There are 240,000 people of Indian ethnicity in New Zealand, and they contributed $10b to the economy in 2019. Indians now make up 1 in 20 of the New Zealand population. their contribution has grown rapidly and looks set to continue.

United Kingdom rolled out the first coronavirus vaccines to the public on Tuesday, making it the first country to inoculate people with a treatment that went through full testing. Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, made history as the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside of trial conditions. The vaccine was approved by the U.K. drug regulator last week.

Let’s begin with giving you a brief introduction of how we built a family of 207 people at our Indian Auckland meetup on Sunday.

The New Zealand Film Commission funded short film musical Impossible is gearing up for the international festival circuit in 2021, with the production team’s larger goal being a feature-length version.

This journey is all about yummy food Bake & Beans, a Cheetal Foods Limited company, has been serving authentic ethnic confectionary for over a decade now. Initially based only at Dominion Road in Mt Roskill, it now has four branches across Auckland and has growing list of faithful customers.

Indian association Manukau (IAMNZ) organised an event to discuss about the End of life choice and cannabis legalisation & control referendum. The programme focussed on creating community awareness and education around the referendums through different presentations and mediums to put across the information for the upcoming general elections.

This week is your chance to elect the management team to take us out of this economic hole. Using your Party Vote for ACT, gives you a far bigger voice in Parliament with more ACT MPs demanding more accountability. ACT is the party that will hold all of the others accountable. That’s why we need your party vote.

The Government has established a new category that will allow 250 international PhD and postgraduate students to enter New Zealand and continue their studies, in the latest set of border exceptions.

New Zealand Rugby's welcomed the Government's announcement that Auckland will move to Alert Level 1 this week. It means the second Bledisloe Cup test will be played at Eden Park next Sunday, as fans will be allowed to attend.

A new community service organisation, Migrant United Council Inc. was launched amidst a galaxy of community and political leaders and representatives from range of religious and business organisations on Saturday 3rd October at Women Care Trust Hall in Papatoetoe, Auckland.

The former Chief Executive Officer of Air New Zealand, who also held a number of senior roles with Unilever, was visiting Universal Granite (UC), New Zealand’s leading supplier of stones, accompanied by Alastair Bell, National Party’s Board Member based in Northern Region

Three people have been arrested following a long-running investigation by Counties Manukau CIB into the importation and distribution of opium-based products into New Zealand from India. An investigation was launched after information was received late last year relating to the sale and supply of Kamini, which contains the Class B controlled drug opium.

It is said that the real champions fight through adversities. Rohit Sharma, who helped almost 160 people get back home to New Zealand from India, is one of those champions. Sharma who went to India in March 2020, was one of the many permanent residents (PR), migrant workers and citizens of New Zealand who got stranded in India due to Covid-19.

Onam is the annual harvest festival of Kerala and is celebrated for 10 days. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls in the months of August-September as Malayalees all over the world unite and partake in the celebrations.

Aucklanders will have more ways to celebrate Diwali this year, with the Auckland Diwali Festival set to be held at multiple locations across the Auckland region. The Auckland Diwali Festival will now be celebrated over three weeks, from 27 October to 14 November, at various community venues. The revised festival will enhance the current community-based programme with additional features that may include film nights, cooking classes, and workshops.

Directed by Asim Mukhtar Janjua, This is what our future looks like: Punjabi views from New Zealand, presents a 13-minute Punjabi language documentary film with English subtitles capturing the views of three Punjabi Sikhs living in Auckland; Harjeet, a radio broadcaster, Gurmeet, a small business owner, and Ajit, a community elder.

At Alert Level 2 in Auckland gatherings will continue to be limited to 10 people. Funerals and tangihana will be limited to 50 people, and have to meet other conditions set by the Ministry of Health. Outside Auckland, gatherings such as church services and social events will continue to be limited to 100 people. You shouldn’t participate in any gatherings if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you need to be in isolation for any reason.

A record number of people passed through Takanini’s “Sikh Temple” on Sunday to collect food parcels. The Takanini Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib - known to all in the area as the Sikh Temple - handed out 2000 food parcels put together by more than 50 volunteers over a six-hour shift. The operation saw 1200 cars through in two-and-a-half hours in a professional and COVID-19 compliant process.

Currently there is evidence of limited community transmission of COVID-19, and the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) recommends that all households should be prepared by having a supply of masks for each household member.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terror Attack in Christchurch on March 15 has delivered a comprehensive report that will form the basis of a significant work programme to make New Zealand a safer and ultimately, I hope, a more cohesive country.

