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Acknowledging those
making a difference in
the NZ-India relationship
T
he New Zealand-India bilateral relationship has never been as promising as it is
now, almost seven decades after it began officially in 1952.
The relationship for most of the times has been cordial – based on the
fundamental pillars of commonwealth and cricket – however, lacking somewhat in
substance.
The same cannot be said anymore about the current state of our bilateral relationship.
The previous-era aloofness has been reassuringly replaced by a mutually strong sense
of anticipation and expectation from each other – a clear sign that the relationship has
grown by leaps and bounds.
The relationship now is in a phase where both nations are demonstrating willingness
to see each other in a new, positive light.
While New Zealand has been fascinated by India’s impressive growth rates and
shown a willingness to partner in its economic progress, India has also taken note of
the newfound interest of a small, modern, advanced economy from the faraway South
Pacific region which has a thriving Indian diaspora.
The fact that a vibrant Indian diaspora has been thriving in this picturesque land of
Aotearoa without much attention at home, has also compelled both countries to take
note of each other in a different light.
In the past five years, there have been three mutual visits from the highest level
of political leadership and many other small amicable meetings on the sidelines of
international summits and conferences, which signal the encouraging new trajectory
of the bilateral relationship.
Such a positive difference could not have been possible without the tenacity,
exuberance, enterprising spirit and the seemingly never-ending commitment of a
selected few personalities, who play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our mutual
relationship.
The Indian Weekender is acknowledging and celebrating those influencers who are
making that much-needed positive difference in the bilateral relationship between
both countries.
- The Indian Weekender
editor@indianweekender.co.nz
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4 www.iwk.co.nz
Content
6 Allot, Geoff 20 Patel, Ranjna
CEO, Quality New Zealand Ltd. Businesswoman and Social Entrepreneur

7 Bakshi, Kanwaljit Singh 21 Pennycuick, Jo

List Member of Parliament, Founder, Redesign Group
NZ National Party
22 Radhakrishnan, Priyanca
8 Bhana, Narendra Parliamentary Private Secretary for Ethnic Affairs,
President, Auckland Indian Association Inc. List MP NZ Labour Party

9 Dhillon, Bhav 23 Rattray, Earl

Honorary Consul of India Dairy Industry Advisor and Director, Agribusiness
and Rural Infrastructure Companies
10 Draper, Simon
Executive Director, Asia NZ Foundation 24 Satyanand, Sir Anand - GNZM, QSO
Former Governor General of New Zealand
11 Handa, Sameer (2006–2011)
Businessman, Chair,
India New Zealand Business Council 25 Sethi, Sunil
Chairman of the Governing Board,
12 Hays, Ralph Fonterra Future Dairy Pvt Ltd
Trade Commissioner -
India/Consul General – Mumbai 26 Singh, Paramjeet
Second Secretary,
13 Kempkers, Joanna High Commission of India in New Zealand
New Zealand High Commissioner to India
27 Stevens, Sir Ken
14 Magesan, Prof. Guna Founder, Glidepath Group
Senior Scientist, Community Worker
28 Suchdev, Jeet - QSM
15 Malik, Deepa Social Worker, Trustee,
Athlete, Motivational Speaker, Recipient of Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust
Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship
29 Wood, Dr Pushpa - ONZM
16 McCleary, Mike Educationist
Bollywood Songwriter, Composer, and Director
30 Wood, Michael
17 Nauhria, Roshan - MNZM Chief Government Whip,
Industrialist, Chairman & Trustee Bhartiya Mandir MP for Mt Roskill, NZ Labour Party
18 Pardeshi, Muktesh
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand

19 Parmar, Dr Parmjeet
List Member of Parliament,
NZ National Party
 Allot, Geoff
CEO, Quality New Zealand Ltd.

G
eoff Allot is the Chief Executive Officer of Quality
NZ – a niche supplier of New Zealand’s finest
quality products and services to the rapidly
expanding Indian market.
Quality NZ has devised an innovative marketing plan
of harnessing the deep passion that the Indians have for
the game of cricket by keeping some of the popular Kiwi-
cricketers at the forefront of their business endeavours in
India.
The strategy has yielded obvious success and is
a trendsetter for many other enterprises hopeful of
succeeding in the Indian market.
Geoff Allot, in this regard, in his capacity of CEO of the
company, brings tremendous energy and passion, along
with his mutually shared love for the game of cricket to
drive success in the Indian market.

