APR 2019 | vol 01 issue 02
The New Zealand-India Trade Magazine
ENVOYS ON GROWING
NZ-INDIA RELATIONSHIP India Unplugged Event report
Indus Food visit outcomes
DEMYSTIFYING BLOCKCHAIN NEW HORIZONS: superdiversity EDUCATION wellington
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on show in mumbai
CONTENTS KIA ORA INDIA | APR 2019
6 Interview: Joanna Kempkers HE Joanna Kempkers, High Commissioner of New Zealand in India, discusses wide ranging topics with KiaOra India in an interview with editor Dev Nadkarni
9 TRADE talk: Stuti Banarjee
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The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been much debated and discussed. It is the largest FTA negotiation in Asia and perhaps the biggest negotiation for India.
10 Indus food: INZBC delegates pleased with Indus Food visit, OUTCOMES Ten New Zealand businesses, predominantly INZBC members, were among more than 700 buyers in the food and beverage sector from some 100 countries that attended Indus Food in New Delhi on January 14-15.
12 Interview: Sanjiv Kohli KiaOra India speaks to HE Sanjiv Kohli, India’s outgoing High Commissioner in New Zealand who takes up his next assignment in Africa next month.
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14 India unplugged: kiwi companies need to appeal to ‘Young India’ Suzannah Jessep and Barney Riley share their perspectives on India, focusing on diplomacy and trade.
16 MODERN India: A perspective In this exclusive piece for KiaOra India, Suzannah Jessep pens her impressions about India and the promise that the New Zealand-India relationship holds and how she looks forward to being part of the unfolding success story.
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18 Chamber Views - FICCI: Indian Economy A Robust Outlook India is currently one of the most important players in the global economic landscape. M&A activities in India reached a record US$129.4 billion in 2018, while private equity and venture capital investments reached US$ 20.5 billion. A perspective from FICCI.
20 Demystifying Blockchains: mark pascall
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Blockchains expert and evangelist Mark Pascall tells us about the technology and how it could change the face of transactions in coming years.
April 2019 | KiaOra India | 3
CON T E NT S KIA ORA INDIA | APR 2019
22 New Horizons: Superdiversity
Vol 01 Issue 02 - APRIL 2019
Review of challenges and lessons from the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia ‘Being overqualified for a role due to lack of local experience or credentialing issues can also impact detrimentally onnew migrants’ mental health.
Publisher: India New Zealand Business Council Editor: Dev Nadkarni Design & Production: Media Solutions Kiwi Ltd.
24 commercial offering: New York Deli New York Deli, a popular New Zealand sandwich franchise with an American twist, has recently celebrated 15 years in business.
26 education wellington on show in mumbai In April, Study in Wellington, a division of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA), held a successful student and agent event in Mumbai, with support from INZBC.
For Advertising, contributions & feedback contact: Garry Gupta, Secretary, INZBC. Email: secretariat@inzbc.org | +64 9 574 5220 Contributors in this issue: Stuti Banarjee, Suzannah Jessep, Shobha Mishra Ghosh Address: Office: Suite 7, Palm Space Office Complex, 4343 Great North Rd, Glendene, Auckland 0612. P.O. Box No: 74297, Greenlane 1546, Auckland, New Zealand.
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ED IT O R’S N O TE KIA ORA INDIA | APR 2019
Much to look forward to this year... At the outset, the KiaOra India team would like to thank you for receiving our inaugural edition published in December 2018 so warmly and enthusiastically. Feedback has been profuse and very encouraging. This year’s first quarter has been eventful. The year began with the second Indus Food show in New Delhi in mid-January. It’s India’s premier international food & beverage (F&B) expo that is open to an invited trade-only audience from more than 100 countries. Only exporting and export-ready companies are invited to exhibit at the show. As in 2018, an INZBC delegation of some ten F&B and related New Zealand businesses attended Indus Food’s second edition. Council Chair Sameer Handa led the delegation. Last year’s inaugural show itself was deemed a success and this year’s was even bigger and better, according to INZBC delegates that went to both the shows. In this issue, we cover Indus Food and talk to the organisers, the Trade Promotion Council of India as well as some of our delegates about their experience at the show. While they did transact business and made deals, attending INZBC members also participated vigorously in the round table discussions related to the business of exports in the South Pacific region, offering valuable insights. It was my privilege to meet HE Joanna Kempkers, New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India, when I called on her at the High Commission in Chanakyapuri.
Dev Nadkarni Editor, KiaOra India
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Set amidst sprawling manicured gardens, the tasteful buildings are a quintessential representation of Lutyens’ New Delhi. It is at this meeting, I initiated the conversation that led to the interview that is published in this issue. I offered her a few copies of the first edition and she graciously offered to display a few copies in the reception area. Mr Handa, representing the INZBC delegation also later called on Ms Kempkers. By coincidence, this issue also has excerpts of a conversation that KiaOra India had with HE Sanjiv Kohli, India’s outgoing High Commissioner to New Zealand. Mr Kohli’s stint finishes in May and there is much that he will be remembered for – most notably the establishment of the Consulate in Auckland. In this candid interview, the well-liked and respected Mr Kohli speaks expansively on the India-New Zealand relationship. The next quarter promises to be even more exciting – with Fonterra’s tie up with India’s Future Group likely to happen, and, of course, the most awaited news of the year from the subcontinent – results of elections in the world’s largest democracy, where some 900 million people are casting their ballots in seven mammoth phases as we speak. Enjoy this second issue and keep that feedback coming. We’d love your suggestions, too. Do let us know how we can make KiaOra India more interesting for you.
Dev Nadkarni has been in the media industry for 30 years, 16 of them in New Zealand and Oceania. He has worked as writer and sub editor with the National Business Review (NBR), written extensively for the New Zealand Herald and commented on Pacific matters for TVNZ. He is the founding editor of The Indian Weekender and has earlier worked as editor, cartoonist, tertiary educator and communications consultant in government, corporate, IT and economic development sectors.