United Kingdom rolled out the first coronavirus vaccines to the public on Tuesday, making it the first country to inoculate people with a treatment that went through full testing. Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, made history as the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside of trial conditions. The vaccine was approved by the U.K. drug regulator last week.

Tenancy Services reminds all landlords to prepare now for the upcoming Healthy Homes Standards deadline, particularly landlords of boarding houses whose properties must be fully compliant with the standards by 1 July 2021.

A new community service organisation, Migrant United Council Inc. was launched amidst a galaxy of community and political leaders and representatives from range of religious and business organisations on Saturday 3rd October at Women Care Trust Hall in Papatoetoe, Auckland.

Additional measures coming into effect on Monday will boost our defence against COVID-19 entering New Zealand through the air border, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said today.

International Older Persons Day is a chance to think about the individual older New Zealanders we know and to confront ageism, Seniors Minister Tracey Martin said this week.

Three people have been arrested following a long-running investigation by Counties Manukau CIB into the importation and distribution of opium-based products into New Zealand from India. An investigation was launched after information was received late last year relating to the sale and supply of Kamini, which contains the Class B controlled drug opium.

International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) is a volunteer-based NGO working in 111 countries including New Zealand dedicated to the implementation of peace and cessation of war. IPYG is an affiliate of Heavenly Culture World Peace and Restoration of Light (HWPL) that was founded on May 25th, 2013 in South Korea.

At Alert Level 2 in Auckland gatherings will continue to be limited to 10 people. Funerals and tangihana will be limited to 50 people, and have to meet other conditions set by the Ministry of Health. Outside Auckland, gatherings such as church services and social events will continue to be limited to 100 people. You shouldn’t participate in any gatherings if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you need to be in isolation for any reason.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins says wearing a face covering on public transport is the right thing do and will help keep New Zealanders safe from COVID-19.

The Government has allocated significant extra funding, in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars, to access a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available.

Eligible businesses can apply for a two-week wage subsidy of up to $1,171.60 per worker from this week to help cover wages as part of the Government’s plan to protect jobs and support the economy.

Changes to simplify and expand the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme will allow banks to make more loans available under the Government’s 80% guarantee.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has named Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. Biden in a release on Wednesday noted, “The first Black and Indian American woman to represent California in the United States Senate, Kamala Harris grew up believing in the promise of America and fighting to make sure that promise is fulfilled for all Americans

Auckland region moved to Alert Level 3 at 12 noon on Wednesday 12 August 2020. All regions in New Zealand, except for the Auckland region, moved to Alert Level 2 at 12 noon on Wednesday 12 August 2020.

In line with Auckland’s move to Alert Level 3, Auckland Council has closed all of its community facilities, effective immediately. This includes all playgrounds and other facilities within our parks, like park benches and basketball courts, as well as non-essential services such as libraries, pools and leisure centres, service centres, visitor centres, our network of community venues and our early childhood education centres.

The earlier announced dates for #Vandebharatflightsphase5 flights from New Zealand on 8th & 13th August 2020 are being postponed by few days. The revised dates will be announced as and when finalised. The approx. economy class airfare from Auckland to Delhi may be around NZ$2480.

Stats NZ said on Wednesday that New Zealand’s unemployment rate in the June quarter – which includes the period the economy was in lockdown – was 4%, down from 4.2% in March. This compares to the Treasury’s Budget forecast for the unemployment rate to hit 8.3% in June. New Zealand’s 4% unemployment rate compares to 7.4% in Australia, 11.1% in the US and 12.3% in Canada. The OECD average is 8.4%.

Wellington Mutamizh Sangam (WMS) - which aims to promote the South Indian culture in Wellington region through Tamil language, music and drama; and Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangam Inc (ANTS) - which is a national level federation comprising of Tamil Societies or Tamil Sangams in New Zealand, have called on the local Tamil talent to participate in the International Film and Music Festival 2020.

The plasma extracted from the blood will be used to research and develop convalescent plasma therapy, one of the most promising experimental treatments of the virus so far. Found in the blood of people who have recovered from Covid-19, convalescent plasma is known to help in decreasing the death rate of infected people in intensive care who are unresponsive to other treatments.

Let’s begin with giving you a brief introduction of how we built a family of 207 people at our Indian Auckland meetup on Sunday.

