Building a legacy
"This nation was built by men who took risks - pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action."
- Brooks Atkinson
Being a pioneer, trying to chart new territories and spear-heading a mammoth project is never easy. It comes with a price tag.
Sitting in the Nixon Park community hall, that sits cheek-by-jowl with the Bowling club in Howick, Auckland, the men with a mission are counting the minutes, waiting for the hall to fill up.
As people begin to trickle in, you can see they are a little anxious. They expected a house full or at least half of it filled up in the next few minutes for the presentation they are about to make. The presentation is about the growing band of Zoroastrians in South West Houston who built a Zarathusti Heritage and Cultural Centre where they can congregate for community events. It's also about taking an illustrious page out of the books of the Australian Zoroastrian Association in Sydney and following their footsteps. But more than that, it's about translating a big dream into reality.
Meet the men who feel an enormous sense of moral responsibility and are fired with the idea of doing something constructive for the increasing community of Zoroastrians in Auckland. The go-getting board of trustees comprises of Rohinton Patrawala, Shahazad Contractor, Tanaz Siganporia, Tehmus Mistry and Vicky Mistry. They are extremely passionate about the cause and with good reason.
"We need to think of the future of our children and how we can contribute towards it," says Shahazad Contractor, Business Manager Corporate Trust, Trustees Executors Limited, who has been doing a lot of online research to garner support from every corner of the world. " As a community, collectively we need to initiate the generosity demonstrated by our forefathers, like the illustrious Tatas, Wadias, Godrejs and Jeejeebhoys, in order to achieve this goal” " he pointedly states. "It is time we gave something back to the community in New Zealand?" he reiterates.
The Zoroastrian population in New Zealand has grown from a tiny community of about 20 in the late 1980s to today being a sizeable 1,200 most of who have settled in Auckland.
“Initially, the size of our community meant that social and spiritual events were held in peoples' homes. As we have grown, we have resorted to hiring community halls and restaurants for our functions, a lot of which don't have smoke alarms or have to be vacated early," points out Rohinton Patrawala, Trust Accountant, Guardian Trust, who is the first one to put up his hand whenever there is any community work to be done. "This creates challenges, especially with respect to religious ceremonies. Our growing community has become keenly aware of the need for a spiritual, cultural, and social centre that will serve the Zoroastrian community in New Zealand."
To respond to this need, the Zoroastrian Community Trust of New Zealand (ZCT) was set up by the committed five as a registered Charitable Trust under the laws of New Zealand in March 2007. The trust deed is transparent and is available for viewing on www.zct.co.nz
It was after a lot of thought, deliberation, debates and community meetings that the go-getting team came out with options to either construct a building or buy an existing one with enough parking.
The objective of ZCT is to establish a Zoroastrian Community Centre and place of worship in Auckland, New Zealand. The approximate cost of building a modest centre would be around $2,000,000. How they plan to put it into action is by collecting funds through donations and fundraising activities, for the establishment and ongoing management of the Community Centre.
A place where the younger generation can forge lasting relationships, where members of the community can celebrate every good occasion, be it navjotes (thread ceremonies) , weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, barbecues or spend time playing housie and bridge. It could also be a meeting ground where the young and old can get together for festivals or religious lectures, prayer, karate and cooking classes.
With the assistance of a fund-raising team of around ten volunteers, ZCT have already had a couple of very successful fundraising events from an English play "Family Planning" at the Dolphin theatre to an extremely successful hypnotic show, sausage sizzles, food bazaar and household sale from which they have collected a decent amount. A tidy sum has also streamed in from pledged donors within the community who contribute anything from $10 to $50 a week towards the big vision. The tireless trustees are leaving absolutely no stone unturned to work towards the final amount and they are going about it in a very systematic manner.
" Though the amount looks big it's not impossible," explains the soft spoken Vicky Mistry Finance Manager, Imagetext Publishing Systems Limited, who feels very passionately about the project. "It's just a question of everyone feeling a moral responsibility and asking themselves what have I left behind for the next generation. The amount we plan to collect is not an impossible one."
