Engineer turned local board member vies for a third term
A well-known and respected community member, Shirish Paranjape, has lived in Christchurch for 20 years. His passion for the community and for making a positive change to everyday lives has only grown over the years. He represents the Waimairi ward at the Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and contesting this year to be re-elected for a third term.
Paranjape studied engineering in Bhopal and moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) when he got a campus placement at Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T). He loved the job and the city, making it his home for the next 20 years. Over these years, he got married, had two daughters and was happy with how things were proceeding until L&T decided to build their new plant.
L&T's new plant was set up in Navi Mumbai and for Paranjape it meant a long commute of five to six hours a day. Though he tried to manage it, he felt he wasn't giving his family enough time due to the commute. The thought of leaving L&T, which he had never considered in the last 20 years, made him look for options.
Around the same time, he came across a small advertisement about New Zealand Immigration. One of his friends had recently moved to New Zealand, and it was while talking to him that he seriously considered migrating.
In the same year, the Bollywood blockbuster “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” was released, which was shot extensively in New Zealand's South Island. The country's natural beauty was an added attraction for the Paranjape family.
In the year 2000, he applied for New Zealand Residency. He also received an invitation to join General Electric from a friend who had already joined the company. He finally left L&T in late 2000 and worked with GE until his New Zealand residency was approved in 2001.
With the move to New Zealand imminent, he started applying for jobs and got a reply from a Christchurch-based company AuCom which was interested in his skillset and invited him to come to Christchurch, creating a new role for him.
Shirish moved to Christchurch in January 2002 and worked with AuCom for over 18 years.
While Paranjape loved the new job, city and life, there were times when the family missed the culture, traditions and support system that India as a society offers. Luckily, the Indian Sports and Cultural Club (ISCC), provided Paranjape family with an opportunity to interact with the Indian community in Christchurch, with his wife performing as a singer and his daughters giving dance performances at the occasional cultural events that the club organised.
As the association grew, he was asked to take up the position of Treasurer of the club. Soon, he also officially represented the Indian community to Christchurch Ethnic Council, which gave him more exposure and helped him understand how the Council and other ethnic organisations worked. He also began to enjoy the interactions with the wider communities.
Paranjape recalls, "I took up these opportunities to understand how other ethnic communities worked and learn from their experiences."
After the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, he attended various ethnic community meetings. It was when hearing Councillor Jimmy Chen at the Ethnic Leaders Forum that the thought of contesting for the Local Board first came to Paranjape.
In 2013, he put up his hand to contest for the local board. But he had to stand from a different ward than his home ward in the elections. Though he lost the election, the experience taught him a lot.
In 2016, he contested from Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and won the election. He got re-elected again in 2019.
Paranjape says, "The last six years have been incredible, and I feel I have been able to make some difference to the lives by advocating for various causes. My role involves working on various infrastructure projects where we act as a conduit between the community and the government. We convey what the community wants and advocate to get the projects approved or executed. But the role that I cherish the most is working with people. We strive to recognise and acknowledge those in the community who normally go unsung. It means a lot to people when they get appreciated. This also inspires others to act in similar ways."
Paranjape was also the first Indian Justice of Peace in Christchurch and a founder member of Rotary Christchurch New Horizons club. Both these roles and his active involvement with the Indian community gave him various touch-points to get insights into what the community needs.
He is thankful to his former and current employers for supporting him and allowing him time to pursue his community work.
He feels the role allows him to make a significant difference at a grassroots level that impacts everybody's life and act as a spokesperson for the community enabling a positive change.
Asked if a bigger role or more active participation in politics is on the horizon, he says, "I'm not currently thinking about it; instead, I'm concentrating on the task at hand and doing it right."
A goal-driven person, Paranjape sets a goal and works hard to achieve it. He gives an example of how he wanted to become a chartered engineer and set a goal of 1 year for himself. He achieved the goal in July this year within the timeframe he set for himself.
He is following several other passion projects, like becoming a driver for the Christchurch peace train. He put up his hand when City council asked for volunteer drivers and is now a qualified driver.
Furthermore, he wants to become the Christchurch Tram driver so that he can share his experiences and stories about living in Christchurch.
The New Zealand Lotteries Commission selected him as a member of the Significant Projects and Community Facilities committees, providing him a front-row seat on some of the most iconic projects worth millions of dollars in funding, which he found an incredible learning experience. Paranjape added that the Office (now Ministry) of Ethnic Communities supported his application for this appointment, through their Nomination Service.
Paranjape says, "I want to make sure that people have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and I believe that by working together, we can accomplish great things. I also encourage the community to get involved at whatever level they can. You might not see it right now, but people out there need you to be involved in their lives. So, do get involved in whichever way you can!"
