New Privacy Laws to protect personal information in force now

24 Roberta Avenue, Glendowie, Auckland 1071PO Box 82338, Highland Park, Auckland 2143Phone: (09) 5336377 Email: [email protected]

The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999) Issue 451 | December 1, 2020 | Free

facebook/indiannewslink

twitter/indiannewslink

linkedin/indiannewslink

[email protected]

phone09 533 6377

websitewww.indiannewslink.co.nz

Raj Pardeep Singh Shyama Sharma Principal

LLB/BA (Hons.)E: [email protected]

Barrister and SolicitorLLB/ DBM/ BA( Hons)

E: [email protected]

PartnerLLB/MIT/B.Com

E: [email protected]

Multi-Ethnic staff from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan, Tonga, Iraq, Samoa and China

Specialists in Sale and Purchase of Property & Business, Leases, Employment Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Wills & Trusts, Immigration

Law- all types of visas and appeals (Initial Consultation Free)email: [email protected]: (09) 2799439 | Level-1, 31 East Tamaki Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2025 | PO Box 23445 Hunters Corner, Papatoetoe, Auckland 2155 | www.legalassociates.co.nz

Ashima Singh, Winner of theBest Businesswoman of the year 2016

Best Employer of ChoiceBest Medium-Sized Business

Indian NewslinkIndian Business Awards 2018WinnerSupreme Business of the YearBusiness Excellence in Marketing

Take advantage of record-low interest ratesTo know your borrowing capacity call-Rachna Dave on 0800RACHNA

deposit*

*Subject to lending Terms and Conditions

Email: [email protected]: www.0800rachna.co.nzMobile: 021-02290344Toll-Free: 0800RACHNA (0800 722 462)

Get into your First Home with as little as

A permanent solution to our seasonal immigration problem

In February this year, Maxim Institute called for a shift away from New Zealand’s over-reliance on temporary workers towards

investing in the long-term and local workforce.

Weeks later, Covid-19 forced New Zealand’s hand to close its borders, and labour shortages and exasper-ated courgette growers have hit the news headlines ever since.

In response, the government announced last week that it will allow 2000 seasonal workers in over the coming months. While some will rejoice, we caution against any incremental return to unsustainable policy of the past. A double-edged sword

An infinite supply of cheap, temporary workers is a double-edged sword; it meets short-term demand but has long-term costs. One major cost is a distortion of price signals in the labour market. As labour shortages emerged in the early 90s, employers found that they could not find workers at the price they wanted to pay.

Rather than allowing the market to raise prices and pivot the economy towards smarter solutions, we chose to relieve this wage pressure by open-ing our doors to temporary workers.

This has allowed our primary sectors to expand at the expense of a potential shift towards higher productivity ways of operating.Low wages distract our youth

Low wages and long but seasonal hours also reinforced to young New Zealanders in the regions how unat-tractive these jobs are. Furthermore, for employers, it also reduced any incentives to train or to turn a job into a career.

Why would they take a young person and invest in them if they can find a fit, hard worker from overseas who will work for whatever they are offered?

As local labour retreated or was undercut, the least well off in the regions become even worse off. The result was the need for ever more temporary workers, and so began a self-fulfilling, and as we now know, fragile cycle. Looming shortages

So, while the recent move to allow 2000 seasonal workers is good for this year’s harvest, it is also good that the Government is lifting seasonal wages to $22.10 an hour and requiring that workers are paid a 30 hour per week salary while in quarantine.

The Government needs to be firm if market signals are to work.

Horticulture New Zealand Chief Executive Mike Chapman welcomed the news, but also warned about pos-sible labour shortages for the spring 2021 and harvest 2022 seasons. Industry needs to reckon with the reality that the market must adjust, and them with it.

In a post Covid-19 world, if the government wants to really “build back better,” there will be no return to pre-Covid-19 levels of temporary labour fixes.

The composition of jobs in the economy will change, and many firms will need to change their busi-ness model accordingly: rebalancing wages, conditions, and training for the long-term.

For employers reliant on tempo-rary cheap overseas labour to be profitable, this might mean making some hard business choices.

We cannot return to the past. The borders closure provides us

with an opportunity to move towards a new, more sustainable and better future; one where investing in local labour is a permanent fix.Julian Wood is a Researcher at Maxim Institute based in Auckland.

Julian Wood

New Privacy Laws to protect personal information in force now

Businesses, sports and other organisations functioning in New Zealand will be required to comply with a wide range of

Privacy Laws that have come into force effective today, December 1, 2020.

According to Privacy Commissioner John Edwards that everyone holding or processing personal information of people must ensure their privacy and safety and that breaches could lead to serious punitive action.

He said the new law accord sufficient powers to his office to deal with breaches- powers and delegation that did not exist earlier.Handling personal details

The Privacy Act 2020 specifies that all organisations- commercial and other-wise- must handle personal information more carefully and ensure that they do not become public if they are deemed for private purposes.

Mr Edwards told Morning Report today that these organisations and those affected will be required to report to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as soon as a privacy breach that may cause serious harm has occurred.

“If they lose control of personal information in a way that could cause serious harm, they will be under a legal duty to notify the affected individuals and to notify my Office. Failure to do so is a criminal offence and is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000,” he said.

Under the new laws, the Privacy Commissioner can also issue compli-ance notices to require information holders to do something or make them stop doing it.

“Those notices, if not observed, can be enforced through the Human Rights Tribunal, and again with a penalty of up to $10,000 for failure to comply,” Mr Edwards said.Key Changes

Key changes in the Act include (a) Immediate report to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the affected

Venkat Raman

persons as soon as a privacy breach that may cause serious harm has occurred (b) New criminal offences that can result in a fine of up to $10,000 for misleading individuals to access information or destroying information while knowing that it has a request for access (c) Compliance notices can be issued to require information holders to do something, or make them stop to comply with the Act (d) Under a new privacy principle, an organisation or business may only disclose personal information to an agency outside New Zealand if the receiving agency is sub-ject to similar safeguards to those in the Privacy Act 2020 (e) The Privacy Com-missioner can direct an organisation or business to confirm whether they hold personal information about an individual and to provide the individual with access to that information and (f) An overseas business or organisation that is ‘carrying on business’ in New Zealand will be subject to the Act’s obligations, even if it does not have a physical presence in this country.

Edwards said businesses would not notice a difference if they were already

good stalwarts of record-keeping, but resources were available on the privacy commission’s website to help people understand their obligations.Creating awareness

How can organisations determine which information is private and which can be published?

Mr Edwards agreed that there is need for education and creation of better awareness.

The Office of the Privacy Commis-sioner has launched a learning tool called, ‘NotifyUs’ on its website to enable organisations to understand their obligations.

“We will be focusing on education, helping agencies to understand their obligations.,” he said.

He said New Zealand sat around in the middle range among privacy regulations in the world.

Stephen Conti, Director of Opera-tions, New Zealand Business Tools, a business advocacy group, expressed concern over the overwhelming level of publicity that the law changes have received.

He said that simple, innocent acts by an employee could become a serious risk.

“Just look at the guard who posted a selfie from the quarantine facility in which he was working but was not aware of a list of names and details in the background. As a result, the employee and the company got into all kinds of trouble,” Mr Conti said.

He said that businesses should re-ex-amine their privacy policies and put in place measures to keep themselves and the data of their customers safe.

As per the Act, it will now be an offence to mislead an agency to access someone else’s personal information; for example, impersonating someone in order to access information that others not entitled to see. It will also be an offence for an organisation or business to destroy personal information, knowing that a request has been made to access it.

Image from Privacy Commissioner website

Privacy Commissioner John Edwards

02 DECEMBER 1, 2020HomelinkM

KT24

5_5g

16

Independently analysed Government data shows that MIT degree holders have the highest employment rates in the country five years after finishing their degrees. They can also expect to be among the best paid*.

Apply now for 2021 | manukau.ac.nz

It matters where you study

· Ready to shape your future? Choose a degree in business, digital technologies, nursing, education, engineering, sport and exercise science, social work or counselling.

· Already qualified? Upskill in one year with a graduate diploma in business, digital technologies, engineering or sport.

MIT DEGREE GRADS EARN MORE*

*Find out more at manukau.ac.nz/earn-more

Parliament to receive Royal Commission Report on Christchurch massacre

The government will table the Royal Commission of Inquiry Report on the Christchurch terrorist attacks in Parliament

on December 8, 2020 Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti has said.

The Royal Commission sent the Re-port to the government on November 26, 2020.Procedural compliance

According to the existing laws, the government, must, before presenting such Reports to Parliament, address any classification and public safety considerations and notify interested and involved parties and informing international parties.

Ms Tinetti said that the government will share the contents of the Report to the families and victims ahead of its placement in the public domain. Working with victims

“We will work closely with the families concerned. It is only right that they have the space and opportunity to privately reflect on the findings of the Commission. We ask people to respect their privacy during this time,” she said.

Ms Tinetti thanked Commissioners Sir William Young and Jacqui Caine for seeking and honouring the voices of the communities and others in writing the Report.

“I know that this would have been a challenging process for whanau, survivors and witnesses of the terrorist attack and I want to acknowledge their engagement. We will provide additional comments after the Report is presented to Parliament,” she said.Meetings and Interviews

Commissioners and the Secretariat conducted close to 400 meetings and interviews in the course of the inquiry

since it was established on April 8, 2019.

Commissioner Sir William Young said, “We want to thank everyone who interacted with the Royal Commission throughout the inquiry, providing vital information, insights and expertise. Many of those interviewed, were summonsed to appear and provided evidence under oath. We used inter-views to explore relevant matters, to test evidence or to put direct questions to elicit information and answers,” he said.

Commissioner Jacqui Caine said, “ Our Report has been informed by months of gathering evidence, talking to community members and analysing submissions,” says Commissioner Jacqui Caine. Hearings from PM and others

The Royal Commission met with or interviewed affected whānau, survivors and witnesses of the terrorist attack, community organisations and individuals, current and former

members of parliament, chief execu-tives of Public sector agencies, Public sector employees, local government representatives, academics, subject matter specialists, integrity agencies and international experts.

In recent months we held hearings, meetings and interviews with people and organisations including (1) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister and Minister National Security and Intelligence Jacinda Ardern (2) Dr Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen (Chair), Jacob Ravndal, Jakob Ilum and Helge Renå, Members of the Evaluation Committee investigating the Norwegian Police Security Service’s handling of a 2019 right-wing terrorist attack at Al-Noor Islamic Centre in Bærum, Norway (3) Christopher Finlayson, former Attor-ney-General and Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (4) Profes-sor Sir Peter Gluckman, Director, Koi Tū: the Centre for Informed Futures

(5) Nicky Hager, Author and investi-gative Journalist (f) Brendan Horsley, Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (6) John Key, former Prime Minister and Minister for National Security and Intelligence (7) Andrew Kibblewhite, Chief Executive, Ministry of Justice and former Chief Executive, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (8) Rebecca Kitteridge, Director-General, New Zealand Secu-rity Intelligence Service (9) Andrew Little, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and Minister of Justice (10) Greg Nicholls, New Zealand Police (11) Human Rights Commission (12) Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand (13) Religious Communities Leadership Forum and (14) Spark New ZealandSubjects of Confidentiality Orders

As is the case with others who have been interviewed by the Royal Commission, Ms Ardern, Mr Finlayson,

Mr Key and Mr Little have been made the subject of confidentiality orders under the Inquiries Act 2013 and are not at liberty to discuss the content of the interview they have had with the Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission’s Report will be presented to the Governor-General on November 26, 2020. The Inquiries Act 2013 directs that the Report must subsequently be presented by the appropriate Minister (in this instance the Minister of Internal Affairs) to the House of Representatives as soon as practicable.

The Royal Commission’s Report has been written so that it can be published in full without the need for redaction to protect national security or privacy or confidentiality matters.

For clarity, the Report will not be released by the Royal Commission on November 26, 2020.

It is for the Government to decide how and when to publicly release the Royal Commission’s Report.

Staff Reporter

People being escorted out of the Police Cordon on March 15, 2019 A youngster being comforted in Christchurch on March 15, 2019

03DECEMBER 1, 2020 Homelink

Are you looking to Buy or Sell a Business?

Shaun Khanna029 770 9767

029 770 9767

2013 RISING STAR

2014 SALESPERSONOF THE YEARRUNNER-UP

2015/2016LISTEROF THE YEAR

2017 MOST DYNAMICHI-VIZ VIDEOLISTER

2017 SALESPERSONOF THE YEARRUNNER-UP

[email protected]

Shaun Khanna has a business, sales and marketing experience of more than 25 years and is a specialist in selling businesses such as Service Stations, Lotto Stores, Dairies, Supermarkets and Liquor Stores. He also has vast exposure in the hospitality sector. Shaun has sold many businesses and has helped hundreds of buyers and sellers of petrol stations and convenience stores throughout New Zealand. Shaun understands both sides of the transaction from the perspective of both the buyer and the seller as he is a former successful business owner as he had owned and successfully run a big BP Service Station & thoroughly understands how it works.

Shaun o ers the degree of professional service that e ectively brings business buyers and sellers together to experience successful and desirable outcomes. Shaun has a nationwide network of contacts and a track record of success, receiving many referrals from satis ed buyers and sellers.

For a con dential, no obligation discussion about the sale of your business please give me a call on 029 770 9767 or send an email to [email protected]

Stay Safe. Stay in touch. Use the NZ Covid Tracer App

Email: [email protected]

● Serving the immigrant community since 1988● Up front in-depth appraisal. We accept only caseswhich are highly likely to be successful

● Telephone enquiries / obligation free advice● Network of professional subject matter experts,such as Commercial Lawyers, Accountants andBusiness Consultants to work on Business Visa applications

● Strong portfolio of successful applications● Strong New Zealand community connections

New Zealand Immigration Specialists with 30 years of experience

● Skilled Migration ● Family Migration ● Business Visa● Special Direction Applications

● Appeal to IPT, CFP (Client Complaints to INZ), S.61 andMinisterial Requests for consideration

Level 1, 3 Campbell Road, Royal Oak, AucklandPhone: (09) 6241204 Mobile: 021 624120

E: [email protected] W: www.golian.co.nz

Call us now for a free initial appraisal of your immigration application(Appointment essential for personal consultations)

Principal: Harjeet S GolianB.A. (Aust) LL.B (NZ)

Licenced Immigration Adviser - Member NZAMI -since 1993

Competent, provenimmigration service since 1988

● First Home● Investment Property● Residential or Commercial● Building / Extending / Renovating● Re-Finance/ Restructure

● Buying an Apartment● Low Deposit● Self Employed● Business Loan● Property Development

For all your home loan and insurance needs talk to us...

Rakesh Bansal Era Bansal Jatinder Singh Manisha Kumar

116b,Cavendish Drive, Manukau City E:[email protected] | w:www.kiwimortgages.net.nz

Toll Free: 0508 33 22 11

M:021 030 813509 903 3602

Contact us for FREEconsultation

021 030 8135 021 066 7598 [email protected]

Ex-Banker for [email protected]

Ex-Banker for years

021 154 4327 [email protected]

Colleague and friend Ranjna Patel gets another prestigious Award

When Ranjna Patel was declared ‘Community Hero’ at the Women of

Influence Awards on November 17, 2020 in Wellington, many of us were not surprised, for, she not only deserved the accolade but believed that it should have come sooner.

It was in fact, after many years of reaching the finals that she got to the top.

The gathering saw a significant number of people rewarded for their work in various fields but it is no exaggeration that Ranjna was a jewel in the Crown.Domestic Violence Campaigner

The citation read that the honour was being conferred on a person who is a domestic violence campaigner working with the Police to identify at-risk men and help them change their behaviour.

The Women of Influence Awards celebrate New Zealand women who are helping the next generation positively shape their future.

“Ranjna has long been a trail-blazer in promoting equality in the high needs community. Starting in 1977 in Otara where children were seen by doctors for free, adults for a mere $10 and the clinic was open for walk-ins on either side of the traditional 9-5 opening hours. Today, she champions this philosophy as the Director of Tamaki Healthcare (the largest

Venkat Raman

primary healthcare group in the country) with a ‘whole social system’ approach to meeting patient needs with 45 clinics with over 250,000 registered patients,” the Citation read.

I am perhaps among the few who have been with Ranjna work to reduce family violence, and more important, violent and erring men reformed and returned to their families.

Here is the difference: families deserve to be united and not broken. Offending men should be made to bring forth their human side and belong to their families- not break them.

The ChallengeIt was in the autumn of 2014

that Superintendent John Tims, then District Commander of Counties Manukau District Police who challenged us, mem-bers of the South Asian Advisory Board to find a solution to the growing menace of family harm in the community.

Encouraged by his promise to help, we established Gandhi Nivas, with Ranjna as the Chairman.

Gandhi Nivas is a domestic violence intervention and prevention service with 60% non-recidivism in the participat-ing men, as found by a five-year Massey Evaluation released by our Advisory Board.

