half of this interview in our next issue. In the meanwhile if you have any thoughts about“the bubble” or are a first-home buyer and would like to share your experience with us, write to us at editor@indianweekender.co.nz The story continues…
NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
NZ celebrates Raksha Bandhan
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¡ Rajesh Krishnamurthy
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he festival of Rakhsha Bandhan was celebrated by Hindu organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) on August 29 with fun and fanfare at the Shri Shirdi Sai baba Sansthan, Onehunga. The Auckland event was graced by dignitaries and parliamentarians alike. The guest of honour was His Worship Len Brown Major of Auckland, who along with Tracy Martin of NZ First, Sonali Hegde of Hindu Council of NZ and Jayanti Mehta of Gayatri Pariwar, lit the ceremonial lamp. The proceedings of the day commenced with some traditional bhajans in fusion with western music that set the mood for the evening. The chief guests were welcomed with shankh dhwani. His Worship Len Brown, the Mayor of Auckland, then addressed the audience and spoke about the bonds of universal brotherhood and women empowerment that the festival signifies. NZ First MP Tracy Martin spoke about the relevance of a festival like Rakshabandhan in a multicultural society like New Zealand’s. Other guests included Rakesh Naidoo from NZ Police, Mahesh Bindra of NZ First and Priyanca Radhakrishnan of Labour Party. The dignitaries and the audience then performed the rakhi tying ceremony. The cultural performances rose the energy level higher with the Kapa Haka, Poi dance and Tamil folk dance. A Carnatic flute recital and the live band performance by the Hare Krishna group were the highlights of the evening that brought the audience on its feet swaying to the lilting chant of
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Mayor Len Brown lighting the lamp
Hare Rama Hare Krishna. The cultural activities concluded with the Gujrati garba performance. The show was unique in the sense that it had an eclectic mix of bhajans, kirtan, songs and dances that truly reflected the essence of the multicultural community that we in NZ are privileged to experience. A similar event was also celebrated by the HOTA Wellington chapter.
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NEW ZEALAND
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
India as a global power I Red
¡ Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
ndia is the third—largest global economy when measured by purchasing-power parity, and she boasts of a large and growing annual defence budget that is expected to become the world’s fourth largest within the next five years. India is also expected to become the fastest growing large economy over the next few years, taking over that coveted spot from China that held this position for the past three decades. It is not surprising that the world is looking curiously at India. But the question is, what does India’s arrival on the global stage mean for India, for her Asian neighbours, and for the world at large? Will India be able to fulfil the expectations it has generated? And for that matter, how should New Zealand respond to this new phenomenon in global politics? To discuss all these questions the New Zealand India Research Institute held its third International Conference in Wellington on August 25-26. Over two days, 12 academic experts from across the world critically addressed those issues, facilitating our understanding of ‘India as a global power in the twenty-first century’. Hon Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, in his opening speech at the conference emphasised the importance of a rising India for world politics and economy as well as for New Zealand. It opens up huge opportunities, but New Zealand, he reminded, must think
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public of this region India is still largely stuck with the image of a poor third world country. In other words, more needs to be done beyond the use of ‘soft-power’. A number of papers therefore reflected on the economics of Modi’s foreign policy and how effective these economic policies have been. As Amitendu Palit of the National University of Singapore observed, global media view of India changed drastically during the first year of the Modi government, and rightly so. But this enthusiasm has started waning as outcome has fallen short of expectation. Sustained economic growth will not be possible without substantial reform of the institutions, and here there are several difficult obstacles. And unless economic growth can be kick-started and poverty alleviation accelerated, argued Srikanta Chatterjee of Massey University, it will be difficult for her to overtake China. Rajat Ganguly of Murdoch University also argued that it would be difficult to outstrip China in terms of ‘hard-power’ (military hardware) and so India needs to take recourse to careful diplomacy.
(Clockwise from top) Hon Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment during his address; Professor Ian Hall of Griffith University; attendees at the conference.
innovatively to take advantage of them. About 20,000 Indian students have come to this country over the last year. This is a welcome growth, he mentioned, but New Zealand should do more to develop deeper educational and research ties between the two countries, and may develop other plans for skills training for the Indian youth preparing them for a modern job market. He congratulated the New Zealand India Research Institute for the good work it has been doing in strengthening such ties. In his keynote speech during the main session of the conference, Professor Ian Hall of Griffith University spoke on the recent shifts in Indian foreign policy under Narendra Modi. Having reinvigorated India’s so-called ‘soft power’, Modi is developing a new cultural agenda in Indian public diplomacy. His success in securing United Nations’ agreement for an International Yoga Day is one aspect of this agenda, which builds upon earlier attempts by Indian Prime Ministers to make India a ‘normative power’ in world politics. However, it still needs to be seen how this strategy based on insistence on the excellence of India’s ancient civilisation will ultimately help India establish her status as a real global power. The use of ‘soft-power’ and social media in diplomacy as well as domestic politics in recent years by the Modi government has been a major focus of a number of papers at the conference. Ronojoy Sen of the National University of Singapore showed how Modi used various cultural symbols and social media in his election campaign. Parama Palit, also from Singapore, analysed how similar symbols have been effectively used to connect to the Indian diaspora during Modi’s foreign visits. However, the question is, while these cultural agendas have been able to strike a chord with the diasporas, have they been able to change global perceptions about India? And here the empirical research conducted in Southeast Asia by Adrian Athique of the University of Waikato shows that among the general
It is not surprising that the world is looking curiously at India. But the question is, what does India’s arrival on the global stage mean for India, for her Asian neighbours, and for the world at large? In the context of diplomacy, India’s foreign policy in recent years has undergone several significant shifts in relation to several global powers such as the USA, China and Israel. Manjeet Pardesi of Victoria University and Ashok Sharma of the University of Melbourne showed how India’s relationship with China and USA has not only shifted over the last few years, as she has moved closer to USA, but has also tries to play a careful balancing game with China. Nicolas Blarel of Leiden University discussed the other important shift in India’s policy, i.e., towards the Middle East—from her full-throated support for the Palestinian cause to a more pragmatic relationship with Israel. It is believed that more will be revealed during Modi’s coming visit to Israel. Finally, in the open forum on Indo— New Zealand relations, it was agreed that New Zealand should take a more focused approach towards India. Modi’s ‘Make in India’ policy identifies 25 sectors where India needs foreign investment. In several of these sectors, New Zealand has special expertise, and it should focus on those areas alone. The two countries may also develop useful security relationship by situating themselves within the broader security architecture of the Indo—Pacific region. The two-day conference was attended by about 60 participants from various sectors.
NEW ZEALAND
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
The future of work
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Sunny Kaushal
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ad I written this article a couple of decades ago, I would have probably used a bunch of full scape papers and scribbled with a fountain pen or at the most used a typewriter, not my laptop on the go. Thanks to many technological developments, today we have instant access to such life changing tools and are able to share information with the audience in seconds. Today every other person carries a smartphone that not only
Professor Edwina Pio, NZ’s first professor for Diversity
recognises your voice but also organises your work appointments and send messages for you. The world around us is changing dramatically and it is difficult to keep pace. This is drastically affecting our lives and workplaces. Globalisation, drones, driverless cars, 3D printing, robots, artificial intelligence and so on. It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand and be prepared for these changes. The future of work is likely to be completely different to what we have or understand today. There is no dearth of opportunity but we also need to prepare New Zealanders for a future where technological disruption and robotics will replace many jobs. In Australia 40% of the jobs are at risk of disappearing in 10–15 years due to computerisation and automation. Who would have imagined few years ago that the biggest taxi company in the world doesn’t own even a single taxi? One of the cleaning companies at Auckland Airport is already using robots for cleaning jobs. Labour Party is currently carrying out investigation on “future of work” and holding a two year Future of Work Commission to look at these challenges and opportunities, in order to design the policies to deal with them and prepare Kiwis for a rapidly changing workplace, work practices, practical education and skills. The Future of Work Commission is the Labour Party’s brainchild in taking the lead for shaping a fair and prosperous country. The Commission will focus on five core themes critical to ensuring New Zealand takes the opportunities presented by the rapid changes in working life. The five work streams are: technology, security of work and
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seminar in the series Future of Works was conducted on August 29 at Western Springs Community Hall which received great response. Around 70 people from the ethnic communities including some parliamentarians attended the informative sessions. Labour Party leader Andrew Little, MP Phill Goff, MP Grant Robertson, Labour President Nigel Haworth welcomed the audience. MP and Labour Party leader Andrew Little said that talking about the future of work in the world of technology and science “is a really important and defining issue for the party and us as
income, education and training, Maori and Pasifika, and economic development and sustainability.
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Spring
Labour MP and Spokesperson for Finance Grant Robertson
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How do we create an economy that provides opportunities and jobs for all? That’s the challenge we face. An important part of the Commission is to hear from business people, academics, workers and people from across our community. These are critical areas to get right to ensure that in the coming decades we have decent work with higher wages for all New Zealanders. We need to answer questions such as are our students leaving school with the skills
Labour leader and MP Andrew Little
they need to make it in the modern world and the readiness to retrain as new jobs in emerging sectors arise? Is our education system too focused on subjects rather than the emerging skills and knowledge our young people need? Are our students leaving school with the skills they need to make it in the modern world and the readiness to retrain as new jobs in emerging sectors arise? We also need to consider issues such as how we remove roadblocks to innovation so businesses have the opportunities to adopt new sustainable growth models, and how to increase research and development. Chair of the Commission and Labour Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson has launched the listening-exercise for the Commission to hear from all of you about your work, what it means to you and how the changes to the workplace could affect you. Future of work seminars will be conducted nationwide. You can also read the Future of Work discussion papers and provide feedback, by visiting the futureofwork.nz website or contact the writer.
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Sunny Kaushal is one of the senior activists and an active member in Kiwi Indian community. He was the Labour Party Candidate in General Election 2011 and 2014.
a country.” Grant Robertson’s presentation on The Future of Work put forward various innovative ideas to find alternative ways to keep going with the human work culture to ensure the financial safety in the future given the current environment. Professor Edwina Pio, Professor of Diversity from AUT, gave a presentation on immigration and inclusion with specific reference to ethnic communities. Honey Rasalan from migrant action trust also raised issues related to migrants and job search.
