I wish to add my warm greetings and hearty congratulations to Robert Khan and his team at Radio Tarana on its 16th Anniversary.
Radio Tarana has long been the pre-eminent station for the Indian community in New Zealand.
It has a reputation for covering all sides of an argument and engaging with both sides of New Zealand politics in a way that is fair, balanced and transparent.
The Tarana team brings to station decades of combined experience in our community.
The Station has been unafraid to take on the tough issues – from the state of our failing economy, to relations with Fiji, to the knottiest of immigration policy issues, just to name a few.
But beyond the issues of the day, Tarana has made a broader and more important contribution to New Zealand.
It has contributed in no small way to building greater cross-cultural understanding within and between the communities of this land.
We must never forget that as New Zealanders we enjoy the rare privilege of freedom of expression and association.
More so than any other country that I can think of, we enjoy a place where people of all backgrounds and races can celebrate their own cultures and increasingly enjoy the diversity of our broader community in peace and safety.
As we build on that understanding, we will earn ourselves a world-recognised place as a nation of hope and inspiration to others, where the quality of our community is only matched by the beauty of our environment.
I know that in the middle of winter and in the middle of a grinding recession, it sometimes does not feel like that, and too many of our families are doing it really tough at the moment.
Our Kiwi dream is under threat from rising unemployment and inequality, and growing concerns for community safety.
Labour is doing its best to fix that by offering a credible alternative to the current Government, one founded on the principle that all Kiwis are of equal worth.
I believe that together we can help our country to achieve great things – the best place in the world to live and bring up kids in.
I refuse to give up n the Kiwi dream that we can own our own future, one that is unique and special to the melting pot that we are.
Thank you to Radio Tarana for providing a special place to explore our exciting future. Happy 16th Anniversary!