6 www.iwk.co.nz
Bakshi, Kanwaljit Singh
List Member of Parliament,
NZ National Party

K
anwaljit Singh Bakshi is New Zealand’s first India-
born MP and is in his fourth term as a National
Party List MP in the New Zealand parliament.
His continuous work in raising the Kiwi-Indian voice in
the highest echelons of lawmaking in New Zealand and
building bridges with the Government of India makes him
an influential inclusion in this elite list.
He has twice accompanied former Prime Minister Sir
John Key on official visits to India. Previously conferred
with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2015, this year he was
invited as a special guest of honour by the Government
of India on the occasion of biennial Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
celebrations – the biggest conglomeration of the global
Indian diaspora.

www.iwk.co.nz 7
 Bhana, Narendra
President, Auckland Indian
Association Inc.

N
arendra Bhana is the president of Auckland Indian
Association Inc. – that holds the reputation of being
one of the oldest community organisations of the
Indian community. As the president of Auckland Indian
Association, Narendra Bhana commands tremendous
influence in NZ-India bilateral relation space by being at
the forefront of community matters.
He is integrally involved with the iconic Mahatma Gandhi
Centre, which is renowned among other things for hosting
all incoming top-level political leaders from India.

8 www.iwk.co.nz
Dhillon, Bhav
Honorary Consul of India

A
recipient of Government of India’s prestigious Pravasi
Bhartiya Samman in 2019, Bhav Dhillon wears
multiple hats as Director of companies having varied
interests in media, publishing and property, along with being
community leader, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, and
the Honorary Consul of India in New Zealand.
Mr Dhillon was conferred the Samman (honour) in the
category of excellence in business and services to the Indian
diaspora.
He has been an integral mover and shaker within the NZ–
India relationship, as evident from his inclusion in the high-
level business delegation accompanying the former Prime
Minister of New Zealand Sir John Key in 2011 and 2016.
Mr Dhillon is the Managing Director of Cemix—an iconic
Kiwi-brand with a nationwide presence—that has been in
New Zealand for more than 30 years and is a market leader
in manufacturing innovative construction products. He is the
Chairman of the iconic Kiwi-Indian Hall of Fame, which awards
the trailblazers in the Kiwi-Indian community. He is also the
publisher and Managing Director of The Indian Weekender—
the first English language weekly newspaper for the Indian
community.

www.iwk.co.nz 9
 Draper, Simon
Executive Director,
Asia New Zealand Foundation

S
imon Draper is a career diplomat and the Executive
Director of Asia New Zealand Foundation - a key
non-profit organisation set up in 1994 to prepare
New Zealand for engaging with the Asia.
In his role as the Executive Director of the
Foundation, Simon commands tremendous
influence in NZ-India bilateral relations, especially
in terms of shaping mutually positive views of
each other.
Over the years, his persuasive media commentaries
showcasing India in a positive light to the rest of New
Zealanders has been duly noted and acknowledged by the
Kiwi-Indian community. Undoubtedly, he is an influential
player in the Track II level engagement between New
Zealand and India.

10 www.iwk.co.nz
Handa, Sameer
Businessman, Chair,
India NZ Business Council

S
ameer Handa is the Chair of India New Zealand
Business Council—the premier trade body with
a glorious history of more than three decades in
promoting better business and trade relations between
New Zealand and India. A businessman of repute with
significant interests in New Zealand and India, Mr Handa
has been involved in wholesale and manufacturing
industries mainly in the refrigeration and air-conditioning
field in several countries.
Under his leadership, Patton Group of New Zealand
expanded its presence in Australia, Thailand, and India.
He is also a member of the Institute of Directors NZ and
is on the board of Bank of India (NZ) and several other
companies in New Zealand.

www.iwk.co.nz 11
 Hays, Ralph
Trade Commissioner - India /
Consul General – Mumbai

A
s New Zealand’s Trade Commissioner and Consul
General based in Mumbai Ralph Hays spearheads
New Zealand Government’s charge in expanding
Kiwi companies’ forays into the vast Indian market.
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise is New Zealand’s
international business development agency, and Mr Hays,
in his capacity of leading the South India operations,
commands significant influence in driving business growth
and better business-to-business relations between the
two countries.
Mr Hays played an instrumental role in the recent joint
venture between Fonterra and Future Group, one of India’s
largest consumer companies.

