The Hindu Elders Foundation, a division of the Hindu Council of New Zealand Inc, organised the first NZ Hindu Elders Conference at the Hindu Heritage Centre, Mangere, Auckland, on October 3. The theme of the conference was “Old is Gold”.
Invited guests and dignitaries were welcomed in the traditional Hindu way by placing a tilak on their forehead by 7 year old Sakshi Hegde. The conference started with lighting of the lamps by special guests. Maori Elder, Bubbles Munro, blessed the conference with a Maori karakia (prayer and blessing). Mrs. Meena Pongde did the Hindu prayer.
Welcoming the participants, the Hindu elders conference coordinator Mr Pravin Patel said the aim of the conference was “to facilitate and empower the community so that the Hindu elders live with confidence, and be productive and participating citizens of New Zealand”. He emphasised that it was the first step toward building a dynamic Elders network with other like-minded organisations.
Nine senior citizen groups participated in the conference and gave their valuable inputs. They expressed their sincere gratitude for organising such a conference. The elders were appreciative of the professionalism with which the conference was conducted. Hindu Elders Foundation, Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust, Waitakere Indian Association, NZ Tamil Senior Citizens Association, Shakthi Seniors, South East Auckland Senior Citizens Association, NZ Indian Senior Citizen Association, Waikato Indian Senior Citizen Association, and Bharatiya Samaj participated.
More than 160 delegates participated. Three parliamentarians also attended: Ross Robertson, Opposition spokesperson for Senior Citizens, Hon. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi representing the government and Dr Rajen Prasad.
The inauguration ceremony was followed by the panel discussions and various workshops addressing the core issues pertaining to the elders were very well brought out into the light for deliberations.
Shri Shirish Kapadia provided the vote of thanks to all sponsors, community representatives, government agencies, participants and speakers. A special mention of the delicious lunch and breakfast served. Transportation was also provided to the elders by individual organisations to be picked up and dropped off at designated places.
Outcomes:
A new panel of experienced representatives from all elders’ organizations together with government representation will be deliberated upon to strategically address the issues in order to provide better and safer services to all elders of this country. The efforts made by Hindu Council of New Zealand in promoting such events is definitely a pride for all Hindus staying in this country.