It is said that the real champions fight through adversities. Rohit Sharma, who helped almost 160 people get back home to New Zealand from India, is one of those champions. Sharma who went to India in March 2020, was one of the many permanent residents (PR), migrant workers and citizens of New Zealand who got stranded in India due to Covid-19.

Onam is the annual harvest festival of Kerala and is celebrated for 10 days. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls in the months of August-September as Malayalees all over the world unite and partake in the celebrations.

Aucklanders will have more ways to celebrate Diwali this year, with the Auckland Diwali Festival set to be held at multiple locations across the Auckland region. The Auckland Diwali Festival will now be celebrated over three weeks, from 27 October to 14 November, at various community venues. The revised festival will enhance the current community-based programme with additional features that may include film nights, cooking classes, and workshops.

Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust Inc. celebrated India’s 74th Independence Day along with its members, community leaders and dignitaries on the online portal zoom, following the restrictions put under alert Level-3 lockdown in Auckland. More than 100 people participated in an hour and half, long programme.

Dr Sandhya Ramanatha, General Practitioner in Grey Lynn, Auckland, has become a social media sensation in the last two months where she shared an eighteen-minute-long video of home medical management plan for treating mild COVID-19.

India Independence Day, August 15, celebrations across New Zealand and Pakistan Independence Day, August 14, celebrations across New Zealand.

On August 17, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Indians on the occasion of Malayalam New Year. Tweeting in both Malayalam and English, the PM said, “As the month of Chingam commences, my greetings to everyone, especially my Malayali sisters and brothers. I pray that the coming year brings with it success, good health and prosperity for all.”

On this day, we celebrate ancient India – one of the oldest and richest civilisations - and her significant contributions on the global stage. We also celebrate modern India – the largest functioning democracy that has made significant economic and industrial progress over the last several years.

The celebrations to commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna, believed to be the eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu as per Hindu faith, known as ‘Janmashtami’ took place all over the globe. The festival of Janmashtami is celebrated every year on the eighth day or Ashtami of Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravan or Bhadrapad as per Hindu calendar.

National List MP based in Manukau East, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, with his rakhi sister and fellow MP Melissa Lee, who is of Korean origin; and New Zealand First’s former List MP, Mahesh Bindra, with his rakhi sister and fellow party colleague, Minister of Internal Affairs Tracy Martin.

Looking ahead, we understand a number of airlines have received approval for repatriation flights from India to Europe which may begin to open up options for New Zealanders wishing to return home…Ongoing measures to smooth the demand include the introduction of a rolling two-week quota on the number of people airlines can return to New Zealand.

The Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Patsy Reddy on Wednesday appointed Jennifer Khan-Janif as Member of New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to refugee and migrant communities.

“I came to India to get married. I have been living in New Zealand for more than six years. It is home for me now. I haven’t heard anything from New Zealand Immigration on an approximate date for my return.”

Last week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited the Papatoetoe Foodhub with Labour's candidate in Manurewa, Arena Williams.

“Indian migrants contribute significantly to the New Zealand economy by choosing New Zealand as a migration destination. To continue to promote New Zealand and in the interest of fairness to current migrants, we request that the following be considered and addressed by your office:

With no Vande Bharat Mission and Air NZ flights scheduled as of now, Kiwis – citizens and PRs - stuck in India are looking towards their Government to give them a time-frame by which they will be allowed to board a charter flight and come back home. We highlight their plight.

As part of the world’s largest evacuation exercise undertaken by the Government of India (GOI), which till now has brought over half a million Indians safely back to India, the New Zealand leg of Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) finished on July 3. In total, over the course of just over a month, the leg which started on June 7, took 1,650 Indians stranded in New Zealand back home, covered across 10 flights. Nine were flown by Air India, and one was a private charter.

Organised by the Facebook group New Zealanders United to Save the Indian Constitution, a small group of protestors gathered on Sunday at Auckland’s Aotea Square, to highlight what they called “arrest and intimidation by instruments of the State of journalists, activists and students”.

“I’m proud Labour has candidates like Dr Gaurav Sharma who is prepared to put his hand up to represent his constituency. As I said at the beginning of the year Labour is focused on running a positive and inclusive campaign. We have fantastic Indian candidates such as Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Baljit Kaur and Dr Sharma who I am hopeful will join our team in Parliament after the election,” PM said.

Back home in Telangana too, the current Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao launching the celebrations, acknowledged Rao’s contribution “in building the nation and erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh in particular”. PM Modi, in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio show added, “His rise from a very simple background, emphasis on education, tendency to learn, and leadership ability - everything is memorable. He also raised his voice against injustice from an early age. I pay my tribute to him.”

