10 NEW ZEALAND
6 May 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz
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PM attends Sudima Airport Hotel’s reopening A S
The time to be happy is now: Brahmrishi Shri Gurudev
Gaurav Sharma
udima Hotels and Resorts Group marked the official reopening of its iconic Christchurch Airport hotel following its recent $25 million redevelopment project. Prime Minister John Key was present at the occasion along with Lianne Dalziel, mayor of Christchurch, and other ministers including Gerry Brownlee, as well as MPs Nicky Wagner and Amy Adams. Sudesh Jhunjhunwala, CEO of the group, informed, “The redefined Sudima Christchurch Airport is another sign that the city is slowly getting back on its feet after the earthquakes. With 88 new executive rooms, a new façade and lobby, a fully refurbished restaurant and an increased conference space, we are now one of the largest conferencing facilities in Christchurch.” Acquired by the Jhunjhnuwala family in 1999, the hotel was re-branded as Sudima Christchurch Airport and became the first member of the Sudima Hotels and Resorts group. Now the group operates four hotels in New Zealand—Auckland, Rotorua, Hamilton and Christchurch. Apart from its business interests, the group supports community initiatives such as providing free breakfast to local schoolchildren via its Breakfast Club and supporting youth leaders through Sudima Rotorua’s scholarship programme. We are looking to expand in the Auckland CBD, Wellington and Queenstown: Sudima CEO
Above: (from left to right) Laxmi and Sudesh Jhunjhunwala with PM John Key at the official reopening of Sudima Airport Hotel Inset: Brahmrishi in Christchurch
Indian Weekender caught up with Sudesh Jhunjhunwala recently. Below are some excerpts: IWK: Please tell us a bit about Sudima Hotels and Resorts Group in New Zealand. Sudesh: While our family has had presence in New Zealand since 1991, I shifted here in 2001. Starting from Christchurch, we have expanded our reach to Auckland CBD, Hamilton, and Lake Rotorua. IWK: And a bit about the group’s history internationally. Sudesh: Sudima Hotels and Resorts is owned by the Hind Group of Companies headquartered in Hong Kong. It all started
when our family patriarch, Shyam Sundar Jhunjhnuwala, an Indian, immigrated to Myanmar in 1918 to set up a textile business there. The family relocated to Hong Kong in the 1960s to start a watch manufacturing business called Hind Corporation. We went into hospitality in late 1970s with businesses spread over many countries including Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong. IWK: What are the group’s future plans in New Zealand? Sudesh: We were waiting for this Christchurch project to get completed. Going forward, we are looking to open Sudima hotels in Auckland CBD, Wellington and Queenstown.
fter its recent reopening, Sudima Airport Hotel had its first function in the form of a spiritual evening, Awaken your Soul, where Brahmrishi Shri Gurudev—an Indian religious guru—delivered a public discourse on ideals, teachings and preaching of various religions. Borrowing from the popular nursery rhyme, the Brahrishi emphasised, “If I can summarise what I want to say today, it will be—the time to be happy is now and the place to be happy is here.” The four-hour programme was organised by Laxmi Jhunjhnuwala, wife of Sudesh Jhunjhunwala and Women President of the New Zealand chapter of World Spiritual Awareness Forum, and was attended by more than 100 people. “I have been connected to the guruji since last July when I met him in Auckland for the first time. Later on, I got a chance to visit his ashram in Triputi as well, where I met lots of people connected to him and listened to their experiences. He is a self-realised soul and it is amazing to learn that he has helped thousands of people with his spiritual guidance. That’s why, this time, we decided to organise an evening of sacred audience with the Brahmrishi in Christchurch as well so as to benefit the community here too,” said Laxmi. Thomas Shaji Kurian, who met the Brahmrishi for the first time in Christchurch, noted, “It was a divine experience to say the least. Brahmrishi’s mission to guide us to liberation while we continue with our worldly duties is indeed praiseworthy.”
Christchurch celebrates its annual Multicultural Social Gaurav Sharma
technologies to the NZ Fashion Week runway shows, Science of Fashion in 2008 and 2010, which captured the interests of several entrepreneurs. My wife Archna is a Justice of Peace and marriage celebrant, my daughter Ruchika is a Clinical Pharmacist at the Auckland Hospital, and my son Sachin is studying commerce in Dunedin.
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he story of Dr Surinder Tandon—a senior scientist at AgResearch until early this year—who came to New Zealand 27 years ago and rose to become the member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community and textile science, is anything but ordinary. He now heads the Christchurch Multicultural Council (since 2009)—a member of the New Zealand Federation of Multicultural Council. On Saturday, April 30, the organisation celebrated its annual Multicultural Social— an event celebrating the diversity of New Zealand and recognising the contributions of volunteers in the city’s not-for-profit sector. Indian Weekender caught up with him on the sidelines of the event for a quick chat where he spoke about his New Zealand journey and contributions to the Indian community. IWK: Please tell us a bit about your New Zealand experience.
Tandon: I came to New Zealand in 1988 from Delhi with a research scientist job at Wool Research Organisation of New
IWK: Please tell us a bit about your involvement with voluntary organisations in and around Christchurch.
Surinder Tandon at the Multicultural Social in Christchurch
Zealand based at Lincoln. I continued to work as a senior scientist at WRONZ and its successors Canesis and AgResearch until early this year. During these years, I led the development and commercialisation of a number of innovative wool fabric technologies for wool grower groups and textile companies worldwide. The highpoint was when I helped AgResearch take the new wool
Tandon: I have been passionately involved in the voluntary sector for the wellbeing of Indian, multi-ethnic and wider Christchurch communities ever since my arrival in New Zealand. I was the founding Secretary (1997–2000) of the Indian Social and Cultural Club, Christchurch’s largest Indian community group and helped to run cultural events, Hindi language classes, radio programme as well as various sports events. As a member of the Lincoln Rotary Club since 1998 (President 2010–11), I introduced an annual Lincoln Multicultural
Festival in 2004 to celebrate cultural diversity there. Moreover, as the chair of the Christchurch Multicultural Council since 2009, I have closely worked with various multicultural communities, local councils, NGOs and government agencies working in the refugee and migrant sector, to help strengthen the ethnic communities, meet their aspirations and promote their diverse cultures. Since 2007, I have been an executive member of the Christchurch Interfaith Council, which works to promote greater understanding of diverse faiths and religions. IWK: Please tell us a bit about your New Zealand Order of Merit award. Tandon: In 2014 Queens Birthday honours, I was made Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to the community and textile science. Along with that, I have also been awarded Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Medal in 2005, the UK Royal Chartered Textile Institute Medal in 2012, and Hind Rattan ‘Jewel of India’ Award from the NRI Welfare Society in New Delhi in 2014.