We partner with the Police and Sahaayta Counselling and Social Support. The Programme provides early intervention and prevention services for New Zealand men identified at risk of committing harm in the family home and supports them to change their behaviour. Six years later, we are gratified by the success of the Project but we want to do more. We want to eliminate the offence in our men and make them good husbands, fathers, brothers and people.A social menace

“We identified domestic violence as a serious problem and absence of prospering counselling services or help to anyone, especially men, who are wanting to change or get help, became apparent. We needed a home, social workers and/or counsellor and a 24-hour service (as most incidents happen

at night). Always up for a challenge, we looked at the data more carefully, with the guidance of Inspector Rakesh Naidoo, Sergeant Gurpreet Arora (South Asian Liaison Officer at Counties Manukau Police), Inspector Sharon Price and my fellow-board members Venkat Raman and Ibrar Sheik,” Ranjana said.Other interests

As well as Gandhi Nivas, Ranjna is involved in a many other activities outside her day job as a Director of Tamaki Health.

She is a Trustee of the

Papatoetoe (South Auckland) based Shree Swaminarayan Temple (ISSO), which provides religious and community services to a growing number of devotees and visitors. The Temple also provides pastoral care for new migrants and international students.

This has proved to be invaluable during Covid-19 pandemic, during which Ran-jina supervised the worked to distribute more 2000 food parcels to communities, and live-streamed prayers and services throughout the day.

Ranjna also works closely

with South Auckland schools, Churches and communities to understand their needs and provide them with useful information and access.

Ranjna was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017 and received a Queen’s Service Medal in 2009. Her other social and community com-mitments include the Police Commissioner’s Ethnic Focus Forum, the Mental Health Foundation and Diversity Works.Ranjna Patel with the

‘Community Hero Award’

Ranjna Patel with Mark Richardson and Amanda Gilles at the AM Show on November 18, 2020

04 DECEMBER 1, 2020Homelink

We’ll help you find the sweetest mortgage deal whether it’s your first home or investment property, and arrange the best insurance to suit your needs.

Ground floor, 86 Highbrook Drive, Highbrook Call us today 0800 21 22 23

Mortgage and property expertise in a nutshell

Mortgage servicesHome loans

Construction loans

Refinances and restructures

Top ups & debt consolidation

Commercial & Business loans

Life, Trauma

Medical/Health

General

Business

Income Protection

Insurance

Consumers cautioned against unrealistic bargain offers

The Commerce Com-mission has cautioned retailers and consumers to carefully consider

the bargains being offered as ‘Black Friday

to think hard about the bargains being offered as ‘Black Friday’ and Christmas draw near.The Black Friday Concept

The day following Thanks-giving (celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday of Novem-ber), commonly referred to as Black Friday, has become one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

National chain stores traditionally offer limited mon-ey-saving specials on a wide variety of goods in an effort to lure shoppers into stores while offering similar deals online.

It is believed by many that the term ‘Black Friday’ derives from the concept that busi-nesses operate at a financial loss, or are ‘in the red,’ until the day after Thanksgiving, when massive sales finally allow them to turn a profit, or put them ‘in the Black.’

However, this is untrue.Boxing Day overtaken

Commerce Commission Chairperson Anna Rawlings said that Black Friday has overtaken Boxing Day in terms of retail spending in New Zealand.

She quoted data from

Commerce Commission Chairperson Ann Rawlings

Staff Reporter

electronic payments company Paymark.

“Last year Kiwis spent more than $650 million (core retail spending, excluding food and hospitality)

over three days around Black Friday and we know that there is a lot of marketing about bargains, sales and discounts on Black Friday and in the lead up to Christmas. We want consumers to get the bargains that they are promised. We are reminding retailers to make sure that advertised savings are genuine savings and we are reminding consumers to do their research, shop around, and check to make sure that they get the deal they think they are getting,” she said.

The Commission has provid-ed resources for consumers and businesses, including a video about pricing and a price pro-motion tip sheet for retailers,

and a Christmas sales advice video for consumers, she said.

“For example, if a business claims a price is 50% off then their customers should save 50% off the usual selling price. Businesses should not bump up prices ahead of a sale in order to claim a bigger discount at sale time. Fine print should not be used to hide important information or change the meaning of a headline offer. As our recent prosecution of Pak N Save Mangere shows, businesses must also ensure the price displayed and advertised is the price charged at the checkout,” Ms Rawlings said.

She said that consumers should do some price comparison research.

“Get an idea of the price you could usually expect to pay for an item and then satisfy yourself that the saving you are offered is a real. Ultimately, ask yourself whether the price you are asked to pay looks like good value to you, regardless of whether it is discounted or on sale,” Ms Rawlings said.Background

Recent price-related cases undertaken by the Commerce Commission include (a) Pak N Save Mangere was fined $78,000 for pricing discrepancies in October 2020 (b) Online mobile phone store Buy Mobile was warned over its price discount claims (August 2018) and (c) Bike Barn was fined $800,000 for misleading pricing (February 2017).

Move on RSE good but falls short of demand

The government’s announce-ment that it will allow 2000 horticultural workers to come to New Zealand has

been welcomed by some sections of the industry as a ‘good start but not good enough,’ while National Party MP and Covid-19 Response Spokesperson Christopher Bishop reckons that it is ‘too little too late.’The RSE Scheme

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said that that govern-ment had listened to the industry and recognised the looming labour shortage and took the decision.

Under the Registered Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme, the gov-ernment allows migrant workers to come to New Zealand during the harvest season every year.

“We accept that horticulturists and owners of farms and vine-yards need help to meet labour shortages that threaten harvests this coming season. Therefore, we are acting to allow up to 2000 experienced RSE workers to come to New Zealand from some Pacific Island countries,” he said.

However, entry into the country will be staggered in view of the limited capacity in Managed Isolation Facilities (MIQ). Workers will arrive in groups, starting in mid-January 2021 to avoid peak holiday demand from New Zealanders keen on coming home for Christmas, he said.

Mr O’Connor said that each worker should be paid at least $22.10 an hour, equivalent to the current Living Wage. Employers should also pay the cost of MIQ per person, which is currently $4722.

Venkat Raman

However, the industry has been valued at $6.5 billion.Fear of losing crops

Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens told Radio New Zealand that he was grateful that the government had listened to the pleas of the government but 2000 workers would be insufficient to meet the existing demand.

“We need at least 3000 RSE workers during Winter in Blen-

heim alone. The workers contribute significantly to the economy. I am feeling confident that Winter 2021 will be stronger,” he said.

Central Otago Mayor Tim Cado-gan was happy with the decision but the delay in the arrival of the RSE workers will hurt the region.

“There are a few problems. I am worried that the cherries would ripen before the workers arrived in New Zealand. We need about 500 works at the peak of cherry harvest in January,” he said.A Poor Deal

Mr Bishop described the government’s decision to allow 2000 horticultural workers as a ‘poor deal for the horticulture industry’ and as a ‘drop in the bucket.’

“Overall, this is a poor deal for the horticulture industry, for the country and for the RSE workers themselves. Firstly, 2000 workers is not enough. It is less than one sev-enth of quota (which is more than 14,000) of RSE workers the sector would normally have available to pick these key export products. Secondly, it is far too little and far too late. Spring and early summer crops have already missed out on these workers, but the government has known about these problems for months, and is only acting at the eleventh hour,” he said.

Mr Bishop said that RSE workers from Pacific countries should be allowed to isolate in bubbles in RSE accommodation like sports teams provided by the industry.

“The countries where these RSE workers come from are Covid-free and there is little to no risk of transmission in transit as workers will come direct to New Zealand,” he said.

RSE workers should be paid $22.10 per hour and be employed for at least 30 hours a week Photo: Rocket Global Ltd

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor (INL File Photo)

National MP and Covid-19 Response Spokesperson Chris Bishop (Parliament Picture)

05DECEMBER 1, 2020 Homelink

ormistonworkshops.co.nz

ARTIST’S IMPRESSION

Tim Bull021 127 [email protected]

Nelson Raines021 555 [email protected]

CONTACT THE SOLE AGENTS TODAY

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, MANUKAU, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1902951

Adaptable, contemporary workspaces for small business62 Ormiston Road, East Tamaki

• Choose from 29 freehold industrial units • Ranging from 25sqm to 110sqm + mezzanine available• Robust concrete construction, high ceilings and roller door access• Unparalled access to the vibrant heart of South-East Auckland• Invest in New Zealand’s fastest growing location • Prices starting from $237,500+GST (if any), secure yours today

Virtual Conference sets another pace for Indo-EU Relations

As a part of ‘The Europe-India Strategy Group 2020,’ Carnegie India hosted a ‘Fireside

Conversation’ between India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Portugal’s Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs Au-gusto Santos Silva on November 23, 2020.

Then Conversation covered the future of collaboration be-tween India and the European Union (EU) in areas such as economic recovery, healthcare, technology, and the Indo-Pacific region.

It was moderated by François Godement, Senior Advisor for Asia to Institut Montaigne. Indo-EU Summit May 2021

In his opening statement, Mr Silva announced that Portugal, under its EU Presidency, will hold an informal Summit between the Heads of the 27 European Union Member States and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2021.

“Our idea is that in May 2021, the European Council and Prime Minister Modi can represent a clear political mandate to our teams, in order to engage in negotiations that can be positive and mutually beneficial,” he said.

Emphasising the importance of the India-EU partnership in an increasingly multipolar world, Mr Jaishankar said that it can influence the creation of fairer globalisation and more effective multilateralism. Forms of Cooperation

“Our cooperation can take

Supplied Content

many forms and unfold in multiple ways. We can make a big difference in Vaccine pro-duction and renewable energy. We can harmonise our devel-opmental partnerships from Africa to the Pacific islands. We can influence the creation of fairer globalisation and more effective multilateralism. Our engagement and synergy can surely help create a greener, human-centric, and cooperative world,” he said. Importance of Indo-Pacific

The discussion also focused on the growing strategic impor-tance of the Indo-Pacific region to Europe, India and Europe’s choices in the midst of rising tensions between leading global powers, and the need to reform multilateral institutions.

Mr Silva said that Europe is not a neutral party in the geopolitical conflict between the US and China.

“We think and feel that we belong to the same space as the US; what we call the ‘Transat-lantic Community. However, Europe has to engage several main global players, who are not only the US and its allies but

also China and its dream power apparatus,” he said.Reforming global bodies

On the state of international institutions today, Mr Jais-hankar said, “It is very clear with each passing day that the sense that the UN, as currently constituted, is out of date is growing. I think that there is a case for a reformed UN, re-formed WTO, reformed WHO, and I completely agree with my Portuguese counterpart on this.

This Meeting was held in partnership with the Institut Montaigne and Fundação Oriente, and supported by Ber-telsmann Stiftung, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. About Carnegie India

Founded in 2016, Carnegie India, based in New Delhi, is a part of a robust global network that includes over 150 scholars in Beijing, Beirut, Brussels, Moscow, and Washington.

The Center focuses primar-ily on three interrelated Pro-grammes, namely, Technology and Society, Political Economy, and Security Studies.

06 DECEMBER 1, 2020Educationlink

178 A Pakuranga Road, Pakuranga, Auckland 2010 Phone : 09 577 2172 / 021 687162

houses are built by hands,homes are created by designers

s p a c e designers ltdarchitectural designer

our strengthsmember of ADNZ-recognised professional body

well equipped & established with good reputation overall personal service technical competency &

professional experience.Email: [email protected]

Website: www.spacedesignersltd.co.nz

Covid-19 underscores importance of money skills

NCEA exams were held last fortnight but John Talaid was not stressed.

He has almost all the credits that he needs to gain Level 3 thanks partly to a course in financial education.

The Year 13 student at Kelston Boys High School in Auckland plans to head to university with the aim of becoming a Marine Biologist and thanks to a course provided by Sorted in Schools feels better prepared to cope with the long-term costs of tertiary education.Focus on financial responsibilities

Talaid, 17, completed the course as part of a Financial Skills class. It focused on the financial responsibilities and conse-quences of tertiary study funding options, such as student loans, apprenticeships and working while studying.

“It was good to find out what we are in for. The course was straightforward and useful. We learned about budgeting, how we can prepare for short and long-term costs and our responsi-bilities in paying back student loans,” he said.

The course also gave Talaid and his classmates credits toward their NCEA qualification; it is aligned to unit standards and has NZQA accreditation.Useful resources

Talaid’s Teacher and Head of Commerce Bryan Megson said that the Sorted in Schools resources are useful in teaching students’ important life skills they may not receive at home.

“They present real life situations the students can relate to and make financial education relevant - they love using Sorted’s budgeting tool, seeing how it changes depending on how they’re spending and saving,” he said.

An independent evaluation of Sorted in Schools released this week backs up the students’ and teacher’s experience. The New Zealand Council for Educational Research determined that in the wake of Covid-19, “the need for a Programme such as Sorted in Schools, which builds on the circumstances, strengths, needs and aspirations of every student, including Māori and Pacific, is greater than ever.”Promoting positive behaviour

The Report found that the Programme was positively impact-ing students’ knowledge and attitudes about money, and, two years after its introduction, there were early signs that it was

Supplied Content

Amanah KiwiSaver success pleases managers and subscribers

When former Race Relations Com-missioner and Honorary Consul General of South Africa Gregory Fortuin was approached in 2013

by the Founder and shareholders of Amanah to chair the Fund, he hesitated, since felt that he had already taken on many other commitments with community organisations.

It was his good friend and former FIANZ Pres-ident Dr Anwar Ghani who convinced him of the merits of the only ‘pure’ KiwiSaver Fund with a halal approach for Muslims in New Zealand.

Dr Ghani said that Mr Fortuin is a man of faith and his empathy and relationship with all ethnic groups have been admirable over the past few decades. Empathetic and transparent

“He represents the feelings of people and is transparent in dealings. He supported Muslims during a very difficult time when we were at Christchurch dealing with a terrible tragedy. I am pleased to see him chairing the Amanah KiwiSaver Scheme,” he said.

Mr Fortuin said that complying with the terms of New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority Licence is critical, and that having a robust process in place is important.

“Everyone wants top performance, but the lifeblood of the Fund is a total commitment to our Ethical Mandate,” he said.

Auckland based Sheikh Mohammad Amir chairs the Islamic Advisory Board of Scholars to hold Amanah accountable. Stringent code of conduct

Not only is there a prohibition in stock where the company derives income from weapons of destruction, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, adult entertainment, pork and interest-producing products, but all stocks must have an Islamic Cer-tificate provided by IdealRatings® (a provider of Islamic finance solutions).

The Ethical Mandate complies with the investment standards set by the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial

Gregory Fortuin, Chairman, Amanah Ethical KiwiSaver Fund

Dr Anwar Ghani, Spokesperson and former President, Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (INL Photo)

A Correspondent

MP for Maungakiekie

Priyanca Radhakrishnan

Authorised by Priyanca Radhakrishnan MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Onehunga office09 622 [email protected] 1, Crighton House, 100 Neilson Street (entrance on Galway Street), Onehunga, Auckland

priyancanzlp

Institutions (AAOIFI).“I pray to God that I will one day be counted

amongst those who have acted justly, loved mercy, walked humbly with my God and most of all Kept the Faith,” he said.

Amanah is one of the best performers in the market today.

Amanah KiwiSaver offers one Fund, a growth-focused and high-fee option that invests over 90% of its current assets in foreign share markets. It is the only scheme in New Zealand that is only ethical and Sharia-compliant unit trust.About Gregory Fortuin

Almost 20 years ago, following the terrorist

attacks on the Twin Towers of World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001, Mr Fortuin was one of very few public servants who stood with the Muslim community in New Zealand.

He said that it was not fashionable at that time to wear a keffiyeh or hijab (headdress worn by Muslim men and women) and be counted as a friend of Muslims. Many in the media were unfairly calling on Muslims to denounce violence and judge them guilty by association.

Mr Fortuin and his Office Director travelled throughout New Zealand calling out abusive behaviours and denigration of Muslims which they compiled into a report.

“I grew up in Apartheid South Africa with Muslim family, friends, classmates and others. There was never any judgment, we were all equal and celebrated each other’s holy days” he said. Follower of Christ

Mr Fortuin describes himself as a committed follower of the teachings of Christ.

“However, like all of humanity, I am flawed. Lov-ing God and my neighbour equally, means amongst other things, following the great commission of bringing good news to the poor, healing the broken hearted and setting the prisoners free, without discrimination because of my faith,” he said.

Two years ago, following a tense situation concerning the removal of Holy Books from a Sikh Temple, Mr Fortuin worked with two opposing groups and conducted mediation meetings over

a period of 12 weeks. His successful efforts were praised by the Police Commissioner and District Commander. Association with Finance sector

He has worked in the financial services industry in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (as the Managing Director of National Mutual Corporate Superannuation Services) for more than 30 years.

Describing himself as ‘A Capitalist with a conscience,’ Mr Fortuin said that his objective is to make a difference to his neighbours as demanded by his Faith.

“My simple dream is to use all my business acumen and resources to make a difference in the lives of others,” he said.