The first purpose built Hindu temple in New Zealand, Bharatiya Mandir (Indian Temple Inc.) at Balmoral in Sandringham, Auckland, celebrated its 27th year anniversary from Friday June 26, to Sunday June 28. It is the most important annual event in the Mandir’s calendar, and is celebrated in the last weekend of month of June, every year for three days.

“Over the last three days our volunteers have been hard at work putting New Zealand Labour Party signs up across the town. This morning we found out that one lovely Hamiltonian was harassed and verbally abused by two sets of people for having signs supporting ‘a curry candidate’”.

In a path-breaking story for Indians in New Zealand, and around the world, New Zealand international, Sarpreet Singh, made his starting eleven debut for Bayern Munich in Bundesliga on Saturday. Starting the match, Singh guarded Munich’s midfield along with his team-mates Leon Goretzka, Michaël Cuisance, and Thomas Müller.

The second flight of Air India took off from Auckland airport with 217 Indians.

The motion read, “This house congratulate the New Zealand Sikh community and the Supreme Sikh Society, who have distributed more than 25,000 food parcels across New Zealand to assist more than 100,000 people in their time of need throughout the COVID-19 lockdown period.”

Narender Reddy, President of TANZ informed, “We divided the attendees in two batches, which attended the festivities from 5 to 6 pm, and then from 7 to 8pm, on June 6.

Counties Manukau Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal crash involving a vehicle and pedestrian in Papatoetoe on Monday. The incident occurred at around 3.40pm on Monday, June 8, on Great South Road near Hunters Corner Plaza. Police can now name the man as Gurmej Singh Lally, aged 87, of Papatoetoe.

Finally, there is some good news for New Zealanders stuck in South India, who for months have been trying to find a way back home. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has posted an update today afternoon about “a chartered aircraft will be travelling between India and New Zealand in mid-June”.

For the first time, a band of musicians from the North Island known as Moksha Base, and Dunedin Tamil Society (DTS) joined hands to organise a Facebook Live musical concert on May 23. Called Puthiya Jananam, the event was a live jam session with singers Ayesha, Anjali and Maathangi from Moksha Base.

The Nepalese Cultural Centre New Zealand Inc. was established in 2008 with the objective of promoting Nepalese Culture in New Zealand by providing information about Nepal and Nepalese Culture to interested New Zealanders. To achieve the goal, the NCCNZI is engaged in organizing various activities.

Christchurch Multicultural Council (CMC), at its 31st Annual General Meeting held on Thursday August 27, presented its first-ever new top award "DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD" to Christchurch City Councillor Jimmy Chen "in recognition of his significant contribution in making visible and valuable difference to the multicultural community and in fostering diversity of Christchurch".

Directed by Asim Mukhtar Janjua, This is what our future looks like: Punjabi views from New Zealand, presents a 13-minute Punjabi language documentary film with English subtitles capturing the views of three Punjabi Sikhs living in Auckland; Harjeet, a radio broadcaster, Gurmeet, a small business owner, and Ajit, a community elder.

Thursday, 27 August 2020, marks the official launch of a community-led media campaign - #PassTheMic - to promote inclusion for people from migrant and former refugee backgrounds by promoting their diverse voices; and to challenge racism with our allies beside us.

At Alert Level 3, you are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering when you're out and about. Wearing a face covering helps keep you and others safe. The Auckland Indian Association and Belong Aotearoa are working together to make sure our communities are covered by providing face masks to community organisations.

In a panel discussion organised by the Khadija Leadership Network (KLN) and Pearl of the Islands Foundation in Auckland on Tuesday, three women MPs - Golriz Ghahraman of the Green Party, Parmjeet Parmar of the opposition National Party, and Priyanca Radhakrishnan of the ruling Labour Party, participated.

The theme for the Cook Islands Language Week 2020 is“Kia pūāvai tō tātou Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani i Aotearoa”; which means, "That the Cook Islands Māori language may blossom throughout New Zealand”.

“This is an opportunity for all of us to highlight, acknowledge and appreciate their valuable work,” Jenny Salesa said. To nominate a particular ethnic community group or organisation that made a real difference for you – or your community –visit www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz to register your nomination by midday Friday, 14 August 2020.