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NEW ZEALAND
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Air NZ and Air China join forces
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he strategic agreement between Air New Zealand and Air China has received its go ahead from the government. The airlines had announced their intention to enter into an alliance during President’s Xi’s visit to New Zealand last year. Following the Cabinet’s approval, Transport Minister Simon Bridges signed the authorisation, which now allows the new service to compete with existing ones operated by China Southern, China Eastern and Cathay Pacific. “This alliance means travellers will be able to access more flights and lower fares between New Zealand and Beijing and Shanghai, ensuring they have access to a greater range of choices. “In addition to expanding services,
Fifth Children’s team launched in Hamilton
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ocial Development Minister Anne Tolley launched the Hamilton Children’s Team, the fifth of 10 approved teams to start in New Zealand. Children’s Teams ensure that children at risk have individuallytailored support plans and a single point of contact to work with the child and their family, and other social services. “Children have a fundamental right to have their needs met and to be safe from abuse and neglect. Children’s Teams provide children and their families/whanau with the right support and services to ensure they don’t require state intervention, and to help them thrive,” Mrs Tolley says. “This is not about adding more services, but making sure those children who need support have access to the right services at the right time. It also means professionals must work together across agencies to ensure the best outcome for every vulnerable child they work with.” The Children’s Team in Hamilton will trial the Vulnerable Children’s Hub that would be a contact point for professionals worried about a child, and the Vulnerable Kids Information System (ViKI) that will allow professionals to share and manage the information about a child. Budget 2015 allocated $2.3 million funding for Hamilton to pilot ViKI that will be rolled out in the next few weeks. If the pilot turns out be successful, ViKI is intended to be rolled out across all Children’s Teams.
the alliance will mean Air China will actively market New Zealand as a visitor destination,” said Mr Bridges. “China is our second largest tourist market behind Australia, with visitor arrivals due to double in the next five years. Tourists from China recently pushed New Zealand’s annual visitor numbers over the three million mark. “As
well as that, it is our number one export destination with annual exports reaching $11.3 billion in September 2014,” he added. The airlines will have to demonstrate that the alliance— that has been authorised for an initial term of five years and four months—is beneficial and does not adversely impact the competition in the New Zealand-China market.
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Court rules changed to support family violence information sharing
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ustice Minister Amy Adams has announced new information sharing rules between family and criminal courts as part of the government’s work to help reduce the harm caused by family violence. Under the new rules, judges can access details that weren’t previously easily available. This includes affidavits, victim impact statements and summaries of facts from family violence proceedings. Family court judges will now be able to get details such as sentencing notes from violence changes involving the perpetrator in the criminal court, and for the first time, this includes family violence history involving previous relationships. “Rules about whether the family court and criminal court can share information with each
other have been relaxed so that judges in these courts will be able to better share more case information about family violence perpetrators,” says Ms Adams. “Before now, this could be shared only if there had been a protection order in place when the family violence offence happened. The extra information will support criminal court judges making decisions such as whether to grant bail or set sentence conditions. “These changes are part of the comprehensive suite of initiatives this government has underway to improve the way we address family violence,” she added. Every year, approximately 1,200 people who have had a protection order against them in the Family Court are involved in family violence-related proceedings in the criminal court.
Government should play an important part to resolve the global refugee crisis
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pposition Leader Andrew Little has urged John Key and his government to increase the refugee quota and let New Zealand play its part in helping address the tragic humanitarian crisis that has hit the world. “The refugee crisis in countries such as Lebanon and Austria is simply heart-breaking. There are now nine million refugees from Syria alone. “Every country in the world needs to do its share and the Prime Minister’s adamant refusal to lift our annual 750 refugee
quota or consider a one-off special
is disgraceful. “We can do more
increase for displaced Syrians
and we must.
Fraud initiatives keep people out of debt traps
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n the quarter of June 2015, $2.21 million in overpayments were recovered from beneficiaries. The continued effort to identify overpayments to beneficiaries is reducing the number of people who end up with large debts, says Associate Social Development Minister Jo Goodhew. “This is proof the information sharing between departments is increasing the likelihood of early debt recovery,” says Mrs Goodhew. “We don’t want families stuck in a debt trap for receiving payments they aren’t entitled
to receive. That’s why our staff is working hard to prevent welfare fraud from occurring, and preventing large debts from accumulating. A total of $9.11 million in overpayments has been recovered since the welfare fraud initiatives began in March 2013. “As well as helping people whose changing circumstances unintentionally lead to an overpayment, we continue to catch people who are intentionally trying to defraud the system. “Around 97 per cent of our welfare fraud prosecutions are successful. Over the last year 927
people have been successfully prosecuted and we are now working with them to recover $32 million in taxpayer money.” “In addition, prior to the welfare fraud initiatives approximately 26 per cent of clients re-offended. To date, only 0.1 per cent of clients who are or have been closely monitored have recommitted welfare fraud,” says Mrs Goodhew. The welfare fraud initiatives have led to more than 10,200 unlawfully obtained benefits being cancelled, saving an estimated $174.5 million of taxpayer money.
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“New Zealand can absorb a further 250 or even 500 people. These aren’t numbers; they are parents, children and grandparents. “The Prime Minister says that would only be a drop in the ocean and wouldn’t help address the crisis. This is contrary to his argument for sending a handful of our troops to fight ISIS in Iraq. “The $17 million being spent on the flag referendum would be much better spent relieving the suffering of some of these refugees,” Andrew Little says.
Veterans’ claim for recreational travel concession easier now
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ligible veterans will be able to claim up to $200 per year for travel costs from December 7 by filling out a statutory declaration. “This change, part of the new Veterans’ Independence Programme, is about making it easier for those who’ve served our country to access the support they need,” Veterans’ Affairs Minister Craig Foss says. Receipts will still be required for travel by public transport, air, or for claims of more than $200 per year. “It’s important to note there is no change to eligibility—veterans who currently receive this support will continue to do so,” Mr Foss says.
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
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4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Keeping New Zealand corruption-free Phil Goff Labour MP
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n important advantage of living in New Zealand is knowing that, for the main part, public life is corruption-free. Generally we can rely on the belief that our judges, police, public servants and politicians do not accept bribes and follow proper standards of behaviour. There are of course exceptions and the price of keeping New Zealand as a country in which officials behave honestly is constant vigilance. One of the organisations that provides oversight of our system is called Transparency International. It’s this organisation’s parent body that each year rates New Zealand in the top two countries for integrity and honesty. Transparency International works locally
to promote openness, accountability, integrity and public participation in government and civil society. The patron of Transparency International in New Zealand has been, until recently, Sir Anand Satyanand. Anand’s background is as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman. The last Labour Government recommended the appointment of Sir Anand as Governor General—the first of Indian origin. His parents came to New Zealand from Fiji. Anand is a decent and honest man who has contributed much to New Zealand. Last week he was appointed to an international leadership role in the fight against corruption as a member of Transparency International’s Global Advisory Council. The honour reflects well upon him and New Zealand. The New Zealand branch of Transparency International recently put out a public statement however warning New Zealand that its good reputation was at stake. Referring to the murky deal in which the Government and its Foreign Minister Murray McCully paid out $11.5 million to an influential Saudi businessman the
organisation said the lack of transparency around the deal ‘could deliver a body blow to our hard-won reputation’ Transparency’s chair, Suzanne Snively, warned that the secrecy surrounding the deal and the reluctance of the Minister to address it publicly will, in themselves, undermine New Zealand’s position as one
of the driving forces trying to eliminate bribery and corruption around the globe! New Zealand’s Auditor-General has launched an inquiry into the deal. The deal involved payment of $4 million in cash, $6 million for an ‘agri-hub’ farm in the middle of the desert and $1.5 million to fly 900 ewes from New Zealand to the farm.
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It appears to have been made in order to persuade the businessman to remove his opposition to a free trade agreement between New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. Politely described as a ‘facilitation payment’ others called it a bribe. It was made against Treasury and the Auditor-General’s advice. There appears to be no good business case for the deal. While there is no suggestion of a personal benefit to Mr McCully, the payment did not appear to follow the strict procedures regulating the use of public funds. Even National’s own supporters have challenged the decisions to spend the money with right-wing columnist Mathew Hooton describing the reasons given by Mr Key and Mr McCully as ‘fabricated’ and entirely false. In the end the AuditorGeneral will release her findings on whether proper standards were followed in how the money was spent. However, as Transparency International says, the Government cover-up of what happened has already put our reputation at risk and contradicted the Government’s commitment to foster transparency and accountability.
Success with health targets means families benefitting from quality care Parmjeet Parmar
Labour MP
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ore New Zealanders are benefitting from faster care in emergency departments and
help to make lifestyle changes to benefit their health and the health of their families. District health boards (DHBs) continue to improve their performance against the Government’s health targets. In the last quarter (April to June), more than 250,000
New Zealanders were admitted, discharged or transferred from an emergency department within six hours. This is the second consecutive quarter in which the target has been reached, a great achievement. It highlights the sustained excellent performances by our health sector and is a credit to the hardworking health staff. Ninety per cent of smokers were offered advice and support to quit smoking by a primary care practitioner, meeting the target for the first time. The hospital component of the target has been consistently achieved in the last two years. Evidence suggests talking with a health professional is one of the most effective ways to get people to give up smoking, so this result is especially pleasing. We are also seeing improvements in the
number of eligible people receiving heart and diabetes checks. per cent of eligible people had their risk of cardiovascular disease assessed. This is an important step to encourage people to change their lifestyles to improve their overall health if they are at risk. Across the country DHBs delivered 10,614 more elective surgeries
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than planned, with every DHB meeting the target for improving access to elective surgery. Around 50,000 more surgeries have been performed in the past seven years under National—a 42 per cent increase. National has made delivering more elective surgeries a priority. We invested $98 million in Budget 2015 to provide more New Zealanders with elective surgery and to improve the prevention and treatment of orthopaedic conditions. That’s more hip, knee and other elective operations for those who need them. Additionally, more children are getting immunised, and more people are getting faster cancer care. New Zealanders continue to benefit from improvements in health services, which are supported by the extra $400 million National invested into health this year.