He served as the National Director for Education and Employment at the Salvation Army for six years. He was also the first Resident Diplomat of the new South Africa in New Zealand. He was ap-pointed as the Honorary Consul General by former President, the late Nelson Mandela. He served in that post in Wellington for 12 years.

Mr Fortuin has over 20 years of governance experience serving on the boards of New Zealand Post, KiwiBank, ACC and Transpower, to name but a few. He has been praised by former Prime Min-ister Jim Bolger and other directors for his unique combination of ‘technical and soft skills.’

He is currently the Chairman of Quotable Value New Zealand.

promoting positive behaviour, with students thinking and talking more about money, and using what they had learned.

Teacher satisfaction with the Pro-gramme was also high, with teachers reporting increased confidence in teaching financial capability and intending to continue to use Sorted in Schools. The Programme is now being taught in 62% of secondary schools.

Head of Sorted in Schools at the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC) Nick Thomson agreed with the report that the Programme’s strong foundations had seen it continue to grow in use during a challenging year.

“The economic impact of Covid-19 means that building strong financial capability among young people, their families and whānau is essential to help people not only reach their life goals, but for New Zealand’s economic recovery,” he said.

Talaid and his classmates are happy that they have been given a ‘heads up’ on some of the things they need to think about in their financial future.

“Money makes the world go round, so it’s better to understand it,” he said.About Sorted in Schools

Launched in 2019, Sorted in Schools, Te whai hua - kia ora is a free financial education Programme with a vision to equip all young New Zealanders for their financial future. Available for students in Years 9-13, it is fully aligned with both the New Zealand Curriculum and Māori Medium Education.

It can be taught by teachers as part of day to day classes in diverse subjects, educating students about money management, saving, debt, goal setting, KiwiSaver, insurance, investing and retirement. Sorted in Schools not only teaches young people how money works, but also how to make it work for them, instilling good attitudes and habits early.

NCEA resources released in 2020 are aligned to unit standards and have NZQA accreditation, enabling students to gain credits toward their NCEA qualifications.

Te whai hua - kia ora is a free finan-cial education Programme specifically designed for Māori Medium Education. Rather than a direct translation of the English resources, Te whai hua - kia ora is uniquely culturally contextualised in a te ao Māori perspective, focusing on financial wellness for whānau rather than simply being good with money. They draw on traditions and stories about Māui Tikitiki āTaranga, Te Ika-ā-Māui, Kupe, Hoturoa and Te Rauparaha.Source: Commission for Financial Capability

07DECEMBER 1, 2020 Fijilink

Mortgage Genius Plan - Smarter way to manage your loanHome Loans

Introducing

Business Loans Commercial Loans Insurance

Allow you to pay offyour mortgage quickerwithout increasing loan instalment

Build wealth faster Enable you to free up cash topurchase additional properties

Airport Oaks 09 255 5500 Manukau 09 263 5555 Henderson 09 836 5555 Tauranga 07 577 0011

Disclosure Statement available free of cost

Call for concerted efforts to tackle family violenceBainimarama launches public consultation for National Action

Violence against women and children is a global menace which can be prevented through collective, positive

action, Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama has said.

“Violence against women and girls is not a happy or simple subject for the Nation to discuss. But most of the things that are worth doing are hard, but we do not shy away from them precisely because they are worth doing,” he said speaking at a meeting to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women and Girls in Suva on November 25, 2020.

He also launched a National Consultation for the Development of the National Action Plan to prevent Violence against all Women and Girls at the meeting.

“Substantial global evidence shows that violence against women and girls is preventable. It is not inevitable. It is not a permanent condition that we must endure. And it is preventable within years, not lifetimes. When we look back on this gathering, wouldn’t we all like to say – that on this day, No-vember 25, 2020, we started something that changed Fiji forever and for the better?” he said.

Mr Bainimarama said that the challenge is real and to be addressed by all- government at all levels, and each person in the society to act together. One too many

Acknowledging the contributions of advocates in stopping violence against women and the work being carried by organisations and volunteers, he said that the International Day marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism

Venkat Raman

Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama speaking at the launch

A section of the audience at the launch Another section of the audience at the launch

Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama with some of the participants at the launch

against Gender-Based Violence. “One woman who experiences

violence is one too many. One child who experiences or witnesses violence is one too many. One person who thinks it is okay to assault a woman is one too many. One witness who turns a blind eye to such violence is one too many. One woman turned away when she asks for help is one too many. And one man who assaults a woman or a child and is not held accountable and pun-ished according to law for his crimes is one too many,” he said.

Mr Bainimarama said that when an offender is not brought to justice for an attack on a woman or child, it creates an environment of impunity and permissiveness that no civilised society can accept in good conscience.

Mr Bainimarama said that Fiji has changed its laws concerning this issue and will continue to enforce them so that the country can get rid of such violence.Challenge for Fiji

However, he conceded that eliminat-ing violence against women and girls will not be easy.

“We know that it is far too prevalent in Fiji, and it has unfortunately become

embedded in our culture. But we are not constrained by history, and we can and we must purge the ugliness we re-tain from our past. As societies become more enlightened, they shed negative behaviours that were once common. They confront their past and their harmful traditions. They confront their prejudices, their superstitions, and their violence, too. It happens everywhere, and it is happening here,” he said.

Mr Bainimarama said that Fiji will be the first Pacific Island country and one of the only two countries globally (alongside Australia) to have a whole-of-government, whole-of-pop-ulation, inclusive and fully funded evidence-based approach to developing a National Action Plan to prevent violence against all women and girls before it starts.

He acknowledged the support of development partners, including the European Union, the Australian and New Zealand governments and the United Nations in addressing the problem.Rising violence against women

“It pains me to say that two of every three women in Fiji have experienced physical or sexual violence from a male intimate partner in their lifetime. One in five women have experienced sexual harassment in a workplace. One in three women in Fiji have experienced physical or sexual violence from a man who is not their partner. In 2019 alone, 10 women were killed by their intimate partners.

Our women and girls are targeted

at home as well as in their workplace, in schools, hospitals, and universities, on the street and online. No space is immune. This not only affects the survivors themselves, but the children who are exposed to it, their extended families, their friends, their work colleagues and ultimately the nation,” Mr Bainimarama said.

He said that these are not only personal stories behind such statistics but also attitudes, social norms, gender roles and rigid stereotypes, where everyday sexism, discrimination and disrespect of women and girls go unchallenged in the Fijian society.

It is normalised, excused and toler-ated. Those attitudes are embedded in gender inequality, men’s power and control over women and a failure to recognise the inherent equality and dignity of all women and girls.

Domestic Violence Law enacted“As your Prime Minister, I am

proud that it was my government that brought into law in 2019, the Domestic Violence Act, which for the first time laid a legal foundation that recognised gender-based violence as a very signif-icant national problem. The Domestic Violence Helpline 1560 has made the reporting of domestic violence easier for survivors. The Child Helpline 1325 has given child victims of abuse a way to have their cries heard. Of course, as we know, girls and boys both suffer from violence at the hands of abusers. Those abusers can be men, they can be women as well, so it’s important all Fijian children know these are services

they can call on,” he said.Service Delivery Protocol

According to Mr Bainimarama, the Service Delivery Protocol for domestic violence service providers continues to provide and strengthen a collaborative and co-ordinated response to cases.

“Despite the legal and policy reforms we have undertaken and the programmes we have established, we know that much more needs to be done to stem violence against women and girls, and the statistics bear that out. In order to end this national scourge, we must first come to a shared understand-ing among us Fijians as to why violence against women and girls happens in Fiji—its root causes and contributing factors. For starters, we must eradicate the notion that women are in any way weaker or somehow lesser than men,” he said.Free education helpful

Mr Bainimarama said that his government has made education free in Fiji, and that has had a profound impact on girls and young women.

“It used to be that, faced with financial considerations, parents would choose which children to send to school, and they mostly chose their sons. Together, we have flipped that narrative on its head. Today, 92% of girls in Fiji complete their secondary school education, and women make up the majority of graduates in our tertiary institutions,” he said.Please read our Leader, ‘Fiji’s Plan to quell family harm laudable’ on Page 12

Fiji raises stake in South Pacific geopolitics

As Fiji marks its Golden Jubilee of independence (obtained on October 10, 1970) the country is poised to revisit its

complicated past and hopes to reopen new ways to deal with the challenges ahead and push its geopolitical stakes further.

To start in tough times like the present, Fiji can stand tall for effectively dealing with the issues related to Cov-id-19, whereas other countries are still struggling to deal with the pandemic.

Fiji has also helped other nations in the South Pacific to deal with the Virus more effectively. India’s help with skills transfer

On the other hand, Fiji lacks skilled labour for its economic advancement

Balaji Chandramohan

especially in areas like hospitality, med-icine and information technology. India is far advanced in terms of technology and will help facilitate in that sector in Fiji in the ensuing years.

India is currently helping Fiji through its diplomatic outreach which will fur-ther be amplified as it starts promoting its economic activities.

These will be topped by technological help from New Delhi.

India will reassess the scope of the diplomatic missions in the South Pacific region and promote developmental activities there.

Its Look East policy will be extended to cover the South Pacific in general and Fiji in particular to effectively deal with China’s increased interest in the region.Growing Chinese influence

After Fiji was expelled from the Pa-cific Islands Forum, China encouraged it to be an active participant in the Melanesian Spearhead Group and even provided funds for the establishment of its Secretariat.

New Zealand is likely to support Fiji’s entry to the Polynesian Spearhead Group, a regional multilateral Forum for Polynesians.

It is expected that in the upcoming years, Fiji will be what Singapore became in the South East Asia.

Fiji will act as a connecting point between the Australasian and the South American countries.

This will be done during the leadership of Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, the signs of which will be felt during its 50th anniversary of Independence.

Improving connectivityFiji which is currently connected with

Samoa Submarine Cable Company but would like to be a part of Manatua, One Polynesia Cable. This would improve its connectivity,

Fiji has significant strategic location in its favour and hence is the hub of Southwestern Pacific transhipment routes, which include a waystation for the Southern Cross fibre optic cable,

connecting the US with Australia and New Zealand as well as financial and telecommunications providers from around the Pacific basin and further.

If Fiji has to follow the Singapore lead, it must allow necessary foreign talent to compensate necessary non-traditional value-added productive sectors. The Singapore Model

The country can pursue a Singapore-style development model by using immigration policy and local labour market demographics to good effect. The resultant economic growth will help heal socially the ethnic differences, enabling better prosperity for the community.

With its culturally rich past but a fragile near past, Fiji will look for bright spot in the future.

It can be argued that despite some tough challenges, the country has come a long way in promoting itself as a destination in the South Pacific.

Balaji Chandramohan is our Correspondent based in New Delhi. He evinces great interest on Defence, Pacific Island and related matters.

Fiji’s IT Sector attracts the world (Invest Fiji Picture)

and Mary Bainimarama promote unity in Fiji (INL Photo)

08 DECEMBER 1, 2020Businesslink

House design and land subdivision

To build your dream house with an affordable priceA Fixed price contract with no hidden costBuilt on time, in months not yearsReliable professional team and customer based service

Our team can offer you:

10 Year Master Build warranty

Design & Construction

Fraudsters target more legitimate businesses says FMA Report

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has reported a steep rise in the number of in-vestment scams attempting to impersonate legitimate businesses since the Covid-19

began in New Zealand.One in five New Zealanders have been targeted

by investment scams, the Report said.Increasing notifications

From April 1, 2020 to November 5, 2020, the FMA issued 61 warnings about investment scams, of which 21 (34%) were impostor scams, where the names and details of legitimate businesses are

Supplied Content

unlawfully used by scammers to trick investors, such as fake websites or social media accounts. By comparison, during the same period in 2019, the

FMA issued 40 warnings and only four (10%) were impostor scams.

The regulator is warning New Zealanders to be on the lookout for signs of such scams, which could include overseas phone numbers or addresses being mixed up with New Zealand contact details, or the website domain name not matching the content of the website. Other red flags might be the promise of high returns and ambiguity about what is being offered.Awareness Campaign

The FMA is running an impostor scams public awareness campaign as part of Fraud Awareness Week, which started on November 15, 2020 and ends today November 21, 2020.

FMA Director of Regulation Liam Mason said that warnings about scams and fraud have been a priority for the regulator throughout Covid-19, as consumers may be more susceptible to seeking high return investments in uncertain economic conditions.

“We are constantly vigilant about the scams that are targeting New Zealanders but it is like cutting the head off a hydra – two more will pop up in its place. You can never stop or warn about them all and they often operate outside our reach, especially overseas,” he said.

Mr Mason said that New Zealanders should be inherently sceptical of any investment opportunity that seems too good to be true and to do a bit of background research if there are any red flags.

“In the past, scammers have attempted to exploit New Zealand’s image as a well-regulated market but these impostor scammers seem to be more sophisticated and could be due to growth of online commerce due to Covid-19. There is a lot of public information available regarding the registration of New Zealand businesses, which is important for our transparency, but scammers may try to exploit this,” Mr Mason said.Christchurch firm impersonated

GRC Investments Limited, a private investment company based in Christchurch, is one of the New Zealand businesses that scammers have sought to exploit.

The FMA issued a warning in September that an investment scam appeared to be operating under a similar name – GRC Trustee.

GRC Trustee’s website falsely claimed that it was owned, operated and regulated in New Zealand, and gave the same Christchurch address as the New Zea-land business. It even linked to a copy of Certificate of Incorporation of GRC Investments Limited to further fool investors.

Company Owner Garry Carleton said that GRC Investments had nothing to do with the impostor and never sought public investors and that it was solely used for private investing by him.

Mr Carleton learnt of the impersonation FMA contacted him.

“I was annoyed and worried; annoyed that investors’ money could be stolen and concerned that somebody might turn up on my doorstep and threaten my family if we didn’t pay what they’d lost to the scammers,” Mr Carleton said.Avenues to mitigate risk

Fortunately, there were steps that he could take to mitigate the risk.

“Initially I felt powerless to do anything. I then remembered that the Companies Office has added optional fields to their website that let me to add extra details about my company. I have used those to add a warning about the scam, should anybody look up my company. Sure enough, as soon as I did this, the scammers’ website stopped linking to my company’s entry on the Companies Office website,” he said.

Mr Carleton said that he was updating other de-tails of his company, to advise that they are private companies not dealing with the public.

He recommends that other companies should do the same and is in no doubt as to why such scammers are stealing identities of Kiwi companies.

“We have a good reputation because a majority of our businesses operate honestly and responsibly. The scammers are abusing that to steal other peoples’ money,” Mr Carleton said.Who scammers target and how

More than one in five Kiwis have been ap-proached about a potential investment scam in the past, according to supplementary questions in the FMA’s annual Investor Confidence Survey.

Men were significantly more likely to be approached than women (27% v 18%) and one-third of those aged 70 or over have been approached.

Cryptocurrency was the most common type of investment scam, which nearly half of those had been approached, followed by investment software packages and seminars, and shares.

Scammers use a variety of channels to approach people, but email was found to be the most promi-nent method (47%), followed by social media (25%) and the phone (24%).

What consumers and investors can doDo not use contact details from the website. Find

the company’s phone number or email address from an independent source, such as a directory, and contact the business directly

Check any claims of being licensed or registered in New Zealand.

Check the domain name through www.dnc.org.nz for .nz domain names and ICANN’s WHOIS service for .com domain names

What businesses can doIssue direct and public communications to

clients/customers warning your business is being impersonated (e.g. posting on your social media pages)

Report the case to a relevant government agency (e.g. FMA, CERT)

Update your business’ details on Companies Office or the Financial Services Providers Register to warn about the scammers

More information about investment scams can be found on the FMA website.Source: Financial Markets Authority

FMA Director of Regulation Liam Mason

Ethical questions rise as Covid-19 Vaccine becomes a reality

The world was ablaze with hope following the announcement last week that a Vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech may be more

than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19.New Zealand politicians were quick

to point out that 1.5 million doses had already been pre-purchased through a legally binding agreement signed in late September to buy any Vaccine to emerge from the multilateral COVAX facility.

Within the week, a second potentially effective Vaccine emerged from US biotech firm Moderna. Health Minister Chris Hipkins would not say if New Zealand had negotiated for this option.

But assuming an approved Vaccine is coming, attention then turns to logistics. Significant Questions

Funding, procurement, storage and distribution all raise significant questions

Barbara Allen and Michael Macaulay

about values, decision-making and ethics.

We know that there are mul-tiple candidates for a Covid-19 Vaccine, but there will be few “winners,” as many countries have already pre-contracted substantial amounts based on calculated risk assessments of which will emerge first. Even

then, the challenges will be immense.For example, assuming that the Pfizer

Vaccine does become available as a safe option, it must be held in ‘ultra-cold storage’ at -70 degrees Celsius. As has been observed already, “Distributing an effective Covid-19 Vaccine to the global population will likely be the greatest logistical challenge since World War II.”Who gets a Vaccine first?

For New Zealand, as with all countries, the questions raised are complex; do we now spend a large amount of money to scale up a logistics, distribution and storage system for the Pfizer drug?