Bakrid or Eid-al-Adha is also known as the second of the two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide. The first which is popularly known as Eid and marks the end of the sacred month of Ramadan where Muslims fast from dusk to dusk. The Second Eid is known as Bakrid and is a significant celebration as it is the time when Hajj, a pilgrimage which the followers of Islam are required to complete once in their lives, is performed in Mecca. New Zealand Date Eid al-Adha or Bakrid in New Zealand, will be observed on August 1, 2020. Bakrid is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Members of Hindu Elders Foundation (HEF), met after a long gap of four months, for the twin-celebrations of Matariki and the Foundation’s anniversary. It was in July 2007, when HEF was registered as an incorporated society, with the aim of providing services for the well-being of senior citizens in the community.

Our Hijrah, a research project undertaken by Khadija Leadership Network (KLN), is aiming to record and understand the journeys of Muslim women in New Zealand, and their contribution and service to their communities. The project is partially funded by UNESCO New Zealand.

Multicultural Council of Wellington (MCW) lost its one of the founding members on July 2. In a Facebook post dated July 3, the MCW informed, “It is with great sadness and sorrow to inform the death of our MCW dear friend, the founder of Multicultural Council Wellington, Rama Ramanathan peacefully left us all on Thursday the 2nd of July 2020 in the morning. The Multicultural Council Wellington offers our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family, and prays to Almighty God to bless and give the grieving family strength and comfort during this difficult time and Rama Ramanathan's soul rest in peace.”

Food for Life as a project was initially inspired by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of Iskcon. In 1974, when watching a group of village children fighting with dogs over scraps of food, the He became upset and told his students, "No one within ten miles of a temple should go hungry.” Following his guidance, we are making a humble attempt to do something for the wider community, and we think schools are the most important place to start with.

Christchurch City Council will try to acquire the Christchurch Netball Centre in South Hagley Park as a new base for community recreation, sports, and multicultural activities.

Dunedin Multi-Ethnic Council (DMEC) turns 27 this week

According to the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association of New Zealand, its flagship and hugely popular three-in-one annual event – Mushaira, Kavi Sammelan and Sham-e-Ghazal – which is in its ninth year now, will take place on November 21, this year.

“This month, we are presenting a Auckland’s famous Indian-Jazz fusion band with talented singers Amrita Bhende DeSouza, Daljeet Kaur, and Kishori Telang . The band comprises of Ben Fernandez on keys, Nigel Gavin on guitar, Dean Rodrigues on bass, Ron Samsom on drums and Manjit Singh on tabla and percussion. Please come and enjoy the music in intimate settings at Baithak NZ, Naad Community Center in Papatoetoe on June 20, at 6pm.”

There is $4.2 million a year available through the Ethnic Communities Development Fund, with new, realigned priorities to support ethnic communities while they navigate the impacts of COVID-19. The fund is now available for projects or activities that provide alternative means of staying socially connected, employment initiatives, and community resilience and recovery.

Dozens of charities, whose revenue streams have been heavily impacted by COVID-19, are set to benefit from a new $500,000 emergency fund. The Your West Support fund launched this by The Trusts will provide dozens of charities and community groups each with up to $10,000 to help with their operational costs while they recover financially from the impact of the level 4 lockdown.

Matariki Festival is on! Aucklanders will celebrate Matariki this winter with a re-sized festival in response to Tāmaki Makaurau’s new normal.

Last year’s terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch shook the Garden City to its core. From it, came the need to spread awareness about the Muslim faith and bring Muslim voices to the fore. Here once again, Christchurch-based Community Access Radio Plains FM, which has been doing some great work over the past several years, rose to the occasion and produced a 20-part series, After March 15th.

From Sunday May 24, for two nights the Sky Tower will be lit green and white in honour of Eid-al-Fitr, “The Festival of Breaking the Fast” – a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world to mark the end of Ramadan.

Community Access Radio is a vital tool for disseminating information across Aotearoa New Zealand, especially for the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

See how New Zealand is becoming increasingly multicultural.

Auckland’s popular Pasifika Festival celebrates a welcome return to Western Springs Park in March after a two-year absence. The vibrant event will feature 11 Pacific communities showcasing their unique culture on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March.

Rangatahi volunteers from the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) joined Waitangi Day celebrations on February 6, to spread a culture of peace and encourage big thinking through their Social Media Campaign, “The New Zealand That We Want.”

New Zealand’s most important historic site. More details at www.waitangi.org.nz.

Ever since the country started marking the Māori Language Week in 1975, the cultural and historical argument to preserve the language has held its ground. It's time to introduce the economic element into it as well.

Every year Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival, which started in 1972, focusses attention on the contributions made by the traditional Maori warrior dance to social cohesion, health and education outcomes.