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www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
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‘Check before you chop’ trees advice still rules
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Check before you chop’ is still the best advice following changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA), which sees the vast majority of trees on private ‘urban’ properties in the city no longer protected. The law change, which comes into effect on September 4, 2015, is a direct result of government amendments to the RMA in 2013, which lifted blanket tree protection in urban areas. Penny Pirrit, Auckland Council’s General Manager of Plans & Places, says the changes to the RMA do not allow the council to re-introduce general tree protection rules. “Through changes to the RMA over the last few years, we are unable to include any general tree protection rules on most ‘urban’ sites. “Exceptions to this include notable or ‘scheduled’ trees (which are listed in the district plans), trees within reserves, any area subject to a conservation management plan or conservation management strategy, and trees within a Significant Ecological Area (SEA). “These trees will continue to be protected under the Unitary Plan.” Aucklanders are being urged to ‘Check before you Chop’ and seek advice from the council before felling or damaging a protected tree, to avoid possible enforcement action.
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“There may be reasons why your trees are protected, even if you live within a builtup area. If you are uncertain whether trees on your land are protected, please call the council on (09) 301 0101 for assistance,” she says. Trees in the Hauraki Gulf Islands, streets and parks will remain protected under the Resource Management Act after September 4 because they don’t meet the Act’s definition of ‘urban environment’. For further information go to aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and search ‘tree rules’
The Story of Rama opens at Auckland Art Gallery this weekend
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he Story of Rama: Indian Miniatures from the National Museum, New Delhi opens this Saturday, September 5 at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. The intricate and vibrant works depict the Ramayana, or journey of Rama, one of the most important stories in Indian culture, part of which marks the origin of Diwali, the festival of lights. The Director General of the National Museum, New Delhi, Sanjiv Mittal, says this exhibition will introduce Indian culture to the citizens of New Zealand. “It also spreads the story of Rama, who ruled for justice, truthfulness, human values and righteousness,” he says. The free exhibition features 101 paintings that represent 24 regional Indian miniature painting styles dating from early 17th to 19th centuries. Auckland Art Gallery Director Rhana
Devenport says the Gallery is honoured to exhibit The Story of Rama, the largest collection of historical Indian art ever shown in New Zealand. Exhibition details: The Story of Rama: Indian Miniatures from the National Museum, New Delhi When: Saturday September 5, 2015 to Sunday, January 17, 2016 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas Day Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Corner Wellesley and Kitchener Streets Auckland, New Zealand. Admission: Free
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NZ film starts shooting in Fiji
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reamz Production, a New Zealand company has started filming part of its latest comedy thriller Feeling Lucky in Fiji. Producer and writer Dr Rachael Singh said they would shoot 60 per cent of the film in Fiji and the remainder in New Zealand. “We have started shooting in Suva, but the weather has not been favourable and we have shifted to the West,” Dr Singh said. “The much needed shoot have been done so far and we will be exploring for more scenes in Fiji.” She said the film would include some Fijians. Lautoka’s
New airline services
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iji’s national carrier has introduced a new online check-in feature on all international flights. The service enables customers to conveniently check-in on Fiji Airways website using a simple user-friendly interface. The online check-in opens 24 hours before and closes four hours prior to departure. Fiji Airways acting CEO David Bowden said they recognised their customers’ needs for seamless and convenient travel options and were undertaking various steps to enhance their experience. “The online check-in service will offer customers the flexibility and comfort of checking-in from their home or office, saving them time and enabling them to avoid airport queues,” he said yesterday. “After completing online checkin, customers can print out a boarding pass and then only need to present themselves at the express bag drop counter to drop their checked-in luggage.” Another service enhancement was the ability for customers to purchase seats with extra leg room on selected international flights. He said this would guarantee a coveted exit row or bulkhead seat, which would cost $59 on short and medium haul flights, and $99 for long haul flights.
Cast and local actors at Fun World Park in Nadi for the shooting of Feeling Lucky. Photo: Dr Rachael Singh
Jagdish Punja is an actor in the production house and is a member of the Twisted Families cast, a feature film currently screened at Life Cinema in Nadi. “I was in the country the last time and decided
to write this film and it took me couple of months to write the script,” said Singh. “There is a lot to be offered in Fiji in terms of production and with the close connection between
Jagdish Punja, we are trying all avenues to get more Fijian touch into this feature film.” She said the film was about three close Fijian friends and how life revolved around them. “We earmarked to shot this movie in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, but decided to expose more exotic locations.” Dreamz Productions is a well-established New Zealand production house since 2002 and involved in variety of productions and specialising in feature film productions, television soaps, short films, music videos, corporate films and television commercials.
Fijian leads climate expedition
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hat is usually given to a foreign scientist has been handed to a Fijian. Dr Sangeeta Mangubhai, an adjunct scientist with the New England Aquarium and Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Fiji will be leading an interdisciplinary team of international scientists to study the impacts of El Nino on marine life in the remote Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) in the Republic of Kiribati. The Phoenix Islands is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, one of the deepest World Heritage Areas in the world and the largest marine conservation effort of its kind by a least developed country. Dr Mangubhai said the study was important because they would document what coral reefs that were free from human impacts such as over fishing and pollution looked like, as well as studying how healthy reefs recovered from climate change impacts, such as coral bleaching. There are a few places in the world where we can study reefs that has not been impacted by people, where the whole ecosystem is healthy, intact and complete. We can use places such as the Phoenix Islands as our baseline for what productive coral reefs should look like. “We are also studying how well and quickly reefs recovered from
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iji will soon have her own hospital ship, thanks to Government’s development plans. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said a new government vessel, MV Raiyawa will be bought next year to provide medical and navigational services to maritime Fijian islands. He revealed this while commissioning the new government vessel, MV Cagivou at Walu Bay in Suva last week. “Next year, we will complete our fleet replacement programme with a new vessel to replace the decommissioned navigation aid ship, MV Raiyawa,” he said. “The ship will have a multipurpose function—a platform for aids to navigation and doubling up as a hospital ship. “These are two critical roles— maintaining safe sea lanes in line with our international obligations and providing our maritime communities with much-needed medical services.” The PM said professionals on ship would be able to conduct surgical operations similar to those offered in hospitals. He said this would benefit Fijians living in maritime islands. The Government Shipping Services fleet now has six vessels.
Programme director Wildlife Conservation Society — Fiji country Dr Sangeeta Mangubhai.
a massive coral bleaching event in 2002-2003, if they are in a healthy state to begin with,” said Dr Mangubhai. She hopes the research will be useful for understanding how to improve more degraded reefs systems in the Pacific. This is the second time for a Fijian to lead the expedition — the first being in 2012. However, this is her fifth research trip to PIPA. “We will also be tagging turtles, sharks, manta rays and see their movements both within individual islands, and between the islands. In the case of the turtles, we will
see how far these animals travel throughout the Pacific.” A report from the month-long expedition will then be submitted to the Kiribati government to support the management of the island group. The expedition which is a partnership between the New England Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts cost more than $US200,000 ($F430,939). The team made up of 16 scientists from Fiji, Kiribati, and the US, will leave Samoa on September 1.
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Asian stock fall to affect Fijian economy
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IJI can be affected by the drop of Asian stock market, says Asian Development Bank president Takehiko Nakao. The country’s trading activities can suffer and a slump in investment from Asian investors could also News source: Fiji Sun
be experienced, he said. However, because Fiji’s traditional trading partners are Australia, New Zealand and the UK, Mr Nakao believes the economy will not be badly affected. Mr Nakao’s comments come after China’s currency fell in value
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more than it did in the previous two decades and the Shanghai Composite index tumbled 8.5 per cent in the past two weeks erasing the last of its gains for the year in its biggest single-day loss since 2007. He said there was a certain
adjustment of policies in China and the country was moving towards a “harmonious economy”. He said the Asian economy had been robust and strong even after the global financial crisis. “There is an opportunity for Asia to grow further. Fiji can benefit
from the robust growth of Asia.” Mr Nakao identified sectors of Fiji’s economy such as agriculture, niche products such as Fiji Water and the promotion of the private sector of the economy that had great potentials for the Asian market.
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www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
Boost for maritime islands service
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rime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama commissioned the government vessel, MV Cagivou at the Government Shipping Services Wharf at Walu Bay, Suva. The vessel, built in Malaysia, cost Government $5.76 million. It is a stern roll-onroll design capable of carrying 100 passengers. “The vessel is a potential symbol of the Cagivou—the new wind that is carrying Fiji forward—and of my Government’s programme of the modernisation that is transforming the lives of
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Sitting from left: Assistant Minister for Transport Vijay Nath, GSS Captain Pauliasi Vakaloloma, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, Minister for Transport Parveen Kumar, and Ministry of Works Permanent Secretary Francis Kean during the commissioning the new Government Shipping Services vessel, Cagivou, at Walu Bay.
every Fijian,” he said. “This is a great day for our coastal and maritime communities in Fiji as we commission the Cagivou— the third and most impressive
NEWS in BRIEF Singh aims to inspire public
of the new vessels we have acquired for the Government Shipping Service.” Mr Bainimarama said the continuing upgrade of shipping services to maritime islands was one of the most important things his Government had done. The vessel is expected to service maritime areas as a means of transportation and draw them closer to the main islands. He thanked Captain Pauliasi Vakaloloma, Maritime Safety Authority surveyors and local naval architect consultant, Moape Batigai.
Scholarship trust fund to boost education standard
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he Methodist Church in Fiji plans to better the education standards of its ministers and church leaders. Methodist Church general secretary Reverend Epineri Vakadewavosa said, “We are seeking assistance from our overseas counterparts and we are very much on the go to encouraging training and education for our ministers and leaders for enhancement of the church.” He said their ministers and church leaders
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required an education to help lead their flock. “The importance of setting out a scholarship trust fund is to enable leaders to lead while the flocks follow and not the other way around where leaders are at the back and flocks leading the way,” he said. “We are trying to improve ourselves in this area that is why we have come up with this new—scholarship trust fund for our ministers and leaders as part of our Lako Yani Vou.” News source: Fiji Sun
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he author of the book Battle to Success, Balbir Singh, 23, hopes to inspire members of the public with his inspirational writing. “It’s about the story of my life,” Mr Singh said. “This book will be one of the first books to have most forms of arts to inspire you into believing you can become what you want to become. I was not able to read and write properly and by the age of 14 I used to sell mangoes on the streets, even in front of USP, and repair shoes. “This book contains my struggles from dust into becoming a gold medallist at The University of the South Pacific. “I got inspired since people on Facebook read about me through my status and messaged that I am their motivation,” he said. He started planning the book last November. “This book was written last December in Tavua underneath the mango tree where I used to study. This book contains my autobiography, inspirational quotes, success strategies, new English words and poetry with inclusion of other forms of arts. I expect people who are interested in art to see the beauty of how all forms of arts can merge and give a strong message in one book.”
