The Canterbury Nepalese Society (CNS), which was established in 2015, held its Annual General Meeting on Monday, February 6, electing a new executive member committee. While Bishnu Pokhrel was re-elected as the President, and Bishal Sapkota as the Secretary, Dhurva Khanal and Khimananda Rijal have been given the responsibility of vice-presidentship of CNS this time around. The event also saw various traditional Nepalese dance performances followed by delicious Nepalese food.
Read MoreAlmost six years after suffering extensive damage in the 2011 Earthquake, ISKCON Christchurch will be holding a three-day grand opening ceremony of its newly constructed Hare Krishna Centre between 3 and 5 March this year.
Read MoreAimed at three outcomes of Whanaungatanga — sense of belonging, Tūrangawaewae — a place for all to stand, and Whai wahitanga — participation; and in works for years, the final draft of the Christchurch Multicultural Strategy – Our Future Together, is all set to be adopted by the Christchurch City Council on February 9.
Read MoreThough still over a month to go, the Garden City has already started gearing up for the fourth celebration of Christchurch's Holi - the Festival of Colours. And the icing on the cake is, the event this time - being organised on March 4, Saturday, on the corner of Madras and Gloucester Streets (opposite Latimer Square) in Central City - will have free entry. Christchurch's new Crown company Otakaro Limited is one of the main sponsors of the event.
Read More2017 is the 120th anniversary of the birth of Rewi Alley, whose 60 years of work for the Chinese community has made him one of the most revered foreigners in China. To commemorate the occassion, the book written by his niece Philipa Reynolds in 1997, will be updated and republished by the Christchurch China Sister Cities Committee. More info can be sought from New Zealand China Friendship Society (nzchinasociety.org.nz).
Read MoreThe Migrant Times was launched in June. We have published 13 issues till now. Our aim has been to put in the mainstream - the issues, news, views, struggles, successes, and celebrations of the migrant communities in New Zealand. Below we recap what all we published in the year 2016.
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At the end of November, Citizens Advice Bureau (Christchurch area) hosted a seminar for migrants at the Ashburton Seniors’ Centre on the topic “Policing in New Zealand.” The event was attended by approximately 65 people, the majority of whom were Filipinos working in the dairy industry in Ashburton and neighbouring areas. The new Mayor of Ashburton, Donna Favel, and Councillors Thelma Bell and Selwyn Price, also attended.
Read MoreCanterbury’s Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to drive with caution while the Lewis Pass alternate highway (State Highway 7) remains the main route between Picton and Christchurch. The Lewis Pass/ Murchison alternate highway is likely to remain the only highway for some time, while the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) continue to clear slips generated by the Kaikoura earthquakes.
Read MoreCelebrate Bishopdale 2016 was the fourth instalment of the local festival in the Bishopdale suburb of Christchurch. Every year, the event is organised by the Christchurch City Council’s Fendalton/Waimairi Community Governance staff in partnership with the Bishopdale Community Trust. Funding is provided by the Fendalton/Waimairi Community Board. This year, the stage performances started with Isleworth School Kapa Haka; and included Nor'West Brass Band and a dance act by the Christchurch Zhonghua Chinese Society. In all, there were over 30 market stalls for the local community to buy some Christmas gifts.
Read More- he spoke to The Migrant Times after successfully organising the Bank's fourth Migrant Expo, held at the Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau, Auckland on November 5
Around 5,000 visitors attended the event, which started as a pilot three years ago. Last year, the event moved to Sky City and was organised as a family fun day with over 120 stalls.
Read MoreA major road safety campaign to help visitors understand and prepare for driving in New Zealand is now underway, Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss announced on November 25. “Summer is on its way and so are many international visitors. New Zealand roads can be challenging, particularly in and around some of our most popular tourist spots. The campaign focuses on the Visiting Drivers Project areas of Otago, Southland and the West Coast, and uses billboards, posters, digital advertising and social media to spread road safety messages," noted the Minister.
Read MoreOn Friday, November 4, an intimate gathering of friends and family mourning the loss of Manmeet Alisher – a 29-year-old Indian bus driver living in Brisbane who was brutally murdered – was held outside Victoria Square in Christchurch. Manmeet was driving a local city council bus when he burnt to death after being doused in inflammable liquid and set alight by a passenger on the bus. Anthony O’Donohue has been charged with murder, arson and 11 other counts of attempted murder relating to the tragic incident. So far, authorities have ruled out terrorism or racial hate as being motives behind the attack.
Read MoreNot many know him in India. Reason being he left the country in his early thirties and made New York his permanent home. But Sri Chinmoy's influence can be gauged by the fact that in 1970, at the request of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, he founded a “non-denominational programme at the United Nations in New York which offers meditations for world harmony, interfaith programmes and cultural activities for UN delegates, staff members and special guests”. The programme runs till date. Among his other talents, Sri Chinmoy was a prolific music composer, with his compositions crossing the 22,000 mark. In total, he organised over 770 musical concerts worldwide to promote peace and harmony among the human race.
Read MoreLocal Government New Zealand says a rise in voters in cities has compensated for a drop in rural and provincial areas in this year’s local elections to bring turnout slightly above 2013 levels. Preliminary results excluding special votes show national turnout at 41.8 per cent, above 2013’s 41.3 per cent, driven largely by increases in Auckland and Wellington.
Read MoreNo young person must be allowed to leave school to nothing—no job, no further training, no hope. The Salvation Army is issuing this challenge to the New Zealand community in a report titled ‘What Next?’, focused on the employment needs of 15- to 24-year-olds.
Read MoreImmigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has recently announced changes to the Government’s New Zealand Residence Programme (NZRP) for the next two years.
Read MoreOrganised by the Christchurch Indian Sports Club (CISC) – a member of the New Zealand Indian Sports Association (NZISA) – the 2-day event held over the Labour Weekend was attended by over 500 people. Apart from a social evening, the event also comprised of a morning round of golf.
Read MoreDenise Wiggins, Community Development Facilitator at Waimakariri District Council, chairing the Migrants and Newcomers Group meeting at the Woodend Coomunity Centre on October 26.
Read MoreIn a major development recently, the Indian community - across all city-based organisations, associations, trusts and community groups - have for the first time joined hands to pool in resources to work towards building an Indian community centre in Christchurch. To be built under the aegis of soon-to-be-registered Canterbury Indian Community Centre Trust (CICCT), the multi-purpose facility will require something in the tune of $1.2 million, fund raising for which will start soon and hopefully be completed in the next two years, informed Rajiv Gulati, one of the main initiators of the project.
Read MoreA food court in the Northcote Shopping Centre will pay $164,397 for their serious breaches of employment law, following an investigation by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Labour Inspectorate.
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