A well-known and respected community member, Shirish Paranjape, has lived in Christchurch for 20 years. His passion for the community and for making a positive change to everyday lives has only grown over the years. He represents the Waimairi ward at the Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board...
A well-known and respected community member, Shirish Paranjape, has lived in Christchurch for 20 years. His passion for the community and for making a positive change to everyday lives has only grown over the years. He represents the Waimairi ward at the Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and contesting this year to be re-elected for a third term.
Paranjape studied engineering in Bhopal and moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) when he got a campus placement at Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T). He loved the job and the city, making it his home for the next 20 years. Over these years, he got married, had two daughters and was happy with how things were proceeding until L&T decided to build their new plant.
L&T's new plant was set up in Navi Mumbai and for Paranjape it meant a long commute of five to six hours a day. Though he tried to manage it, he felt he wasn't giving his family enough time due to the commute. The thought of leaving L&T, which he had never considered in the last 20 years, made him look for options.
Around the same time, he came across a small advertisement about New Zealand Immigration. One of his friends had recently moved to New Zealand, and it was while talking to him that he seriously considered migrating.
In the same year, the Bollywood blockbuster “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai” was released, which was shot extensively in New Zealand's South Island. The country's natural beauty was an added attraction for the Paranjape family.
In the year 2000, he applied for New Zealand Residency. He also received an invitation to join General Electric from a friend who had already joined the company. He finally left L&T in late 2000 and worked with GE until his New Zealand residency was approved in 2001.
With the move to New Zealand imminent, he started applying for jobs and got a reply from a Christchurch-based company AuCom which was interested in his skillset and invited him to come to Christchurch, creating a new role for him.
Shirish moved to Christchurch in January 2002 and worked with AuCom for over 18 years.
While Paranjape loved the new job, city and life, there were times when the family missed the culture, traditions and support system that India as a society offers. Luckily, the Indian Sports and Cultural Club (ISCC), provided Paranjape family with an opportunity to interact with the Indian community in Christchurch, with his wife performing as a singer and his daughters giving dance performances at the occasional cultural events that the club organised.
As the association grew, he was asked to take up the position of Treasurer of the club. Soon, he also officially represented the Indian community to Christchurch Ethnic Council, which gave him more exposure and helped him understand how the Council and other ethnic organisations worked. He also began to enjoy the interactions with the wider communities.
Paranjape recalls, "I took up these opportunities to understand how other ethnic communities worked and learn from their experiences."
After the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, he attended various ethnic community meetings. It was when hearing Councillor Jimmy Chen at the Ethnic Leaders Forum that the thought of contesting for the Local Board first came to Paranjape.
In 2013, he put up his hand to contest for the local board. But he had to stand from a different ward than his home ward in the elections. Though he lost the election, the experience taught him a lot.
In 2016, he contested from Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and won the election. He got re-elected again in 2019.
Paranjape says, "The last six years have been incredible, and I feel I have been able to make some difference to the lives by advocating for various causes. My role involves working on various infrastructure projects where we act as a conduit between the community and the government. We convey what the community wants and advocate to get the projects approved or executed. But the role that I cherish the most is working with people. We strive to recognise and acknowledge those in the community who normally go unsung. It means a lot to people when they get appreciated. This also inspires others to act in similar ways."
Paranjape was also the first Indian Justice of Peace in Christchurch and a founder member of Rotary Christchurch New Horizons club. Both these roles and his active involvement with the Indian community gave him various touch-points to get insights into what the community needs.
He is thankful to his former and current employers for supporting him and allowing him time to pursue his community work.
He feels the role allows him to make a significant difference at a grassroots level that impacts everybody's life and act as a spokesperson for the community enabling a positive change.
Asked if a bigger role or more active participation in politics is on the horizon, he says, "I'm not currently thinking about it; instead, I'm concentrating on the task at hand and doing it right."
A goal-driven person, Paranjape sets a goal and works hard to achieve it. He gives an example of how he wanted to become a chartered engineer and set a goal of 1 year for himself. He achieved the goal in July this year within the timeframe he set for himself.
He is following several other passion projects, like becoming a driver for the Christchurch peace train. He put up his hand when City council asked for volunteer drivers and is now a qualified driver.
Furthermore, he wants to become the Christchurch Tram driver so that he can share his experiences and stories about living in Christchurch.
The New Zealand Lotteries Commission selected him as a member of the Significant Projects and Community Facilities committees, providing him a front-row seat on some of the most iconic projects worth millions of dollars in funding, which he found an incredible learning experience. Paranjape added that the Office (now Ministry) of Ethnic Communities supported his application for this appointment, through their Nomination Service.
Paranjape says, "I want to make sure that people have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and I believe that by working together, we can accomplish great things. I also encourage the community to get involved at whatever level they can. You might not see it right now, but people out there need you to be involved in their lives. So, do get involved in whichever way you can!"
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