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New North airport plans revealed
alks are underway for an airport to be built between Savusavu and Labasa to cater for the growing demands in the Northern Division. Attorney-General and Finance Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum revealed some details of this plan during consultations on the 2016 National Budget in Labasa last week. His explanation came following a request by the Labasa Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Satish Kumar to extend the runway at Waiqele Airport. “This request has been long overdue and we request if night landing provisions can also be made,” Mr Kumar said. He said once this was in place the flow of foreign investors and business growth to the North would increase. Mr SayedKhaiyum said he was aware of their plight.“Savusavu Tourism Association (STA) has also been requesting for this for a long time and I am aware of it,” he said.
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Thought of the week
Once your mind goes from if to when, your resolve will immediately start removing the worries.
— Brian G. Jett-Kentucky
Anything but funny
Editorial
From the desk of the Managing Editor “If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t you will see obstacles.” - Wayne Dyer Wise words from a great soul who passed away last week. I have been inspired by the works of Wayne Dyer and the way he chose to live his life. It is true that at the end of the day, the subtle difference between people who succeed and people who don’t is that the former think they will. It is really your belief in your own dreams and strengths that sees you through any situation. This week marks the beginning of the festive season. We begin by celebrating Krishna Janamashtami that coincides with the start of spring. For a few of us, the celebrations have been going on for a week. So here’s hoping that this start of the festivities ushers in a season of good cheer, happiness and a spirit of togetherness. The week gone by also saw some significant steps taken by the community to stop our very own Auckland Diwali Festival from being attacked by certain forces. However coming out of this is the fact that there will now be a wider participation of the larger Indian community in the planning of this event. We do hope that ATEED is discerning enough and its advisory panel is not limited to certain community organisations but is a true representation of the community at large. The Migrant Expo will be held on Saturday, September 5, and as media partners, the Indian Weekender will be proud to welcome you to the event. While at the expo, it is important that you visit us at our stall and participate in our lucky draw. You could be going home with some very exciting gifts. Like other events, supporting this expo is another step by the Indian Weekender in supporting the community and encouraging the participation of the Indian diaspora into the mainstream. In this issue, we raise the question of where the Auckland housing situation is going. We question whether it is really a bubble or these soaring house prices are here to stay? We also wonder if these prices have now hit the glass ceiling or are likely to go further up given the rate at which Auckland is expanding. It may also be time to take a serious look at the regions when it comes to property investments. We are keen to find out what our readers feel and think about these issues. We speak to some experts and bring you their versions of the current situation. Should you have any questions or thoughts on the issue, we would love to hear from you. Write to us at editor@indianweekender.co.nz. In our next issue, we will be talking to some firsthome buyers and what they are faced with in the current situation. In amongst all this let us not forget Father’s Day this Sunday, September 6. A father does his best in providing the best for his family and is often the “unsung hero”. He may not offer affectionate and comforting words like a mother, he may not be able to tell you often enough how he loves you or how much you mean, but a father always has his children foremost on his mind. So let’s spare a moment for those special men in our lives who give their all so we may see a better tomorrow. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.
Courtesy: Satish Acharya
Pick of the week
In the biggest redesign since 1999, Google introduced logo on September 2. The new logo is a new sans-serif and slightly toned-down four-colour font. Google’s homepage introduced the redesign with an animation that wiped away the old logo and drew the new one. The new design would be seen across all its products soon.
Giri Gupta
Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 24 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 Senior Graphic & 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 & Marketing: 0223251630 / 0211507950 / 09-2137335 | 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.
Crook
Pronounced: crook | Meaning: being sick or unwell Usage: She said she is crook so cannot be at work today.
Tip from the trenches
Three tips to make you sleep better • Take a warm bath before sleeping. A bath helps to cool your body temperature and embrace sleep • Keep your feet outside your blanket.
• The feeling you get from having your feet outside your blanket and embracing cooler temperature is similar to having a warm bath before you go to bed. Avoid smoking before bedtime. Or else just like coffee you should expect to wake up several times throughout the night.
OPINION / EDITORIAL
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
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Pro Kabaddi League: second season of India’s indigenous sport a big hit
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ith Shabeer Bapu Sharfudeen turning out to be the star performer, U Mumba defeated Bengaluru Bulls 36-30, and emerge as the winner of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 2 at a packed NSCI Stadium in Mumbai on August 23. As the match went down to the wire—essentially a see-saw battle throughout—it was a three point super raid by Shabeer that helped U Mumba clinched the game. Shabeer finished with 10 points, while his captain and star raider Anup Kumar got six touch points, as well one point for tackling. From Bengaluru Bulls, the standout performer was their captain Manjeet Chillar who scored seven touch and two tackling points. Chillar, incidentally, was also adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. While Bulls had an edge over Mumba in raid points (18-17), the latter more than made up for it with their better tackles (1014). The winners also scored one bonus point as well as had superior all-outs (2-4). A third place match was also held before the final, in which Telugu Titans defeated Patna Pirates by 34-26. Along with bragging rights, U Mumba got Rs 1 crore as the prize money. Meanwhile, Bulls had to be satisfied with Rs 50 lakhs, Titan Rs 30 lakhs, and fourth place Pirates Rs 20 lakhs. Other notable winners included Sandeep of Telugu Titans as the
Rising Star of Pro Kabaddi Season 2, and Kashiling Adake and Ravinder Singh Pahal of Dabang Delhi as the Raider and Defender of the Tournament respectively. About PKL Setting aside the scepticism before the inaugural season last year—that kabaddi is predominantly a rural sport, which will find difficult to gain any traction in a eight-city caravan style league—the continued success of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is very good news for a country where the only sport that matters is cricket. Especially, when the sport in question is kabaddi—India’s very own indigenous sport in which the country is a world-leader and a world-beater. Kabaddi was introduced
as an Asian Games men event in 1990 at Beijing, and India has won all the seven gold medals till now. For women, the event was introduced in 2010 at the Guangzhou Asian Games and the Indian Women Kabaddi team has been the champion ever since. Indian men team has also won all the Kabaddi World Cups held since 2004 (eight in all). The success of PKL, a premier initiative of Mashal Sports and brain child of sports broadcaster Charu Sharma, can be gauged from the fact that its first edition held in August 2014 attracted 435 million viewers, which is second only to the Indian Premier League of Cricket (with 552 million viewers). In fact, the first season final between Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba was watched
by 86.4 million viewers, which makes for one out of every four viewers in India. So much so that Business Standard— one of India’s prominent business dailies— had reported earlier this year that the first season success would mean a jump of 200 per cent in the sponsorship rates for PKL’s season 2. It also helped that several of India’s prominent personalities are involved in the PKL including Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan who owns the Jaipur Pink Panthers franchise; founder and CEO of the UTV Group Ronnie Screwvala who owns U Mumba; and Kishore Biyani, the owner and founder of the Future Group, who owns the Bengaluru Bulls. But there can be no denying the fact that the greatest achievement of PKL is the national prominence it has bestowed on over-achieving (but sadly underrecognised) Indian Kabaddi players. Two glaring examples are U Mumba captain Anup Kumar and Patna Pirates captain Rakesh Kumar. Both the Kumars have won gold medals for India at various Asian games and world championships, with Rakesh even being awarded the Arjuna Award in 2011. But it had done little to improve their financial plight as Rakesh was still working as a chief ticket inspector with the Indian Railways before the start of PKL. Hopefully, all that will change now as India has found its new sporting heroes.
Patels bust Modi’s favourite Gujarat model ¡ Amulya Ganguli
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othing shows the stark distortions that have vitiated the policy of reservations as the agitation by the financially and politically influential Patel community in Gujarat. Their demand of an inclusion in the backward-caste category to avail of the quota system in the allocation of government jobs and educational opportunities. Behind their quest for safety in the reserved categories is the evident failure of the much-vaunted ‘Gujarat model’ of development, which was touted by Narendra Modi as the panacea for the entire country. Yet, since the preference for reservations is a throwback to the days of scarcity during the licence-permit-control raj, the latest upsurge shows that little has changed in the economy. The scourge of joblessness remains as potent under the promarket dispensation as it was under the controlled economy. Even then, there is something odd about an enterprising community such as the Patels wanting the government to act as their nanny, as it were. The OBC (Other Backward Class) of the Hindi belt, too, comprised dominant groups in the countryside when they secured 27 per cent reservations for themselves in 1990. But unlike the Patels, they occupied a lowly position socially. As B.P. Mandal, a former chief minister of Bihar and author of the Mandal commission report recommending 27 per cent reservation, said, he was not allowed as a school student to eat with his upper caste companions by the Brahmin principal. Mandal was
Hardik Patel
discriminated against although he belonged to a wealthy land-owning family. But the Patels or Patidars—the word means the same as zamindars—never experienced such social disadvantages. Not surprisingly, they were part of the antireservation movements in Gujarat in the late 1970s and early 1980s directed against the Congress-led state government’s KHAM vote bank comprising Kshatriyas, Harijans, Adivasis and Muslims. It is strange, therefore, that the Patels of the Patel-motel fame—they run a large number of roadside hotels across the US— should now want to take a step back into the backward caste category. Such a regressive outlook is all the more curious because the Patels, like most Gujaratis, are known for their entrepreneurship. For them to seek reservations in government establishments
cannot be easily explained when the country has opted for a pro-market economy with its emphasis on the private sector. The role of the government and the public sector is therefore expected to shrink in the coming years. As such, it makes little point to seek employment in these sectors. Similarly, seeking admission via reservations in government schools and colleges doesn’t make any sense because of the preference of parents now to admit their children in English-medium private schools as these are believed to be better able to prepare the students to face the challenges of a globalised environment. In a way, the agitation by the Patels for OBC status is similar to the one by the Gujjars of Rajasthan who wanted a relegation from their existing backward caste category to a Scheduled Tribe (ST) classification since the recognition of Jats as OBCs in the state eroded the availability of reserved jobs. This kind of a backward march is the result of dwindling employment opportunities at a time when the private sector is not expanding fast enough to make up for the reduction of government jobs. Besides, the Gujarat model may be more hype than reality. Till now, the failures of this model have been noted by Amartya Sen and other Leftists in social sectors such as infant mortality, whose rate is as high as 60.9 per 1,000 children in Gujarat against 16.2 in Kerala. Moreover, the percentage of people below the poverty line in Gujarat is 31.6 against 19.6 in Kerala. But the latest disturbances point to failures in the commercial segment as well with the small and medium enterprises not faring well and the capital-intensive
industries not creating enough jobs. While the phenomenon of jobless growth where robots replace humans on the shop floor is one aspect of the scene in Gujarat, another is how reservations have come to be viewed as the panacea for such situations, especially when those searching for jobs or educational opportunities find their prospects blocked not by deserving individuals but by beneficiaries of allotted quotas where castes are the passwords. In a system where the accident of birth trumps merit, the demand by the leader of the Gujarat agitators, 22-year-old Hardik Patel, that either the provision of all facilities be determined by caste or that the system should be thrown open to all will appear justifiable. Arguably, the gross misuse of reservations by myopic politicians’ intent on catering for particular support groups has led to this volatile situation. The worst example of such misuse is how the Supreme Court’s directive on excluding the creamy layer or the successful beneficiaries from the quota system has been negated by a constant upward revision of the criteria for such exclusion by the ruling politicians. For Modi, the fire in his backyard is the most worrisome of the problems which he faces. And there are many—an economy that refuses to look up, the imbroglio over pension for ex-servicemen and an agitation in the Film and Television Institute of India which underlines the government’s insensitivity to matters of popular culture. Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal.