Or should we wait for an alternative that is more effective, easier to transport and store, and possibly cheaper?

After all, the first available Vaccine might not achieve the outcomes we want. But would it be fair (or feasible) to make the country wait?

Furthermore, because enough doses to treat everyone will not be available immediately, it will be necessary to prioritise recipients. What are the country’s obligations here? Do we offer the vaccination first to the oldest, or the youngest, or the most vulnerable?

National health systems will have some idea about how to go about this, but wealthy countries have never faced an immediate

requirement on this scale.An ethical framework

Answering these questions means calling simultaneously on a number of different ethical perspectives. They are (a) an ethic of justice to assess the fairness of a decision (b) an ethic of consequentialism to look at outcomes (c) an ethic of obligations to see who we may have made commitments to an ethic of care to look at individual cases, rather than relying on abstract logic.

Only when we combine these perspectives can we begin to make sense of priorities.

The Vaccine marketplace is a kind of oligopoly, with a few extremely large firms deciding which Vaccines get made, when and at what price. Pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in producing new Vaccines for the developing world because they have little prospect of earning an attractive return.

While global organisations such as Vaccine alliance GAVI have been instrumental in getting Vaccines to developing countries, given the geopolitics of procurement it could be a long time before an effective Covid-19 option reaches the poorest populations.The moral dimension

All this points to the deeper ethical issue of inequality. Many agencies, including the

World Health Organisation (WHO), have demonstrated that health outcomes are related to socio-economic, ethnic and gender inequalities. COVID-19 has only made these inequalities worse.

Only last week, for example, a UK study showed 57.7 more people per 100,000 have died in the poorest areas of northern England than in the rest of the country.

This matches other research showing how the pandemic has disproportionately affected poorer families, including their being less likely to be able to work from home or adapt to home-schooling.

Limited or selective availability of a Vaccine could exacerbate these problems. And while New Zealand may be in a relatively privileged position, this doesn’t mean there won’t be negative consequences for other countries.

This adds an international dimension to our national dilemma; we have a duty to protect our own citizens, but is there a way we can minimise harm to others at the same time?

Barbara Allen and Michael Macaulay are respectively Senior Lecturer in Public Manage-ment and Professor of Public Administration at the Victoria University of Wellington. The above article has been published under Creative Commons Licence.

Ethical questions-Pfizer Vaccine by SIPA Via AP Images

Photo Illustration by Rafael Hen-rique (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

09DECEMBER 1, 2020 Businessslink

Resilience will boost survival rate in post-pandemic world

In the future, humanity will probably look back to 2020 as a momentous year in history.

When it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be a before and after in history books.

Things have changed, and we have to adapt to be able to survive in our new reality. These are a few tips to get back on track in a post-pandemic society. Accepting the New Reality

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a vast effect on the way our society works. Mainly, it had a direct impact on how we interact with others.

We will see the impact of the months in lockdown for the years to come.

But now that things are start-ing to open up again, things are still not going back to the reality we were used to before the virus.

We will have to continue to use masks well into next year or longer if a vaccine does not come soon.

We have to avoid direct contact with people outside our home, and we need to get disinfected every time we enter a new place.

It is as tedious as it sounds, but this is our new normal, and we have to get used to it.

Instead of crying about it, which will only lead us to being more irritated, we have to be

Artur Meyster

grateful that we are alive and hopeful of the future. Reunite with Loved Ones

Another thing to do now that Cov-id-19 is somewhat under control is to reunite with family and friends. Maybe you have not seen your parents or grandparents in a while for fear of infecting them.

But this may be an excellent time to meet up with them, although you should still use distancing measures and not take any risks.

Meeting up with friends is also an excellent option. You will be able to distract yourself a little bit from all the anxiety and uncertainty of the last few months. Keep What You Learned

Many of us had a lot of time while we were in lockdown. And even

if the lockdown was lifted, we still have a lot of free time that we used to fill by going out and meeting with friends. But because we are not doing that as regularly as before, we had to find something to fill our time.

So, you probably took up a new hobby or started a new habit.

For example, maybe you started learning a programming language, or you took up meditation in the mornings. The point is not to forget about it now that things are getting back to normal.

A new ability could go a long way in growing your career. And a mindful habit like meditation will continue to help you improve your mental health. So, keep what you learned during this year and

continue to apply it in your life. Getting Your Career Back on Track

Now that the government has lifted some restrictions, you may need to return to the office.

You should be ready to go back and keep your performance level the same.

Maybe at the beginning, it was challenging to work from home, but now that you are used to it, it may be difficult to get back on track in the office.

Prepare yourself mentally for the change, and keep in mind that the office environment will be different. People will return but with new measures to protect yourself and your co-workers. And if all these months you struggle to stay motivated and maybe slacked a bit at work, it’s time to get your career back on track.What to Do if You Lost Your Job?

But what happens if you are unemployed because you lost your last job during Covid-19?

You can still take some steps to get your career back on track.

But, you have to keep in mind that things have changed, and you should be flexible and accept opportunities that not necessarily would be your first choice in other circumstances.Consider Side Incomes

Only 30% of Americans have more than US$1000 in savings. So, chances are that finding yourself suddenly unemployed left you with not much money to fall back on. Even if you have Us$1000 or US$2000 saved, this is not enough to support you for long.

One option you can implement is to diversify your income. This will help you have money now and reduce the chances of this kind of situation affecting you again.

There are different options like maybe trying your hand in the gig industry, where you work by project instead of being hired as a full-time employee.

You can also invest some money in the stock market, create an online course, or write a book. You put the work upfront and receive the revenue months or years later. You can choose what works best for yourself and your abilities. But investing time or money on side incomes will continue to bring you money even if you find a new job. The post-pandemic world

The post-pandemic world is dif-ferent and we have to be resilient and adapt to get our lives back on track. It will help you to accept our new reality and get your career back on track. Also, if you lost your job, you could take an active role in finding a new job instead of waiting at home for your bills to eat you.

You can learn a new skill with an online course and consider side incomes. Both are excellent options for growing in your career and helping you have extra money each month.

Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with cod-ing bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.https://twitter.com/arturmeysterhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/meyster

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Keep Calm and Stick to the Fundamentals

To find out about our funding solutions, please contact:Parash Sarma - Client Services Director Mob: 021 864 730 Email: [email protected]

Parash Sarma

Housing affordability and the rapidly escalating property prices are issues that are being

constantly highlighted, analysed and discussed across all media over the last couple of months. Almost every other day we keep coming across reports of new price records being set for properties, especially those with “development potential”. Even properties in fringe suburbs which were considered reason-ably affordable six months ago are now fetching record prices as land bankers and develop-ers furiously bid for properties to secure “developable stock” for the future. Especially in Auckland, the unitary plan has completely changed the development landscape; today if someone has even a 400sqm section, it could potentially be developed into 2-3 new dwellings depending on the underlying zoning. As a result, there are lot of people who are either doing or planning on doing property developments as a side gig.

However, it is easy to lose

sight of the inherent risks of property developments in a buoyant market. Professional and experienced developers who have encountered eco-nomic downturns will attest to the fact that property develop-ment is a risky endeavour with a number of potential pitfalls. It is an activity that should be purely based on numbers and calcu-lations rather than emotion. It is not an enterprise for the blindly optimistic but for those who are cautiously realistic.

In light of the current market environment, I believe it is good

to review some of the basic tenets of developing property:a. The Profit is in the Buy-ing- do your due diligence: Experienced and successful developers spend a lot of time conducting exhaustive due diligence on all aspects of a development prior to buying the land. Without a high level of due diligence, the price one pays for land is a huge leap of faith into the unknown and could have very serious consequences. For example, an experienced developer will ascertain the number of dwellings that could be potentially built on the land prior to committing to the purchase. Imagine if one paid a certain price for a property on the basis that 8 units could be built to find, post purchase, that only 6 could actually be built on the site. A reduction in two units could mean the differ-ence between a project being reasonably profitable or a loss making one.b. Preparing a project feasibility: As a developer, one has to prepare a very robust feasibility for the proposed

project at the outset. Doing this exercise will provide the developer with a good indica-tion of the likely project margin and will also allow the develop-er to tweak a few variables, if possible, to potentially increase the project margin. If you do not have the required experience in preparing a feasibility report, reach out to someone who does and seek their help. c. Be Realistic: In a rising mar-ket, it is very easy to succumb to the prevailing optimism. A classic mistake that people make is to assume that the market will increase another 10%-15% by the time that the development is completed. This kind of flawed logic is often forwarded by developers who know that they have “over paid” for the land on today’s market value but it doesn’t matter because the market would rise 10%-15% by the time that their development comes to fruition; hence the project would still be reasonably profitable. However, one should consider the opposite side of the coin as well- what would be the conse-quences if the market does not rise or even worse, actually falls 5%-10%. This is called “stress testing” the project feasibility and most experienced and prudent developers will always stress test their feasibility. d. Find the Money: Another classic mistake that a lot of newbie developers make is to approach funders after having

spent a lot of time and money on a project in obtaining the various consents. Prudent developers would talk to the funders right at the outset and ensure that the project being envisaged would be one that lenders would be willing to support. Prevailing market conditions are such that finding the funds for getting a devel-opment off the ground is quite tough. The bank’s appetite for such funding is extremely limited and often comes with pretty onerous conditions. In the non-bank market, there are only a handful of players who would consider funding developments and the policies and appetite for funding developments vary significantly among those play-ers as well. So, it is extremely critical to engage with a funder early in the development cycle and get reasonable assurance that the project being contem-plated would be something that the lender would support in 6-8 months once the consents are obtained. This also ensures that the developer becomes aware of the lender’s requirements very early in the development cycle and can work towards meeting those requirements.

While we are increasingly see-ing acronyms such as FOMO (Fear of missing out) being bandied about in the media, it is important to remain calm and stick to the basic principles.


Mixed messages in wake of National’s defeat at Party ConferenceTime will decide if resentment or candour will win the day

As the National Party starts its painful and possibly protracted climb back to political relevance, leaders,

past and president, hammered home the need for discipline and accountability - but not everyone in the hierarchy seems on board.

They say success has many fa-thers, while failure is an orphan - yet the National Party family was out in force at its first major event since a crushing election loss.Healthy member-numbers

The AGM was overflowing with Party members, with former Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee pressed into service helping to lay out additional chairs in the Te Papa function room.

There was even a healthy showing from former MPs still coming to terms with their sudden unemployment, although it is perhaps understandable they - and many others in the room - grasped the chance to tell the Party hierarchy where things went wrong, and how to fix them before 2023.

Despite the circumstances, there was still some levity: in a ‘meet the new MPs’ segment, former Air New Zealand Chief Executive and Botany MP Chris Luxon introduced himself as National’s Senior Whip Matt Doocey, who is similarly follicular-challenged.Dire straits

But there was no denying the dire straits in which National has found itself, nor did Party Leader Judith Collins attempt to do so.

“While the country was focused on the Covid-19 challenge this year, I felt the National Party was far too focused on itself. ”We did not spend enough time talking about the things that matter to New Zealanders. The consequence of that can be seen in our election result and our reduced caucus,” she told the delegates attending the Conference.

The Party’s Caucus had to be more disciplined and united, while Nation-al also had to make the case for itself as “an inspiring alternative” to the Government - implicitly accepting it had not done as much this year.

“People will not vote for change without reason. We need to convince them to have high hopes for themselves, to believe a better New Zealand is possible, to expect more from their government,” Ms Collins said.Big hill to climb

Victory in 2023 “might seem like a big hill to climb,” Ms Collins said, “but it is not beyond us” - although it is almost certainly beyond her leader-ship, with a clear sense the Papakura MP is a placeholder until a more inspiring candidate (such as Luxon) can make their case to take over.

Nonetheless, she delivered a clear and rational articulation of the nec-essary next steps for National - and if the crowd was disinclined to take her message on board, they undoubtedly did so when it was echoed by the ‘special guest speaker’ and National Party legend Sir John Key.

Ms Collins and Sir John did not enjoy a seamless relationship during the last National government, yet the former Prime Minister offered praise for her tireless campaigning and outstanding leadership before turning his eye to the path ahead.

With the greater freedoms associ-ated with being a retired politician not in need of caucus support, Sir John did not pull his punches.Sir John Key’s advice

The Covid-19 pandemic had made National’s task harder, he said, but there was a greater problem at play. “Some people who previously voted for National voted for Labour this time, or for ACT, because a combination of leadership changes

and missteps, disunity, leaks and mixed messaging in National put them off us.

“I know that it is hard to stand up here and say that, I know that it sounds harsh, but it is true, and if we do not acknowledge that, if we do not take responsibility for it, then we will not learn from it,” he said.

Party members and MPs, dissatis-fied with strategy could make their feelings known - but privately, rather than by fighting proxy wars through the media.

“Here is my very simple advice to those who like to leak to the media: if you cannot quit your leaking, here’s a clue - quit the Party.”Getting back the lost votes

The former foreign exchange trader asked those in the room to fixate on one number: 413,800.

It was the number of voters who had switched from National to Labour at the election - roughly the population of Dunedin, Tauranga and Hamilton combined.

Every last one of them had to be won back, Sir Key said, before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her team managed to convert them to long-term Labour voters.

“Some people are going to tell you that eventually, all the public is going to get sick of Jacinda Ardern. Well, here is a clue - that’s a mistake. It is exactly what the Labour Party said about me for nearly a decade, nearly a decade. If we underestimate Jacinda and her advisers, we will be in opposition for a very long time - I can tell you this,” he said.

It was an invaluable and undenia-ble message - but perhaps he should have shared it with Goodfellow in advance.The contrast with President

The President’s speech was a medley of exaggerated excuses and

gratuitous grievances, his words curdling before they even left the stage.

The election campaign was set to be a high-minded battle of ideas, but with Covid-19 “descended into a race of celebrity leadership in trying times,” Mr Goodfellow claimed - a curious point of attack, given the ‘celebrity leader’ epithet was often thrown at Sir John during his Prime Ministership by some on the left, with no effect on his popularity.

“Reasoned debate on contentious issues almost became treasonous...it was suddenly a crime to ask legitimate questions for comment and daily broadcasts became televan-gelistic, like a gospel to the masses. Democracy, for a period of time, gave way to a time to a form of temporary tyranny. No-one should fear death threats or violence for voicing an opinion, no matter how much you disagree, but that was the reality in a Jacindamania world,” he said.Parallel Universe

Mr Goodfellow seemed to be de-scribing a parallel universe to the one most New Zealanders experienced. Yes, we sacrificed many personal freedoms during lockdown - but it was a sacrifice an overwhelming majority of Kiwis were happy to make in the interests of public health and wellbeing, as numerous polls showed.

He railed against “the coordinated and overwhelming might of infec-tious clickbait journalism and heavily partisan powers of government being used against us”, before adding, almost as an afterthought: “To be fair, we were also up against ourselves.”

That is putting it mildly - and Mr Goodfellow also glossed over the role of his own board in its internal dysfunction through questionable selection processes.

Goodfellow hangs onMs Collins and Sir John were not

exactly willing to go into bat for their Party President’s remarks. The latter sidestepped Goodfellow’s comments about celebrity leadership, while the former described the speech as “excellent” but did not want to get into specifics: “He can answer his own questions.”

The stony silence which greeted Mr Goodfellow’s speech might have seemed an ill omen for his hopes of holding onto the presidency in the board elections, following murmurs of discontent about the Party’s internal workings.

Yet he managed to retain his board spot - albeit with the lowest support of the three elected members, accord-ing to Politik and other outlets - and his reign as President will continue.

Sir John’s praise of Mr Goodfellow’s fundraising efforts may have helped, as may have geographical consid-erations: the other two members elected, Rachel Bird and former MP David Carter, both reside in the South Island, with Mr Goodfellow in Auckland.

His re-election did not come without caveats: in the press release announcing his reappointment, Mr Goodfellow mentioned “commit-ments that I will honour covering the campaign review, fundraising and delivering the change needed to win the 2023 campaign.”

Whether Mr Goodfellow’s resent-ment about the election outcome, or Sir John’s candour about National’s internal failings, carries the day with-in the wider Party may determine whether that talk of success in 2023 has any chance of coming to fruition.Sam Sachdeva is Political Editor at News-room. He covers Foreign Affairs, Trade, Defence and Security Issues. The above article and picture have been reproduced under a Special Arrangement.

Sam Sachdeva

High Commissioner David Pine to speak on ‘A Passage to India Series’Interactive Session of New Zealand India Alliance on December 1

The state of bilateral relations between New Zealand and India, the ways of engage-ment, the role of the private

sector and other issues of relevance are expected to be discussed with New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India David Pine next week.

Auckland based New Zealand India Trade Alliance (NZITA) is organising the meeting under its ‘A Passage to India’ series at the offices of Ernst & Young, EY Build-ing, 2 Takutai Square, Britomart in Auckland’s Central Business District from 530 pm on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

Mr Pine assumed charge as New Zealand’s High Commissioner after presenting his credentials online to India’s President Ram Nath Kovind.