April 2019 | KiaOra India | 5
Interview: Joanna Kempkers
“Aiming for greater economic cooperation for mutual benefit”
joanna kempkers New Zealand High Commissioner to India H.E. Joanna Kempkers shares her views about growing trade relations between the two countries in this exclusive interview with Kia Ora India Editor Dev Nadkarni. Kia Ora India and India New Zealand Business Council called on High Commissioner Kempkers at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi in January this year, which is when this interview was requested. In addition to India, Ms Kempkers is also High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and Ambassador to Nepal. A career diplomat, she has had postings in France, Fiji and the Cook Islands. She worked on New Zealand’s Closer Economic Relations with Australia before focusing on its political, trade and development relationships in the Pacific. Her most recent role in New Zealand was as Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Originally from Christchurch, Ms Kempkers is a graduate from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Honours in French. She is married to Dr Tim Markwell. They have three children. How do you see the NZ-India trade relationship progressing in the time you’ve been in New Delhi? Trade between India and New Zealand has followed an upward trajectory, and there is great potential to deepen our economic ties further. As of December 2017, India was New Zealand’s eleventh largest two-way trading partner. Trade between New Zealand and India was NZ$ 2.98 billion in 2018. India is also a key services market, with two-way services trade valued at NZ$1.4 billion in 2018, fuelled by the tourism and education sectors. Reflecting our strong engagement, we have around 140 Kiwi companies doing business in India. India is an important trading partner for us, and it would be to our mutual benefit to grow this relationship, including through the successful conclusion of a free trade agreement—either bilaterally or through the multilateral RCEP negotiations. But India is not just a market for New Zealand to sell to. We’ve seen a number of New Zealand companies achieve great success by basing manufacturing operations here, with or without a local partner, to export to third countries. 6 | KiaOra India | April 2019
The NZ dairy sector is poised to re-enter the Indian market this year with Fonterra’s tie up with Future Group. How do you think this will shape the future of the NZ-India relationship in the dairy sector – a relationship (albeit more friendly than commercial) that goes back seven decades? As India is the world’s leading dairy producer, and New Zealand is the world’s leading dairy exporter, the future relationship is likely to be driven by advancing the complementarities between the industries rather than competition. The joint venture will bring into focus the New Zealand dairy industry’s capabilities in processing and producing high-quality products. This fits in well with the Indian government’s goal of growing the food-processing sector and capturing added value which can be passed on to farmers. New Zealand can provide product innovation that can assist with growing the market for non-traditional dairy products in India and increasing the proportion of production entering the formal processing sector. The Indian food sector can also benefit from specialised ingredients, which are INZBC.ORG
increasingly being used in sport and health nutrition products as well as the food service sector.
and aims to increase yields throughout the region by transforming all aspects of crop production. New Zealand exporters understand the benefits of Is the Binsar Farms experience an isolated one – or is having a strong local sector and acting in concert to grow it replicable and scalable? Could there be a role for a market segment by improving quality and increasing the NZ and India governments in this, especially in awareness. Increased incomes and urbanisation are likely to create a demand for high-quality sheep and goat rejuvenating the cooperative and small-dairy industry meat supported by improvements to breeds, animal in India? husbandry, meat processing and the cold chain. These Governments have a role in providing enabling are all areas in which New Zealand can make a valuable conditions for the commercial contribution. Similarly, the Indian sector and producers to develop wool industry has potential to models that fit their particular grow, supported by New Zealand circumstances. The Binsar assistance in genetics, animal The expressions of experience is not an isolated one husbandry, farming systems and support and solidarity and is reproducible provided wool science. there is a focus on quality with the from Indians from At a more macro-level, is NZ taking required animal husbandry and all walks of life in the a relook at its India business business management expertise. Binsar Farms represents a strategy to take advantage of its wake of the attack [in commercial model where suppliers fast growing economy especially Christchurch] have are part of the value chain and given the expected slowing down understand the benefits derived of the Chinese economy in the only served to reinforce from quality. Binsar’s engagement coming years? If so, how? with the local community has been the deep and enduring a key factor in its success. The longAs one of the world’s fastest nature of the people-toterm success of farmers is more growing economies and emerging likely when they are closely linked regional powers, India is important people links between to a supply chain where they get to New Zealand, and will continue India and New Zealand the necessary feedback and the to be so. Our New Zealand Inc. India incentive to innovate and change to strategy to 2022 takes a holistic look meet the consumer’s requirements. at the bilateral relationship and includes specific objectives around The recent IndusFood show enhancing the bilateral economic relationship. We’re [January 2019] saw a delegation from NZ. How can aiming for better access for New Zealand businesses, the NZ-India relationship in the food and agribusiness more opportunities to export and greater economic cooperation for mutual benefit. We would like to sector grow, building on the Himachal Pradesh apples improve the investment framework to encourage more experience? Are there any other potential projects in investment between the two countries. We are also fresh produce and processed food? trying to attract and retain skilled migrants from India New Zealand is widely recognised for the productivity who can contribute to New Zealand’s economy. gains made in horticulture and the relevance of this How could NZ benefit from teaming up with India’s learning for India. There is considerable potential for large services sector to deliver solutions worldwide? Is New Zealand research institutions and producers to partner with the Indian agricultural sector to this being pursued in some way? grow production and improve product quality in the horticulture and livestock sectors. The New Zealand India’s GDP is valued at US$ 2.848 trillion (NZ$ 4.178 horticulture exports of apples, kiwifruit and avocados trillion), with the highest contribution coming from are counter-seasonal and, therefore, can complement the services sector at 53.9 per cent, followed by the Indian fruit supply. New Zealand has a strong focus manufacturing at 29.1 per cent and agriculture at 17.1 on innovative fruit varieties; however, for these new per cent. India’s huge services sector covers trade, hotels products to succeed in a market, an all-year-round and restaurants, transport, storage and communication, supply is an advantage. In the long term, the industries banking, financing, insurance, real estate, business of both countries stand to benefit if Indian growers can services, community, social and personal services, and produce fruit to provide the consumer with high-quality services associated with construction. Over the past products all year round. There is considerable potential few years, digitisation opportunities in the banking, to lift production with surplus fruit exported or available healthcare and entertainment sectors have witnessed for an expanding food processing industry. rapid growth. The Himachal Pradesh apple project is well under way INZBC.ORG
April 2019 | KiaOra India | 7
Businesses within New Zealand’s diverse and advanced tech sector have been actively targeting India’s services segment. Our services sector could, more broadly, focus on wireless infrastructure, health IT, payments and telecommunications to provide solutions as the industry in India faces challenges around both multilingual needs of consumers and making digital transactions safe and secure. Content development for mainstream as well as regional audiences could be another area of engagement. Some New Zealand companies such as Vista, Staah, CricHQ, Valocity, Serko, Medtech, Bypass and Redesign are already working successfully in these spheres, operating through different business models in India.
Should NZ and India still pursue the elusive FTA or simply look at strengthening bilateral trade ties besides the RCEP? As two countries committed to growing our economies, New Zealand and India are negotiating a closer economic relationship through two-tracks —bilaterally and through RCEP. For New Zealand, both these channels are important. We can offer world-leading expertise in agriculture, education, tourism, innovation and technology, all of which are vital to India’s own growth story.
With secure market access, greater certainty on costs and stability of regulation that would arise out of a free trade agreement, Kiwi companies would be more interested in stepping up investment in and engagement with India. The progress made on the RCEP negotiations last year was heartening. Leaders of the RCEP economies announced that the common goal is to reach a comprehensive RCEP agreement in 2019, and we look forward to that.
Is there anything more you would like to say about the New Zealand India relationship? New Zealand and India have so much in common. We share a Commonwealth heritage, respect for democratic norms and multilateralism, and — how can I not mention this when the Indian Premier League is under way — a love for cricket. These commonalities have been reinforced by our enduring people-to-people ties, which have been growing stronger, primarily through education and tourism. In 2018, two-way tourism grew by 20 per cent. Our world-class universities, that rank among the top three per cent globally, attracted 17,615 Indian students in 2017. We welcome more and more Indians to experience our country and culture. New Zealand was and remains one of the safest places in the world to live and work in. The Christchurch terror attack has jolted us, but it cannot shake New Zealand’s faith in the values of peace, inclusiveness and diversity.