12 www.iwk.co.nz
Kempkers, Joanna
New Zealand High Commissioner
to India

J
oanna Kempkers’ position as New Zealand’s High
Commissioner to India mandates her to work
continuously for the advancement of the bilateral
relationship between the two countries.
This year she demonstrated extreme ingenuity, passion
and leadership in using cricket diplomacy to enhance
goodwill between both the countries.
The sporting extravaganza was an apt reminder of the
power of cricket in reinforcing people-to-people links
between our two countries, and Ms Kempkers was fully
prepared when the opportunity presented itself with an
epic semi-final clash between Blackcaps and India.
There was much goodwill in the air, courtesy cricket
teams of our two nations, their extreme competitiveness
wrapped under a gentlemanly spirit and mutual respect
and Ms Kempkers led the NZ High Commission’s efforts in
harnessing it for enhancing the feeling of mutual bonhomie.

www.iwk.co.nz 13
 Magesan, Prof. Guna
Senior Scientist,
Community Worker

P
rof Guna Magesan, a PhD from the Massey
University has worked as a scientist for three
Crown Research Institutes at different times in
Palmerston North, Hamilton and Rotorua. However, it is his
work beyond the realm of science, especially in applying
scientific thinking in alleviating social perils, connecting
communities, and promoting inter-cultural understanding,
youth development and Indian culture and heritage to the
broader community that makes him genuinely influential
in this space.
Dividing his time regularly between New Zealand and
India, for his socio-cultural initiatives, he is also deeply
involved in an alternative, traditional medicine system of
India – Siddha Medicine – with special emphasis on an
early intervention cure of the Autism spectrum disorder.
Seemingly ambitious in this objective, Prof Guna is
relentless in seeking success for this traditional Indian
system of medicine and hopeful of one day, bringing the
benefits to New Zealand.

14 www.iwk.co.nz
Malik, Deepa
Athlete, Motivational Speaker,
Recipient of Sir Edmund
Hillary Fellowship for 2019

D
eepa Malik is an Indian athlete, traveller,
motivational speaker, who was in the country as
a recipient of the prestigious New Zealand Prime
Minister’s Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019, visiting
and meeting people from all walks of life and sharing her
inspirational life story.
Within a short period, she emerged as a great
ambassador of both the countries promoting them in a
gleaming manner, especially to newer audiences in both
the countries, thereby doing an excellent service to our
bilateral relationship.
Back in India, she continues to front up to events
related to NZ-India relations showcasing this beautiful
country, especially Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and
her politics of compassion. Indeed, she commands
tremendous influence in this space.

www.iwk.co.nz 15
 McCleary, Mike
Bollywood Songwriter,
Composer, and Director

B
ollywood, like cricket, is a magnificent bridge
of connecting our two nations, and when an
Indian-born Kiwi chooses to be part of this mega
entertainment industry, then it automatically generates
tremendous influence on NZ-India bilateral relations.
Michael McCleary has been working, almost quietly,
away from much public gaze, for almost a decade, in
Bollywood – India’s greatest cultural export to the rest of
the world.
Living in Mumbai since about 2007, he works as
songwriter, composer, performer, producer and director
and is well known for his re-interpretations of old Bollywood
songs under the stage name of The Bartender.

16 www.iwk.co.nz
Nauhria, Roshan - MNZM
Industrialist; Chairman,
Trustee - Bhartiya Mandir

R
oshan Nauhria is a leading industrialist and an
integral part of the business-to-business level
relations between New Zealand and India.
However, Mr Nauhria’s claim to fame and inclusion in this
elite list is not limited to his successes in the construction
business; it also includes his philanthropy and sense of
giving back to the community, both in New Zealand and
India.
Mr Nauhria holds a senior leadership position in the
management of the iconic Bhartiya Mandir – the first Hindu
temple of worship in New Zealand.
He has upgraded the school he went during his
childhood in Dharam Kot, Punjab, built a charitable hospital
which currently has 50 beds with modern amenities of
an operation theatre, diagnostic laboratory, X-Ray and
ultrasound facilities. In 2009 he was awarded the honour
of Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen.

www.iwk.co.nz 17
 Pardeshi, Muktesh
High Commissioner of India
to New Zealand

M
uktesh Pardeshi is the High Commissioner of
India to New Zealand. There will be few others
than a country’s top envoy who is better placed to
influence the bilateral relations between any two countries.
However, where Mr Pardeshi has impressed one and all,
even before starting his tenure officially in Wellington, is
by connecting with people and key stakeholders back in
India who are working on the ground to further enhance
our bilateral relationship. Equipped with their insights, and
feeling deeply involved in their aspirations, Mr Pardeshi is
all set to further advance our relationship.
Notably, he also brings a massive reputation in the
excellence of e-governance and expanding bilateral trade.