He is concurrent (Non-Resident) High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Nepal but is yet to present his credentials to the respective Presidents Abdul Hamid and Bidya Devi Bhandari in view of travel restrictions imposed due to Covid-19.

New Zealand acknowledges that India is a major economic force in Asia and is fast becoming a global power in manufacturing, invest-ment, trade and services. Successive New Zealand governments have also taken note of India’s huge human capital with the advantage of its youthful population.India-New Zealand Relations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website (MFAT) says, “We have taken significant steps in our trade and economic relationship over the past five years. Services

trade has doubled to $1.2 billion, and this has helped in taking the total trade (goods and services) to around $2.64 billion. Tourism has likewise more than doubled since 2011, with over 65,000 Indian tourists visiting New Zealand in the year to November 2019. India is New Zealand’s second largest source of international students, with over 17,000 Indian students studying in New Zealand.”

These figures are less than im-pressive because the performance does not match the potential

and does not compare with New Zealand’s trade statistics with other large economies.

MFAT also recognises that “There are opportunities to grow exports in areas such as professional services, in-country provision of Education, Healthcare and Aviation.”

Impossible Free Trade AgreementNew Zealand and India have been

in talks for a Free Trade Agreement since the Summer of 2007 but to date, there has been more rhetoric than action. Success on this issue re-mains in New Zealand’s acceptance of reality and obtain an Agreement covering the Services Sector.

India will always (rightly so) ensure that its agricultural and dairy industries are not affected by any pact that will bring them in direct competition with tariff-free imports.

It is hoped that Mr Pine will address some of these issues in his speech at the forthcoming meeting being organised by NZITA. About David Pine

An experienced career diplomat, he has been the Head of New Zealand’s missions in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei Darussalam) and Manila (Philippines) and in New York (USA)

and Canberra (Australia). He was also Director, Economic

Division at MFAT.Mr Pine was in the local govern-

ment and private sector for about five years, with assignments at Christchurch City Council, Universi-ty of Otago and International Rugby Academy of New Zealand, giving him an insight into the governance of large organisations.

He also chaired the Advisory Group to select New Zealand’s Centres of Asia Pacific Excellence, a $34.5 million investment by the government.Rare perspective

NZITA Secretary General Surinder Ogra said that Mr Pine will provide a rare perspective, having worked both in the Private and the Govern-ment sector.

“This is an opportunity for New Zealand business leaders, marketing managers, friends of India, Import-ers and Exporters, Chief Executives, Chief Financial Officers, Startups and others to hear from a celebrat-ed business leader,” he said.

Mr Ogra suggested that those interested should register their names to attend the Tie and Dress event since seats are limited.

Venkat Raman

Former Prime Minister Sir John Key speaking at the National Party Conference (RNZ Photo by Dam Cook)

National Party Leader Judith Collins: “Inspiring alternative (RNZ Photo by Eva Corlett)

National Party President Peter Goodfellow: Re-elected (RNZ Photo by Rebekah Parsons-King)

11DECEMBER 1, 2020 Businesslink

The journey of a former Refugee to New Zealand Parliament Eritrean finds new life and career in a land of

opportunities and equality

Former refugee and new MP Ibrahim Omer captivated Par-liament yesterday (Thursday, November 26, 2020) with his

maiden speech to the House. Here is the transcript, from

Hansard, of his life’s journey:Kia Ora and Salaam Alaikum. My

name is Ibrahim Omer. I am an Eri-trean. I am a son, brother, a friend. I am a Muslim. I am a former refugee. I am a trade unionist and living wage activist. But most importantly, I stand here today in front of you bursting with pride as a Kiwi who loves Aotearoa New Zealand.Long and arduous journey

My journey to this place has been a long one. The story of my journey is the story of every refugee displaced and forced from their home country and their loved ones. My vision is for my journey to give hope to the many other people with stories like mine.

My journey began 15,000 kilo-metres away, in a peaceful, small East African country called Eritrea. My forebears were chiefs, warriors, who led their people free to defend their land from invaders, who handed down their values of social justice and defending human rights to me and to my family. My grandfathers were leaders in their village and their clans. Our family slowly moved to the city and my father went to school and learnt many languages. My mother was a loving Mum to me and to my four brothers and my sister.Tolerant and multicultural

Mine was a happy and typical Eritrean upbringing. I grew up in a tolerant society where people from different cultures and religious backgrounds embraced each other. My extended family were Muslims but our neighbours were Christians, and we shared our lives together. We celebrated Christian holidays with them and they celebrated the Muslim holidays with us.

I attended public schools, including an Islamic Primary School, and then my local junior and high school. It was a loving and tolerant environment, culturally conservative, but there was a strong sense of social justice and standing up for people who didn’t have enough.

As a child I was full of hopes and ambitions and dreams. Among the very long list of things I wanted to be and do, two things stood out for me: to be a football player like Ronaldo from Brazil or a politician. But those dreams were cut short by a brutal dictatorship that killed the dreams of thousands of young Eritrean men and women.

In my home country I saw how pol-itics and politicians ruined people’s lives, and, hence, I gave up my dream to be a politician. My homeland has a long history of invasion and colonisation by, first, the Italians, the Brits, and then the Ethiopians.

The impacts of colonisation are still being experienced as I speak here today. Right now, tens of thousands of innocent Ethiopians are being displaced by this unnecessary and senseless war in Ethiopia. In the last two weeks alone, 40,000 Ethiopians became refugees and fleeing to Sudan for safety. In addition to this, about 100,000 Eritrean refugees who have been living in the areas of conflict are now in danger.War-prone country

In nearly all my life in Eritrea, there has been a war. For 30 years my country was locked in a war for independence. I remember the terror when the war raged in our city. I was young, but I vividly remember the fighting. There was no power. We had very little food. The city was surrounded by the fighters for months and months.

Then independence was declared in Eritrea. I saw music and people danc-ing in the streets all the time, day and night, for about a month. We believed that Eritrea could be the shining star for Africa; everywhere else there were coups and civil wars.

But our country was betrayed by the same people who fought for Eritrea, who fought to free Eritrea from colonisers. They took away our dreams. And now, Eritrea is one of the biggest refugee-producing countries per capita in the world.

I was drafted to the national service at a very young age, as a high school student. I was subjected to extreme hardships. The national service in Eritrea is meant to be for 18 months, but in reality, it is indefinite. Once you are in, there is no way out of it. Human Rights abuses

Eritrea was and still is a place where citizens disappear for no reason. Gross human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, and imprisonment are normal. I knew I had no choice but to leave before my time came. So I left behind everything I loved: my country, my family, my friends, and my dreams, including the long list of things I wanted to be and do.

The chance of making it to Sudan was probably about 50/50. Lots of peo-ple do not make it. At the time, there was a shoot-to-kill policy for deserters. I took the risk. I said to myself, I would rather die trying to escape than to die a slow death in Eritrea. Weeks later, I made it. I made it across the border and handed myself in to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu-gees (UNHCR) camp and the Sudanese authorities, and I was granted refugee status to stay in Sudan.

‘Manaakitanga and Aroha’Five years later, I came to New

Zealand as a refugee. I had never heard of this place, to be honest, but an immigration officer told me it was one of the most peaceful countries in the world.

That was good enough for me, because I was sick and tired of looking over my shoulder.

I arrived at Aotearoa on May 15, 2008. From the moment I landed at Auckland Airport, I felt the manaakitanga and aroha that this country is known for. After six weeks in Māngere, I moved to Wellington to start a new life.Tough life again

My early life in New Zealand wasn’t easy. I got a job as a security guard, but I left it after I was attacked and beaten in the middle of the night. I did farm work, fruit picking, and started cleaning. My low wages meant that I could not save to study, and in order to support my family back home, I picked up more and more hours until I was doing 80 hours a week.

Ten years ago, I was cleaning at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington.

I worked with some of the hardest people I know. Some of them are here today: Rebecca, Awak, and Emma. All I did was clean, clean, clean, day and night. I did not have a life. I did not meet people. I was not active in the community. I did not have the time to think or even dream.First Public Speech

Then one day in 2013, my union

Ibrahim Omer taking oath as Member of Parliament on November 26, 2020 (Facebook)

Ibrahim Omer at the lawns of the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington (Facebook)

Ibrahim Omer (extreme right) campaigning for Living Wage with Labour MPs and supporters (Facebook)

organiser asked me to speak at the forum at Victoria University to chal-lenge the mayoral candidates to make a commitment to pay a living wage. It was the first time that I had ever spoken in public and I was speaking on behalf of about 100 cleaners.

I was scared and I wanted to turn away when I saw that The Hub was packed. But the response to my speech changed something inside me. Before I spoke, I threw away the speech that I had prepared before and I spoke from my heart.

I said to the students, “I see you each night studying and working away at your degrees and Masters and PhDs.” I told them that my dream was not to end up as a cleaner, working 80-plus hours a week. My dream was to study, but I am stuck in the trap that is poverty.

I got active in the union and the living wage movement and in my refugee background community and the Labour Party. I got a pay rise and I decided to go to University.

A few months later, one Sunday night, I was cleaning a lecture theatre. The next day, I had my first lecture, Politics 111, in the same lecture thea-tre. It was a very emotional moment that I will never forget.Quick Transformation

My life has been transformed so quickly. In 12 years after moving to New Zealand, and in the five years after being a cleaner, four years after graduating, I became a member of this Parliament.

This is the result of the overwhelm-ing support that I have received.

It is because of the people that I have met along the way.

I am very proud of my refugee background community and the ChangeMakers Resettlement Forum and other advocacy groups across the country. I have always wanted to help my community and that’s why I got involved in ChangeMakers, first as a member and then as the chair of the organisation.Christchurch Massacre

On March 15, 2019, our country suffered a tragic terrorist attack. It was like a bad dream.

You never think that this could happen in New Zealand. How could this happen to us?

I was worried that it would be the end of the safe and peaceful New Zealand that the immigration officer told me about. Then I saw the lead-ership of our Prime Minister and the massive support of New Zealanders.

The Mosques were not just a garden with flowers and loving messages, but the whole country came out and wrapped themselves around us, figuratively and literally. I could not control my emotions. That terrorist did not just want to attack

the mosque and take away a few lives; he wanted to turn us against each other, but things did not go the way that he wanted.

Thanks to our Prime Minister’s leadership and the five million Kiwis who reacted with aroha and embraced the Muslim community, our bonds grew together.

To me, it is reinforced my identity and love that I have for New Zealand. I will use my platform in Parliament to support and rebuild our community, champion the voice of refugee-background New Zealanders, and to stamp out racism in Aotearoa.Admiration for New Zealand Politics

One thing that I really admire about New Zealand politics, and which restored my hope to be a politician, was when my friend told me that although politicians may debate in this Chamber, they will then go afterwards and share a coffee and meal together.

I will treat everyone, all my colleagues here in this House, with respect and dignity.

I am proud of my union living wage whānau. I’ve been an E tū member, a delegate, and an organiser. I’ve been a leader in the living wage movement.

I was so proud, a few months ago, when E tū members who were MSD security guards won the living wage. When I recruited them, I talked to them to join the union and told them that we will win the living wage if we all stand up together. After we won, I rang up all of them and told them that this is what it means to be in the union. This is what it means to be active in the living wage movement. This did not come from nothing; it’s our victory.Voice of workers

And now I am here to be a voice for workers like those security guards and like my co-workers from uni. While my life has dramatically trans-formed, people like Rebecca, Awak, and Emma are still on the lowest paid wages. They work hard, they work very long hours, and, yet they still struggle to provide three meals for their kids.

In 10 years of working hard, they’re still poor; it should not be like that.

My vision is for all workers to lead decent lives and participate in society with dignity and respect. My voice will be for every New Zealander who is struggling on low wages, whether they were born here or they have recently arrived. I will still stand up for every New Zealander who needs an opportunity, every New Zealander who needs decent pay and conditions, every New Zealander who needs equality and the chance to live in a fair country where

everyone can thrive and live with dignity. Throughout my experience as a low-paid worker, I realise that the strong labour movement is essential to protecting the rights of vulnerable people. The strong labour movement is what’s needed to create a just and fair society.Party of values

I am proud to be part of the Labour Party because it is the Party that shares my values: fairness and the community and equal opportunities. I stand here because of the support the Labour Party whānau have given me, and an opportunity to be a voice for those who often struggle; their voice is here. Thank you to our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson for your leadership and also for your personal support to me.

I am here today because of the in-spiration and support of many, many people, too many to name. Everyone I have met along the way has made an impact in my life and enriched it—thank you.

This includes the people from my early life in Eritrea, to my family who passed on to me the values of social justice from a very young age, I send my love from afar. To everyone who helped me to get through, early in my days in Sudan, my cellmates, the UNHCR, the people I nervously shared the plane to New Zealand with, and the friends I made in Māngere. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.Expression of Gratitude

To my “New Zealand Mum”, Lindy McIntyre, thank you for everything. To my E tū and living wage whānau, especially Annie Newman, thank you for believing in me. Thank you to the workers who have risked a lot by standing up and trusting me to be your organiser. Paul Tolich, who chased me around Wellington with the Labour Party nomination on the day it was due, I can’t thank you enough, thank you. And thank you to Fleur Fitzsimons, who planted the possibility of me becoming an MP in my mind just about a year ago—thank you.

To Rory, Isabella, Gordon, and Win-nie, because of your love and support, I never feel like I am away from my family, thank you. To my friends, who also became my campaign team, Rory, Isabella, Nick Davies, Sam Graben, Steff Gregor, and the many, many others, thank you for making me a better person.

To my caucus, I am proud to be with a group that looks much like New Zealand, and I am excited about the next three years, Kia Ora.Inspiration from the world

I end with the final acknowledge-ment to all the millions of people displaced around the world.

Your courage in the face of unimaginable adversity will always inspire me.

The reality is that many millions of people will not have the luck that I have had. Until the world changes, innocent lives will continue to be lost and displaced in the hands of evil and war. That is what we must change—that is what we must change. In my mother tongue, which is called Saho, I just wanted to say to these people:

Sen abliuk ane, which is “I see you.”Sen arar ye abeuk ane, which is “I

feel you.”Insha Allah rile sneak ane ane,

which is “God Willing, I will be on your side and fight alongside you.”

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

GETTHE NEWSYOUMISSED!

EVERYWEDNESDAYAND SATURDAY!

Subscribe to the

Bi-Weekly Newsletter.

IT IS FREE! IT IS EASY!Write now to [email protected]

12 DECEMBER 1, 2020Viewlink

The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999)

ISSUE 451| DECEMBER 1, 2020

Indian Newslink is published by Indian Newslink Limited from its offices located at 24 Roberta Avenue, Glendowie, Auckland 1071. All material appearing here and on our web editions are the copyright of Indian Newslink and reproduction in full or part in any medium is prohibited. Indian Newslink and its management and staff do not accept any responsibility for the claims made in advertisements. Managing Director & Publisher: Jacob Mannothra; Editor & General Manager: Venkat Raman; Production Manager: Mahes Perera; Accountant: Uma Venkatram CA; Phone: (09) 5336377 Email: [email protected]: www.indiannewslink.co.nz; www.inliba.com; www.inlisa.com

There’s a price for deflection in politics

Mastering the art of deflection is a critical part of any successful politician’s skill set.

Put simply, it is the ability to know when to claim the credit for things that are working or look good, regardless of how or by whom they were initiated, matched by the capacity to shift re-sponsibility elsewhere when things are not going quite so well.

All governments and politicians do it, so it is neither novel nor unusual, but this government is better at it than most. Unlike many of its predecessors who have tended to dismiss the significance of policies or programmes that are not working, it has developed the additional skills of empathy and identification.

So, it “understands” the problem and is “concerned” that “something should be done about it,” even if it appears not to have any idea what that “something” might be.

It is a very clever tactic; some may even describe it as cynical. It shifts the focus from the issue at hand, to the government’s concern about it.

What the public sees is not the policy failure, but that the government agrees something needs to be done. It is on their side, and in the current environment that seems to be all that matters.Covid-19 response

The present state of the Covid-19 response is a good example.

The failings of the cumbersome managed isolation and quarantine facilities are nothing to do with the government that set them up, but everything to do with the fact that the people within them are not complying. Likewise, the New Zealanders stranded overseas and unable to get home to either farewell dying loved ones or be with family at Christmas are not in that situation because of unyielding rules, but simply because they did not organise themselves in time to be able to get an isolation berth before booking their return to New Zealand.

In any case, because we are all in this together, it is the “team of five million,” not the government, setting the expectations, because the “team” wants to keep people safe.

People challenging that in any way are seen as unreasonable.The Vaccine issue

While other countries are contem-

Peter Dunne

plating the availability of vaccines and how quickly life will be able to get back to something approaching what it used to be, we are being told that even once a vaccine is widely available in new Zealand, it will still be at least 12 to 18 months after that before we can consider lifting border and other restrictions.