Ms Kempkers and Dr Tim Markwell, with a guest at a business reception
Ms Kempkers during the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ Heads of Mission visit to the site of the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh
With Kiwi-Indian model and TV presenter Colin Mathura-Jeffree at the High Commission in New Delhi
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Interacting with beneficiaries of a capacity-building project supported by the Head of Mission Fund
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Trade Talk: Stuti Banarjee
India and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
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he Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been much debated and discussed. It is the largest FTA negotiation in Asia and perhaps the biggest negotiation for India. The objective is to achieve a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement among the ASEAN Member States and their FTA Partners. Till date twenty-five rounds of negotiations have been completed, the last one in Bali, Indonesia in February 2019. Negotiations are progressing in parallel on all three pillars of liberalisation – goods, services and investment. India along with the other countries is working towards target of the conclusion of negotiations by December 2019. For India, the RCEP, with the ASEAN at its centre, is an extension of its ‘Act East Policy’. The main tenet of India’s Act East Policy is, an inclusive security architecture. ASEAN centrality and the political, strategic and economic elements of the relationship has been the central pillar of India’s drive to improve relations with her eastern neighbours. The countries of the region have extensive economic relations with each other. In order to broaden the engagement as well as to engage with new economies the RCEP was established. The RCEP is a mutually beneficial FTA that would strengthen economic linkages and enhance economic linkages of trade, investment and services while helping minimise development gaps within the countries of the region. For India, the RCEP brings with it advantages of brining access to the wider market of the region, without barriers. Globally with a trend towards economic integration, it would be advantageous to be part of the RCEP, than to be out of it and it is complimentary to the FTA India has signed with the ASEAN and other nations. Along with greater market integration which would allow greater access to Indian products, it will further push the government’s ‘Make In India’ initiative. The Indian Foreign Trade Policy 2020, aims to help the growth of Indian export of goods and services, generating employment and increasing value addition in the country. The focus of the trade policy is on improving ‘ease of business’ and promoting exports of high value added products with a strong domestic manufacturing base, including engineering goods, electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and agriculture. Trade within RCEP nations is expected to increase once the agreement is signed. By being part of the block, India will get an opportunity to tap large and vibrant economies and grow its exports. Not being part of the block is tantamount to not having an even footing in terms of preferential access and losing export competitiveness. This will only harm India’s export growth in future. While the advantages are many, Indian industry also has some concerns. Primary among them is tariff reductions, which would allow the free flow of goods from China. The concerns of the Steel, Plastics, Copper, Aluminium, Machine Tools, Chemicals and Pharma Industries to name a few are that the
Dr. Stuti Banerjee Research Fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi
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state support provided to Chinese companies, the low cost of export to India and the better logistical infrastructure would mean that Chinese products would be able to increase their share in the Indian market at a lower cost, being detrimental to the local industries. The other major point that is being negotiated is the need for parallel RCEP negotiations on all fronts of trade, including the services sector. India has an advantage in the services sector and would like to play to its strengths. It would like to free movement of investment, trade and skilled professionals. Member states of the RCEP have been hesitant to negotiate on this area but at the Singapore Ministerial meet(2018) they agreed to India’s demand for a liberalised services sector. However, both proposals need to be formalised before the negotiations come to an end. There remains a gap between nations want more free trade and those that are cautious about opening theire markets. Some of these issues were discussed during the recent visit of a delegation of scholars from Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi to attend the Fourth Track II Dialogue with the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the New Zealand India Research Institute. The delegation also discussed India and New Zealand’s economic relations in a talk organised by India- New Zealand Business Council. The delegation’s meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade discussed various issues including the need to work together to address the menace of terrorism. The elections in India were also discussed as were the future areas of cooperation between India and New Zealand.
Dr. Stuti Banerjee is a Research Fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. At the Council, Dr. Banerjee is engaged in research on US and Latin America & the Caribbean, the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic. This includes writing analytical articles on the politics, economy and strategic issues of the region. Other areas of interest include international relations with emphasis on US and Indian.
April 2019 | KiaOra India | 9
INZBC Delegation to IndusFood
INZBC delegates pleased with Indus Food expo visit and outcomes Ten New Zealand businesses, predominantly INZBC members, were among more than 700 buyers in the food and beverage sector from some 100 countries that attended Indus Food in New Delhi on January 14-15.
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ndus Food is the country’s top international annual expo for the Food and Beverage (F&B) export sector. It is billed as a global platform where top exporters from India’s food and beverage industry participate and meet with prospective buyers and distributors from across the world invited to the event by the TPCI. As in 2018, organisers of the expo, the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI), invited INZBC to the show. The inaugural Indus Food expo took place in January 2018 – this was only the second time that the show was held. The New Zealand delegation comprised members of INZBC and those members who attended the expo in both the years said this year’s show was better organised and bigger than last year’s.
More than US$ 1 billion worth of business was transacted at Indus Food 2019, according to the TPCI. INZBC Chairman Sameer Handa, who also led the New Zealand delegation to Indus Food 2019 said, “We had a very strong delegation of 10 great businesses actively engaged in trade with India.” Mr Handa praised the TPCI’s Reverse Buyers-Sellers Meet programme under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) scheme of India’s
Department of Commerce that facilitated the delegation’s visit. “We congratulate TPCI on concluding such an amazing event successfully. It’s hard to find any fault with their arrangements. Everything we experienced was world class from accommodation to shuttle transport to the show and all the facilities at the show made it a lot easier for delegates to focus on doing business. The delegation to Indus Food was a huge success,” he said.
Delegates at a briefing with Indian High Commission to NZ HE Sanjiv Kohli before their delegation to New Delhi
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Side events at Indus Food included in-depth discussions at seminars that focused on geographically discrete areas. The New Zealand delegation was part of the seminar on the Oceania region comprising New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands region. After introducing themselves and their businesses, New Zealand delegates raised several important points during the seminar that focused on supply chain integrity, quality, the contentious issues raised by the parallel import industry as well as marketing and promotion. The participation was vigorous and meaningful – acknowledged as such by the TPCI managers present. Besides the INZBC members, participants included delegates from Australia and the South Pacific. AB International’s Ashok Bhatia raised the issue of parallel imports and how it was affecting the F&B imports industry in New Zealand. Parallel importing entities can potentially ‘under cut’ prices on what direct importers offer owing to higher compliance and other costs. Service Foods’ Suresh (Stan) Balar also shared his concerns on the issue and offered his own insights, as did other delegates. Consistency in the quality of merchandise exported from India was another issue that was robustly discussed. Other issues raised included the quarantine regime and the need for better flow of information
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and coordination between Indian exports facilitating authorities and their counterparts in New Zealand. TPCI officials present thanked the delegates for their participation and made copious notes of the concerns raised and said they had taken them aboard. Earlier, TPCI presented a slide show on Indian F&B exports in the Anzac and South Pacific regions. The volume of business transacted between Indian companies and those that were in the New Zealand delegation was still being assessed, Mr Handa said. Mr Bhatia said he had closed business to the tune of about US$8000, with potential for more to follow. Among the members of the delegation were Sameer Handa (leader of the delegation), Stan balar of Service Foods, Visma Foods’ Alkesh Sharma, AB International’s Ashok and Anu Bhatia J Punja NZ’s Jagdish Punja, Harman Impex’s Neha Arora, Prasad Salaskar of Salient Foods, Sandeep Agarwal and Dev Nadkarni. Speaking to KiaOra India, most delegates praised the arrangements that TPCI made for the visiting delegates in terms of accommodation, stay and the entire visit as a whole, and also were highly appreciative of the manner in which the expo was organised. The TPCI has already announced the dates for next year’s Indus Food programme, which it hopes will be bigger than this year’s second edition.
