Hindu Council Of New Zealand Welcomes New Leadership Following Raksha Bandhan

The Hindu Council of New Zealand (HCNZ) has been serving the New Zealand community over the last 25 years to ensure that the Hindu community has a bold footprint in Aotearoa whilst maintaining authenticity of the Hindu Identity.

HCNZ represents and provides a voice to all Hindus in Aotearoa New Zealand through multiple events, forums, and conversations and engagements with government and non-government agencies. HCNZ brings the community together by organising National conferences; Celebrating Hindu Festivals and Matariki; Organising Hindu-Maori Hui and annual Marae stays to foster understanding and cohesiveness; Leading a delegation of Maori Elders to India; organizing youth leadership and Hindu Heritage camps; and Establishing Hindu Organisation, Temples and Associations (HOTA) Forum.

Hindu Council of New Zealand in their recent Annual General Meeting 2022 announced a new team with the appointment of Dr Guna Magesan as the new President and Nitika Sharma as the General Secretary. Dr Magesan is a retired senior scientist and a professor. Dr Magesan has been with HCNZ since its inception in 1996 as the National Coordinator, and the General Secretary since 2006 when the organisation was registered as an incorporated society. He played an instrumental role in shaping the vision and pathway of the organisation over the last 25 years. Nitika Sharma was the President of Hindu Youth New Zealand and now taken as the General Secretary. Professionally, she works as a Director at KPMG. Mr Vinod Kumar, who has been the President of HCNZ since 2006, has stepped aside but continues to support the HCNZ ensuring the vision continues.

Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) Forum celebrated the Raksha Bandhan Festival on a grand scale at Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Auckland on Sunday, 7th August 2022. The festival celebrates the infallible bond of universal fellowship and is an occasion to venerate womanhood. Hindus and other Dharma-based communities realised since time immemorial that the true strength of social structures are the connections and bonds between its members that affirm true fellowship between them. They also recognised the indisputable role women play in nurturing and enhancing the universal bond of fellowship. Over 500 people attended the festival that was hosted by HCNZ. Tamaki Makaurau Ethnic Responsiveness Manager for New Zealand Police, Jessica Phuang, was the guest of honour.

“It is only in Hindu and Asian traditions that we see that we start things by lighting a lamp. The lamp signifies beginning and removal of darkness, a beautiful tradition that symbolises and means a lot,” commented Jessica Phuang. She went on to share how beautiful the day had been for her to be present among multiple community organisations, interacting with them and seeing the celebration of social cohesion driven by youth through DharmaFest in the morning session and by HOTA in the afternoon session.

Classical and folk dances were performed during Raksha Bandhan Festival. The event was started with a Bharatiya-Maori fusion dance, choreographed by Jayalakshmi Parasuraman, Director of Anujay School of Indian Dance. They performed to the welcome song Haere Mai followed by an Indian Semi classical dance Devi Stuthi followed by Poi. A further two hours of performances saw Uttarakhandi folk dance, a Bharatnatyam-Kathak Fusion by the Auckland Marathi Association, A Bharatnatyam performance by Padma School of dance, Garba, and a Sri Lankan traditional dance.

“It has been great to see the enthusiasm and dedication of all the performers and volunteers coming together to celebrate. Seeing the community come together in such big numbers gives us confidence that sense of community and togetherness is surely returning, commented Nitika Sharma, event coordinator.

The HOTA Forum was launched in May 2010. The Forum acts as a platform to bring together all Hindu organisations, temples, and associations throughout New Zealand. Over 55 organisations have been active members of HOTA since its inception. Each year, a Hindu organisation, temple or association voluntarily takes lead in hosting the HOTA forum for a year. The host holds on to the Ekta Shankh (a symbol of unity) as the baton symbolising their lead of the programmes for the year.

Membership to HOTA Forum is open to all Hindu organisations, temples and associations in New Zealand. Contact Nitika Sharma on forum@hota.org.nz for details. HOTA Forum is coordinated by Hindu Council of New Zealand Incorporated.

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