Winning an award is always special, and the feeling becomes extra special when you win an award outside your home country.
And that’s how Sanit Kumar, who works as an Infrastructure Services Portfolio Manager (ISPM) – Cloud, Network & Datacentre Services at The University of Auckland, is feeling now. Kumar, the 41-year-old Fiji-Indian, recently won the prestigious Supreme Award trophy at the NZ Tertiary ICT awards as part of the 38th NZ Tertiary ICT conference. For the uninitiated, this conference is an annual event whereby IT professionals working in the education sector come and talk/listen to things around IT and the education sector. This year the conference was co-hosted by Auckland University of Technology - Te Wananga Aronui o Tamaki Makaurau (AUT) and Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and was held at Sir Paul Reeves Building at AUT’s city campus.
Kumar also won Excellence in Technology Innovation award at the event.
“I am absolutely thrilled to receive two awards at the NZ Tertiary ICT: Excellence in Technology Innovation and the main one, the Supreme Award trophy. There were so many great entries this year (given that the conference hasn’t happened since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic) so to be recognised for my hard work was a privilege. Kudos to my teams at The University of Auckland for the great mahi they put into delivering a solution for the students and researchers stuck in China during the pandemic and tackling the digital equity gap.”
Kumar says the awards are all the more remarkable as he came as a migrant from Fiji to NZ in 2006.
“As a Fiji Indian, I dedicate these awards to my motherland Fiji. I feel humbled and inspired by this award. Though I have been staying in NZ for around 16 years, it feels great that I have received laurels for my homeland Fiji. These awards have motivated me even further. NZ is a land of opportunities and with my awards, it should be a motivation for people that migrate to NZ. If I can motivate even one person, it would be great."
Kumar has been prominent in the IT industry and the Indian community. Sanit's wife, Esha, has played an instrumental role in his life and been supportive of his work beyond his position at the University of Auckland along with his two sons, Ojas and Advik aged 2.5 years old and 10 months old respectively.
Aside from working at the University of Auckland, Kumar volunteers his time to the community and plays various roles, including that of a Business Mentor at the Business Mentors Organisation. In this role, he assists businesses with strategy and growth and how they can digitally transform and advance their business capability to serve their customers better.
He is also a Board Member at Henderson Budgeting Services, providing governance and strategic direction to this non-profit organisation whose focus is to provide free and confidential budgeting advice and support to clients in Auckland.
Kumar is a keen All Blacks fan, which is one of the many reasons he migrated to NZ. He enjoys playing soccer and is part of the Starduz Sports Club, which plays a massive role in the Indian community and beyond by doing charitable activities.
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