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4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Won’t renew ordinance on land acquisition: Modi Red
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rime Minister Narendra Modi in his 11th edition of Mann ki Baat said his government will not renew the land acquisition ordinance. He said the ordinance, which was to lapse on August 31, will not be renewed and added that a statutory order would ensure that farmers get higher compensation for their land under 13 other central acts including those for highways and railways. “We had issued an ordinance which lapses tomorrow (August 31). I have decided, let it lapse. We will not renew it,” Modi said during his radio address Mann Ki Baat on August 30. The prime minister, in his nearly 20-minute address, said there were 13 points, referring to already existing acts for acquiring land. He said the rules would be changed to give farmers higher benefit under these laws. Modi said a statutory order was being brought to include 13 central Acts to extend benefits to those farmers whose land is acquired. “The government’s heart is clear on the land Act. We are ready to accept any recommendation that favours the farmers. The ordinance will lapse, but those 13 points (Acts) will be brought under the rules so that the farmers do not suffer economic loss,” he said. According to official sources, a statutory order issued by the
government will ensure that farmers whose land are acquired under the 13 acts such as the Land Acquisition (Mines) Act, 1885, the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, and the National Highways Act, 1956, get higher compensation. The executive order issued under section 113 of the land acquisition law, enacted by the erstwhile Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, extends compensation and resettlement benefits under the law to the land acquired under 13 central acts so far not covered.
This would mean the land acquired for any purpose would now be eligible for the high compensation and resettlement under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013— the UPA version of the Act. The NDA’s land acquisition bill is with a joint committee of parliament. The prime minister also mentioned the recent violence in Gujarat and said the incidents, which claimed at least 10 lives,
had upset the entire nation. “The recent incidents of violence in Gujarat has upset the entire nation. Whatever happens to the land of Gandhi and Sardar Patel, the nation is shocked and pained first,” he said. As India commemorates 50 years of the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Modi paid tributes to all those who, including the then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, played a role in India’s victory in the war. Expressing satisfaction over the public response to government programmes for social security, Modi said, “So far, 11 crore families have joined the ‘Suraksha Bandhan’ scheme, of whom approximately half the beneficiaries are our mothers and sisters.” “I regard this as a good augury, and many greetings to mothers and sisters on Raksha Bandhan,” he added. As part of celebrations on Raksha Bandhan, banks have vowed to push the social security schemes launched by the prime minister, including Suraksha Bandhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. The government this month launched a special ‘Suraksha Bandhan’ enrolment drive for its social security schemes through innovative plans such as gift cheques and special deposits coinciding with the
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Raksha Bandhan festival, it was announced. The Suraksha Bandhan drive seeks to encourage people to gift social security plans to their near ones. It will be supported through the Jeevan Suraksha gift cheques to be made available for Rs.351 in bank branches to facilitate one year payment of premium for PMJJBY and PMSBY by the recipient. The recipient of the gift cheque would deposit the instrument in the bank account for a realisable value of Rs.342 (Rs.12 + Rs.330) to cover one-year subscription to the schemes. The balance of Rs.9 would be retained by the issuing bank as a service charge. Banks will also provide a facility to account holders under the Suraksha Deposit Scheme and the Jeevan Suraksha Deposit Scheme aimed at enabling them to deposit Rs.201 or Rs.5,001, respectively, in their accounts either on their own initiative, or based on cash or cheques received as gifts on Raksha Bandhan for subscription to the schemes. He also mentioned that Rs.22,000 crore have been saved by the poor in the accounts opened under Jan Dhan Yojana. Modi also urged people to maintain cleanliness around them to fight the dengue fever, spread by mosquitoes that breed in clean water.
INDIA
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GSAT-6A’s big antenna deployed Kejriwal launches amnesty scheme for by ISRO power consumers T
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elhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a one-time amnesty scheme for lakhs of electricity consumers in the city who had not cleared their dues because of various reasons ranging from inflated bills to power theft. Kejriwal said the scheme would benefit about 2.5 lakh people who mostly live in slums and unauthorised colonies—the vote bank of the Aam Aadmi Party. “I feel no scheme can be better than this. No matter how old the dispute is, those living in jhuggis (slums) can pay Rs.250 to settle it,” Kejriwal said while launching the scheme in east Delhi’s Vinod Nagar locality. While slum dwellers will have to pay Rs.250 for each month they did not pay the bills, there will be no action against those who admit to tampering with their electricity meters. The late-payment surcharge has also been waived. He said Rs.250 was a negligible
amount and the AAP government had already halved the power rates. The chief minister urged power discoms to ensure that their staff do not issue inflated bills to the people. “The power companies should ensure that there are no trumpedup cases of power theft,” he added. Kejriwal said more and more people should avail the benefit of the scheme and spread the word. The AAP government has repeatedly accused Delhi’s three power distribution companies of overcharging the consumers—a charge these firms have vehemently denied.
he Indian space agency last week said it had successfully deployed the large antenna of military communication satellite GSAT6 and also raised its orbit. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of six metre diameter was deployed successfully. The satellite was launched by India’s heavy rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle-Mark II (GSLV) and put into geo transfer orbit (GTO) last week. One of the advanced features
ISRO’s GSLV-D6 lifts-off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota of Andhra Pradesh
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antenna—the largest satellite antenna realised by ISRO and utilised for five spot beams over the Indian mainland, which exploit the frequency reuse scheme to increase frequency spectrum utilisation efficiency. The satellite provides communication through five spot beams in S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users. The satellite’s life expectancy is nine years. The ISRO also said the third orbit raising operation of GSAT6 was successfully completed by firing the satellite’s onboard motors for nine minutes.
Delhi airport launches new mobile app
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elhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has launched a new app named flyDEL that aims to augment the passenger experience and achieve customer delight at the airport. The app, which is available for both Android as well as iOS based devices, covering a majority smart phone users in
the country, provides real-time flight information and access to all passengers’ facilities available at the airport among others. “The smart and tech savvy travellers as well as first-time users can make the best use of the wide range of facilities available at the airport by using the app,” said DIAL CEO I. Prabhakara Rao. “The app is based on a very specific
technology that takes care of the real needs of the various categories of fliers to make their journey a pleasant and hassle-free affair. The app’s unique design showcases the World’s #1 Airports dynamic images,” he added. The offerings are currently listed under various categories—flights, services, food and beverages, navigation and shopping.
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INDIA ABROAD
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Indian-origin girl wins Miss Teen Canada pageant
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n Indian-origin teenager has won the Miss Teen Canada Petite Globe 2015 pageant held in Toronto recently, a media report said. Arshpreet Chahal, 15, of Vancouver was crowned champion at the national finals held at the Richmond Hill Centre of Performing Arts in Toronto on August 22, the Voice Online reported. Seventy girls contested in the pageant that was held in Toronto from August 12 to 23. Prior to the national finals, the contestants took part in many promotional activities. The Class 9 student at Vancouver’s John Oliver Secondary School was chosen a national finalist in December last year. Arshpreet said that winning the title was not easy. “It required hard work and maximum effort,” she was quoted as saying. “Her favourite subject is English. She plans on pursuing her dream of being a lawyer and she loves animals,” the official website of the pageant was quoted as saying. “She plays basketball, soccer, and field hockey and is working as a freelance model. Her hobbies include reading, writing and travelling,” the website added.
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Seven Indians on Forbes Asia’s list of philanthropists
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Arshpreet Chahal, 2015 Miss Teen Canada Petite Globe winner. The event was held in Toronto, Ontario on August 22. (Photo Courtesy: Miss Canada Globe Productions)
even Indians feature in Forbes Asia’s ninth annual Heroes of Philanthropy list, highlighting some of the region’s most noteworthy givers from 13 countries across Asia Pacific. Among them is Kerala-born entrepreneur Sunny Varkey, who in June this year pledged at least half his estimated $2.25 billion dollar fortune to charity as part of the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet-led Giving Pledge initiative. Besides Dubai-based Varkey, whose GEMS Education runs 70 private schools in 14 countries, the list features six other Indians. Four of Infosys’s co-founders: Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, Nandan Nilekani, S.D. Shibulal and Mohandas Pai - feature on the list for their independent contributions to the fields of health and education. Their funding has helped projects, which include medical research, education, children who live in poverty and care for the elderly, Forbes said. The fifth Infosys co-founder, NR Narayana Murthy, is represented on the list by his son Rohan for donating $5.2 million to Harvard University Press for the promotion of ancient Indian literary classics. The other Indians on the list are London-based brothers Suresh and Mahesh
Kerala-born entrepreneur Sunny Varkey
Ramakrishnan, founders of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury tailors on London’s Saville Row. The brothers have spent nearly $3 million to train more than 4,000 people in tailoring over the past decade in India. Beneficiaries include fishermen hurt by the 2004 tsunami as well as destitute and abused women. For the first time, the list features a philanthropist from Nepal. Billionaire Binod K. Chaudhary has been supporting rebuilding efforts in the country ever since the April earthquake. He has pledged $2.5 million for the rebuilding of homes and schools in the Himalayan nation.