Again, the excuse proffered is be-cause that is what people would expect. The fact that other countries have said they will let people who have been vaccinated come into their countries without quarantine cuts no ice here, apparently because that is not what the “team” wants.Shifting responsibility

It is all good and clever rhetoric which shifts the burden of respon-sibility to the citizenry, while at the same time allowing the government to appear concerned about the impact on daily lives that the impositions it alone has imposed is having.

The implied empathy of that helps to keep the government on side with the people. And, so far, it has to be admitted, it has worked remarkably successfully.

The same deflection tactic is now at play in the housing debate, although this may prove more problematic to sustain for very long. Housing is quickly turning into the government’s Achilles heel.

The blunt and underlying truth is that for various reasons insufficient new houses have been built under successive governments.

Jacinda Ardern with her Deputy Grant Robertson and other cabinet colleagues (Herald-AP Photo)

This government burned its toes sharply when it thought its ill thought out Kiwibuild scheme was the answer. Since its failure, the government has retreated into its housing shell, apparently bereft of other ideas. Now, it is casting around looking for other levers, from the Reserve Bank to local government, to put pressure on.Drastic action essential

All the while, it laments the current situation; understands the difficulties it is imposing; and agrees something dras-tic needs to be done, overlooking, as it does so, that the primary responsibility and opportunity for meaningful action rests with the government.

It will be able to get way with this type of approach for a little while yet, but it may prove to be a harder tactic to sustain with housing than it has been with Covid-19.

Covid-19 has so far been much more intangible even though it has been pervasive.

In that instance, there is no rulebook to refer, nor shared experience of what it could happen next to take guidance from. It is therefore much easier to adopt the type of approach taken so far.

But housing is different; its impact is more visible and measurable, and the solutions more obvious. While the government can probably still extract a little more yet from its empathy and concern cards on housing, it cannot go on doing so indefinitely without the growing public expectation for more and cheaper houses hardening into uncompromising reality.

Already, housing is shaping up as the issue that could blow away the govern-ment’s inflated Parliamentary majority like a house of cards if it is not properly addressed before the next election.

Peter Dunne was a Minister of the Crown under the Labour and National governments from November 1999 to September 2017. He lives in Wellington.

Islamic Women’s Council wants Coroner’s Inquest

A Coroner’s inquest into the Christchurch mosque attacks is needed to deliver sorely needed public

accountability, the Islamic Women’s Council (IWC) has said.

The final Report from a long Royal Commission of Inquiry into the events leading up to the March 15, 2019 murder of 51 people by convicted terrorist Brenton Harrison Tarrant was delivered to government last week.No answers

But it has no teeth and does not provide the answers the country needs about how the attack was able to happen, IWC Spokesperson Anjum Rahman said.

The inquiry, which took 18 months, included more than 400 meetings and 73,500 pages of submissions and evidence.

But wide-ranging suppression orders prevent publication of submissions from current or former government Ministers and

Karoline Tuckey

the Heads of public-sector agencies, for 30 years.

Publication is completely banned for all other submissions and evidence.PM’s prerogative

The Report makes recommenda-tions to government and has been written by the Commissioners with a view to full public release but the Prime Minister has the final say on what is released and when. A decision is expected by the end of this year.

However, Ms Rahman said that the suppressions would not allow the public a clear view of any opportunities to stop the attack that may have been missed, and by who. She hoped that those burning questions could still be answered through a Coroner’s inquest.

“There is this stage that needs to happen, whereby people who are negligent or incompetent, or failed to do things that they should have been doing - those people need to be accountable for their actions, whether they’re presently in those positions or whether they’ve now moved on,” she said.

“I would hope that the Coroner and the Coroner’s office could make an assessment and make a decision as to whether they proceed or not; we would request that they seriously consider the matter. They can do what the Royal Commission cannot,” Ms Rahman said.

Published under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz

Islamic Women’s Council Spokesperson Anjum Rahman (RNZ Picture by Luke Mcpake)

Fiji’s Plan to quell family harm laudable

Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama has done well to launch a

public consultation document to evolve a National Plan to prevent Violence against all Women and Girls.

He reflected the belief of a majority of Fijians- that the new generation of empowered and well-educated women deserve to rise as far as their abilities can take them.

The Fijian government has chosen to lead by doing, not only in building a foundation of a violence-free Fiji, but in creating equality of opportuni-ty for Fijian women. Violence-free society

“We have introduced open-merit recruitment and advancement within the civil service: That means people are hired and promoted based on their ability, not based on their ethnicity, not based on who they know, and certainly not based on their gender. For the first time, women can compete on a level playing field. For the first time, merit, and merit alone, matters,” he said.

Years ago, it was natural to express angst over men (or women) who perpetrate violence against women (or men) and demand that the law come down heavily on them. Over time, family violence is being approached more in terms of understanding the reasons behind such

heinous crime than in terms of awarding long-term sentences. Admittedly, the incidence of family violence is on the increase but there is also a rise in awareness among the socially conscious.

In our own turf, we have established ‘Gandhi Nivas,’ a home that provides temporary food and accommodation and long-term counselling to men who have been issued with Police Safety Order.

Indifference to futureGlobal trend

The Economist has, in an analysis of the problem, said that sociologists have long suspected that those who commit crimes place less value on the future than law-abiding citizens.

But they have mostly strug-gled to find hard evidence that criminals think about sentence lengths at all.

The publication said that following a review, Steven Durlauf of the University of Wisconsin and Daniel Nagin at Carnegie Mellon University found little evidence that crim-inals responded to harsher sentencing, and much stronger evidence that increasing the certainty of punishment deterred crime.

“This matters for policy, as it suggests that locking vast numbers of people in jail is not only expensive, but useless as a deterrent.”

National must look for solutions, not excuses

The Annual Conference of the National Party held on Saturday, November 21, 2020

in Wellington had its honest moments- those occurred during the speech of former Prime Minister and Leader Sir John Key and those that we have heard after the event.

Transparent and hard-hit-ting

Sir John’s speech was direct, transparent and hard-hitting. He was being truthful when he said that if the Party did not stop blaming others for its humiliating defeat at the general election held on October 17, 2020 and it did not subject itself some sincere introspection, it can expect to remain in Opposition until at least 2029- that is over the next three elections.

“Some people who previ-ously voted for National voted for Labour this time, or for ACT, because a combination of leadership changes and missteps, disunity, leaks and mixed messaging in National put them off us. I know that it

is hard to stand up here and say that, I know that it sounds harsh, but it is true, and if we do not acknowledge that, if we do not take responsibility for it, then we will not learn from it,” he said.

Party members and MPs, dissatisfied with strategy could make their feelings known - but privately, rather than by fighting proxy wars through the media.

Points to ponderWe have carried the feelings

of the people to National Party hierarchy- to those who will stop and listen to us. We have said, “National should look for solutions and not excuses.”

Thus far, Leader Judith Collins, former Deputy Leader Gerry Brownlee and their cronies have tried to be dismissive of everything from their inadequacy to the stunning defeat.

Looking at 2023, none of them can hope to redeem the Party unless they seek orderliness in their affairs and bring up fresh, new faces.

13DECEMBER 1, 2020 Businesslink

www.link2services.com

A vital link between people, solutions and expertise. The skills you require and people who can do it.

With Jacinda Ardern taking charge of the government for a second term, this time with a full majority, Wellington’s

policy towards the Pacific Islands will be a matter of interest.

To start with, new Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will do game changing work as the first woman (and first Māori woman) to hold the portfolio.

Ms Arden has scored high with her compassionate approach to the people of Pacific Islands and embraced the region with charisma. She (and her Labour Party) did extremely well at the general election held on October 17, 2020 in the strategic electorates of Auckland, among the reasons for which is the paradigm approach towards the Pacific, getting the Islander population to vote.

New Zealand can be proud of its inclu-sive and understanding attitude, markedly different from that of Australia. Ms Ardern has made a point that New Zealand has much firmer roots in the Pacific than Australia thereby making credible claims for better relations with the member countries. The Tuvalu Summit

New Zealand’s marked departure towards the Pacific Islands in general was reflected during 2018 Pacific Islands Summit held in Tuvalu. Leader of these countries were impressed by the leader-ship qualities of Ms Ardern, again, scoring above Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The charismatic Leader continues to advocate the importance of the Pacific Islands in the geopolitical thinking of New Zealand.

To a large extent, this stance also reflects the Labour Party’s long held position towards the Pacific Islands Forum, dating

India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC) is organising a networking event in Christchurch on December 1, 2020, as a part of

its India Unplugged Series.India’s High Commissioner to

New Zealand Muktesh Pradesh and Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson will be among the Guests of Honour.To register for the event, email: [email protected]

Strategies for better New Zealand - India ties

Focus on partnerships and collabo-rations to ensure business continuity in a Post-Covid world - this strong message of recovery was reflected in an insightful panel discussion at the first in-person event held by INZBC in 2020.

The event was held on November 12, 2020 at Westpac Head office in Britomart, Auckland CBD.

Scheduled to coincide with the auspicious occasion of Diwali, INZBC, hosted Mr Pardeshi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Divisional Manager, South and South East Asia Division Andrew Needs, Velocity Glob-al Chief Executive Carmen Vicelich and Westpac SME Lead (Institutional & Business Banking) Simon Lowe.

With an opening note from INZBC Chairman, Sameer Handa, the discus-sion revolved around the impact and recovery of trade and business post lockdown and Covid-19. Enhancing engagement

Mr Pardeshi led the conversation and elaborated on the need to re-eval-uate strategies to enhance economic engagement between New Zealand and India.

“A good way of looking on how to further engage with each other, is to not merely find markets, but finding partnerships, innovative partnerships. India is looking for investment, but more than investment, India is looking


Debate rages over minimum wage rise to match living costs

Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Wood is not ruling out lifting the

minimum wage in line with the living wage, saying that good busi-nesses should not be scared about workers being paid a fair wage.

A new report from the Helen Clark Foundation and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research is calling for the increase to boost productivity and create a more inclusive economy.

The opposition says that the Report is misguided and piling more costs on businesses will lead to job losses.Opportunity to invest

NZIER Deputy Chief Executive Todd Krieble said that in the wake of Covid-19, the government should take advantage of the chance to push the reset button.

“We will not be able to rely on migration, at least not for a while. We have incredibly cheap borrowing at the moment. This is really the first time in our history that we have such an alignment. It is an opportunity to invest in our people and be more inclusive with growth,” he said.

He said that lifting the minimum wage to the level of the living wage of $22.10 would boost productivity and encourage investment from employers in skills, either technical or soft skills.

The government increased the minimum wage three times last term, moving from $15.75 to $18.90. During the election, Labour promised to raise it to $20 next year.

Yvette McCullough

Mr Wood said that he would take stock and decide the next course of action.Matching living wage

He was not ruling out matching the living wage.

“Well-remunerated workers live better lives, are able to meet their basic needs better and there are very strong arguments to say that

Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Wood with Willie Jackson (now Maori Develop-ment Minister) RNZ Picture by Dom Thomas

National Party Small Business Spokesman Todd McClay (INL Photo)

Business Council networking event on December 1 in Christchurch

Carmen Vicelich and Westpac SME Head Simon Lowe at the INZBC event

India’s High Commissioner on revisiting strategies

Supplied Content

INZBC Chairman Sameer Handa: Opening Address

is better in terms of workplace maintenance, building a skilled and productive workforce, those are compelling arguments,” he said.

Mr Wood said that he would consider the full range of factors before taking a decision.

National Party opposesNational Party Small Business

Spokesperson Todd McClay said that the Report was misguided and that it would lead to increased costs to consumers and more job losses.

“The business community needs policies to help them grow the econ-omy and create jobs, not greater costs that will slow the job market down. I think that the suggestion from the [Helen Clark] Foundation will have the opposite effect,” he said.

Business New Zealand Chief Executive Kirk Hope said that the advice of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to the government was that a living wage would reduce the number of available jobs by 30,000.

He said that young people would be the most affected.

“The demographic of those peo-ple that lose their jobs are dispro-portionately young people, 18 to 24, because they are often the lowest skilled people. Covid-19 had already caused 11,000 vulnerable job losses. I would back employers and us as a country to make the right sorts of investments that would lift produc-tivity. There is a dynamism that has been introduced into the economy already, so let us get it working in the right direction,” Mr Hope said.Minister not convinced

Mr Wood said that the evidence seem in New Zealand is that gov-ernments led by the Labour Party, which have sustained increases in the minimum wage, are also gov-ernments that have seen sustained decreases in unemployment.

“So, we cannot always buy the argument that a decent minimum wage for workers has to be at the expense of jobs,” he said.

Mr McClay said that the government should not even be contemplating piling more costs onto businesses at a time when they were already struggling.

“What he should be doing is looking for ways to create more jobs and to be working with the business community. He should signal to the business community that he backs them,” he said.

Mr Wood said that was exactly what he was doing, and that he did not think good businesses should be scared about workers being paid a fair wage.

He promised to work through the process collaboratively, consulting with workers and businesses before making any decisions.

Mixed reactions Some business owners said that

increasing the wage to liveable wage will lead to redundancies.

Some said that they would be happy to pay more for experienced staff but having to pay a higher wage for someone fresh out of high school without any work experience was not sustainable.

Complete First-Aid Supplies owner Shelley Meredith said that her business had struggled to pick up after the Covid-19 lockdown. She was now moving her office to work from home and putting her supplies and stock into storage.

“If they put up the minimum wage, we might have to look at dropping one of our staff. I may have to move my office to my home,” she said.

Quick Stop Tyres and Mechanical owner Sarkaw Abdullazada said that he pays his staff above the min-imum wage but increasing it any further would put extra pressure on his business.

He said if the government wanted to increase the wage to a liveable wage, they should provide some subsidy. Without any help, he would potentially have to cut down some of the jobs to keep his store if the suggestion were implemented.

Lynfield Chainsaws & Mowers Manager Glen Lurman said that he supported a wage increase because that would help young people start their own life, without having to rely on their parents.

Yvette McCullough is a Political Reporter at Radio New Zealand. The above story has been pub-lished under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz

for collaboration in technology, innova-tion, best practices in areas such as ease of doing business,” he said.

Reiterating that sentiment, Mr Needs said that while India is a vast and growing potential market, it is important to understand what the country wants.

India is looking for partnerships and capability support for its development aspirations, he said.Exploring investment opportunities

“Our High Commission in India and the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise are exploring how investment presence in India can be strengthened. MFAT is looking at collaborating with industries to develop state and sectoral specific strategies for the Indian market and

will be holding trade and econom-ic talks in 2021 to try and pursue the overall India strategy,” he said.

Ms Vicelich spoke of recognising the need to pivot and being agile, citing the example of her compa-ny. “Instead of growing our newest product in a bigger Indian market, we are currently focused on business continuity with a launch in Australia and New Zealand,” she said.Adaptability important

“You need to recognise when you need to pivot and be agile and understand actually how to change what your plan was, to suit where you are now, because you cannot sit and wait for things. I always picture that success is like a boat in the water - if you just sit there, thinking that we will float till it all settles down, you are just going to drift with the wind and the tide,” Ms Vicelich said.

Mr Lowe highlighted the importance of partnerships and good governance during uncertain times.

“Businesses that did well during the lockdown had good existing relationships with their people but they also had good governance. Partnership is fine but you also need a good governance structure around that, regardless of the size of your business,” he said.Pictures by India New Zealand Business Council

Balaji Chandramohan

Pacific reset on the cards in Ardern’s majority government

back to the days of Peter Fraser, Walt Nash and Helen Clark.

I expect New Zealand to facilitate Fiji’s entry to the Polynesian Spear-head Group, a regional multi-lateral forum for Polynesians. The Biketawa Declaration

New Zealand will push for the Biketawa Declaration 2.0.

The original security statement was agreed by PIF Leaders in 2000, after a coup in Fiji and ethnic tensions in the Solomon Islands.

The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands was enabled un-der the Biketawa Declaration, under which Forum countries could form a mission and send it to a member country upon request by the latter.

New Zealand’s then Prime Minister Helen Clark played a major role and I believe that Ms Ardern will follow suit and involve New Zealand to be a part of Biketawa Declaration 2.0.

New Zealand will also develop a Defence White Paper by next year, which will provide a clear picture of the country’s strategic intention in the Pacific.

New Zealand has understood the importance of Pacific Islands.

We can expect significant develop-ments over the next three years.Balaji Chandramohan is our Correspond-ent based in New Delhi. He evinces great interest on Defence, Pacific Island and related matters.

Jacinda Ardern at the Pacific Islands Forum Summit held in Tuvalu in August 2019

Standfirst: Pregnancy is the most important time in the life of a woman. Carrying another life is strenuous,

painful and challenging but the arrival of the baby is the most joyous moment for the entire family. But the following incident was an eye-opener for all of us. We realised the importance of friendship and the need to reach out and help people. Covid-19 has taught us many new things, one of which is to look after a pregnant woman during her delivery time, especially under difficult circumstances.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020 seemed like any other day- I returned from work and performed my usual tasks of cooking and spending time with my husband and children- until about 1010 pm, when I received a phone call stating that our family friend Lakshmi Priya Angusamy was experiencing labour pain and sought my help.