18 www.iwk.co.nz
Parmar, Dr Parmjeet
List Member of Parliament,
NZ National Party

D
r Parmjeet Parmar has the distinction of being
the second National Party MP of Indian descent.
She was first elected in 2014, and subsequently in
2017. Being an MP imparts a significant ability to represent,
support, and lobby issues of concern for the majority
of the Indian community at the highest possible level of
lawmaking. She continues to provide leadership to the
Kiwi-Indian community and remains an influential player in
the space of NZ–India bilateral relationship.

www.iwk.co.nz 19
 Patel, Ranjna
Businesswoman and
Social Entrepreneur

R
anjna Patel is a social entrepreneur of fame, who
has developed a successful healthcare business,
built a temple, and created a groundbreaking
anti-domestic violence programme. Lately, her efforts in
partnering with NZ Police in a joint project, Gandhi Nivas,
which targets men to change their behaviour to reduce
the likelihood of domestic violence, has gained significant
attention from both, government and the community.
Ms Patel along with her husband, has transformed a one-
doctor clinic into New Zealand’s largest independently-
owned healthcare business—Nirvana Health Group.
In 2008 Ms Patel and her husband had completed the
construction of the International Swaminarayan Satsang
Organisation (ISSO) Temple in South Auckland.
Among many important achievements of Ms Patel, few
are – Deloitte Top 200 Visionary leader, inducted into New
Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs, finalists
for 2016 Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of Year awards,
and Westpac Women of Influence finalist for 2015. She
commands significant influence in the community and
therefore, a worthy inclusion in this list.

20 www.iwk.co.nz
Pennycuick, Jo
Founder, Redesign Group

J
o Pennycuick is the owner and founder of Redesign
Group—a global group that operates in designing of
public spaces – and is among some of the few Kiwi
companies with major Indian operations. In less than a
decade, she has transformed from being a single operator
design consultant to a globetrotting head of a company
with offices in different countries all around the world.
In 2016, she was conferred with the ‘Iconic Business
Leader of the Decade’ award at the Women Economic
Forum in New Delhi, clearly showing her work and
influence in the Indian business circle. The core work of Ms
Pennycuick’s company is in the hospitality, commercial,
and retail sectors’ designing spaces within airports and
malls around the world. The group has worked with many
Indian airports, including Delhi T3, Bangalore, Chandigarh,
Hyderabad, and Mumbai along with corporate offices of
Samsung India, SSP, TFS, Jonnie Walker, and LG. With a
world-class office in Gurgaon, Ms Pennycuick travels to
India frequently to oversee and work with her team based
in the country.

www.iwk.co.nz 21
 Radhakrishnan, Priyanca
Parliamentary Private Secretary
for Ethnic Affairs,
List MP NZ Labour Party

P
riyanca Radhakrishnan, the newest and the
youngest of all the three current Indian-origin MPs
in New Zealand parliament, has recently been
elevated in the government to the position of Parliamentary
Private Secretary for Ethnic Affairs. She was born in Kerala
and raised in Singapore before coming to New Zealand as
an international student.
Her journey and elevation from being an international
student to being a Member of Parliament is a reminder of
the opportunities that this country offers to people who are
willing to work hard.
Ms Radhakrishnan’s position as a Kiwi-Indian MP of the
Labour Party makes her an important player in the space
of bilateral relation between New Zealand and India.

22 www.iwk.co.nz
Rattray, Earl
Dairy Industry Advisor and
Director, Agribusiness and
Rural Infrastructure Companies

D
airy Industry Advisor and Director, Agribusiness and
Rural Infrastructure Companies.
Earl Rattray has a longstanding illustrious dairy
industry career and hands-on experience in leading a
successful dairy business in India. He is a cornerstone
shareholder and company Chairman of Binsar Farms Pvt.
Ltd— an Indian-NZ dairy farming and fresh milk marketing
company in Sonipat, Haryana.
The fact that New Zealand has a world-class dairy industry
and India has a fastest-growing economy with an even
faster-growing appetite for consuming dairy products are
the cornerstone of the future trajectory of NZ-India bilateral
relationship.
Visionaries and risk-takers like Mr Rattray continues to
remain influential in driving this relationship forward in the
near future.

www.iwk.co.nz 23
 Satyanand, Sir Anand
GNZM, QSO
Former Governor General
of New Zealand (2006 - 2011)

S
ir Anand Satyanand has held the highest position
that any person of Indian origin has ever held in
this country.
A former lawyer, judge, and ombudsman Sir Anand had
served as the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand serving
from 2006 to 2011. His influence in New Zealand’s public life
is unparalleled and refuses to fade even after many years
of retirement.
He was appointed as the head of a Royal Commission,
enquiring state care abuses as late as February 2018,
reflecting the amount of respect, influence, and adoration
that New Zealand continues to confer on this great Kiwi-
Indian.
He is also a recipient of India’s coveted Pravasi Bhartiya
Samman.