Ranjna Patel, QSM, ONZM, is one of Tuesday night’s Women of Influence 2020 winners. She won the Community Hero award for her work on, and dedication to, a ground-breaking family violence programme called Gandhi Nivas.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the offender responsible for the Christchurch terror attack on 15 March 2019 has been designated as a terrorist entity.

The ‘Keep it Real’ online safety campaign enters its second phase this week with young people being prompted to help keep themselves safe, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin has announced. “We’ve spoken to parents about the online harms children face and now we want to reach young people directly,” the Minister says.

A record number of people passed through Takanini’s “Sikh Temple” on Sunday to collect food parcels. The Takanini Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib - known to all in the area as the Sikh Temple - handed out 2000 food parcels put together by more than 50 volunteers over a six-hour shift. The operation saw 1200 cars through in two-and-a-half hours in a professional and COVID-19 compliant process.

How are religious studies taught in the schools of other secular democracies? What do New Zealanders think about religious education? How do they feel about the two approaches, a broad study of the major faiths and value systems taught by professional qualified teachers, and religious instruction in a particular religion as offered now in many primary schools?

Rare Disorders NZ, and the support groups we represent, are calling for acknowledgement and awareness of the common challenges faced by people living with a rare disease, along with a commitment to address these challenges through the development of a New Zealand National Rare Disorder Framework.

Funding for innovative projects to connect Kiwis with affordable, safe and wholesome food, reduce food waste, and help our food producers recover from COVID-19 has been announced by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.

The biggest private sector union in New Zealand, E tū, has suspended a staff member and unionist, after a female business owner has come forward with allegations that the E tū representative had demanded sexual favours from her, in return for settling her worker exploitation case in which he [the E tū representative] was involved as a mediator. Confirming this was Bill Newson, E tū National Secretary, who said, “I can confirm that I have received a complaint making serious allegations against one of my staff.”

On Friday July 31, the Sky Tower will be lit green and white in honour of Eid al Adha – a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world to mark the Pilgrimage to Hajj. Chairperson of New Zealand Eid Day Trust, Javed Dadabhai says he’s excited about the opportunity for the Muslim community. “We are thrilled that the SkyCity will be celebrating Eid with us again by lighting the tower to mark an important day in the calendar of New Zealand Muslims.”

The Department of Internal Affairs’ (DIA) online safety website www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz is now available in Hindi at www.keepitrealonline.govt.nz/hi/ It is also available in Te Reo Māori, Samoan, Simplified Chinese.

Indian association Manukau (IAMNZ) organised an event to discuss about the End of life choice and cannabis legalisation & control referendum. The programme focussed on creating community awareness and education around the referendums through different presentations and mediums to put across the information for the upcoming general elections.

I attended a great event on Saturday night when the Fijian community celebrated their 50th anniversary of Independence Day in the Sugarloaf in Waiwera. Lorayne Ferguson, Labour candidate for Whangaparaoa also attended with some of her team.

This week is your chance to elect the management team to take us out of this economic hole. Using your Party Vote for ACT, gives you a far bigger voice in Parliament with more ACT MPs demanding more accountability. ACT is the party that will hold all of the others accountable. That’s why we need your party vote.

On Tuesday, the Green Party’s conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage went kayaking on Akaroa Harbour to highlight the greater protection achieved for Hector’s and Maui dolphins this term and the Greens’ election commitment to supporting sustainable tourism.

The Government is changing its approach to teacher recruitment as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue, by boosting a range of initiatives to get more Kiwis into teaching.

The Green Party is calling for an independent review of Pharmac to ensure that there is proper equity around funding for medication for sick New Zealanders.

We’ve released our fiscal plan for next term, and it shows how we’ll continue to manage the Government books responsibly if re-elected on October 17th.

The former Chief Executive Officer of Air New Zealand, who also held a number of senior roles with Unilever, was visiting Universal Granite (UC), New Zealand’s leading supplier of stones, accompanied by Alastair Bell, National Party’s Board Member based in Northern Region

National says if it were in government it would create 10,000 jobs a month and get unemployment heading down to 4 percent by 2025.

What we need from the current government and the opposition is to unite so that they can spend resources on visualising and implementing substantial forward-moving policies for our economy.

India continues to report a trend of steadily declining active cases as a percentage of the total positive cases.Presently the active cases comprise merely 13.75% of the total positive cases of the country standing at 9,19,023.