I rushed to her house soon thereafter, to find her screaming with pain. Her husband Rajakumar Sonaimuthu was non-plussed and scared but did his best to support her.

Our other two friends, Raisa Infreda Arokiaraj and Priyavarshini Mani were at hand but were equal-ly stressed and worried.

15DECEMBER 1, 2020 Communitylink

Woman in acute pain delivers baby in Waterview TunnelReal life drama in Auckland symbolises genuine friendship and care

Krithika Karthik

“Please do not worry, let us try and help Lakshmi. Let us welcome a new life into this world. Please keep faith and we will do our best,” I told them.Pain lingers, suffering begins

We were tending to Lakshmi and requested Raja to gather all the items required and prepare to go to the hospital.

But the situation began to worsen when we saw Lakshmi bleeding and called her midwife. She advised us not to panic and said that she would prepare for the delivery the following morning.

I advised Lakshmi to save energy to push the baby and encouraged her to do breathing exercise, recall-ing my own experience.

Around 1115 pm, Lakshmi’s suffering became worse. We kept

the midwife informed constantly. Around 1147 pm, I saw the baby’s head showing and asked Raja to please take us to the hospital. He asked if it was proper to move without the approval of the midwife.

We called 111 for Ambulance but they were asking too many ques-tions and too much information and said that it may take them about 30 minutes to reach Lakshmi’s house.

We cancelled the ambulance and decided to drive to hospital.

We managed to get Lakshmi in the back seat of the car and sat beside her.

The weather was most unhelpful. It started raining heavily.

Raja did not know the route to the hospital through the motorway. There was no GPS in his car and he had left his mobile phone at home. I

told him that I will guide him.Birth in the Tunnel

As we entered the Motorway at Mt Roskill, I became aware that Lakshmi was going to push the baby. It happens in almost all pregnancies- of a mother carrying her baby (boy) for ten months but when the baby is about to be delivered, would not wait for even ten minutes.

As we entered the Waterview Tunnel, Lakshmi pushed and the baby surfed out and fell into my hands. We heaved a sigh of relief as the baby began to cry. I requested Raja to be careful and not apply the break suddenly.Drama in hospital

A little drama awaited us as we reached the hospital.

Raja parked the car and rushed inside. He was gone for more than ten minutes. I was holding the baby close to my chest to keep him warm.

A nurse, entering the hospital after her break, told us that we were parked at the wrong place and asked one of us to take the car to the right entrance. But the car key was with Raja!

When he returned, the nurse asked him to move the car. The vehicle would not move because its battery had drained and just then began heavy downpour!

Raja ran into the hospital again with the nurse to bring a wheelchair, blankets, towels and an umbrella. We helped Lakshmi to sit on the wheelchair holding the baby covered with towels and blanket, covered them and took them inside the hospital were the midwife was ready with the room.

The mother and child were

examined. Lakshmi received a few stitches due to nature of delivery and the baby, weighed and his first feed. Meanwhile, Raisa and Priyavarshini arranged another friend to pick the mobile phone and other necessary stuff from Lakshmi’s home and deliver them at the hospital. Lakshmi and the baby were discharged and we took them to Parnell Birth care.

It was thereafter that we called Lakshmi’s parents to inform them of the arrival of the baby.

The following day (Thursday, November 5, 2020), we shared the good news with our friend.

The mother and child have now returned home.

The baby has been named Aegan Rajakumar.

We have formed a group to deliver food for lunch and dinner to Lakshmi and Raja so that they can look after the new-born baby.

There may be many more pregnant women like Lakshmi who cannot arrange for the visit of their parents at the time of delivery because of Covid-19 border restric-tions.

My request to young parents-to-be is, “Please do not hesitate to seek help from your friends or neigh-bours. Believe me, they will always be helpful.”Krithika Karthik is a qualified electronic engineer employed in a major commercial undertaking of New Zealand. She is an active member of Muthtamil Sangam and a community worker. She lives with her husband Karthik Ramanathan and their two children in Auckland.

Krithika Karthik Rajendran, Lakshmi Priya Angusamy, Raisa Infreda Arokiaraj and Priyavarshini Mani

Lakshmi Priya Angusamy and Rajakumar Sonaimuthu with their baby boy Aegan Rajakumar

16 DECEMBER 1, 2020Communitylink

Taupo residents experience the spirit and substance of Diwali

Standfirst: The following article has been edited and rewritten in parts with a Report received from the

author for purposes of clarity and safety.

The universality of Diwali (or Deepavali) and the spirit in which it is celebrated all over the world by multicultural communities was demonstrated again on November 15, 2020 in Taupo, a town near the centre of Northland in New Zealand.

The event, which included speeches, entertainment and Indian food and Diwali sweets was yet another demonstration of the growing strength of the Indian community in New Zealand and the enthusiasm of New Zealanders to participate and enhance the value of such events.

Member of Parliament elected from Taupo (National Party) Louise Upston, Taupo Mayor David Trewavas and Taupo Council Chief Executive Gareth Green were among the Guests of Honour.

They were received with traditional honours. Amazing local talent

Ms Upston said that she was delighted to be a part of Taupo Diwali organised by the Indian community.

Kavita D’Cruz

Taupo MP Louise Upston (National) with from left Mayor David Trewavas, Sarah Devi, Council Chief Executive Gareth Green, Kanika Malhotra and Ketaki Palnitkar

Event Organisers Sharan, Rajeev, Ravish, Brijesh, Palak, Chintu, Sarah, Kavita, Kanika, Ketki, Abhinav, Rahul

Taupo Diwali 2020 hosts: Kavita D’Cruz and Rahul Thour

Extoling Lord Ganesha: Bharata Natyam by Niah Ankale

“It was generously hosted and provided an opportunity for members of the Taupō community to learn about the richness of Indian culture, through ceremony, dance, music and food. The talent of the performers was amazing and I loved watching very young

children on stage performing traditional dances. I look forward to Diwali 2021,” she said.

When I moved to Taupo with my husband about a year ago to run a motel, I thought that it would be a good idea to contact owners of businesses of Indian origin to

organise a get-together. We held our first meeting on October 14, 2020 and agreed to organise Diwali 2020.Organisers and Performers

We formed an Organising Committee comprising 12 persons, including Abhinav Batta, Brijesh

Patel, Chintu Contractor, Kanika Malhotra, Kavita D’Cruz, Ketki Palnitkar, Palak Nayak, Rahul Thour, Rajeev Chander, Ravi Sappidi, Sarah Devi and Sharan Uppal.

More than 200 men, women and children of various cultures and ethnicities came together to make this event successful.

Ten-year-old Niah Ankale presented a Bharata Natyam item extoling Lord Ganesha, regarded by Hindus as the Remover of All Obstacles.

Divya Soni, a young mother performed ‘Ghommar,’ a popular folk dance of Rajasthan.

Among the highlights of the show was ‘Ethnic Fashion Walk’ by the younger members of the community, including a one-year-old child.

Savio Gomes and Macky Mocosker of Auckland were the DJs.Event Sponsors

Among the sponsors of Taupo Diwali 2020 were Four Square, Gables Lakefront Motel, Great Lake Taxis, Greedy Pizza, Hell Taupo, Indian Delights, Incredible India Restaurant, Kanika’s Home Based Education, Krishna Foods & Spices, Mathai Dental, Mulligans Public House, Paetiki Lotto Magazines & Post, Paetiki Pizza House, Piccalo Café, Suncourt Indian, Super Dollars, Taupo Dairy, Taupo Hell Pizza, Taupo Indian Cuisine, The Coffee Club and Zest Café.

DeepavaliYour one stop Print and Signage shop

Commercial Printing Service at its best! Wide Format Digital Printing Specialist

Ilango Krishnamoorthy

YOUR SUCCESS PARTNER

• Foot Path Sign • Pull up Banner • A Frame• Vinyl Stickers • Core • Acm • Banners • Canvas

•Stock Management •Print & Hold

•In House Design •Online Ordering System

Ph: 09 263 885442D Lambie Drive, Manukau Auckland 2104Email: [email protected] Website: www.merc.co.nz

Ph: 09 262 455014C Ryan Place, Manukau Auckland 2104Email: [email protected]: www.irissigns.co.nz

17DECEMBER 1, 2020

Despite the rain, spirits were not dampened today (Sun-day, November 29, 2020) as Aucklanders came out to

celebrate their most wonderful time of the year at the Farmers Santa Parade.

Led by Hilary Barry dressed in a super-cute festive costume, the large-scale event was one of the only Christmas Parades worldwide that was able to go ahead.

The participants, volunteers and members of the public in attendance valued this wonderful Christmas gift that truly lifted spirits.Special Guest Peppa

Alongside the familiar Parade favourites was this year’s special celebrity guest Peppa Pig.

A Rockstar in the world of children’s entertainment, this 32ft inflatable towered above the cheering crowds. This was the first time that Kiwis have seen the giant Peppa since she is usually booked out solid touring America.

Other highlights included Fijian and Tahitian dancers, Disney Inflatables, North Pole Express Float and the ever-popular traditional marching bands.

Children went wild when the star of the show – Santa closed the Parade in his upgraded float painted with the islands of Aotearoa.

The fun continued into the afternoon with Santa’s Party in Aotea Square. Outstanding performances

TV personality Mike Puru hosted the action that drew a lively crowd eager to experience some outstand-ing performances and to catch a final glimpse of Santa before he left for the North Pole.

Now in its 87th year, the Farmers Santa Parade continues to be a treasured event in Auckland’s

Communitylink

New Zealanders feel blessed as Santa Parade sees record crowds

People of all religions watched the Parade Thousands of children and teenagers at the event

Santa Claus arrives in style at the Farmer’s Parade International Star Peppa, the Pig was a major attraction International performers at the Parade International performers at the Parade

Christmas calendar and is the largest of its kind in New Zealand.

It is brought to life for one magical day by 4000 passionate volunteers.

These unpaid heroes include performers, make-up artists, chore-ographers, sound engineers, safety officers, drivers, designers and of course the mums and dads!

Children at Starship Hospital, who were unable to attend, also got a delivery of Christmas cheer as Santa made a special appearance at 930am on Parade day.

With Covid restrictions in place, last year’s mini celebration in the Atrium was traded for a one-on- one Santa visit at the wards, handing out some early pressies from Farmers.

“This year, more than ever the Santa Parade provided a joyous cel-ebration that focused on bringing families and communities together

for Christmas,” Michael Barnett, Chair of the Farmers Santa Parade Trust said.History of Santa Parade

Santa or Christmas Parades take place throughout New Zealand in November or December each year. They began in the main centres in the early 1900s.

They were established by depart-ment stores to promote the arrival of in-store Santa, with the clear aim of drawing customers directly into their stores.

George and Kersley Limited Wellington store ‘the Economic’ appears to have been the first to ‘parade’ their Santa. In 1905, they invited local boys and girls to come and see ‘Mother and Father Christmas’ arrive at the railway station. The following year, the pair stopped off in the Hutt Valley and Petone en route to the store in Lambton Quay, whilst another

character, Punch, visited local suburbs and the hospital.Progress and innovation

Over the next two decades, Santa became a Christmas fixture at de-partment stores – and stores sought more and more elaborate ways to promote their Santa’s arrival.

The journeys by car and railway that had characterised early parades were dropped in favour of more exciting means of travel. During the 1930s, Christchurch store Armstrong’s had Santa arrive on an elephant, while Farmers in Auckland and DIC in Christchurch had their Santa arrive by plane (though he then had to travel by car to their stores). Farmers Santa Parade

Farmers first ‘Grand Parade’ was held in Auckland in 1934. Santa was accompanied by the ‘Waggles and Goggles,’ ‘The Fat Boy,’ ‘The Man that Walks on his Hands,’ ‘Harold Lloyd,’ ‘The Giant and The Big Fid-dle,’ In 1935, competitor George’s Court paraded Santa with ‘the Boop Family of Giants’.

The Second World War brought a halt to the parades.

In 1937 Farmers outdid all previous efforts by having their Santa parachute into the Auckland Domain. Santa’s entourage also grew during this period. Fairies and giants were popular choices.

The next few decades were a period of relative stability for Santa parades. Particular department stores came to dominate those held in the main centres; Farmers in Auckland, James Smith’s in Welling-ton and Hay’s in Christchurch.The War and After

But by 1948 Farmers had reinstituted their Auckland parade, and Hay’s in Christchurch held their inaugural parade with a series of floats depicting ‘nursery rhymes and seasonal themes’.

Many of the elaborate floats created for these events still grace Santa parades today. And many of the traditions established during this period, such as Santa being preceded by a number of other acts, are hallmarks of the modern Santa parade.

But by the late 1980s the Parades were becoming too expensive for individual department stores to run. Between 1989 and 1991, the longstanding parades in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were taken over by charitable trusts. The Parades have become more overtly commercial as the trusts sell off the naming rights to both the entire parade and individual floats and characters.

At the same time, the Parades have become more representative of New Zealand society with a broad range of community and voluntary groups participating alongside local businesses and traditional floats.

Today the Farmers Santa Parade attracts over 250,000 people, 4000 participants and 280 creations of Christmas magic over a 2.2km route.

The Parade may have got bigger and brighter but the philosophies still remain the same as those introduced by Farmers founder, Robert Laidlaw in 1934 – a gift of fantasy and fanfare for the children of the city.

Mental health nurse dies suddenly in AucklandStaff Reporter

Suresh Vengetaraman (Picture Supplied)

Pakistan Association honours businesses, community workers

The Pakistani community honoured businesses and its members at an Awards Ceremo-ny held on Saturday, November

21, 2020 at Te Atatu Community Centre in West Auckland.

Organised by Pakistan Association of New Zealand (PANZ), the event wit-nessed Awards presented under Special Recognition and Community Services.Guests of Honour

Among the Guests of Honour were Transport and Workplace Relations & Safety Minister Michael Wood, Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon and community leaders.

President Naveed Hamid said that ten Special Recognition Awards were given to individuals and organisations for their outstanding services and contribu-tion to the Pakistan community. The Winners

“Seven Community Service Awards were given to the members of the Paki-stan community for their outstanding performance in various categories throughout New Zealand. Categories Awards included Student of the Year Award, ‘Youth Leadership Award, Sport-sperson of the Year Award, Outstanding Professional Award, Business of the Year Award, Women Leadership Award, and Community Service Award,” he said.

Dr Hanif Quazi of Palmerston North received the Community Service Award from Mr Hamid.

He was recognised for his services over the past 54 years in the Science, Research and Community Development in New Zealand.

Women Leadership Award was presented to Sania Ashraf and Dr Tahira Jokhio, both from Auckland, while Busi-

Supplied Content

ness of the Year Award was presented to Valentia Technologies.

Dr Ibrar Khalid from Timaru won the Outstanding Professional Award, Uzair Qamar (Christchurch), received the Sportsperson of the Year Award for Weightlifting, Fatima Imran (Palmerston North) won the Youth Leadership Award and Laiba Batool received Student of the Year Award.Special Recognition Awards

Special Recognition Awards were

given to Saleem Zubair AKA Billa Jee (Blood Balti), Kashif Shuja (Squash Player), Nasir Khan (Sadeaala Radio & TV), RJ Nasir Khan (Radio Host and Film Maker), Muhammad Naeem (Community Work Napier), Imran Hussain (Apna TV and Radio Apna), Supreme Sikh Society, Jenny Salesa (MP), Michael Wood (Minister) and Priyanca Radhakrishnan (Minister).

Mr Hamid said that the Awards Night was a rare event amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We had extended an open invitation to the members of the Pakistani community and requested them to book in advance.

The Programme commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran.

Live music comprising Pakistani songs was heard throughout the evening.

Dr Hanif Quazi with Naveed Hamid

Supreme Sikh Society officials Daljit Singh and Lali Ranvir Singh with PANZ President Naveed Hamid and Transport Minister Michael Wood

Sania Ashraf receives Women Leadership Award from Priyanca Radhakrishnan

FIANZ President Ibrar Sheikh honours Billa Saleem Zubair

Laiba Batool with her Student of the Year Award

Suresh Vengetaraman, a Nurse in Counties Manukau, passed away suddenly at work on

Wednesday, November 25, 2020. He was 43 years old.

He left behind his wife Pauline (aka Nava), their son Timothy (13) and daughter Tabitha (5) and a large num-ber of colleagues and friends who are mourning his sudden death.Funeral Service being finalised

He has his extended family in India and the United Kingdom.

Suresh was employed as a Registered Nurse specialised in Mental Health.

Fredric Doss, Haemodial-ysis Educator at Auckland District Health Board and former Chairman and current Member, New Zealand and Australia Board of Dialysis Practice, said that funeral details are still being planned and that an announcement will be made through Indian Newslink shortly.

“We are still getting to the grips of the tragedy. Suresh Vengetaraman collapsed suddenly at work. His young family is devastated and we are working with his family to hold the funeral service,” he said.

Born and raised in Vellore, South India, Suresh obtained his postgraduate Diploma in Dialysis Therapy from Chris-tian Medical College (CMC), Vellore and commenced his

career as Dialysis Therapist/Renal Physiologist.

