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Newsroom
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsroom
Peters jokes about visiting Indian minister's name
Winston Peters welcomed India's Minister of State to Auckland by questioning the origin of his name in front of 300 community leaders and dignitaries 'Minister of State Margherita,' he said. 'What a fascinating name, that. We wait to find out what the background is.' It was directed at Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, who had just arrived for his first visit to New Zealand. Some greeted Peters' joke with polite laughter at the India-New Zealand Business Council meeting at Auckland's Pullman Hotel. Among those present were Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, diplomats and business leaders. But others interpreted it as ridiculing the minister's name, likening it to a tequila cocktail or a pizza. Narendra Bhana, immediate past president of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, expressed his discomfort with Peter's words. 'In this day and age, to be perfectly honest with you, I think this comment was totally uncalled for,' Bhana said. 'New Zealand is a multicultural society. Indians integrate really well with the various communities in New Zealand, and we're proud of our culture. And personally I feel that comment was totally uncalled for.' Wellington Indian Association president Manisha Morar agreed. 'New Zealand is a multicultural country now, and so we're really used to having a lot of migrants coming into the country, and people are a lot more accepting of things,' she said. 'If we're not showing respect to a minister from India who's come here, then I think we've still got a long way to go about learning about cultural appropriation.' 'As a community, we're beyond that. We've moved and progressed.' Ajaz Patel, NZ cricketer The visit from Margherita is important to the New Zealand Government, and to business relations. Luxon campaigned on getting a free trade deal with India, and he took a big delegation to India in March, as talks kicked off. That's continued a long history of hard-won trust between the two countries, dating back to newly elected Prime Minister David Lange's meeting with Indira Gandhi in October 1984, just three weeks before she was assassinated. The relationship hit a low in 2010, with public outrage at TVNZ host Paul Henry' on-air comments about Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, ridiculing her surname live on air. He had already been suspended for suggesting the Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, of Fijian-Indian heritage, was not a real New Zealander. Henry resigned over the incidents. But in the subsequent 15 years, the relationship has gone from strength to strength – and this week, its breadth was on show – from business to education to tourism to sport. Black Caps star bowler Ajaz Patel, who was born in Mumbai and migrated to New Zealand when he was eight years old, was at the summit to discuss the role of sport in diplomacy and business. He told Newsroom that values like loyalty, honesty, friendship and respect were important to the India-New Zealand relationship. He didn't hear Peters' speech, so was unwilling to comment directly on the quip, but he did say he was uncomfortable with making jokes about people's names. 'As a community, we're beyond that. We've moved and progressed. So, for me personally, that's that's my personal opinion. But what other people do and say, I can't really comment.' Margherita, himself, seemed to laugh off the Deputy Prime Minister's comment. 'It's an interesting history, actually,' he told Newsroom afterwards. Margherita is a town in the state of Assam, in the northeastern part of India – a state famous for its tea, not for tequila cocktails. 'Margherita, my surname, is the name of the town I hail from. Margherita is my birthplace. 'Margherita is a common surname in Italy, and yes, Margherita is a popular cocktail and a popular pizza also. But in my state of Assam, it's my hometown.' Peters defended his comment. 'Interest in one another's origins is a core part of diplomacy,' he said through a spokesperson, later in the day. Peters was interested in the etymology of Margherita's name and asked him about it during their face-to-face meeting later in the day, his spokesperson added. 'Minister Margherita explained that he takes his name from his hometown in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. His hometown, in turn, was named after the Queen of Italy – because of Italian railway engineers who worked there in the late 19th century.' Late on Friday, after the two ministers met, Peters posted on Twitter that they had discussed the recent progress made in the India-New Zealand relationship across a wide range of sectors. He highlighted their discussions on a broad-based agenda for bilateral security and economic cooperation; achieving a mutually beneficial outcome to free trade agreement negotiations; the two countries' shared interests in the Pacific region and the Indo-Pacific; the terrorist attack in Kashmir last month and New Zealand's support for de-escalation between India and Pakistan. Speaking to Newsroom, Margherita said New Zealand was 'always important' to India. 'We have a very strong relationship,' he said. 'Right at this moment, both countries are negotiating on a free trade agreement. So we have immense potential in the many domains of business and trade and commerce. 'New Zealand is always a preferred destination for our investors, our industries … our business houses,' he added. 'Bilateral trade has increased in the last decades.' He declined to comment on how the global trade turmoil sparked by US President Donald Trump's tariffs might affect India-New Zealand trade. 'We have a strong relation with America. America is a very traditional friend for us in art and culture and business. We are negotiating with America and definitely, it will yield a very good positive result. 'So relations with America are always good, and relation between India and New Zealand are always good. It's a different issue. We cannot combine it together.' He said Luxon's visit had been welcomed in India, not just by the Modi Government but also by the wider population. 'His visit is a testament of our deep relations, and we have already signed many MoUs between both the countries. His visit has leveraged our trade and commerce and other relations to the next level.'