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Interview: Sanjiv Kohli
‘Clear indication of businesses sensing new opportunities’
SANJIV KOHLI Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand HE Sanjiv Kohli finishes his three-year tenure in May.
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career diplomat with more than three decades’ experience, Mr Kohli, an electrical engineer by training, began his foreign services career with the Indian Government in Kuwait. As a fresh 24-yearold official, he found himself in the middle of one of the largest humanitarian evacuation operations in history on the Jordan-Iraq border during the Iraq-Kuwait crisis. That operation that evacuated 170,000 Indians from the war zone ended up in the record books and became a successful Indian film titled Airlift, which has an actor playing Mr Kohli. Mr Kohli’s term in New Zealand has seen high-powered visits between the two countries and has been praised for the progress made in trade and people-to-people exchanges and, most notably, the establishment of a Consulate of India in Auckland, in response to a longstanding demand to serve Auckland’s large and growing Indianorigin population. He is also credited with working diligently to get all the different Indian associations to work together. Born to parents who were both in the civil service, Mr Kohli was educated at several locations
– wherever his parents were posted. He graduated in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the Punjab Engineering College. Mr Kohli is married to Dr Ruma, a paediatrician, the couple has two daughters and a son. Following an emotional farewell jointly organised by Indian associations in Auckland, KiaOra India Editor Dev Nadkarni met with Mr Kohli for an interview in which he spoke on a wide range of topics. Excerpts:
On India-New Zealand trade relations: The India-New Zealand relationship always rested on a solid foundation. The High Commission’s job is to nurture the relationship and leave it in a better space than before, making the relationship broad based with new areas of cooperation. New Zealand sources have said that India has shown a greater sense of urgency coordinating between the countries for the RCEP (Regional Closer Economic Partnership) negotiations. Trade in services has grown 50 per cent in the past little while. While the High Commission cannot take credit for all this, we have done a lot of behind the scenes
work with other stakeholders for this to happen. Two-way trade crossed $3billion, which in itself is a landmark. In recent times, I see clear diversity in the business visas the High Commission has been issuing. It’s the first indication of people becoming aware of newer opportunities where businesses on both sides sense the potential to make money. More Indian companies are interested in doing business with New Zealand. A 30-member business delegation, I believe, is coming into Wellington in April. We’re also seeing more opportunities being tapped in education and student recruitment. The University of Auckland is planning an India Centre for educational cooperation between the two countries. We’re seeing more joint research projects, and IT companies and increasingly cooperating and are doing well. This is a good ecosystem for startups and RCEP will undoubtedly boost this activity.
On working in New Zealand: I’m greatly impressed with the approachability of New Zealand’s
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government officials. Almost everything that needs to be done can be done on emails. This has been unparalleled for me. I’ve served in five or six countries but haven’t seen such openness and trust that I have experienced in New Zealand. Where meeting requests can take weeks to be dealt with in other countries, in New Zealand, they happen in a matter of days. People in New Zealand’s foreign office are so open and friendly – I’m their fan. Even meeting with Members of Parliament is far easier than in other countries. Other countries have a lot to learn from how New Zealand operates.
On India, New Zealand and the Pacific geopolitical space: New Zealand is increasingly seeing India as an important player in the Indo-Pacific region. This is because of India’s approach, which is open, inclusive, based on equality and mutual respect with the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) group as the region’s centrality. Nobody wants an authoritarian approach in the region; no one likes coercion. New Zealand understands India’s inclusive approach is not so much based on alliances as it is on building a coalition of likeminded countries for common, mutually desired outcomes. These are based on longstanding relationships. India’s ASEAN links go back decades and cultural and geographic links go back even centuries. ASEAN needs to have a central role in the region to share the economic growth and the admirable political stability that the members of the group have achieved over the years. There is increasing awareness of this here, leading to a sharing of strategic viewpoints for the region.
On India and the Pacific: There is increased cooperation between India and the Pacific Island nations in recent years. Bureaucrats from Samoa and Niue [The Indian High Commission in New Zealand also serves Samoa and Niue] have been going to India for a range of training programmes like those with the Comptroller of Audit, disaster management and several other programmes. Recently we had 25 officials from Samoa and 10 from Niue who were invited to India for such training.
Addressing the issue of travelling long distances to India, we now have Indian officials setting up and delivering the programmes in Fiji so that more officials from South Pacific nations may participate in these capabilitybuilding programmes. One such training initiative is experts from India who are being sent to Fiji to train Pacific officials in customs. On the cultural exchange front, people from New Zealand, Samoa and Niue were invited to participate in the Kumbh Mela, the largest congregation of humanity on the planet.
On highlights of his tenure: The two highest-level visits – former President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to New Zealand and then Prime Minister Sir John Key’s Indian visit – just months after I came to New Zealand were significant developments in the New Zealand-India relationship. The visits at this highest level opened new avenues and new mechanisms like the annual cyber dialogue, foreign office consultations brought our bilateral relationship closer and laid a firm footing for good things to happen. The Indian diaspora is greatly relieved that their longstanding demand for a consulate in Auckland is now a reality. A large number of people needing the High Commission’s services who had to travel to Wellington are now able to obtain many of these in Auckland. The Honorary Consul has done a great job in running the consulate, serving the large diaspora population in the Auckland region.
On Kiwi-Indians in Aotearoa: The Indian diaspora have done very well here. I found Indian New Zealanders to be so very friendly and they have shown a lot of affection toward me. I’ve had many opportunities to celebrate with them in their joys and share moments of reflection during tough times. As a High Commissioner, though I speak on a behalf of a billion people in India, equally I speak on behalf of 200,000 of our own people here, much more than the billion people back home. We may not have met all of their expectations, but I can assure them that we have done our best. What happened in Christchurch in March is a grim reminder of how vulnerable we are and what hatred can do.
India Unplugged: Event Report
New Zealand companies need to appeal to ‘Young India’ for more lucrative business ties “With India having the largest population of people below 35 years, it’s the ‘Young India’, that New Zealanders need to understand. Modern India is a different world”.
