James Shaw – 
The Green Party has announced that Raj (Pardeep Singh), a lawyer based in Papatoetoe, South Auckland will be its candidate in Manukau East in the General Election 2017.
The announcement was made at a fundraising dinner held at an Indian restaurant in Botany on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.
The Green Party has about a dozen candidates around the country who want to focus their efforts on building the Green Vote in their electorates rather than appear on the Party List.
Raj is in that group of candidates; he believes that it is important that the voters of Manukau East see him dedicated to them and their community first and foremost.
This is in contrast with some candidates and MPs from other parties, who are unfortunately getting a reputation for being more focused on building their own political profiles than on being strong advocates for their communities.
Community commitment
Raj recognises that his chances of making it into Parliament at this election are small – but he is deeply committed to building the profile of the Indian community within the Green Party and in Parliament, over the coming years.
Raj has already demonstrated that he is a good leader, a hard worker and is deeply connected to the community. I have full confidence in Raj and I anticipate that he will run a very strong campaign in Manukau East and make a major contribution in his community and to the Greens this year and in the coming years.
I am looking forward to working with him.
Strong Group
The Greens will field the strongest group of candidates in South Auckland that we have ever had. Together, they will be working across South Auckland to advocate for the community and to build the Green vote.
James Shaw is Co-Leader of The Green Party of New Zealand.
Our Reporter adds:
The Candidate
Indian Newslink has known Raj Pardeep Singh for more than 14 years when he was employed in commercial organisations.
A graduate in Law from the University of Delhi (1999), he practiced as an Advocate at the High Court in Delhi, and was a member of the Bar Council of Delhi.
In New Zealand, he completed his Course of proficiency from the University of Auckland and New Zealand Law Society. He accomplished his Professional Legal Studies Course from the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Auckland and was admitted to the High Court of New Zealand.
He was a Barrister and Solicitor at Auckland city law firm for four years and worked as Duty Solicitor for the Auckland, Whangarei and Dargaville District Courts.
He established ‘Legal Associates Barristers & Solicitors,’ in 2014 with his wife Ashima Singh. The firm specialises in all areas of Immigration Law, Immigration & Protection Tribunals, Judicial reviews at High Court, Ombudsman Office at Parliament, Immigration Minister Appeals and further deals in Criminal & Employment law.
Photo:
James Shaw with (from left) Ashima Singh, Green MPs Julie Anne Genter, Marama Davidson, Barry Coates and Manukau East Candidate Raj Pardeep Singh at the fundraiser held on March 28.