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
South Asian communities fear for relatives caught up in Kashmir conflict
Residents evacuate their homes near the site of a missile strike in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP/SAJJAD QAYYUM New Zealand's South Asian communities have expressed concern for the safety of relatives caught up in rapidly rising hostilities between the two neighbouring nuclear powers in the wake of an Indian offensive on Wednesday. Residents of Indian and Pakistani descent called on India and Pakistan to halt the worst fighting in more than two decades between the two nations. India launched missile strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early Wednesday morning in a campaign titled "Operation Sindoor". Pakistan says at least 26 civilians have been killed and 46 wounded in the sites that were attacked, while India says at least seven have been killed and 48 injured in shelling on its side of the border, according to the BBC. India's offensive followed an attack by Islamist assailants that killed 26 Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. India said Pakistan-based militants were responsible, but Pakistan has denied involvement. Narendra Bhana, former president of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, called upon all communities within New Zealand - regardless of their origin - to remain united, respectful and empathetic. "Let us be guided not by division, but by our shared humanity and our common aspiration for a more just and peaceful world," Bhana said. "While we acknowledge the complex historical and geopolitical factors surrounding South Asia, we believe that violence cannot be the path forward," he said. "We urge all parties involved to pursue diplomatic solutions, engage in constructive dialogue and prioritize the long-term well-being of all citizens in the region." Veer Khar, Bhana's successor and current president of the association, hoped the conflict would not lead to any tensions between New Zealand's Indian and Pakistani communities. "If some tensions emerge, we will ensure to diffuse it by having good interactions between the two communities," Khar said. Naveed Hamid, former president of the Pakistan Association of New Zealand, echoed similar sentiments. "The Pakistani community here is very concerned for their families back home," Hamid said. "We are praying both countries de-escalate the current situation," he said. "[Given] both are nuclear weapon states, the international community should also step in and prevent the conflict from escalating." Ishtaq Ahmed, who moved to New Zealand from Pakistan 20 years ago and is president of Pakistan Association of Canterbury, expressed shock at Wednesday's developments. "This doesn't look good for the region, and I don't see any benefit coming out of this," Ahmed said. "I believe both countries should sort their issues on a table rather than like this." Jaspreet Kandhari, who comes from the Indian state of Punjab and is general secretary of the New Zealand Indian Business Association, said the Indian community in New Zealand was expecting some military action by the Indian armed forces after last month's attack in India-administered Kashmir. "[But] we are hoping the conflict doesn't turn into a full-fledged war, as all our relatives live in the border areas," Kandhari said. "We are obviously very worried about their safety." Tayyaba Khan, whose family moved from Pakistan to New Zealand when she was an infant, said Wednesday's developments were "devastating". "We have got two countries who have a very shared history of colonialism, and yet they continue to be at war with each other," she said. "Times like these require good leadership. It requires leaders who think about people," she said. "Unfortunately, in situations like this, it's always the innocent civilians who get caught up in the warfare of people with power."
RNZ News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
New Zealand's Indian community unites in condemning Kashmir terror attacks
About a hundred people gathered at Auckland's Aotea Square on Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil expressing solidarity with victims of a terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir , which took place on Tuesday afternoon India time. At least two dozen people died after gunmen opened fired on tourists near the picturesque town of Pahalgam in the Himalayas. Foreign Minister Winston Peters strongly condemned the terror attacks in a social media post. The post said, "New Zealand strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kashmir. We send our deepest condolences to the victims, their families and to the Indian people. We stand with our Indian friends at this difficult time." Meanwhile, organisers at the vigil shared the reason for the gathering. "We have come together to pay our respects to the victims and condemn the terror attacks which has really shaken us," main organiser Rahul Chopra said. "[The victims] were a bunch of tourists who had gone there just to enjoy and now they are not coming back home. As all of us are Indians at heart, we have come together to stand in solidarity with our homeland." Dr Primla Khar, who works as a GP in South Auckland and comes from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, broke down while sharing her emotions at the vigil. "What happened in Kashmir this week has brought back memories of utterly senseless violence, which we Kashmiris have faced for decades. "We have gathered here today to tell our motherland India that we are with you, no matter what," Khar said. Rahul Chopra is the organiser of the vigil. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Former MPs Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Mahesh Bindra called on the Indian government to take appropriate actions against the terrorists who have killed innocent people. "The mood today, of every Indian, is that people responsible for this should be brought to justice. As simple as that," Bakshi said. "What I want to say to the terrorists of this world, whoever they are, wherever they are, that they are dealing with this new India. And when this new India retaliate, it's going to hurt," Bindra added. Meanwhile, ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar in a statement expressed deep sorrow at "this senseless violence". "Every human being has inherent dignity and deserves to live in peace. Disputes must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy - not through cowardly acts of brutality," Parmar said. President of the New Zealand Indian Central Association Veer Khar said, "The Kiwi Indian community is with the people of India in this hour of extreme pain and anguish". A poster listing the names of the victims of the Kashmir terror attack in India. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand also "condemned the killing of innocent individuals in the strongest possible terms". "It is imperative to question who is behind this and what the motive could be," president of the Supreme Sikh Society Daljit Singh said. "Such acts are beyond human conscience. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we stand with them in this difficult time." The Hindu Council of New Zealand called on the international community "to take unequivocal stands against such acts of violence". "Terrorism must never be rationalised, justified or relativised based on political or ideological motives. "Any form of violence against civilians, especially when driven by religious or ethnic hatred, must be denounced in the strongest possible terms," a spokesperson of the Hindu Council of New Zealand said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