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hese were some of the insights shared by Suzannah Jessep, the former NZ Deputy High Commissioner to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and current Director, Research and Engagement, Asia NZ Foundation. Suzannah was speaking at a recent event organised by the India New Zealand Business Council [INZBC] on 10th April 2019 hosted at WelTec and Whitireia’s NZ Institute of Creativity, in Wellington. The theme of the day was Perspectives on India: Diplomacy and Trade. Victoria Spackman, Director - Te Auaha, welcomed the attendees and outlined the fantastic work that WelTec and Whitireia NZ do in the creative arts space in Wellington. The event was moderated by INZBC board member, Esther Guy-Meakin, who is the manager international trade at Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Speaking about her experiences in India, Suzannah shared, “I was struck by how dynamic and fast moving urban India is, and how the opportunities present in modern India are in many ways unparalleled. India is a place where great ideas can go seriously viral, and if you get your business right, then you have a potential reach into the hundreds of millions (depending, of course, on what you are offering).”
She reiterated the importance of people-to-people relations in both trade and diplomacy; “From what I observed, building reliable, trusted networks are critical to achieving this success in India. This was true for me, in government and diplomatic circles, and equally true for the New Zealand companies I saw navigating India.” Suzannah added further that it’s not all about trade; “Increasingly, the aperture through which we have been viewing the NZ-India relationship has been widening, with many recognising that the potential in the India-NZ relationship lies equally in fostering our social capital or ‘people-to-people linkages.’ Much like our advice to the private sector, building long term, trusted networks that are based on respect and shared values supports our wider bilateral interests, including our trade ambitions. Done well, these networks can also shape the systems in which we operate and in turn, deliver outcomes that contribute to the prosperity and safety of both of our nations,” she commented.
Perspectives on Trade
A second speaker, Barney Riley, Lead Negotiator, Trade and Economic Group from the Ministry of Foreign
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Affairs and Trade, discussed perspectives on trade. Barney has recently been appointed as the lead negotiator of RCEP for New Zealand. RCEP is a Free Trade Agreement with the ten ASEAN states and six AsiaPacific States including India. While reiterating that good trade policy matters for our prosperity, well-being and livelihoods, Barney highlighted that the ‘Golden Weather’ for New Zealand trade Policy and globalisation has ended and we need to have a strong Trade Policy strategy to deal with growing protectionism. Speaking on India-NZ trade relations, he said that while India remains our 11th largest trading partner, there is much more to achieve. Barney noted that compared to China’s export record which has reached $12 billion in goods, India is only at $600-700 million, and unlike services, goods exports have been static for the last few years”.
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He explained that India’s protectionism is becoming harder to understand; “Yes, serious challenges related to poverty, development, demography and the environment persist. But India is now a major player in the global order. Not just through sheer scale at 1.3 billion people, but also its growing economic clout and its increasingly outwardlooking foreign policy. There is a role for Indian leadership in international trade, and it can’t carry out that role if its borders remain closed. In that context, RCEP has significant advantages over our bilateral FTA process. It’s not just a commercial opportunity but has clear strategic benefit for both countries.” Barney said that the period 1995-2018 has been the ‘Golden Weather’ for New Zealand trade policy. “With the establishment of the WTO, reduction of global
protectionism, facilitated by FTAs and a functioning international rules-based system, all lead to a period of golden weather.” However, in 2019, this outlook is very different. Barney explained, “rules-based systems are under serious stress, global protectionism is no longer declining (but growing) and there is geopolitical deterioration. With the US-China situation, IndoPacific, South China Sea, Brexit and US return to unilateralism, there is greater stress to the international rules-based trading system.” Barney argues that New Zealand does have a trade policy strategy to deal with it; “Our top priority remains to defend the rulesbased system. We are working to embed New Zealand in the emerging regional economic architecture, through CPTPP, Pacific Alliance, advance RCEP, etc. We have developed the ‘Trade for All’ agenda, to ensure that trade policy delivers sustainable and inclusive economic development for the benefit of all. “We are also ensuring better use of NZ agencies on-shore and off-shore to help our exporters through economic diplomacy,” Mr Riley said. In these circumstances, New Zealand hopes that the RCEP negotiations are concluded this year, after six years of negotiations, as there is a real risk that the process cannot sustain another failure to conclude this year. The event was attended by a visiting delegation from New Delhi, representing the Indian Council of World Affairs. The delegation’s head, Mr. Soumen Bagchi, DDG, ICWA, addressed the gathering and highlighted the recent progress made by India in the world economy and bilateral ties in the pacific and beyond. He reiterated the success of India’s ‘Act East’ policy by the Narendra Modi government. Also addressing the members and dignitaries, was Michael Wood (Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities), who was appreciative of the efforts of INZBC in engaging with the business community of both countries, to keep the dialogue going. He highlighted the good work being done by the ethnic communities in New Zealand which helps in progressing the peopleto-people relations between India and New Zealand. The INZBC Wellington Chapter head, Sushrutha Metikurke added, “The event had a great turnout with participants sharing their insights and perspectives on the New ZealandIndia trade relationship. It was a very successful start to the year for the Wellington Chapter. “We hope to organise more such events in Wellington and am keen to hear from our stakeholders about how INZBC Wellington Chapter can better support them in strengthening their ties with India.”
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Perspectives by: Suzannah Jessep
Discovering Modern India Suzannah Jessep is Director of Research and Engagement at the Asia New Zealand Foundation. She was until recently New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner to India. In this exclusive piece for KiaOra India, Ms Jessep pens her impressions about India and the promise that the New Zealand-India relationship holds and how she looks forward to being part of the unfolding success story.
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have recently returned to New Zealand after three amazing, saree-clad years based in New Delhi and serving as New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Deputy Ambassador to Nepal. For me, this was a dream assignment. In fact, I joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) back in 2005 on the vague promise that an assignment to New Delhi might be in the offing, and happily, it was. But it wasn’t until I had settled into my role that I started to understand why it would be such a great assignment. For many New Zealanders, India can seem like an daunting place. We have fabulous associations with Indian cuisine, culture and history, but our impressions are also informed by baby boomers’ tales of backpacking through Rajasthan in the 1970s, of crowded train stations and gastroenteritis, and the shocking ‘click bait’ type headlines that a country of India’s size can serve up, but in no way represent everyday life. Modern India is a different world. While of course there are significant challenges associated with poverty, equality and job creation for the one million graduates entering the workforce every month, I was struck by how dynamic and fast moving urban India is, and how the opportunities present in modern India are in many ways unparalleled. India is a place where great ideas can go seriously viral, and if you get your business right, then you have a potential reach into the hundreds of millions (depending, of course, on what you are offering). From what I observed, building reliable, trusted networks are critical to achieving this success in India. This was true for me, in government and diplomatic circles, and equally true for the New Zealand companies I saw navigating India. As Deputy High Commissioner, much of my time was spent supporting Ministerial engagements and helping to ensure the New Zealand Government was kept well-informed of the key issues that were shaping Indian policy. After three years, I saw how much India’s foreign policy is driven by domestic affairs and how much its trade policy is driven by domestic demand and constituent bodies such as rural farmers. Much like New Zealand’s own Foreign Ministry, which ‘acts in the world to make New Zealanders safer and more prosperous’, the India I discovered was working hard to protect its borders and its people and - importantly - to modernise at a controlled pace so that millions of rurally-based low-skilled workers are not displaced from the economy overnight. India is currently holding its General Election, where
900 million eligible voters – 84 million of whom are voting for the first time – are expressing their views on India’s future (across a staggering 2,300 political parties and543 constituencies). The final vote count takes place on 23 May, and thereafter we will hear who the new government is to be. It will be an exciting process to watch, with the winner becoming the custodian of the most populous democracy in the world, but also a relationship with New Zealand that is warm, friendly and holds great potential. But it’s not all about dairy trade! Increasingly, the aperture through which we have been viewing the NZ-India relationship has been widening, with many recognising that the potential in the India-NZ relationship lies equally in fostering our social capital or “people-to-people linkages.” Much like our advice to the private sector, building long term, trusted networks, in areas of genuine shared interest and that are based on respect and shared values, supports our wider bilateral interests including our trade ambitions. Done well, these networks can also shape the systems and rules in which we operate and in turn, deliver outcomes that contribute to the prosperity and safety of both of our nations. I am now working as the Director of Research and Engagement at the Asia New Zealand Foundation. A key part of my work is helping New Zealanders plug in to the best parts of Asia and in doing so build strong and resilient networks that help them flourish. The Foundation recognises India as a key priority country, and I really look forward to contributing to the evolving New-Zealand-India success story.