The ZCT trustees are also devoting a lot of their time working with local charities and government organisations that assist with fund-raising for projects which promote cultural diversity.
"In consideration of the demographics in New Zealand and taking into account challenges faced by us as first generation Zoroastrian migrants in New Zealand, we are reaching out to Zoroastrians around the world for assistance," says the well travelled Tehmus Mistry, Services Development Manager, Customer and Information Services, North Shore City Council, who has his family in Huston as well. "We know that Zoroastrians worldwide have always been visionaries and philanthropists with a motto to maintain the Zoroastrian faith and achieve the welfare of the general community," says Tehmus, as he shows us the slides of the community centre in Sydney and tells us the story of how it was built with the passage of time.
Like every where else there are a lot of naysayers who may punctuate the progress with plenty of 'ifs,' 'buts' and 'cants' which hasn't deterred the spirited trustees who are zealously working on building a Zoroastrian Community Centre in Auckland. It's only made them work harder and be more focussed. "Our next fundraiser is going to be a lottery raffle and a Valentine's Day dance. I can understand why some people are not very enthusiastic or are a little hesitant" says Tanaz Siganporia, Client Advisor, Private Wealth Management, Guardian Trust, who is the only lady in the team and is juggling a lot of responsibilities as well. "They probably want to see something constructive happen and only then will they all come forward to support the cause," she smiles.
As the time is running out at the community hall they've hired, stories abound of how various communities in Auckland have built a sprinkling of prayer halls all over the city and how they zealously believe that giving back to the community is a part of their raison d’être.
If there is one message that is amply driven home at the end of the presentation , it is that the trustees are keen to receive any form of support from the international and local community. Support in terms of ideas, plans or any kind of helpful contribution that makes the dream possible. They are confident that it is only with the support of the community, that they can endeavour to jointly build on a legacy that will provide the perfect springboard for the fast growing community in New Zealand to flourish and prosper.
To get in touch with them you can email them at zcentre@gmail.com
"This nation was built by men who took risks - pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action." - Brooks Atkinson Being a...
"This nation was built by men who took risks - pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action."
- Brooks Atkinson
Being a pioneer, trying to chart new territories and spear-heading a mammoth project is never easy. It comes with a price tag.
Sitting in the Nixon Park community hall, that sits cheek-by-jowl with the Bowling club in Howick, Auckland, the men with a mission are counting the minutes, waiting for the hall to fill up.
As people begin to trickle in, you can see they are a little anxious. They expected a house full or at least half of it filled up in the next few minutes for the presentation they are about to make. The presentation is about the growing band of Zoroastrians in South West Houston who built a Zarathusti Heritage and Cultural Centre where they can congregate for community events. It's also about taking an illustrious page out of the books of the Australian Zoroastrian Association in Sydney and following their footsteps. But more than that, it's about translating a big dream into reality.
Meet the men who feel an enormous sense of moral responsibility and are fired with the idea of doing something constructive for the increasing community of Zoroastrians in Auckland. The go-getting board of trustees comprises of Rohinton Patrawala, Shahazad Contractor, Tanaz Siganporia, Tehmus Mistry and Vicky Mistry. They are extremely passionate about the cause and with good reason.
"We need to think of the future of our children and how we can contribute towards it," says Shahazad Contractor, Business Manager Corporate Trust, Trustees Executors Limited, who has been doing a lot of online research to garner support from every corner of the world. " As a community, collectively we need to initiate the generosity demonstrated by our forefathers, like the illustrious Tatas, Wadias, Godrejs and Jeejeebhoys, in order to achieve this goal” " he pointedly states. "It is time we gave something back to the community in New Zealand?" he reiterates.
The Zoroastrian population in New Zealand has grown from a tiny community of about 20 in the late 1980s to today being a sizeable 1,200 most of who have settled in Auckland.
