NZ Minister, Commissioner laud youth efforts at 4th Hindu Youth Conference
Auckland (New Zealand), Mar 5: New Zealand Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa acknowledged that the Hindu community in NZ was the second-largest and fastest-growing community. “Your faith and your community will be a big part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future”, the Minister said while inaugurating the 4th New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference.
The inaugural event was also attended by the New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon and National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi who all addressed the young delegation, a press release issued by the Hindu Youth New Zealand said.
“There are now about 123,500 Hindus in Aotearoa New Zealand, and you are the second largest, but the fastest-growing community. Your faith and your community will be a big part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future,” said Salesa speaking at the occasion.
The Hindu Youth Conference was organized at a time when intensive, divisive comments were being made by some people with vested interests and defaming the communities within New Zealand. Auckland witnessed a significant event where young people gathered on a common platform to discuss the manner by which they could contribute to New Zealand’s nation-building efforts.
The one-day conference was hosted by Hindu Youth New Zealand (HYNZ) and New Zealand Hindu Students’ Forum (NZHSF) on Saturday, 29th February at KPMG, Auckland. The conference had more than 120 delegates from around the world, including Fiji, Australia, Malaysia and Bharat (India). The conference welcomed young people of all ethnicities, backgrounds, and affiliations providing the opportunity for important discussions and networking opportunities with various young leaders.
Ms. Salesa was joined with Dinesh Naik, Partner - Diversity and Inclusion, KPMG; Inspector Rakesh Naidoo, Principal Advisor – New Zealand Police, as well as Vinod Kumar, President of Hindu Council of New Zealand in lighting the lamp and inaugurating the conference.
“Be proud of your identity and use it to stand out. Be outstanding and not a bystander,” said Meng Foon, Race Relations Commissioner, in summing up his address to the delegates. He went on to commend the efforts of KPMG in their support of such activities saying, “it is heartening and encouraging to see a company like KPMG coming out in full support of encouraging cohesion and inclusiveness.”
Expressing his interest in the deliberations of the day and to ensure that youth voices are heard National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said in his address, “I would like to receive a summary of today and understanding from Hindu Youth New Zealand of how I can help to make sure what you want is heard by us.”
The conference had lined up five separate panels with international guest speakers throughout the day, who shared their insights on a range of key topics including economy, education, politics, media, human rights, engagement with the government as well as critical analysis of youth engagement in New Zealand to help towards New Zealand’s nation-building efforts.
The session titled “Hindu Youth Working with Government Agencies” provided delegates with an opportunity to interact with multiple government agencies directly. The panelists were Taff Wikaira, Regional Relationship Manager, Auckland|Northland – Ministry of Youth Development; Jason Chand, Regional Relationship Manager – Immigration New Zealand; Laurie McGregor, Senior Human Rights Advisor – New Zealand Human Rights Commission. Inspector Rakesh Naidoo, Principal Advisor – New Zealand Police, chaired the session.
Networking opportunities during the day allowed for various delegates to connect with each other in addition to the various officials and government representatives. It provided the necessary space for discussion and helped in forming the pathways for responding to issues.
Conference Coordinator and Hindu Youth New Zealand President, Murali Krishna Magesan delivered the keynote address in the inaugural session, highlighting the participation of Hindu Youth in nation-building.
“One of the key outcomes of nation-building is improving overall welfare leading to a prosperous and opportunity-providing ecosystem. It helps in strengthening the unique identity of New Zealand which shares many similarities with Sanatan Hindu Dharma (Hinduism), that is; mutual respect, inclusiveness and celebrating the ‘Anekta Mein Ekta’, Unity in Diversity.” said Mr. Magesan.
Both the Minister for Ethnic Communities and Race Relations Commissioner acknowledged the participation and contribution of Hindu Youth to New Zealand.
The representatives from various Hindu youth organizations discussed the strengths and challenges they faced when engaging with youth in New Zealand. It was powerful to see the session was completely represented by young women, highlighting and re-emphasizing the critical role women play in Hindu society. The session also helped in identifying the opportunities to work together to address key issues of importance.
Many young delegates were thrilled to have access to the various mentorship and exclusive internship opportunities with international organizations to help nurture their talent.
The young delegates attending the 4th New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference have decided to represent New Zealand at a global platform at the end of the year where they will participate in the World Hindu Youth Conference taking place in Mumbai, Bharat in December.