The Indian economy contracted by 23.9 per cent in the April-June quarter of this fiscal amid the COVID-19 crisis, official data showed on Monday. The gross domestic product (GDP) had expanded by 5.2 per cent in the corresponding April-June period of 2019-20, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).

India’s former President (2012-17) Pranab Mukherjee's funeral took place in New Delhi on Tuesday with full military honours. He was 84. His body was taken to his official home in Delhi, 10 Rajaji Marg, for people to pay their last respects.

India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Simon Birmingham, and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kajiyama Hiroshi held a ministerial videoconference on Tuesday.

Healthcare practices advocated by Ayush systems (namely Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy) are known to promote general wellness. COVID-19 has brought in new challenges before the health care system. With no definite cure for the disease, the health care systems all over world are stretched to their limits. The surest and safest way to survice the pandemic is to avoid falling sick.

India celebrates the first Parkash Purab of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. According to officialholidays.com, “Parkash Utsav Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is a regional Indian holiday observed in Punjab State. It takes place on the 15th day (new moon) of Bhadon, the sixth month in the Punjabi calendar, which occurs in August or September in the western calendar. This day commemorates the first parkash (opening ceremony) of the Guru Granth Sahib at the newly built Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, in 1604.”

Keeping the focus on “Test, Track and Treat” strategy, India has tested nearly 37 million cumulative COVID-19 samples so far. With India’s strong resolve to rapidly increase the number of daily tests, the cumulative testing as on date has reached 3,68,27,520. With 9,25,383 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the Tests Per Million have seen a sharp rise to 26,685. As the first step towards timely identification, prompt isolation and effective treatment, higher testing also results in limiting the spread of infection.

The "AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge" was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4 which saw participation from 6,940 tech entrepreneurs and start-ups across the country. Winners were announced early this month.

In the Indian Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) assessment report out this week, Jamia Millia Islami (JMI) University ranked top with 90 percent points in the assessment of 40 central universities.

Last week, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced key tax reforms and unveiled the new platform "Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest". This carries forward the journey of direct tax reforms in India, such as "faceless appeals" where taxpayers don't have to visit offices to rectify errors.

Independence Day Speech by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India’s Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan this month lauded the contribution of States in popularising eSanjeevani (www.esanjeevani.in). The eSanjeevani platform has enabled two types of telemedicine services - Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-consultations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the public function on laying of the foundation stone of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir at Ayodhya on August 5. Prior to the function, Prime Minister will take part in pooja and darshan at Hanumangarhi.

This removed the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated it into two Union Territories (UT) - Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Now ahead of the first anniversary of the move, the Government of India has released a list of achievements in the past one year.

It is celebrated on Shraavanapoornima, that is the Poornima day of the Shraavana month in the Hindu calendar. The Sanskrit organisation Samskrita Bharati is involved in promoting the day. In the year 2020, this day is celebrated on August 3.

“Tiger is an incredible part of the nature and the increased number of the big cats in India reflects equilibrium in the nature.”, said India’s Union Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar at the release of the detailed report of Tiger Census on the occasion of Global Tiger Day in New Delhi this week.

The Indian Government’s Ministry of Defence has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to Women Officers in the Indian Army, paving the way for empowering Women Officers to shoulder larger roles in the organisation.

After nearly a month of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao launching his government’s year-long celebrations to mark the birth centenary of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, the Congress last week woke up to the legacy of the life-long Congressman. The event kicked off with another former PM Manmohan Singh remembering how 29 years ago, he presented the historic union budget which ushered in the era of globalisation and liberalisation in India.

Amid prevailing tensions with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, Indian warships – from Navy’s Eatern Fleet - have concluded an exercise with the US Navy’s nuclear-powered USS Nimitz — the world’s largest warship manned by around 6,000 personnel — off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Monday and Tuesday, this week.

The former diplomat, and current Minister of External Affairs in the Government of India, S Jaishankar, is releasing his new book “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World”, on September 7.

With the trials of COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University showing encouraging results, Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday said it will apply for licence from the Indian regulator to start clinical trials of the shot in a week's time.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has cancelled this year’s Amarnath Yatra in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. At the 39th Board meeting of the shrine chaired by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, it was decided to cancel the annual Hindu pilgrimage this year “in larger public interest”.

Usually the older generation handle youth as some kind of disease that needs treatment. They do not need treatment. It is people who have gone away from life who need treatment. Those close to life just live.

In India, 180 tests per day per million are being done, which is more than the adequate testing rate of 140 tests per day per million population for a prolonged period, as specified in the World Health Organization’s guidance note.