24 www.iwk.co.nz
Sethi, Sunil
Chairman of the Governing Board,
Fonterra Future Dairy Pvt Ltd.

S
unil Sethi is the Chairman of the Governing Board
of the newly formed Joint Venture between New
Zealand’s global nutrition company Fonterra and
India’s retail giant Future Group.
Sunil leads a high powered team of professionals who
are committed to the ambitious task of rewriting the
script of a long-awaited union between the world’s largest
dairy exporter, Fonterra, and the world’s fastest-growing
economy with the second largest population, India.
Given the fact that Fonterra’s success in the Indian
market has the potential to transform the current trajectory
of the level of bilateral trade between the two countries,
Sunil is a man of tremendous influence.

www.iwk.co.nz 25
 Singh, Paramjeet
Second Secretary, High
Commission of India

P
aramjeet Singh is the Second Secretary in the office
of the High Commission of India, Wellington.
The office of the Consular services commands
significant influence in assisting Indian citizens or the
people of Indian origin living in this country for various
reasons.
However, it is at the time of acute crisis, that rarest of the
rare individuals, staffing those offices rises to the occasion
to provide empathy and service to those at the receiving
end of the crisis.
This year, when the unfortunate Christchurch terror attack
had unfolded in this beautiful country, we had Paramjeet
Singh from the office of the Indian High Commission, who
had positioned himself right at the heart of the incident, to
identify victims and extend as much help, in whatever little
way, to those affected.
His compassion toward the victims and his defiance in
not being perturbed even when some emotions ran high
during the course of his duty of assisting others was
exemplary.

26 www.iwk.co.nz
Stevens, Sir Ken
Founder, Glidepath Group

S
ir Ken Stevens is the founder of New Zealand’s
airport baggage handling and security systems
specialist company Glidepath Limited—a global
giant that has significant footprints and contributions in
India’s ongoing modernisation of aviation infrastructure.
Glidepath opened its regional office in India in 2009 after
years of success in delivering projects of upgrading Indian
airports and has been at the forefront of India’s aviation
infrastructure transformation, starting with major airports
such as in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Cochin,
before venturing into other tier one and tier two cities.
Sir Ken is a frequent traveller to India to oversee ground
operations and commands tremendous respect among
peers on business-tips of succeeding in the Indian market.

www.iwk.co.nz 27
 Suchdev, Jeet – QSM
Social Worker, Trustee, Bhartiya
Samaj Charitable Trust

J
eet Suchdev is the founder of Bhartiya Samaj
Charitable Trust, an organisation primarily dedicated
to the cause of helping fellow people of Indian origin
by assisting them in facing the vagaries of migration in a
new country.
Recently he was invited by the Ministry of External Affairs,
India, in a panel discussion titled ‘Indian Organisations
Working for Distressed Indians Abroad’ in April 2018 that
reflects his leadership position in the community-service
space. Jeet has been successful in alleviating situations
of many Indian people in distress through more than two
decades of his tireless work, which rightly makes him
hugely popular among the Kiwi-Indian community.
He is also a proud recipient of Indian government’s
Bharat Gaurav Award—given to recognise Indians who
have made a social contribution to the community—
in 2016.

28 www.iwk.co.nz
Wood, Dr Pushpa - ONZM
Educationist

D
r Pushpa Wood is the Director of the Westpac
Massey Financial Education and Research Centre
at the College of Business at Massey University.
She has been acting as an expert witness for the crown
in the area of Indian culture, customs and beliefs for over
two decades. She was appointed as an Officer of the
New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s 90th Birthday
Honours List for 2016 for her services to financial literacy
and interfaith relations.
Among her many other key achievements in the last
three decades of academic and community service in New
Zealand, a recent one is especially notable, of coming
together with another educationist to launch a new research
foundation to support the growth of the Hindi language.

www.iwk.co.nz 29
 Michael Wood
Chief Government Whip,
Labour MP for Mt Roskill

M
ichael Wood is the Chief Government Whip, and
his inclusion in this list is by virtue of being a great
supporter of the Kiwi-Indian community. Within a
short period in parliament, Michael has ensured that he is
seen and available in the thick and thin of the Kiwi-Indian
community right across the entire country. And his love for
the Kiwi-Indian communities is mutually reciprocated as
evident in a unique title - “Son of Tamils” - conferred to him
out of fondness. With a title, or without, there is no doubt
that Michael is a great friend of the Kiwi-Indian community.

30 www.iwk.co.nz
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