Staff Reporter
Auckland, August 15, 2021
IT professions of Indian origin contributed more than $350 million to the New Zealand economy in 2020, according to a new book published in Wellington last fortnight.
Titled ‘From Yesterday to Tomorrow: 60 Years of Tech in New Zealand,’ the Book, written by Sunit Prakash, and Lalita Kasanji, commemorates 60 years of IT Professionals in New Zealand.
“India is a global IT powerhouse and we know that its tech professionals have contributed to developed nations since at least the 1970s. New Zealand too has been a beneficiary of this immense talent, and from the development of its earliest systems and infrastructure, through to the current fibre rollout, Indian IT professionals have played a significant role,” they said.
The book showcases the contributions of 12 of the earliest IT professionals who arrived in New Zealand in the 1980s and 1990s.
“There is very little information about them and they are not mentioned during conversations and in writings,” they said.
About Sunit Prakash
Sunit Prakash is a Wellington based IT professional and has followed the contribution of the Indian diaspora and their successes in IT globally, notably in the Silicon Valley and in Australia. A published author (Strategic Lean Service), Mr Prakash coaches, guides and mentors skilled migrants. The story of Indian IT professionals outside India is close to his heart and hence this project.
A postgraduate in Business Administration (MBA) from (NMIMS, Bombay University), he is a member of IT Professionals NZ, and a Chartered IT Professional.
About Lalita Kasanji
Lalita Kasanji completed her Masters in Sociology (MA) from Victoria University of Wellington, examining the settlement of the Gujarati community in Wellington and its integration into New Zealand society. She played a key role in establishing the Ethnic Affairs Service in the early 1990s.
Ms Kasanji has produced publications on the Indian community in New Zealand and on other ethnic communities while at the Ethnic Affairs Service.
‘From Yesterday to Tomorrow: 60 Years of Tech in New Zealand’ has been edited by Victoria University of Wellington Associate Professor Dr Janet Toland.
A separate article by the author appears in our next report.
