New Zealand is a multicultural country and Manukau City can boast of having the most ethnically diverse groups living within its boundaries.
Some call it the ‘Melting Pot, but I think of it as a ‘Fruit Salad,’ where every group is adding to the value of the society but retaining its own flavour.
The Indian Diaspora is among the most outstanding of these groups. According to the 2006 Census, there were about 110,000 Indians in New Zealand, of which about 30,000 lived in Manukau.
The Manukau Indian Association (MIA) is a truly inclusive and secular Indian organisation in this region of Auckland. It stands to empower Kiwi Indians providing them with a platform for their social, cultural and similar activities.
I was privileged to head this organisation for four years and now it is in the safe hands of our current president, Ranjna Patel.
The Association marked yet another milestone in its journey on July 23, 2011, when we officially opened our new premises at 57 Hill Side Road, Papatoetoe.
An eventful journey
This Journey began long ago with a handful of people.
In the late 1970s, a few Indian families would bring their children to a local school in Papatoetoe for learning Indian Languages. While they were busy learning, the parents would sit outside and socialise.
Some years later, they got together and formed what was then called, the ‘South Auckland Indian Cultural Society.’ This was incorporated as a Society in 1981.
The numbers grew and there was a need for a permanent place to conduct all the cultural activities. This led to the purchase of the property at 25 Tui Road, Papatoetoe. In 1990s, this Society became a part of the New Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA) and was renamed ‘Manukau Indian Association.’
In addition to conducting weekly classes for children, the Association provided the much-needed meeting point for Indian families. In the absence of Temples in the neighbourhood then, the members would partake in various religious activities at 25 Tui Road.
The Association grew from strength to strength and is now one of the major contributing branches of the NZICA.
Many people remember the Diwali Festival held in 2005 at the Telstra Pacific Events Centre. Since then, Manukau Diwali has grown in all dimensions and the City Council, National Bank and Radio Tarana have supported us in making this event one of the most important festivals in the annual calendar.
A pioneer
MIA was the first to bring Dussehra to Auckland and a huge Navaratri Festival to Manukau.
We were the first to raise our demand for Indian participation in governance both at the local level and in Parliament. These have now borne fruit, with the two major parties (Labour and National), each promoting an Indian candidate as their List MPs.
On the social front, we work with many other organisations. We have encouraged our youth by acknowledging and awarding them.
In arts, MIA supported Anita Patil in her attempt to be ‘Miss India NZ,’ while in sports, we supported Prisciila Mistry, who was in the final squad of the New Zealand Women’s Cricket team.
We acknowledged Divya Dhar long before she was named ‘Young New Zealander of the Year’ in February 2010 (Indian Newslink, March 1, 2010)
We are currently involved in a ‘Healthy Lifestyle Programme’ of Counties Manukau District Health Board, to engage the young and the old in bush walks, games, yoga and indoor exercises.
MIA upholds the values and beliefs of our great saints and leaders. We bring the Indian values of hard work, close-knit family structure and education to New Zealand and work towards a healthy integration of the Indian Diaspora with the mainstream.
Dr Anil Channa is the Immediate Past President of the Manukau Indian Association. The above article, written to commemorate the inaugural of the new premises of the Association on July 23, 2011, is exclusive to Indian Newslink.