“Initially, the size of our community meant that social and spiritual events were held in peoples' homes. As we have grown, we have resorted to hiring community halls and restaurants for our functions, a lot of which don't have smoke alarms or have to be vacated early," points out Rohinton Patrawala, Trust Accountant, Guardian Trust, who is the first one to put up his hand whenever there is any community work to be done. "This creates challenges, especially with respect to religious ceremonies. Our growing community has become keenly aware of the need for a spiritual, cultural, and social centre that will serve the Zoroastrian community in New Zealand."
To respond to this need, the Zoroastrian Community Trust of New Zealand (ZCT) was set up by the committed five as a registered Charitable Trust under the laws of New Zealand in March 2007. The trust deed is transparent and is available for viewing on www.zct.co.nz
It was after a lot of thought, deliberation, debates and community meetings that the go-getting team came out with options to either construct a building or buy an existing one with enough parking.
The objective of ZCT is to establish a Zoroastrian Community Centre and place of worship in Auckland, New Zealand. The approximate cost of building a modest centre would be around $2,000,000. How they plan to put it into action is by collecting funds through donations and fundraising activities, for the establishment and ongoing management of the Community Centre.
A place where the younger generation can forge lasting relationships, where members of the community can celebrate every good occasion, be it navjotes (thread ceremonies) , weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby showers, barbecues or spend time playing housie and bridge. It could also be a meeting ground where the young and old can get together for festivals or religious lectures, prayer, karate and cooking classes.
With the assistance of a fund-raising team of around ten volunteers, ZCT have already had a couple of very successful fundraising events from an English play "Family Planning" at the Dolphin theatre to an extremely successful hypnotic show, sausage sizzles, food bazaar and household sale from which they have collected a decent amount. A tidy sum has also streamed in from pledged donors within the community who contribute anything from $10 to $50 a week towards the big vision. The tireless trustees are leaving absolutely no stone unturned to work towards the final amount and they are going about it in a very systematic manner.
" Though the amount looks big it's not impossible," explains the soft spoken Vicky Mistry Finance Manager, Imagetext Publishing Systems Limited, who feels very passionately about the project. "It's just a question of everyone feeling a moral responsibility and asking themselves what have I left behind for the next generation. The amount we plan to collect is not an impossible one."
The ZCT trustees are also devoting a lot of their time working with local charities and government organisations that assist with fund-raising for projects which promote cultural diversity.
"In consideration of the demographics in New Zealand and taking into account challenges faced by us as first generation Zoroastrian migrants in New Zealand, we are reaching out to Zoroastrians around the world for assistance," says the well travelled Tehmus Mistry, Services Development Manager, Customer and Information Services, North Shore City Council, who has his family in Huston as well. "We know that Zoroastrians worldwide have always been visionaries and philanthropists with a motto to maintain the Zoroastrian faith and achieve the welfare of the general community," says Tehmus, as he shows us the slides of the community centre in Sydney and tells us the story of how it was built with the passage of time.
Like every where else there are a lot of naysayers who may punctuate the progress with plenty of 'ifs,' 'buts' and 'cants' which hasn't deterred the spirited trustees who are zealously working on building a Zoroastrian Community Centre in Auckland. It's only made them work harder and be more focussed. "Our next fundraiser is going to be a lottery raffle and a Valentine's Day dance. I can understand why some people are not very enthusiastic or are a little hesitant" says Tanaz Siganporia, Client Advisor, Private Wealth Management, Guardian Trust, who is the only lady in the team and is juggling a lot of responsibilities as well. "They probably want to see something constructive happen and only then will they all come forward to support the cause," she smiles.
As the time is running out at the community hall they've hired, stories abound of how various communities in Auckland have built a sprinkling of prayer halls all over the city and how they zealously believe that giving back to the community is a part of their raison d’être.
If there is one message that is amply driven home at the end of the presentation , it is that the trustees are keen to receive any form of support from the international and local community. Support in terms of ideas, plans or any kind of helpful contribution that makes the dream possible. They are confident that it is only with the support of the community, that they can endeavour to jointly build on a legacy that will provide the perfect springboard for the fast growing community in New Zealand to flourish and prosper.
To get in touch with them you can email them at zcentre@gmail.com
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