Indian American entrepreneur conferred ‘Pride of India’ award
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he American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) has honoured India-born entrepreneur and philanthropist, Frank Islam with the Pride of India award. India’s Consul General in New York Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay last week conferred the award upon Islam who had donated $222,000 in May this year to the Aligarh Muslim University in India, India New England daily reported. “It is a distinct honour and privilege to be here tonight to accept the AFMI ‘Pride of India’ award. It is also a privilege to be asked to speak as a part of AFMI’s silver jubilee celebration,” Islam was quoted as saying. “I have received many awards. But this one is extra special because it comes from this prestigious organisation in its silver jubilee year,” Islam added. “I must admit that receiving this award and joining such luminaries does not make me proud. It makes me humble,” he noted. Islam, 63, was born in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and is married to Debbie Driesman, 61. Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic leader, he is also a thought leader with a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes.
He currently heads the FI Invest Group—a firm that he established after he sold his information technology firm called the QSS Group in 2007, the report added. Islam serves on several boards and advisory councils including the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the US Institute of Peace, the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. He has written two books on the American condition, titled Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again (2013) and Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen’s Guide for Restoring Our Competitive Advantage (2010). The donation to the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) will be used towards building the Frank and Debbie Islam School of Management with an endowed chair and building a technical college for girls in Azamgarh in memory of his mother Qumran Nisan. Past winners of Pride of India award include noted lyricist and song writer Javed Akhtar and Rehman Khan, former union minister of minority affairs in India. The AFMI, a philanthropic charity formed by American Muslims of Indian Origin in the 1989, celebrated its silver jubilee convention on August 29. The AFMI strives to improve the socio-economic status of the underprivileged Indian Muslim minorities through education.
EDUCATION
www.iwk.co.nz | 4 September 2015
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Lincoln University to host international business students in new partnership
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ew Zealand Institute of Business and Technology (NZIBT), a Private Training Establishment (PTE), is partnering with Lincoln University to deliver a unique educational experience for NZIBT’s international students. NZIBT will be utilising the student and teaching facilities on the Lincoln University campus to give the students a complete New Zealand learning experience. Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International and Business Development at Lincoln University Jeremy Baker, says that this initiative “is a genuine public-private partnership that will bring real benefits to all involved—including the wider Canterbury regional economy”. The joint venture will also support the newly released Canterbury International Education Destination 2025 strategy. This strategy is being driven by groups of organisations, who have signed up to an Accord,
including Lincoln University, University of Canterbury and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. The development and implementation of this regional strategy is also supported by Education New Zealand within its Regional Partnership Programme. Through the provision of highquality, relevant qualifications, NZIBT is aiming to increase the value of international students to New Zealand. Launched on August 28, NZIBT is due to open on November 2 and will be delivering a Graduate
Diploma in Business (Level 7) to international students from around the world, with an initial focus on India. While the students will be enrolled with NZIBT, all of the courseware is under license from the Open Polytechnic of NZ. Dr Caroline Seelig, Chief Executive of the Open Polytechnic of NZ says “We’re looking at different ways of making our content available to other providers. Innovative forms of blended delivery are emerging and our learning resources provide a strong base for that model.”
Helping Rotorua students get back on track
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veryone needs a second chance in life, and Te Arawa Lakes Trust in Rotorua are providing that opportunity for dozens of students every year who have dropped out of secondary school. Heddell Raerino, who manages the Trust’s Employment and Training Unit, says students aged between 16 and 19 are given the chance to complete two different NCEA level 1 qualifications that will then help them progress onto further training and employment. “Our main focus is picking up those students that have fallen through the cracks of mainstream education and putting them back onto a pathway to succeed,” Heddell says. Valuable skills on offer The Trust’s Employment and Training Unit offers a National Certificate in
Employment Skills, which is a 20week course covering topics such as creating a CV, health and safety, interview skills, time management, keyboarding skills, as well as numeracy and literacy. Heddell says about 70 per cent of students also complete the National Certificate in Automotive Skills which is a 16-week course. There’s an automotive workshop and classrooms on site at the Employment and Training Unit’s base in Ngapuna, Rotorua, and two fulltime tutors oversee the coursework. Numeracy and literacy support This year BayTrust has given $21,000 to the Te Arawa Lakes Trust to help support the students’ needs. Extra pastoral care has been provided as a result, and another person will soon be employed to help focus specifically on literacy and numeracy skills.
Coding for kids and teachers during school holidays
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utt City Libraries, Grow Wellington and Gather Workshops are set to welcome young people and their teachers to the War Memorial Library to learn about coding and computer programming these school holidays. The free one-day workshops are set to take place on September 28 and 29, and are a fun way to learn the basics of website design and programming. Sandra Mann, Divisional Manager Libraries says, “Learning computer science is crucial in the 21st century, as more industries adopt and embrace different components of computer technology. Understanding coding will be essential to communicating in the future”. The sessions will focus on using HTML, CSS, JQuery or Python to create simple websites, and participants will learn the basics
of coding, design and content presentation. The workshops and a range of other Library tech initiatives, meet an increasing demand for opportunities to learn about coding and technology. “Local libraries now play a significant role in building digital skills locally. We act as a hub for the community, offering young people a safe place to learn and hang out,” Sandra says. Young people aged between 10 and 18 (years 6-13) and their teachers are encouraged to register. Each workshop is open to 25 participants. Registration details and workshop dates are at gatherworkshops.co.nz/events.
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KIDS ZONE
4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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Count your chickens when they Hatch
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Milk-maid had been to the meadow to milk her cows. Now she was returning home with a pail of milk on her head. She thought, I will make cream and butter out of this milk. Then selling them, I will buy eggs. And when they hatch, I shall have a good poultry farm. She further thought, I shall sell some of my fowls and buy a fine dress. Seeing it on my body at the fair, all the boys will admire me. But I will turn them away just tossing my head at them. Lost in day dreams, she forgot about the pail on her head. She tossed her head with a jerk and the pail of milk came tumbling down. It was broken and all the milk got spilt.  Dear O dear! she cried, I have lost my all. MORAL: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
Drawing by
Avnee
Answers to last week's Word Scramble 1. Active 2. Cherry 3. Sun 4. Water
Spot the Difference
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
5. Beach 6. Run 7. Salad 8. Grapes
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FEATURES
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Making India proud Role models, entrepreneurs and risk takers: prominent women who have excelled in their fields ¡ Esha Chanda
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
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hairperson and Managing Director of Asia’s leading biopharmaceuticals company Biocon, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is India’s fourth richest woman. The company expanded on Shaw’s belief in ‘affordable innovation’—to make affordable drugs available in lesswealthy countries—led her to develop cost-effective techniques.
Mazumdar-Shaw is credited for leading the biotech revolution in the country and her contribution to the field of biotechnology has been recognised by numerous accolades including India’s prestigious civilian honours, Padma Shri in 1989 and Padma Bhushan in 2005. Her contribution to the society has been immense with the Biocon Foundation’s healthcare centres and initiatives such as
health awareness programmes and sanitation initiatives. The Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre was established in Bengaluru with the aim to provide affordable cancer care to patients. She recently also established the Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research to make advancement in the treatment of a range of human diseases. Chitra Ramakrishna Chitra Ramakrishna began her career in finance when she joined the project finance division of IDBI in 1985.
managing director, member of derivatives panel of SEBI, head of listing and deputing managing director. She was also a part of the team formed to prepare the legislative framework for SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). In 2013, Ramakrishna became the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSE, the first woman to head the leading stock exchange. Indra Nooyi
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er first step into the world of business came when she took up a job with British textile company Tootal, followed by Johnson & Johnson. After moving to the United States to get a degree from Yale University, Indra Nooyi joined the Boston Consulting Group as a director of international corporate strategy projects and then Motorola to work as a senior executive.
Her determination and extraordinary work led her to be one of the five handpicked people who would be a part of setting up National Stock Exchange (NSE). In her career at NSE, Ramakrishna has held numerous positions that included joint
In 1994, Nooyi was offered jobs by General Electric and PepsiCo. She chose the latter and thus began her journey in the American multinational corporation. Seven years later, she was named the president and CFO. In 2006, she was appointed as the CEO. Credited for the restructuring and diversification of the company, she took the lead in a number of mergers and acquisitions such as the purchase of Tropicana in 1998 and the merger with Quaker Oats Company. Barkha Dutt
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However, Dutt has been heavily criticised on many occasions. During her coverage of the 2002 Gujarat violence, she defied the rule laid down by Press Council of India. She was blamed of sensationalising the 2008 Mumbai attack and for putting lives at risk by identifying the location of hotel guests on live television. Her name was also dragged in the Radia tapes controversy in November 2010. Earlier this year, NDTV announced that Dutt had stepped down from the company to set up her own media company. She is now the Consulting Editor for the news channel.
A father is a person whom you turn to when everything else around you fails. Even when the world around you comes crumbling down, you know that he will be there, to soothe your wounds, to be your support and strengthen you.
strengthen you. Those thoughtful conversations about love, life and career, when fathers aren’t trying to teach a lesson, those moments have shaped you into the person you are today. It is only when you leave him and step back, you realise the value of his greatness. A child’s relationship with a father matures as the child grows up, from little trips to the playground to the day when the child decides to explore the world. Their constant battle, the natural push-and-pull tension between wanting what is best for their child and allowing them to discover the world around them on their own, is what makes a man a father. It might seem like another Hallmark-inspired day, but it is more than just gifting your dad a card or finding the perfect necktie for him. It is a day to honour the first man in your life.
arkha Dutt joined NDTV, an Indian commercial broadcasting television network, at the age of 23 as a reporter/producer. She became a household name when she covered the Kargil war. In the two decades she has been associated with the media channel, Dutt progressed in the company to become the Group Editor. Her Sunday talk show has been extremely popular and has won the Indian Television Academy award for Best Talk Show. A passionate journalist, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government for her coverage during the 2004 tsunami and received the TV Personality of the Year in 2012.