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“Modern India is a different world. While of course there are significant challenges... I was struck by how dynamic and fast moving urban India is, and how the opportunities present in modern India are in many ways unparalleled. India is a place where great ideas can go seriously viral, and if you get your business right, then you have a potential reach into the hundreds of millions.
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April 2019 | KiaOra India | 17
Chamber Views: FICCI
Indian Economy Shows Robust Outlook
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ndia is currently one of the most important players in the global economic landscape. Its trade policies, government reforms and inherent economic strengths have attributed to its standing as one of the most sought-after destinations for foreign investments in the world. India received more than USD 23.6 bn of FDIs in the year ending 2017-18. India’s trade deficit narrowed to a 17-month low of $9.6 billion in February, 2019 as merchandise imports fell on the back of lower crude oil prices. Exports growth was relatively tepid at 2.44% in February 2019, while imports contracted 5.41%. The integration of the domestic economy through the twin channels of trade and capital flows has accelerated in the past two decades, which in turn, led to the India’s GDP reaching Rs 170.95 trillion (US$ 2.47 trillion) in 2017-18 and Rs 190.54 trillion (US$ 2.76 trillion) in 2018-19.
India’s GDP Growth and Forecasting till 2022
With the improvement in the economic scenario, there have been investments in various sectors of the economy. The M&A activities in India reached record of US$ 129.4 bn in 2018, while private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investments reached US$ 20.5 bn. During 2018-19 (up to February 2019), merchandise exports from India have increased by 8.85% year-on-year to US$ 298.47 bn, while services exports have grown by 8.54%
year-on-year to US$ 185.51 bn. With the reforms like Goods and Services Tax (GST), new direct tax collection stood at US$ 154.69 bn as of February, 2019. Government initiatives like Make in India and Digital India are also helping in driving the country’s economic activities. ‘Make in India’ as a core policy initiative is intended to encourage and accelerate growth of the country’s manufacturing sector. The government has set an ambitious target of increasing the contribution of manufacturing output to 25% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025. This would be a 9% increase from the current level of 16%. Globally, India is the sixth-largest manufacturing nation and was the biggest recipient of FDIs in 2016-17, with inflows touching $60 billion, the highest-ever annual inflow into the country. Recent success story of this program is Foxconn’s decision to manufacture most of Apple’s models in India itself. Under the Digital India plan, around 115,643-gram panchayats have already been connected. India’s digital economy is currently valued at US $ 200 billion at around 8% of GDP and it has the potential to add $800 billion to $1 trillion of economic value by 2025, accounting to around 18-23% of GDP. Various initiatives have been taken to build IT-BPM Industry, which would be equipped with new technologies like AI, IoT, Advanced Analytics, etc. There
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is new thrust on cyber security, developing e-market places, national document lockers, etc. By 2020, the average age in India will be 29 years with 65% of the population being in the working age group (15-59 years of age). India’s working age population is expected to be two-thirds of the total population in 2025. To channelize the young innovation, the Government also launched programs like - Start-up India and Stand-up India. The Start-up eco-system in India has the potential to create a USD 10 trillion economy by 2030. Currently, the country is third largest start-up ecosystem in the world and has created value of approximately USD 130 bn till 201718. The government has also made a concerted effort to train youth on ‘new-age’ skill requirements. On the employment front, there are reports which suggest that there are 15 mn new entrants in job market every year as against 10 mn jobs created (combined in formal and
Shobha Mishra Ghosh Asst Secretary General FICCI
informal sectors). Industry 4.0 is also impacting and changing the industrial landscape and thereby skill-sets requirements. The re-skilling and up-skilling have also become imperative for existing job roles. Frugal Innovation, flexi working hours, digital connectivity and adaptation to global changes are becoming the key focal points of India’s growth story. India has successfully laid the foundation to enable innovation led growth but still needs to create an ecosystem to capitalize on recent reforms. It should now focus on producing globally accepted products, solutions which will have far reaching consumer impacts, policy changes, which would allow more investments and most important train youth on 21st century skills. With all this in place, India can soon join the league of ‘developed nations’.
Ms. Ghosh is Assistant Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) heads Education (school, vocational education & higher education), Skill Development, Health, Health Insurance and Medical Technology. She has the experience of working with private sector, governments and multilateral/bilateral development agencies with the expertise to recommend policy reforms, areas for public-private partnerships and awareness programmes among ststakeholders and beneficiaries.
Interview: Mark Pascall
Demystifying Blockchains Technology
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lockchain technology expert Mark Pascall was invited to speak at INZBC’s first networking session for 2019 at the Auckland offices of EY recently. His presentation titled ‘The Blockchain: A beginner’s guide to all the important bits’ was an excellent introduction to blockchain technology and its applications for the uninitiated and the somewhat initiated. He laid out the concept in the simplest terms possible drawing
from analogies that everyone could relate to and went on to explain how the technology worked and how it could affect ways of transacting commercially in the future. Predictably, a flurry of audience questions followed and Mark dealt with each one of them astutely. Earlier, INZBC Secretary Garry Gupta introduced Mark to the audience. President Sameer Handa welcomed the audience and EY Partner Sanjay Sharma gave a brief address. Mark is passionate about all
things decentralised and blockchain. He is currently Executive Director of BlockchainNZ and director of TheDAO.Agency (DAO is an acronym for Decentralised Autonomous Organisations). He co-founded Blockchainlabs.nz, has presented at over 30 conferences on blockchain related topics, been Blockchain trainer at Tech Futures Lab, was part of the SingularityU New Zealand local faculty and co-authored the report “New Zealand: Unlocking Blockchain’s Potential” (http://ehf.nz/ nz-blockchain-potential).
