Labour leader Andrew Little acknowledges that he is embarrassed for his party’s failure in not having any Indian or Chinese in their caucus.
When asked if there would be any Kiwi-Indians placed in top 20 in Labour party list for the next election, Andrew Little acknowledged that the Labour party has to do more to connect with the community.
He affirmed that he is determined to change this by next elections.
Speaking with the Indian Weekender at their Auckland office, Andrew Little spoke in detail about perceived shortcomings in Labour’s outreach to the Kiwi-Indian community.
While responding to a question on one big issue affecting the community at large, the issue of Indian student deportation, Little asserted that "had Labour been in power, I would have definitely allowed the students to stay back."
"Once I am satisfied that students haven't done anything wrong, they have come here in good faith to complete their qualification, so they should be allowed to complete their education before they are required to go home," said Little.
The labour leader was convinced that the current government was not doing enough. The most important step should be to make educational institutes, primarily the Private Tertiary Institutes (PTEs), accountable for any fraudulent documentation from students.
“Since they are the ones who benefit financially so they should be held accountable for any failure in documentation. “
He called for National government to regulate PTEs who can further govern agents’ behaviour back in India.
He also expressed concerns over the recent proliferation of PTEs in New Zealand and asserted that "whenever that kind of situation arises then you have to be very careful. There are basic sets of rules that they have to abide by, and that is not happening at the moment."
Once in power, the Labour party will have a relook at the whole situation.
Identifying three key policy areas, which the Labour party will focus specifically to extend their outreach to the Kiwi-Indian community, Andrew Little pointed towards policing, housing, and socio-cultural equality.
Acknowledging that law and order, and safety was of utmost concern to the Kiwi-Indian community, the Labour leader emphasised on increasing and further diversifying police resources.
On being probed further on this issue, if it meant recruiting more Indians in the police, Little replied in affirmative. Since New Zealand, and Auckland, in particular, has such a diverse community, therefore it has to be reflected adequately in the police force as well. He accepted that although New Zealand police force is already diversifying their workforce but there is more that needs to be done.
Simultaneously, rising housing prices were as much a concern for an average Aucklander as it was for the Kiwi-Indian community.
According to him, Labour was committed for everyone to achieve their Kiwi dream.
The New Zealand dream offers, that if you work hard, and save hard, then everyone can own a home. Furthermore, everyone is entitled to enjoy their space to celebrate their lives and culture without any prejudice or discrimination.