To daddy dearest
An ode to the unsung hero in our life ¡ Esha Chanda
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edtime stories, tucking you in, checking for monsters under the bed; they are your first superheroes, they make you feel safe. He is the provider, a role model and a teacher. His care and protection remain as pillars of strength throughout your lives. Father’s day marks an occasion to recognise the love and care that dad’s express when they teach their child to ride a bike, cheer at their high school game, when they remind that setbacks are only temporary. Fatherhood is one of the toughest jobs ever: you are moulding your child into the person they will grow up to be. The incredible bond between a father and his child starts with those early summer camps, the first game of football in the backyard, the first life lesson. His strong, unspoken love teaches
you to grow up into a passionate,
pick us up when we fall down.
headstrong and fearless person.
They are wise, loving and know
These unflinching strong figures
when to put their foot down.
in our lives reminds us of the
Fathers are the decision makers,
times they have been around to
the ones who lead the way. And
the greatest gift they give you in life is their belief and support in the decisions you take because when they don’t have your hand, they have your back. A father is a person whom you turn to when everything else around you fails. Even when the world around you comes crumbling down, you know that he will be there, to soothe your wounds, to be your support and
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Khamoshiyaan Gun Gunane lagi: a tribute to Lata Mangeshkar
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arohi Academy of Music is engaged not only in teaching Hindustani classical, semi-classical and light music but also Bollywood music using karaoke and live band. It has now decided to take the opportunity to give tribute to the legendary melody queen of India, Lata Mangeshkar. The concept is formatted and managed by Mr Shekhar Babanrao Teke who has lots of experience in the field of Event Management. As this concert is dedicated to Lata Mangeshkar, all songs will be from the legends’ solo and duet collections comprising both old and new songs. The academy is planning to organise a series of live-in-concerts with quality songs each year. The concert will also promote local talents. Following known singers and musicians will be demonstrating their musical talents to entertain the audience. Vidya Shekhar Teke Vidya is the sole director of the academy. She has been singing right from her childhood and had formal education from her father, and a few well-known music gurus from Pune, India as well as from Gwalior Gharana. She has taken part in numerous singing competitions and won most of them including Kaun Banega Superstar in Auckland. She conducted a number of stage shows and live-inconcerts in India, New Zealand and Fiji. A few live-inconcerts were with Bollywood singers such as Annu Kapoor, and Amit Kumar. Hemant Shirsat Divekar Shirsat
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Hemand and Shweta are well-known singing couple in Auckland. They both have performed in numerous concerts ranging from classical Indian music to contemporary light music. Hemant has a great command on various forms of music ranging from classical, ghazals and light music. Born in a music—loving family, Shweta started her training in Indian classical music at the age of 5. Shweta gained expertise in various forms of Indian classical and light classical music. She has previously performed with the famous playback singer Amit Kumar during his concert in Auckland. Guncha Guncha started her singing journey in Auckland in 2010 in Kaun Banega Superstar on Triangle Television. Since then she has been performing in various stage shows within Auckland. She is a part of a newly developed Indian band called Krazzy Tunes based in Auckland. Sunaina Roy Sunaina, originally from Calcutta, India is a student of health science and psychology. Singing is her biggest passion. Students of Aarohi academy of music are also participating in this concert. Apart from Rhea and
Sunaina, Devika Modak, Simaran Patel, Shruti Teke and Chinmay Teke are performing along with Rekha Maheshwari, Nandini Sethumadhavan and Jigna Mehta who are performing first time in the event.
Arif Arif has done innumerable shows in Auckland on his own, earning lot of accolades and admirations from the audience. Arif hails from Delhi, where he had been doing live shows. Deeply inspired by the legendary Mohammad Rafi has been singing mainly the legends’ songs from a very early age.
Divya started learning guitar when he was eight. He has been playing for various music shows for the last 4-5 years along with his dad.
Nikhil Ghate Nikhil took to learning tabla more than three and a half decades ago and enjoys playing tabla in the role of an accompanist without any ornamentation. Although not a familiar figure in the Auckland music circles, Nikhil has accompanied re-knowned vocalists as well as instrumentalists both from India and New Zealand. Bhushan Phalnikar Bhushan- a qualified accountant, has a passion for Indian music. Whilst he loves all good music, Bhushan is learning Hindustani Classical singing for last few years. With this banner for the second year, he loves playing siderhythm for this group of talented musicians.
Joseph Joseph is renowned for reliving the inimitable Kishore Kumar in his performances and believes the legend has deeply touched him by his style of singing and therefore loves to reproduce the legends’ melodies. Joseph hails from Kerala.
Alex
Alex, a drummer with varied rhythms, owes his influence to great drummers such as Steve Gadd, Dave Weckyl and Billy Cobham. Alex played for some of the top bands in Mumbai. Alex is a versatile drummer who can play Western as well as Bollywood music.
Rhea Maheshwari Rhea, a 21-year-old commerce student, is passionate about singing and painting. Currently she is learning Hindustani classical with Vidya Teke. She says that she will try to do justice to classic Bollywood songs and can’t wait to perform on stage! She is thrilled to be singing at Vidya’s show for the first time.
Joscel
Hemant Thaker Hemant is a well-known keyboard player involved in all kinds of musical shows in New Zealand and overseas. Over a period of 9 years in Auckland, he has performed for various Bollywood shows, events like garba and religious programmes. Besides live performances, Hemant is actively involved in recordings, creating background music, making jingles and karaoke tracks.
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Diya Antony
Arun Khotkar Arun is a well-known personality amongst music lovers in Auckland. He came to New Zealand in 1995. Since his childhood, Arun has appeared in numerous musical concerts in India as well as in New Zealand.
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Bankim Patak.
Drumming has always been one of Joscel’s biggest passions. He has been playing the drums for the last 6 years. Influenced by his father Alex, who is also part of this show, he has been performing for the last 6 years with various talented local artists and also with overseas artists such as Abhas Joshi and Jaai Puranik Jaai is from Pune and feels that when she is in front of the mike with her words, she connects to the people. She was master of Ceremonies of the last year’s event and praised by audience. She accepts the same role this year as well.
Shivam Born in Nadi, Fiji, Shivam is an electrical engineer by profession, and a well-known guitarist. He makes a great team with Alex and Hemant. Shivam has also played alongside some of the original musicians of R D Burman and A R Rahman.
Yempee Antony Yempee has been playing guitar from his school days, back in India. He has also played on various stages in Auckland along with prominent singers and musicians.
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4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
Shahid, Mira hand-in-hand at Masaba’s LFW show Red
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hey were hand-in-hand and looked much in love! Actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira made for a truly ‘showstopper’ moment when they attended quirky and popular designer Masaba Gupta’s show at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) 2015 ramp in Mumbai last weekend. Looking dapper in a black suit with a casual black buttoneddown shirt, Shahid matched his steps perfectly with his wife, who was glowing in an avant garde outfit by Masaba, who had even attended their closely guarded wedding nuptials. They took front row seats and Mira was trying to hide her face from the shutterbugs to avoid being clicked. Accompanying them were Masaba’s partner Madhu Mantena, and actress Mandira Bedi. Known for her unconventional print stories each season, Masaba’s art-inspired tales comprised stylish brush strokes for her collection
All worth it: Shraddha on living her childhood dream
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he’s doing multiple films and even getting a chance to sing—Shraddha Kapoor, who believes in the “laws of the universe”, says her life gets “exhausting” sometimes, but then it’s all worth it as her dreams are coming true via Bollywood. “I really believe in the law of universe. Have you heard about a book called Secrets? It’s all about laws of the universe,” Shraddha said when asked about her love towards music-related films, as after ABCD 2, she will be seen in the sequel to Rock On!!. “Ever since I started loving to sing, I got opportunities and now Rock On 2 has happened. It’s not like I am sitting and planning,
Shahid Kapoor and Mira Kapoor, Masaba Gupta at LFW WF 2015.
called ‘On Your Mark’. There was a certain fluidity and grace in the ensembles, with a hint of playfulness and flowing clean lines, which were inspired by a horse’s but I truly feel blessed that I’m doing this film. You know you have a certain wish and that happens... it’s like that. I wanted to do film where I play a singer who sings her songs and I am blessed to be doing Rock On 2 now. I just wish that more dreams keep coming true,” she added. At first, Bollywood was a not a smooth ride for her, courtesy roles in films like Teen Patti and Luv Ka The End, but success and fame came her way with Aashiqui 2, Ek Villain and Haider. “I feel like I’m so blessed to get these opportunities. To be able to sing for my own films, to do films which are so special, to stay connected with audience more than anything.” Shraddha looked gorgeous at designer Namrata Joshipura’s Lakme Fashion Week winter-festive 2015 show. “When my mother tells me that I’m a very good daughter, I feel very nice. “Although I feel like she’s much more a phenomenal mother than I am as a daughter. I feel I can be a better daughter,” the actress, who is the daughter of Bollywood veteran Shakti Kapoor and Shivangi Kolhapure, said.
Don’t have any views: Arjun Rampal on divorce rumours
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ctor Arjun Rampal has been on a continuous media trial over rumours of a rocky relationship with his wife Mehr Jessia. But
Sooraj Pancholi for Masaba Gupta at LFW WF.
Shriya Saran, Masaba Gupta at LFW WF 2015.
prowess, gait and dynamism. Working around the ever popular and classic colour chart of red, mustard, white and black, the fusion silhouettes formed the extreme highlights of the collection.
Some of the highlights of the show were long tubes, oneshoulder flared tiny tops teamed with soft easy cropped pants, relaxed deconstructed coat and asymmetric shirts that gave the show, the last presentation of the fourth day of the fashion gala.
I’m protective about Shahid: Alia Bhatt
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collection an easy vibe. While Shahid and Mira definitely grabbed several eyeballs with their presence at the event, the showstopper for this complete ladies collection was Sooraj Pancholi, who will make his Bollywood debut with Hero. This was the first solo appearance of the actor on the ramp, and he looked confident in a black and white printed jacket with a two-button tab closure, white shirt and dark trousers. Masaba says she chose Sooraj to showcase her menswear piece as “my showstoppers are always fresh and young”. The designer also launched her leather bags on runway through the show. Asked if she hopes to take this feature forward, Masaba said, “We have the style sorted, but we need to figure out the avenues. We will be online very soon. I can expand into various categories. Of course, fashion is my forte, but I want to try home decor and many other things.”