After a brief chat following his presentation, KiaOra India Editor Dev Nadkarni e-interviewed Mark. In his replies, Mark shares a little more detail about blockchain and decentralised technologies, cryptocurrencies, regulations and what the future of financial and other blockchain-based transactions might look like. What do you see as the major impediments in the adoption of blockchain technologies in the corporate sector? First is education/knowledge. Blockchain and decentralised technologies are still very new. They introduce fundamentally new concepts that challenge the way business/commerce has been done for centuries. The technology has not been taught at universities and many of the decision makers and leaders have little knowledge of this space. It is also challenging because it is a very fast moving space (what you learned last month may have changed today). We’ve been through a hype cycle in 2017 where huge amounts of money were raised – we’re now seeing an industry consolidation where many would argue that new foundations are being laid.
The second is scalability. Up until recently blockchains have had very slow transaction throughput. This has effectively limited the applications that can be used. This is changing fast with “layer 2” solutions being applied to existing blockchains and new faster blockchains such as EOS becoming more popular.
Blockchain and bitcoin are often seen as two sides of the same coin (pardon the pun). As a blockchain evangelist do you think the bad press that bitcoin and cryptocurrencies have had lately is rubbing off on blockchain as a useful technology? Yes, definitely. The Bitcoin price volatility is far more likely to grab the headlines than a new application being released or an incremental improvement to the technology. The important message is that bitcoin/
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cryptocurrencies are a small part of the blockchain/ decentralised technologies story. The big story is that we have begun a revolution that is moving us from a centralised society (based on geopolitical boundaries) to a decentralised global village. We’ve seen that the uptake of internet technology has been exponential. Do you expect that to happen with blockchain technology at least in some sectors like supply chains and logistics? If so, how far away are we from crossing the Rubicon, so to speak? We have a long way to go but with any exponential change it is very difficult to predict time frames. There are productions supply chain blockchain projects now out there but hard to know which of those will still be there in a few years time. Important to think of blockchain technologies as protocols, i.e. the plumbing layers that will underpin a new generation of applications. Once we stop talking about them, then they will be “mainstream”. Just like most people aren’t interested in the protocols that underpin the internet (TCP/IP/HTTP, etc). Can cryptocurrencies successfully swim against the tide of long-entrenched vested interests seeking to preserve existing, highly opaque systems? Or will it remain the preserve of a select band of enthusiasts? The current financial system is certainly very entrenched with some big players who have a lot to lose if things change. Yes they will of course fight and, yes, existing systems/ architectures will co-exist with the new models
for many years to come. Most of us in the blockchain space believe that ultimately decentralisation will win. Take the currency use case: it seems crazy that we have around 200 currencies (with significant cost/friction to move between them) yet we are now transacting in a global market place. Logic would dictate that we will move to a much smaller number of global currencies. But if we do then who should control them? United States? China? We don’t have world government that we trust to run them. We do now, however, have decentralised blockchain technologies that could potentially fill that gap.
What next for blockchain technology? We see two exciting areas over the next couple of years: ◼◼ Security tokens. This is the ability to “tokenise” (i.e. create blockchain based digital tokens) for real world assets (e.g a building, a company and painting). This would create new global asset markets that could bring fractional ownership to the masses. ◼◼ Decentralised Automomous Organisations. These are organisations build on blockchain smart contracts that have decentralised governance (i.e. decisions are made by the network of agents within rather than a hierarchical centralised control structure that more traditional organisations rely on). DAOs have the potential to create large, powerful, global entities that can tap into the “wisdom of the crowd” to make better/faster decisions. If interested this ebook just released may be if interest - https://daostack.io/ebook
GLI MP S ES OF T HE E VE NT : BL OC KC H AI N T EC H N OLOGY
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April 2019 | KiaOra India | 21
New Horizons: Superdiversity
Health and Safety regulators in a superdiverse context Review of challenges and lessons from United Kingdom, Canada and Australia ‘Being overqualified for a role due to lack of local experience or credentialing issues can also impact detrimentally on new migrants’ mental health.’
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he Superdiversity Institute need for New Zealand employers, for Law, Policy and Business’s workers, government, and relevant latest report, Health and stakeholders to understand these Safety regulators in a issues, particularly as the 2018 superdiverse context: review of Census data (which has not yet been challenges and lessons from United released) is likely to show an even Kingdom, Canada and Australia, greater increase in New Zealand’s examines how regulators in those superdiversity. three countries are challenged by Our research found that while and are working to improve the overseas regulators have taken health and safety outcomes for their some steps towards reducing injury culturally and linguistically diverse and illness amongst CALD workers, (CALD) populations, which tend there is still a long way to go. Canada to have a significantly higher rate had done the most, followed by the of injury. United Kingdom and then Australia. Commissioned by WorkSafe, For example, in Ontario, following New Zealand’s an accident primary involving workplace the death of health and four migrant safety regulator, construction and supported workers, an Being by the Ministry Expert Advisory overqualified for a of Business, Panel on Innovation and Occupational role due to lack of Employment, Health and the report Safety was local experience or considers how appointed to credentialing issues New Zealand “take a broad can effectively look at the can also impact meet the health [occupational detrimentally on and safety health and needs of the safety] system new migrants’ increasing from end mental health number of to end.” ethnicities, This cultures, and prompted languages sweeping which make up reforms and our population, a strategic so they do not suffer worse health approach emanating from a and safety outcomes than the legislatively mandated focus general population. on workplace injury and illness Workers (and employers) arriving prevention, as opposed to the from very different health and previous focus on enforcement. safety cultures often have different This included the appointment of a expectations, and think and behave committee to advise on vulnerable differently from those born in (including CALD) workers, whose New Zealand. There is an urgent recommendations were adopted by
the regulator and included targeting outreach to specific newcomer and migrant worker groups (See page 110 of the report onwards). There is a real opportunity for WorkSafe and New Zealand to show international leadership in this area. The research found a gap in proactive and strategic measures to ensure that CALD workers are not more vulnerable to workplace injury and illness than other workers. Most regulators took reactive and ad hoc measures once accidents had happened and focused on communication and language initiatives. The report finds that there are many more critical but less intuitive measures WorkSafe should consider to more effectively protect CALD workers. The report makes 15 key recommendations, which are to: ◼◼ Apply a Superdiversity Framework to WorkSafe, including prioritising diversity in recruitment and training ◼◼ Define the problem, and use consistent definitions ◼◼ Prioritise mental health of CALD workers arising from discrimination ◼◼ Improve the data collected about CALD workers ◼◼ Take an intersectional approach to vulnerable work factors ◼◼ Take a strategic and system-level approach to upstream factors ◼◼ Use inspections and investigations to improve outcomes for CALD workers ◼◼ Engage with CALD communities ◼◼ Educate CALD workers ◼◼ Focus on communication and language
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◼◼ Provide more guidance to CALD employers ◼◼ Provide more guidance to all employers ◼◼ Encourage high-risk sectors to take the lead on addressing increased vulnerability of CALD workers ◼◼ Strengthen protections from reprisal; and ◼◼ Better measure the effectiveness of CALD specific initiatives. Of these 15 recommendations, the report identifies mental health as the most urgent issue and gap facing CALD workers. The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 has given increased visibility to mental health being as important as physical health and safety. Cultural safety is critical to preventing high levels of occupational stress. Mental health issues arise from working in a new country without any family, communications issues for those without English as a first (or any) language and unlawful discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, and religion. Migrants’ mental health also suffers from verbal and physical abuse from those they work with and from clients/patients. A study of home care workers in the United States found an association between having a language barrier and suffering an injury from patient violence. This is confirmed by a recent study on internationally qualified nurses in New Zealand by Professor Margaret Brunton. Being overqualified for a role due to lack of local experience or credentialing issues can also impact detrimentally on new migrants’ mental health. Therefore new migrants’ downward mobility increases their risk of both physical and mental injury (an issue raised by several of the Canadian regulators). A recognition and understanding of the greater stresses on the mental health of CALD workers is needed to ensure that it is properly identified as an issue, so that data is collected to allow targeted solutions to prevent it, and to address its effects.
and set an excellent platform to improve workplace health and safety outcomes for CALD workers. With the new Strategy, and this new report as a roadmap, we look forward to seeing the mainstreaming of superdiversity in health and safety for the benefit of all workers and employers in New Zealand.
