The King’s Birthday Honours list, released today, acknowledges 188 New Zealanders for their exceptional service to the country. Among them, several South-Asian New Zealanders have been recognised for their significant contributions to ethnic communities, healthcare, technology, and cultural integration.
Topping the list among Asian achievers, is business and community leader Ranjna Patel, who has been appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to ethnic communities, health, and family violence prevention.
A multi-award-winning advocate for community wellbeing, Dame Ranjna co-founded Gandhi Nivas in 2014 — an early intervention service that supports men at risk of committing family harm.
Dame Ranjna Patel Photo: Supplied
In 2019, she launched Mana 4 Mums, supporting pregnant Māori and Pacific women under 23 in South Auckland with holistic care for up to 15 months post-birth. She also co-founded the Swaminarayan Complex in 2023, a multicultural community centre in Auckland offering programmes for seniors, women, and children.
Patel has held numerous governance roles that include Deputy Chair of Diversity Works New Zealand, Board Member of the Mental Health Foundation, Executive Trustee of Total Healthcare and NACEW, and Chair of Indian Ink Theatre Company.
She is Patron of NZ Police Recruit Wing 330 and co-founded Tāmaki Health in 1977, now New Zealand’s largest privately owned primary healthcare provider, serving over 330,000 patients. In 2024, she became the first person of Indian origin inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame, and in 2021, she became the first woman to receive the Kiwibank Innovator of the Year award.
Past honours include the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2017) and the Queen’s Service Medal (2009).
Panchanatham Narayanan/Photo: Supplied
Also named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit is Panchanatham Narayanan, President of the New Zealand Federation of Multicultural Councils, for his work with New Zealand’s multicultural communities.
Narayanan, who also received the Queen’s Service Medal in 2010, first served as MNZ President from 2003 to 2009 and resumed the role in 2017. Under his leadership, MNZ has expanded from 11 to 26 societies nationwide. He is credited with the creation of Huarahi Hou, a globally recognised integration framework grounded in New Zealand’s bicultural foundations.
Narayanan has mobilised communities during national emergencies — including natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the March 15 terror attacks — and led national multicultural celebrations. He champions inclusion of women, youth, and rainbow communities, and serves on numerous national boards and committees.
Lalita Vanmali Kasanji and Sunit Prakash/Photo: Supplied
The husband-and-wife team of Lalita Vanmali Kasanji and Sunit Prakash were honoured for their services to the Indian community and IT sector. In 2023, they co-founded the New Zealand Centre for Digital Connections with India to foster cross-border collaboration in technology and innovation.
Kasanji applied her distinctive New Zealand perspective and ethno-sociological approach to her joint research with Prakash titled “The Story and Contribution of Indian IT Professionals to New Zealand.” This highlighted the community’s remarkable knowledge, experience, insights, and cross-market connections, and, as she put it, made it their mission to “remove barriers and seize opportunities.” They identified predicators to success, creating catalyst programs for visibility and growth, forming the basis of their submission recommending a Digital and IT Trade Delegation to India.Prakash has contributed extensively through press articles, interviews, op-eds, publications, submissions, academic papers, and panel discussions. With professional experience at IBM in both Sweden and New Zealand, he has also served as Director of Support Operations for Asia Pacific Japan at a Nasdaq-listed tech firm in Sydney. Now a respected startup mentor and independent IT practitioner based in Wellington, he continues to identify opportunities to enhance New Zealand’s digital maturity and global competitiveness.
Santosh Prasad Bhandari and Khoa Truong Nguyen were both named Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for their work with the Nepalese and Vietnamese communities respectively. Accepting the honour, Bhandari stressed the need for targeted, collaborative efforts to improve ethnic community wellbeing.
Santosh Prasad Bhandari/Photo:Supplied
Three more individuals received the King’s Service Medal for contributions to various ethnic communities:
Narendra Bhanaand, Narayanan Kutty Pulloothpadath & Parminder Kaur/Photo: Supplied
Narendra Bhana, for long-standing service to the Indian and multicultural communities. A former President of the Auckland Indian Association, Bhana has been instrumental in unifying Indian communities. He helped form the Diaspora Group with the Indian High Commission to centralise Independence Day celebrations and represents Indian voices on national issues from justice to education and youth empowerment. He has actively engaged with the justice sector over retail crime, advocated for tougher laws, and promoted unity and inclusivity through interfaith collaboration. In 2023, he supported the NZICA Youth Conference, which covered well-being, careers, and culture.
Parminder Kaur, for her services to Indian and multicultural communities, particularly in Christchurch. She began volunteering in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquakes and has since led multiple initiatives to foster social cohesion among the city’s diverse communities. In 2017, she co-founded the IndianNZ Association of Christchurch Inc. and has served as its Chairperson, organising major multicultural events, including the Christchurch Multicultural Festival – Celebration of Cultures, which features performances from over 30 cultural groups in Canterbury.
She also established and currently chairs the Women’s Helping Hand Trust, which provided critical food and support to families during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her role as a community liaison for the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, she worked with several government agencies to deliver public education sessions about COVID-19 and vaccinations. She currently runs weekly wellbeing and development classes for women in Selwyn and Christchurch, in addition to hosting special women-focused events. Mrs Kaur has also served as a Justice of the Peace and marriage celebrant since 2018, and was appointed a White Ribbon Ambassador in 2022.
Narayanan Kutty Pulloothpadath, for contributions to Indian and multicultural communities. Pulloothpadath has been a committed community leader in New Plymouth since settling there in 1998. He has been an active member of the Taranaki Multiethnic Council since 2000, serving as its President from 2006 to 2008, a tenure recognised with a certificate of appreciation from the New Zealand Federation of Ethnic Councils. For the past decade, he has been the Council’s Funding Coordinator, and was instrumental in launching the Taranaki Multiethnic Extravaganza, an annual celebration of regional cultural diversity. As President of the New Plymouth Indian Community (2016–2018), he registered the group as an Incorporated Society and helped establish Diwali as a regular community celebration. In 2021, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the group. Since 2023, he has also served as a Trustee of the Sisonke Taranaki African Community Trust, offering guidance and strategic direction.
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