People refused to work with me when I fell ill: Kader Khan
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the actor prefers not to react. Arjun and Mehr, who have been married for over 15 years, have been caught in the midst of divorce rumours, and while Arjun has slammed the media over it in the past, he now seems unaffected. “I don’t have any views as I feel people have more views than me,” Arjun said when asked about his views on the rumours related to his personal life. Arjun married Mehr, a supermodel of her time, in 1998. Together, they have two daughters. Arjun walked the runway for European brand Buggati shoes, that’s making its India foray through e-commerce platform Jabong. He unveiled the collection on the ramp in a classic pair of Bugatti shoes with his name inscribed on them. He was even seen walking around the venue with Mehr; they both posed for shutterbugs; and later even took a seat next to each other for designer Monisha Jaising’s
ctress Alia Bhatt came to the rescue of her Shaandaar co-star Shahid Kapoor at an event when personal questions were directed to him, and said that she’s “protective” about him. Shahid and Alia were present at an event, the Close-Up First Move Party, where they had a fun-filled interaction with media persons. When Shahid was asked who made the first move for his wedding—was it him or his wife Mira Rajput—and other similar questions, Alia took charge and dismissed all questions one after another. This prompted scribes to ask them if they had decided to save each other from personal queries. To that, Alia said, “There’s no deal! I’m just protective about Shahid. And we’re talking about Shaandaar here. I get very irritated when people ask more personal questions when we’re trying to be on the work front. Make it more about the work. Even Shahid made it clear that he wanted the questions to be restricted to his work and Shaandaar. Shaandaar is directed by Vikas Bahl under the banner of Phantom Films and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.
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ersatile actor-writer Kader Khan has said that after his illness, producers and directors were unwilling to take him in their films. Kader Khan, who was present at the trailer launch of his upcoming comedy Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi, was clearly having difficulty in talking and walking. “Some people refused to keep me with them. I was a little unwell. And people refused to take me back into their films,” he told the media. But Kader Khan is pleased with the conduct of director Fauzia Arshi. “It is only Fauzia who took good care of me, kept on motivating me. There was freedom from Fauzia right from the first meeting. She is an outstanding director,” Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav, Sanjay Mishra also star in the film, and Kader Khan termed them ‘thespians’ and expressed delight at getting the opportunity to work with all of them together.
ENTERTAINMENT
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Techie with a passion Jyotsna
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n engineer with prodigious passion for art and culture, Atul Kumar, 29, is among those KiwiIndians who knows how to strike that perfect balance between professional career and their passion. Kumar, treading on path of success, has not only seen professional accomplishments but has also made a niche in the art and entertainment world. Kumar arrived in the country in 2010, and today is working as a Network Operations Engineer with Vector Communications. But what is important is his commitment towards his passion that has led him to work in feature films such as Mr Singh wants PR and Brave Love (in PostProduction). He has done several short films through Path 2 Dreams Production, a company founded by his brother. Alongside films, he has worked as a creative head on several music videos through DJAV Productions. Moreover, like any Indian, he is a cricket buff, a player and has been playing for the Commerce Cricket Club. Indian Weekender takes pride in interviewing him to know him better and to put him as its face this week. IWK: How do you want us to introduce you to our audiences? Atul Kumar: I would say fun loving and a creative person who takes life as it comes. I am passionate about art and entertainment. It is my first love and if you really believe in something, it will definitely come
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IWK: How has the journey been so far? Tell us about your achievements and challenges? Atul Kumar: I would say fun but yes very challenging. I, like others, came to this country from a protective homely environment. I struggled for a job while studying, again struggled to find my place here in this foreign land, which has now become my place. This country has given me everything from challenges to success to memories, which I will cherish throughout my life. Overall it has been a big learning curve with an outcome that I have not only become a better but also a positive person.
Atul Kumar
IWK: How do you plan to move ahead and keep this b a l a n c e between profession a n d passion?
around. I believe living in the present and putting my 100% in whatever I am doing. IWK: How would you describe your life so far in a nutshell? Atul Kumar: I belong to Ghaziabad (UP) in India and in 2010 I decided to come here to Auckland to pursue my education in IT. On completion of my diploma, I got placed with Orcon Internet in 2011 and it was one of the proud moments of my life, as I
was the first guy in my batch to get an industryrelated job. After working for almost four years with Orcon, I joined Vector Communications as Network Operations Engineer, where I am currently working. My passion is art and entertainment and besides working in feature films, I am also one of the creative heads with Dreams Production, a production house founded by my brother and his friend.
A t u l Kumar: The feeling so far is amazing but there is a long way to go. I want to keep up with my passion of art and entertainment. We are planning to make a feature length movie next year and are in-between reading few scripts which we will be pitching to the producers. We are also planning a red carpet event for Path 2 Dreams to show our short movies and personally, I will be working on a theatre play soon, which is something new and challenging for me. As far as striking a balance is concerned,
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nothing is impossible to a willing heart. If you really believe in something you will find time for it. IWK: Did you feel bogged down at times? Where did you find encouragement and inspiration from? Atul Kumar: The initial time here in this country as an international student was not easy. Student life especially for international students is tough, and I would say rough, harsh and that is the time when one really needs to hold oneself together. I was not able to get even a parttime job and many a times, I wanted to just leave everything and go back to India. But that is the time my family was my pillar of support. They encouraged me and inspired me. They helped me to find my way here and they have been all along in this journey of mine of becoming a Kiwi-Indian from just an Indian. IWK: Where do you aim to see yourself, say maybe three years down the line? Atul Kumar: Three years down the line, I see myself as a much better person, a better evolved person. Someone who can help Indian community here, in whatever possible way. IW: What would you like to say to people out there who want also share dreams like you? Atul Kumar: I would like to say that yes, there are a lot of challenges and struggles in life but time never remains the same. Remain positive and never say never. Keep working hard, keep yourself focused and success will eventually come your way.
PAPATOETOE : Boarder/ Flatmate Needed Double bedroom available in a 3 bedroom house in Papatoetoe. Room comes with double bed and built in wardrobe. Rent includes water, power, reasonable internet usage. Off street Parking. Share with Indian family of two. 1-2 persons can share the room. Rent negotiable. Three weeks rent as a bond and one week rent in advance. No pets or smokers.
Ph/Text: 021 120 6763
CAB Workshop on Successful Job Seeking
Date: Friday, 11 September 2015 Time: 10am to 12pm Venue: Waikato Migrant Resource Centre, 46 G Boundary Rd, Claudelands, Hamilton CAB Hamilton will hold a free workshop on Successful Job Seeking. Topics to be covered are: How Networking works in New Zealand, The hidden job market, English for workplace conversations. The workshop will be presented by English Language Partners Waikato. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP: Please confirm your place by Monday, 7 September by phoning CAB office on (07) 839 0808 or Email at hamilton@cab.org.nz
Islamic exhibition (“Islam Open Day”) Date: Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, 2015 Time: 10am to 5pm Venue: Aotea square, Auckland Islam Awareness Week (IAW) is a FIANZ initiative. Over the past several years IAW
has become an important annual event for FIANZ and Muslims of New Zealand. IAW helps to connect Muslims with NonMuslims, break down barriers and open the doors of mosques and Islamic Centres around New Zealand, so people can come see & experience for themselves what Muslims do and what the religion of Islam teaches.
International Day of Older persons
Venue: The Peace Place, 22 Emily Place, Auckland CBD Auckland Regional Migrant Services Charitable Services is holding a one day workshop for former refugee and migrant women on finding and fully expressing their voice and identity in New Zealand. The workshop is open to all migrant and refugee women and costs just a gold coin koha to attend. Refreshments and art supplies will be provided and women are welcome to bring their children along as separate activities will be provided for them. To register, please contact ARMS on 09 625 2440 or email chinwea@arms-mrc.org.nz
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2015 Time: 10.30am – 2.00pm Venue: Fickling Centre, Three Kings, Auckland Shanti Niwas Charitable is celebrating “International Day of Older Persons (IDOP)”. The official program is from 10.30am – 11.00am. The celebration is free and Date: Saturday 24 October 2015 open event for the public around Auckland. Time: 6 p.m. onwards There will be a free Indian Musical Concert. Venue: New Lynn Community Centre Totara Ave, New Lynn Auckland. Maisuria Samaj of New Zealand is organising its first General Meeting .All Maisuria Families are invited to attend. Date: Saturday, September 19, 2015 PLEASE NOTE DATES HAVE CHANGED Time: 12.45 p.m. to 4 p.m. FROM 15th August to 24th October 2015.
Maisuria Samaj NZ General Meeting
ARMS Workshop for refugee women
FEATURES
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BACHELOR OF APPLIED MANAGEMENT offered at SIT’s Auckland campus
Nine intakes per year Affordable fees
English Entry Criteria: IELTS 6.0 overall with no band lower than 5.5 or equivalent
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4 September 2015 | www.iwk.co.nz
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PRODUCTION HORTICULTURE AND NURSERY PRODUCTION PROGRAMME NOW AVAILABLE IN PUKEKOHE (South Auckland) (LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE FOR SEPTEMBER START) Full time: 20 hours/week study • • • •
Two years programme of four semesters (20 weeks each) Delivered on work-site in real commercial environment Hands-on learning experience with awareness to sensitivities Eligible for international student visas
GAIN NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS: • National Certificate in Horticulture Level 3; • National Certificate in Horticulture Level 4; • National Certificate in Horticulture Advanced Level 4.
(In transition to NZ Diploma Level 5 – subject to NZQA approval) This programme is fully approved by NZQA for both domestic and international (Full Fee paying) students and will be moderated by the Primary ITO.
Please send expressions of interest to: enquiry@fiat.ac.nz Or call Dr Raj Saini 027 278 2789, 09 236 3770
FRANKLIN INSTITUTE OF AGRI TECHNOLGY (FIAT) is part of the RUPEX GROUP.
Rupex is: • One of the leading producer of high quality plug seedlings in the country • An Associate member of Horticulture NZ which coordinates activities in the country • Fully GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) accredited and holder of GROWSAFE and Approved Handler certificates • Holder of several other professional memberships and accreditations • Well-established with over 15 years commercial operations experience For more information about Rupex, please visit www.rupex.co.nz
FRANKLIN INSTITUTE OF AGRI-TECHNOLOGY (FIAT) 760, Glenbrook Road, RD4, Pukekohe 2679, AUCKLAND
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Auckland’s best vegetarian experience Coming Soon
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OPENING IN EARLY SEPTEMBER AT 905 DOMINION ROAD, AUCKLAND
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