Health and safety regulators in a superdiverse context: Review of challenges and lessons from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia By Mai Chen, Chair Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business
New Health and Safety at Work Strategy 2018-2028 The principles of the Government’s new Health and Safety at Work Strategy 2018-2028, released in December 2018, are well-suited to applying a superdiversity framework to health and safety at work,
Mai Chen Managing Partner of Chen Palmer Partners, and Chair of the Superdiversity Institute of Law, Policy and Business
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Mai Chen is a thought leader, direction setter and a futures thinker. Born in Taiwan and arriving in New Zealand as a child with barely any English, she is now one of New Zealand’s top public and constitutional law experts specialising in central and local government. Mai has been managing partner of her firm Chen Palmer for more than 20 years. Holding countless governance and advisor roles, Mai works to empower women, champion diversity and inspire leaders across New Zealand.
April 2019 | KiaOra India | 23
C Noe m wm Ye o r ck i aDle o l if f e r i n g : N e w Y o r k D e l i
New York Deli offers a Franchise Opportunity New York Deli, a popular New Zealand sandwich franchise with an American twist, has recently celebrated 15 years in business. New York Deli was originally founded in Christchurch in 2003. Since then it has become renowned for its ‘Hero’ sandwiches. They have a distinct American influence with customers able to choose options such as Brooklyn Short Rib, Manhattan and Midtown BLT, among many others.
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long with an American inspired menu, New York Deli has created a New York theme in everything from its décor to a music playlist featuring Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. The focus is on quality fast casual food in a comfortable environment. Hospitality experts, Mike Parkinson and Jack Meertens took over the business in 2016 and have used their extensive experience in the industry to take the brand to another level. The pair worked with Burger King for 15 years, opening 75 stores across the country, before taking on New York Deli and also helped introduce Carl’s Jr. to New Zealand. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far,” says co-Director,
Mike Parkinson. “A lot of effort has gone into creating an experience that appeals to a broad range of customers, from students to tourists, and workers to families. “The menu has something for everyone, all made with the best quality ingredients, and has steadily evolved over the years. Along with our Hero sandwiches, we now serve bagels and our New Yorkers, which use bratwurst, chorizo and Cumberland sausage with a delicious combination of different fresh fillings made as ordered. Each store is also licensed so we tend to attract all types of clientele from breakfast through to dinner.” New York Deli has built up a loyal customer base in Christchurch, with queues regularly stretching
out of the doors. The aim now is to take the brand to the rest of New Zealand, with plans to open stores in Auckland, Queenstown and Dunedin. “We have developed an offering that is different to what customers are able to get elsewhere,” says co-Director, Jack Meertens. “We have proven that the concept works, our supply chains are well established and we have a track record of happy, successful franchisees. Now, we’re looking forward to taking New York Deli to even more customers throughout the country.” We are seeking energetic individuals to take franchises of 1 or more stores, we are prepared to franchise regions to suitable applicants.
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New York Deli is a superior, licensed, sandwich outlet. Sandwiches are freshly prepared with premium ingredients. Seeking people with English language skills and prior food experience and/ or willing to learn. Full training will be given.New York Deli will be the franchise to go to in the coming years, we have a very exciting, award-winning design and a new ownership team with the experience to make this chain a leader in its field. The Bush Inn store won the ADNZ Resene Colour in Design award for 2016 Canterbury/ Westland.
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We are a New Zealand based franchise with personnel readily available for training and advice to prospective and active franchisees. For further information please contact Jack Meertens ( jack@newyorkdeli. co.nz ) or Mike Parkinson (mike@ newyorkdeli.co.nz). Prior food experience is preferred but not absolutely essential, the ability to learn is essential as are English language skills. New York Deli will require your full focus and we are available 24/7 to help with advice and training. Your success is our success and we will provide all the help necessary to support you.
New York Deli locations available in New Zealand currently: • Auckland • Wellington • Christchurch • Queenstown • Invercargill We have also developed a menu for the India market following a long discussion with a Delhi based potential operator and in conjunction with Jo Pennycuick (who is also our architect/ designer, and who has offices in India) and would be delighted to discuss this opportunity also with interested parties.
April 2019 | KiaOra India | 25
Education Wellington on show in Mumbai
Mumbai Gets a Taste of Education Opportunities in Creative Capital Wellington In April, Study in Wellington, a division of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA), held a successful student and agent event in Mumbai, with support from INZBC, and including all key tertiary education providers based in Wellington including WelTec and Whitireia, Victoria University and Massey University. Attendees from a range of Indian education agencies, international schools and tertiary institutions found out why the Wellington region is the study destination of choice for smart, creative and ambitious students; networked with key tertiary educational institutes and enjoyed a demonstration from Wellington creative talent including actor and stuntman Shane Rangi (featured in Wellington-produced films The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, amongst others). “Having the INZBC involved in our event provided a great link to a wider network than we already have. The event was a real success and allowed us a platform to tell people about what a fantastic destination Wellington is as a place to live and study,” says WREDA Talent,
Education & Skills Manager, Brook Pannell. Known as the “Creative Capital of New Zealand”, the Wellington region New Zealand’s most creative, according to the Infometrics Creativity Index, which measures the proportion of NZ’s workforce employed in the creative sector. Almost 50% of the capital’s workforce is employed in knowledge intensive industries and Wellington has the highest concentration of web-based and digital technology companies in New Zealand. Wellington has also topped the Deutsche Bank Liveable City Index, rating it the world’s most liveable city for two years running.
The audience was treated to lively and informative sessions featuring Wellington creative talent, and master classes led by leading Wellington academics (L to R) Ralph Hays - NZ Consul General and Trade Commissioner; Shane Rangi - Wellington actor and stuntman; Jugnu Roy - Education New Zealand Country Manager and Brook Pannell. Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency were joined by some other Wellington celebrities at the event
Moira Hagenson and Paul Bryant of WelTec and Whitireia, engaging with visitors
Dany Pike of WelTec and Whitireia’s Creative School Te Auaha showcased her talent in Special Effects Makeup Artistry by transforming a visitor into a red-bearded dwarf, at the event
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