Future Direction of the Nepali
Community in New Zealand
Raj Maharjan, Auckland
(1 Baisakh 2076 BS, 14 April 2019)
In the nineties, there were a few hundred people of Nepali
origin in New Zealand, mostly in urban centres such as Auckland and
Christchurch. At present, according to anecdotal estimates, there are around
twenty thousand members of the Nepali community residing throughout the
country, spread across the North and South islands. Within the last five years,
thousands have arrived in New Zealand from Nepal; the majority of whom are
young students. With the population growing rapidly, the social dynamic of the Nepali
community is evolving differently over the recent years.
The present state of
our engagement and participation with the wider New Zealand society
It is observed that there is a strong sense of togetherness
and fellowship among the members of Nepali community, driven mainly by the bond
and association to our homeland. The nature of social activities that the
members of Nepali community participate in, and the population we engage with, continue
to remain predominantly inward-looking. The majority of events, activities and
engagement appear to be within or among the community members. Our engagement
and participation with the wider New Zealand society continues to be few and
far between.
For the sake of clarity, the Nepali community does
participate and engage with the wider New Zealand society. However, the degree,
frequency and scale of such wider participation and cross engagement seems to
be nominal.
As the saying goes, “birds of a feather flock together”, we
all tend to prefer to be with like-minded people. When this continues to occur
over a long period of time among a larger group, as it has been happening with
the Nepali community in New Zealand, this may gradually induce unintended
complications and complexities. The extreme case of such social behaviour of
engaging “among our own” may inadvertently and gradually lead the community
towards a state of social isolation or communal segregation in the long run.
It is only natural, and only a matter of time, that at some
point in the future we may see a tipping point with regard to the
above-mentioned social characteristics of the Nepali community. At that stage,
the predominantly inward-looking social behaviour will take a new course. With
shifting demographics, new social dynamics will continue to evolve. When this
occurs, the community’s ongoing focus will shift towards a different horizon.
There is space and a valid need to broaden the mode, frequency and level of
engagement and participation of the Nepali community with the wider New Zealand
society.
Connections and
achievements of the Nepali community in New Zealand
The Nepali-Kiwi connection was forged in 1953 at the top of
the world. The first ascent of Mount Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund
Hillary and their life-long friendship has a major role in the harmonious
companionship of people from our two nations. Sir Ed fondly and regularly
attended many events organised by the Nepali community; Lady June gracefully
continues to do so. The Tenzing-Hillary connection is a symbol of mutual
respect and connection that continues to grow between Nepal and New Zealand.
This connection is acknowledged with great pride and joy among both Nepali and
Kiwi circles whenever the spheres of the two communities intersect.
Many people of Nepali origin have achieved great success in various
areas such as academics, business and professional practice. For example, there
are very well-respected academics in Universities among us. Some of us are in
senior or managerial roles in technical disciplines or other specialist
expertise. We have a budding number of PhD graduates. Our people own and run
successful businesses in various industries such as hospitality and
horticulture. Similarly, many members of Nepali community are making sizeable
contributions to the lucrative market of the dairy industry in New
Zealand.
It is fair to say that the achievers noted above are only a
small sample. Many others who have accomplished varying degrees of success may
have chosen to remain silently under the radar. There are two salient features
about the above-mentioned Nepali “success story” in New Zealand. Firstly, the
success attained is at an individual level. Secondly, we are yet to attain a greater
level of achievement in the societal sphere, either individually or as a
collective.
Our community organisations across New Zealand continue to
be a vehicle of social cohesion among our community members. They have a range
of functions and provide a range of services. Community organisations are a
platform for us to come together and interact with each other. One of their
most important roles is their ability and willingness to offer us a sense of
belonging. Such sense of acceptance serves as a social anchor to us all. This
social support is even more relevant to our newcomers during the challenging
initial days after arriving in a new country.
Nepali community organisations have delivered a range of
events and programs by successfully involving a large number of our community
members. Such programs tend to be mostly related to our culture and the festivals
of Nepal. Some events and activities involve promoting and showcasing Nepal and
Nepali culture to the wider New Zealand population. More recently our sports
clubs across New Zealand have been successfully delivering an important
societal function of building a network among younger generation while
achieving sporting goals. The Nepali community has also made contribution towards
philanthropic causes in the service of the wider New Zealand population.
Members of Nepali community have been able to connect and
build good networks with some “influential” Kiwi organisations and individuals.
Similar to our individual achievements, these connections and networks, albeit
at a limited degree, also seem to be occurring at a personal level rather than
that as a collective of Nepali community. We are yet to institutionalise such
connections and networks and utilise such links to help advance our common
cause for the greater good of our community.
Where do we go from
here?
Have you ever wondered why people of Nepali origin rarely
have a noticeable presence in the wider institutions of New Zealand’s social
fabric? We don’t seem to actively or frequently participate or contribute as a
community outside our own circle or similar interest groups. There is ample
space for capable and willing people among us to step up and fill the
leadership vacuum to bridge the existing gap between Nepali community and the
wider Kiwi society.
An outward-looking liberal approach towards engagement and
participation is the only way forward for our community members to become an
integral part of the multicultural social fabric of the wider New Zealand
society. Such an approach will be necessary to ensure that the Nepali
community’s say matters, and that our interests are well represented within the
wider Kiwi society.