On Monday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a $10 billion Google for India Digitization Fund to help accelerate India’s digital economy.

The Indian Government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission – Niti Aayog has launched the Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge to identify the best Indian apps that are already being used by citizens and have the potential to scale and become world class apps in eight categories.

Carrying on the fight against COVID-19, Indian Railways’ production unit, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, has developed a Post-Covid coach to ensure safer journey for passengers.

In June, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced David Pine as the new New Zealand High Commissioner to India. He then took the next available Vande Bharat Mission flight to New Delhi. Now, last week, he presented his credentials to the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind in a virtual ceremony.

Zydus an innovation-driven, global pharmaceutical company, announced that it’s plasmid DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19 (ZyCoV-D) developed indigenously at its Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad, India, has successfully completed the preclinical phase and has now received permission from the Drug Controller General of India - Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to initiate Phase I/II human clinical trials in India.

Bharat Biotech has successfully developed COVAXIN, India’s 1st vaccine candidate for COVID-19, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The New Zealand Film Commission funded short film musical Impossible is gearing up for the international festival circuit in 2021, with the production team’s larger goal being a feature-length version.

Everyone has a unique journey. When my life had given me a chance to restart, I made the move from being a banker to a film-maker. I am grateful that I could continue to work in the industry after completing my film studies back in 2017.

Navaratri (nava-nine, ratri-night) and Dussehra (dus-ten, hara-annihilation) are festivals celebrated over a period of ten days. The first nine days constitute the Navaratri festival. The tenth day is called Dussehra, marking the triumph of Lord Rama, seventh Avatar of Vishnu, over the demon king Ravana, who abducted Lord Rama's consort, Mother Sita. Since this Vijaya (victory) happened on Dashami (10th Lunar day of the Hindu calendar month), hence also known as Vijayadashami.

Two imperial guards are charged with protecting an iconic landmark. A water-deprived village receives a curious new resident. A group of women introspect about the various avatars they have taken on. A family invites us to explore their migrant journey.

The ongoing exhibition at Depot Artspace in Auckland, Sex Workers of Aotearoa – a day in the life of, is unique in every possible sense. While challenging the beliefs, the stigma and the stereotypes that surround New Zealand’s sex industry, it is also a behind-the-curtain into an industry still fighting for mainstream space, almost 17 years after the Prostitution Reform Act was passed in 2003, which decriminalised sex work in Aotearoa New Zealand. “But most importantly, the exhibition is about sex workers taking charge of how they want to be represented. We need to tell our own stories. Sure, stereotypes exist, but they don’t represent everyone,” says Jordan Quinn, the curator of the exhibition.

Raksha Bandhan, is a very popular and traditional Hindu festival which falls on the full moon day of Shravan month of Hindu calendar every year. Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in India, Nepal and some other parts of Indian subcontinent. Though this tradition of women tying sacred thread to men’s wrist is centuries old where ladies would tie a sacred thread for the safety and wellbeing of men folks going for wars.

When Rajshree Anand, a teacher, left Dehradun in January to visit her daughter in Auckland, little did she knew that she would be stranded in New Zealand for few more months than originally planned. Credit to her though, she used her time wisely and has just released her 33-page-long book on Amazon titled, Kaushiki The one who is enveloped in silk: The Goddess in every women.

Four celebrated Māori and Pasifika events will receive up to $100,000 each in funding from the new Creative and Cultural Events Incubator fund, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford has announced. The four events that were successful in the inaugural funding round are: Kia Mau Festival, Wellington; Māoriland Film Festival, Otaki; Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival, Gisborne; and Te Matatini, Auckland 2021.

At the Depot Artspace, Devonport in Auckland, from July 15 to August 3, Robert Peper’s art photography celebrating Indian life will be showcased.

This Valentine Day, we remind our readers the greatest-ever romantic hits over the decades.

Parasite, the Korean movie with universal critical and popular acclaim, won four Academy Awards at this year’s Oscars including Best Picture, Direction, International Feature Film and Writing (Original Screenplay).

The 44-year-old Māori filmmaker got the recognition for best adapted screenplay for his Nazi satire Jojo Rabbit, and dedicated his Oscar to indigenous children of the world. He wrote, directed and starred in the film.

Following from their winning the first prize in Rotorua’s Santa Parade on November 30, Iskcon Auckland’s added another feather in its cap, by being judged the best float in Ellerslie Village Santa Parade that took place on December 1.