He then moved to National Kidney Foundation (NKFS), Singapore. Impressive career

Suresh migrated to New Zealand in January 2004 and worked as Renal Physiologist at Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) and Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB).

He pursued his career aspi-rations to become Registered Nurse with specialisation in Mental Health, at Counties Manukau from 2016.

“Suresh was an adventurist and evinced interest in Fishing, Jet Skiing, Driving and Hunting. At home, he was a cook fixed his car, and did gardening. He cherished fellowship with friends as well as the Church community. He enjoyed spending time with his children. Work life Balance was a skill that he developed well and recommended to all his friends,” Mr Doss said.

Those keen on supporting his bereaved family may contact Fredric Doss on 021-1150588; Babu Ramalingam on 021-1534697 or Manikandan Subbiah on 021-2054781.

18 DECEMBER 1, 2020

Poets, scribes, people of lore and literary enthusiasts have been invited to contribute, read and share a new magazine being

launched in January 2021.‘Sangam,’ will be a quarterly online

magazine, featuring articles and literary

works in Urdu, Hindi and English with Mohammed Rais Alvi as the Editor-in-Chief.

Adnan Mirza, known to the Urdu and Hindi-speaking world as a promoter of quality events including Mushairas, Kavi Sammelans and Ghazals, and hosting bards and writers at his home and elsewhere, will be the Managing

Entertainmentlink/Classifiedlink

A very busy, Award Winning Skin and Anti-Ageing

Clinic needs the following Staff:

Staff Wanted for Beauty Clinic

Send your CV to [email protected]

Beauty Clinic ManagerNail Technician

Hairdresser

ServicesThreading, Brow Mapping, Brow Henna,

Brow Tinting, Eyelashes Waxing, Facials/Treatments Massages,

Pedicure and ManicureHair - Cutting and Styling

Email: [email protected] Facebook: Rosehill Beauty & Hair Website: www.rosehillbeauty.co.nz

Phone: 021 173 8327

28/108 Great South Road, Takanini

Opening Soon

Shahnaz Husain Botany Team is looking for a Hairdresser/Beauty and Massage Therapist to join our already fantastic team as we are very

busy looking after our many wonderful clients in our Signature Salons!You MUST know Threading, Hand Heena Designing, Waxing, Facial Treatments, Body Massages, Pedicure, Manicure, Tinting, Make-ups,

Hair Dressing (Haircuts, Hair Styling, Colours, Highlights, Straightening, Perming, Blow Wave etc) and Laser Hair Removal.

Remuneration will be based upon qualification and experience.

Hairdresser/Beauty and Massage Therapist Wanted

Please email your Cover Letter & CV to [email protected] or call on 021-1738327

Music, dance, food and fun with New Zealand artistesPurchase tickets for Jalilo Gymkana (December 11) from Eventbrite

As New Zealanders wind down and prepare for the annual holiday season, an entrepreneur couple- a singer

and producer- promise an evening of melody, dance, fun and food next month.

Called, ‘Jalilo Gymkana,’ the event will be held from 7 pm on Friday, De-cember 11, 2020 at Fickling Convention Centre, located at 546 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings in Auckland.Concept and Hosts

Jalilo (meaning fun or enjoyment) Gymkana (also spelt Gymkhana or Jimkana meaning a place for skills-based contests) at once denotes an environment of festivity, togetherness, unity, social cohesion and cultural

Venkat Raman

Funky new restaurant in Auckland offers something different

If you are a ‘Mad’ (magazine) reader, you would love everything that is out of the ordinary, an environment

away from the run-of-the-mill and almost irreverent but everything with a sense of humour, dignity and honour.

And if you like to translate all those unusual tastes and styles, Plan B Lounge is for you.

This is a Restaurant, just opened at 115 Parnell Road in Parnell, Auckland City could shock you at first sight as a funky, little cubby hole.Eccentricity and fun

“But you will soon find out that Plan

B Lounge also has a healthy dose of eccentricity and fun. Everything here will be different and unique in taste and style,” says Ganesh Chowdary Pulapa, who owns the Restaurant.’

An IT graduate from Auckland, Ganesh has experience in business transfor-mation solutions for large enterprises and other areas of commercialisation. He decided to launch into restaurant business and be unique.

“Plan B Lounge is a small creative ven-ture (opened in October 2020) for young people (for everyone, in fact) trying to get Indian Street Food, not available in formal Indian restaurants. With picnic tables lined up and hundreds of twinkling

Venkat Raman

lights, this restaurant makes your dining experience cozy and truly off-the-wall moment,” he said.Traditional and innovative

Plan B Lounge features a bicycle fixed to the wall; this place has a menu that tells you why it will become a favourite

A dose of eccentricity and fun at 115 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland

A wide range of Indian Street and traditional food

promotion. As I remember, ‘Jalilo Jimkana’ was a popular song (composed by T Chalapathi Rao) and picturised on Padmini, E V Saroja and Thangavelu for ‘Amara Deepam’ (starring Shivaji and Savitri) a Tamil film released in 1956.

Organised by Rambutan Media Works New Zealand Limited, the

Programme, conceptualised by Yugen-dran Vasudevan and his wife Hayma Malini Radakrishna, will be divided into four segments – Semi-Classical, Folk, Western and Freestyle, each hosted by local talents from the community.

The main hosts for all the segments are Amuthini Mohanraj, Aravin-dkumar Harinarayanan, Ashwini Swaminathan, Dinesh Ravi, Meenak-shi Subramanian, Nithya Suresh and Sanchaya Soundararajan.Singers and Segments

Among the singers would be Archana Ravi, Aswathy Sasidharan, Mathangi Parthasarathi and Shankar Ramanathan, while the dancers include Ambika Krishnamoorthy and the Wonder Girls team.

The First, Semi-Classical segment (hosted by Dinesh Ravi and Meenakshi Subramanian) will feature Aswathy Anand and Yugendran Vasudevan

rendering melodious songs from various Tamil films.

Folk songs by Mathangi Parthasar-athi and Yugendran will be the high-lights of the Second Segment hosted by Aravindkumar Harinarayanan and Ashwini Swaminathan.

Amuthini Mohanraj and Sanchaya Soundararajan will host Third Segment devoted to Western music. Yugendran will be accompanied by Archana, Ambika Krishnamoorthy, Visashan Yugendran and Kishan Yugendran.

Yugendran said that the final, Fourth Segment will be Free Style, charac-terised by 15 minutes of unplugged music with Yugendran and Guitarist Prasanna Kumar and 15 minutes of 6/8 beat (Fast-paced songs) with all the singers of all the SegmentsTickets from Eventbrite

“Jalilo Gymkana will also have games and a Lucky Draw. This event will be Live on YouTube and Facebook. Hayma Malini Radakrishna is the Executive Producer of the event for Rambutan Media Works New Zealand

Limited, while Sivaraaj Krishnan is charge of production and Moksha Base will handle video production,” he said.

Indian Newslink and Num Tamil Radio are the media partners.

Tickets, priced at $60 (adult) $50 (child) per person and tables seating eight persons at $450 per table, can be purchased from https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/128833846503About Rambutan Media Works

Rambutan Media Works has been functioning as an accredited company in Singapore for the past eleven years and established its presence in Auckland two years ago as ‘Rambutan Media Works New Zealand Limited.’

Mr Yugendran said that the Com-pany plans to produce films in New Zealand in collaboration with local production houses.

“Rambutan Media Works New Zea-land is conducting this event to reach out to the wider Indian community living in New Zealand and Australia,” he said.

of those who want to taste authenticity.“As well as our Craft Beer Bar and

wide range of wines, you can get some tasty morsels to nibble with your pre-dinner tipple. A traditional train station snack, the Indian cocktail samosa is an authentic taste of Indian life! Alternatively, play it safe with a selection of crunchy onion samosas. For mains, chicken-lovers are in for a treat! Chicken

Southern-style, Bangala chicken and Hyderabad fried chicken all wrestle for your attention. You can also have lamb wild style, seafood specials and paneer delicacies to sample. And let us not forget Indo-Chinese! There really is something for everyone at this groovy spot,” Ganesh said.Some crazy stuff too

Plan B Lounge will offer something even crazier- here is a sample – Rum Gu-lab Jamun, Vodka Pani Puri and Venison Biryani, all of which will be available from Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

The Restaurant is open from 11 am to 11 pm from Tuesday to Sunday for dine-in, takeaways and deliveries. Monday is weekly holiday.

For inquiries, please call (09) 9712371 or visit www.planblounge.co.nz

New Magazine to promote quality global literary talent‘Sangam’ will be launched as a quarterly in January 2021Venkat Raman

Adnan Mirza, Farah Alvi and Professor Mohammed Rais Alvi at ‘Ek Sham Rais Alvi Ke Naam’ held at the residence of Mr Mirza on December 21, 2018 (INL File Photo)

Editor.The quarterly publication will have

the experience and expertise of Farah Rais Alvi as the Editor of the English Section, Dr Waqar Qureshi as the Editor of the Urdu Section and Preeta Vyas as the Editor of the Hindi Section.Invitation to writers and poets

“We invite writers, poets and other contributors from all over the world to contribute their creations. These can be articles relevant to the literary field, short stories, poems, ghazals and similar material. The deadline for the January 2021 issue is December 15, 2020,” Mr Mirza said.

These can be sent as follows: Urdu Contributions: editor.urdu@

sangam.earthHindi Contributions: editor.hindi@

sangam.earthEnglish Contributions: editor.

[email protected] should be as follows:Format: MS WordFont: Unicode (Hindi), Nastaleeq

(Urdu), Calibri English) All 10 pointWord Limit: 900 words (Story,

Afsaaana, Article); One article or poetry per entry

Topic: Anything not controversial; literary and creative writing preferred Confluence of people

The magazine aims to unite people across religions, ethnicities and other manmade divisions. Politics will clear-ly be avoided in ‘Sangam.’

As the name indicates, ‘Sangam’ is confluence- which can be of oceans, seas, rivers and people.

It therefore aims to be a bridge among cultures, traditions, languages and people.Professor Mohammed Rais Alvi

‘Sangam’ should consider itself for-tunate to have Professor Mohammed Rais Alvi as its Editor-in-Chief, who is regarded as a man of integrity and letters.

A Sahitya Academy Award winner from Pakistan, his services to commu-nities and Urdu literature have been acknowledged and celebrated in many parts of the world including Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia.

An eminent Urdu poet and Educationist, Professor Alvi has been a stalwart in supporting the cause of education and is dedicated to bringing the light of education to the world.

At an Auckland event reported by Indian Newslink, Professor Alvi said that language strengthens the human bond and people who are able to con-verse in more than one language can widen their circle of friends, thereby promoting goodwill and harmony.

Professor Alvi has served as Vice Chancellor, Rector and Director of var-ious national Universities and degree awarding institutes. He has also worked as an Additional Secretary (Education), Government of Sindh, as Registrar at Karachi University and the Executive District Officer (EDO) Karachi. He has been a Professor over the years at various educational institutes in Pakistan and in Japan where he was a Guest Professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

Profiles of Managing Editor, Editors of the three Language Sections and Assistant Editors will appear in our next report.About Sangam

Mr Mirza said that Sangam is a non-political, non-religious and non-commercial organisation, estab-lished in response to the need to retain the language and culture of South Eastern migrants.

“Sangam works to connect immi-grants and natives of South East Asia on a global scale. It uses the modern form of technology to interact and communi-cate amongst people virtually,” he said.

Mr Mirza said that Sangam has been

working to connect the cultural icons to the new generations settled overseas with programmes such as ‘Adab Arz’ (by Farah Alvi), ‘Mere Humsukhan’ (Preeta Vyas) and ‘Ek Sham Rishi Ke Nam’ (by Dr Yousuf Hayat Qureshi).

“The Organisation has revived the literary works by famous writers including Saadat Hasan Manto, Munshi Prem Chand, Ismat Chughtai, Krishan Chandar and Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi in Afsaanistan, recited by famous actress Uzma Gillani. It is continuously bringing the famous poetry in to light digitally on Facebook and YouTube channel of Sangam. It has also initiated to bring the writings of our young talent alongside with our experienced writers in Sangam magazine,” he said.

19DECEMBER 1, 2020 Entertainmentlink

BRINGS TO YOUBRINGS TO YOU

20 DECEMBER 1, 2020Sportslink

Property Finance Specialists

Single house builds

Residential Investment Property

NZ$2B+Funds lent since

inception

1500 + Loans Settled

Loans from

$200,000 to $25 million

Terrace & Multi unit

DevelopmentsSubdivisions

Commercial property

When all other lenders offer you are hurdles, we will get your development off the ground by placing

greater emphasis on the practical and business merits of your funding application. Since 2004, ASAP

Finance has been providing innovative and competitive property funding solutions to investors,

developers and home builders and is recognized as a leading property finance provider in New Zealand.

To find out about our funding solutions, please contact:

Parash Sarma - Client Services Director Mob: 021 864 730 Email: [email protected]

All Blacks pass the test but tougher times are coming

For a minute there, it looked as though the 2020 All Black season was going to finish on an ugly high shot that

resulted in a yellow card that should have been a red, then a fight.

However, in an act that can be seen as hope for next year, the team pulled themselves together to score the best try of their campaign.

It signified a bit of hope after a couple of weeks of intense scrutiny.

Hope of what this team and this coaching staff can do when they get it right.

However, it cannot be denied that it came at the end of a very ropey 80 minutes, at the end of an up and down year. We are used to stuff like this from the Warriors, but this is not the Warriors. All Blacks, not Warriors

This is the All Blacks. Winning all the time and being under pressure to do so is what makes them what they are, why there is so much riding on any time someone pulls on that jersey.

The All Blacks did do their prima-ry job on Saturday, November 28, 2020 in thumping the Pumas 38-0 in Newcastle, but it did not quite feel like the vengeance act it should have been.

The Argentines, for all the talk of

Jamie Wall

how they would play for their fallen Demi-God Diego Maradona, sent out a team of greenhorns that faded fast in the 38-degree heat. They have been on the road now for the better part of two months and were going to hit the wall at some stage.

Joe Moody and Nepo Laulala bul-lied their inexperienced opposites at the scrum, shoving them back into penalty territory. But despite the good work of the big men, the All Blacks could only muster 10 points in the first half.Jordan’s tries

In fact, it was not till Will Jordan got onto the field after an hour of play that the game was fully put to rest with his two rather jammy tries (that is no slight on Jordan, he has shown this year he has a poacher’s instinct and had a generally good all round game).

How Tyrel Lomax did not get a red card is yet another mystery that only a World Rugby appointed referee will be able to give an

answer. That should have been the end of it, but one scrap later, after Sam Cane had been hip tossed out of ruck and the All Blacks had the ball back Jordan’s brilliance ended up seeing Patrick Tuipulotu finish the season off next to the posts after a sweeping move.Quarantine and holiday

Then, that was it. The All Blacks flew home on Sunday, November 29, 2020 to spend two weeks in quarantine, followed by a holiday. Cane made mention that they are grateful for the support they have received post-match, mindful of the backlash that greeted his comments a couple of weeks ago when he suggested that fans “might like to think they know a lot about the game of rugby but really they do not.”

The irony of Cane’s words is that more or less every rugby writer in the country was inclined to agree with him, but not because we think people are stupid.

That is what he said next that was the clincher.

Cane was adamant that people didn’t know because they only saw the 80 minutes that was on the field and nothing else which can be remedied, with a change in attitude toward their media dealings. Will that happen? It is incredibly unlikely.

If anything, it will be a lesson for Cane to never stray into the remotely interesting realm again, which is a serious shame as he is a genuinely interesting guy and has been the All Blacks’ best player in a very trying year.Plenty to chew for 2021

So, next year? That is going to be a tough one too.

Cane will need to be in top form in a Chiefs team that hasn’t won a game since last March, to keep crit-ics off his back. Ian Foster will have his critics no matter what happens, because there is plenty out there who don’t think he should have ever had the job in the first place.

Then there is their employers.

Someone at New Zealand Rugby hopefully would have looked on at the earlier game last night and been concerned. Despite flinging the doors open and letting everyone in for free, the Mitre 10 Cup final only pulled in about 10,000 people to Eden Park to watch Tasman defeat Auckland.

Cane called fans ‘brutal’ in their assessment of the All Blacks’ shock loss to the Pumas two weeks ago, but the far more brutal thing fans can do is not show up and not care anymore.

This is what the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby need to come to terms with. The game does not have the hold over the country to which it is used.

Times are changing – it is time to change with them.

Jamie Wall writes Opinion pieces of Radio New Zealand and the above article and pictures have been published under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz

The All Blacks: Photo for photosport.nz by Clay Cross Will Jordan: Poacher’s instinct: Photo for photosport.nz by Clay Cross

Sam Cane can be put off for frankness (Photo for Photosport by David Neilson)

New Privacy Laws to protect personal information in force now

Documents

Transcript of New Privacy Laws to protect personal information in force now