To achieve outcomes different from the status quo is going
to require not only just a tweak here or there but also a paradigm shift in
revisiting the role and responsibility of Nepali community within the wider
Kiwi society. The community members will have to step out of our comfort zone.
Members of our community will need to step up to reach out and interact with
other communities and institutions of the wider New Zealand society.
Nepali community can learn from other migrant communities
such as those from India, China and the Philippines. Migrant communities from
such countries not only are more organised but also have established strong
networks, as a collective, within the various facets of wider Kiwi society. A
good start for our community can be to reach out to connect and collaborate
with these migrant communities. We can learn from their experience about
effective and efficient ways of building relationships to achieve results that
benefit the community.
The way forward
It may be years before one of us becomes a member of the
Parliament, but what is stopping us from stepping up to be a member of the
Board of Trustees of our children’s school? Or run for office of local
community boards of local Councils of the city we live in? Or make contribution
as an Executive Committee member of social organisations such as “Multicultural
New Zealand” or local Council’s ethnic bodies?
The risk of continuing with the status quo of communal and
parochial social behaviour is that it is only going to hinder the chances of
growth and development of our members and our offsprings, many of whom are born
Kiwis. The journey towards a progressive, liberal and open community starts
with self-reflection, both at an individual and collective level. We need to
acknowledge our ongoing activities, actions and attitudes that are likely to be
inadvertently hindering our ability and chances to advance our common cause.
Such realisation needs to be followed by actions that seek
to proactively drive the common narrative of our community towards being
open-minded and welcoming. We need to reach out to build bridges and explore
new ideas. We have to seek out opportunities to initiate, forge and advance
relationships across the entire spectrum of the wider Kiwi society. This will
help open up new avenues for our members to actively engage with the wider Kiwi
society, and to advance our common cause.
Three decades ago, our migrant community was a relatively
homogenous group of a few hundred, concentrated within certain locations. The
current context has vastly changed. Now, tens of thousands of us are spread
widely across the entire country. We are from a greatly diverse demographic
background. Our community continues to grow rapidly, and we are ever evolving,
adapting and transforming in our adopted home. This process of change is not
only a function of our relocation from Nepal, but also a reality of our life’s
circumstances through the series of stages we experience after arriving onto
the shores of New Zealand.
In the past, our collective effort was on maintaining
contact and building connection between our community members. In the current
context, there is a pressing need to venture beyond that primary focus. Whilst
we acknowledge our legacy values from the past, going forward, our collective
thinking should cater for addressing our current needs and managing our
peoples’ future aspirations. Obviously, our current status quo is not fit for
the future, and in a worst-case scenario, can be a blatant recipe for disaster.
Connecting at a wider level with other communities and
various institutions will help us not only identify better opportunities for
ourselves, but also enable us to make meaningful contributions towards the
wider Kiwi society. Ultimately, a liberal approach of engagement across a
spectrum of Kiwi society, will help us advance our collective cause. It is the
only way forward to propel our community to new heights.
What does success look
like?
If we continue to adopt an inward-looking approach to
engagement and participation, our community is most likely to remain under the
radar within the wider Kiwi society. On the other hand, should we wish to
operate differently and be ambitious, we may achieve a lot in the short, medium
and long term. Here are a few examples, in no particular ranking or preference.
Short and medium term (3-5 years):
●
Our collective actions such as cultural events and
sports contests are well-attended and duly acknowledged by wider members of the
Kiwi society.
●
Our community leaders are frequently invited and
acknowledged as important guests at major multicultural events such as Diwali
and Chinese New Year.
●
We are contributing as board members of business
organisations, multicultural societies or voluntary organisations. While others
are Board of Trustees of our children’s school.
●
A few of us have been acknowledged by the New Zealand
government for our outstanding contribution towards the wider Kiwi society.
●
We are serving as elected representatives in community
bodies such as Councils, Health Boards and Community Trusts.
●
Our players have made it to national and regional
contests by playing in squads such as the Auckland Diamonds (netball),
Wellington Phoenix (football) or Auckland Aces (cricket).
Long term (7-10 years):
●
At least one us has made it to Beehive as a member of
the New Zealand Parliament.
●
A few of us have made it as councillors in local
councils.
●
Nepal Day is acknowledged and promoted as a major event
by the Auckland Council and other territorial authorities throughout New
Zealand.
●
Our players are representing New Zealand at an international
level in teams such as the Silver Ferns, All Whites or Black Caps.
●
One of us has been nominated for the coveted award of
New Zealander of the Year.
These are only a few examples of our potential should we
aspire to be ambitious and reach new heights. They will only come to fruition
through adopting an outward-looking, liberal and aspirational approach to our
engagement and participation. These are stepping stones to facilitate a
respectable presence in our adopted home.
The choice is ours.
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Published in April 2019 / Baisakh 2076 Issue 12 of the Namaste magazine, An annual publication of the Nepal New Zealand Friendship Society of Canterbury (NNZFSC), Christchurch. My sincere thanks to the editorial team and officials of the NNZFSC for your kind consideration to publish this.
I am heavily indebted to Ranu for correcting my article and prepositions, getting rid of the redundancies and helping with sharpening the delivery of message at the drafting stage of this article. Most importantly, for the on-going sacrifices you continued to make silently for the sake of me and our small happy world.
