Winners of the Indian Weekender 2023 Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame pose alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Bhav Dhillon, Honorary Consul of India, in Auckland. Photo: Facebook / Indian Weekender
Members of the Indian community in New Zealand have been honored at award ceremonies organized by media outlets Indian Weekender and Indian Newslink in recent weeks.
The 10th edition of the Hall of Fame Awards by Indian Weekender recognized the New Zealand Telugu Association (NZTA) for its unwavering commitment to the Telugu-speaking community, with the organisation winning the prestigious Community Organization of the Year Award at the 2023 Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame on 9 December.
Simran Kaur, known for her podcast Girls that Invest, was honoured with the Young Achiever Award. Kaur was also included in Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia list earlier this year.
The Kiwi Indian Cultural Excellence Award was awarded to Anuradha Ramkumar, an Indian classical dancer and founder of Nrityabhinaya Anuradha's School of Indian Dances.
For more than two decades, Ramkumar has pioneered the rich heritage of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dances in Auckland, while also serving the wider community as a teacher of intermediate students.
The awards ceremony also recognized business leaders across the country. Rakesh Nauhria, chair of Precast Sector Group, received the Kiwi Indian Business Leader of the Year award.
Gurunathan Krishnaswamy became the first Kapiti councilor of Asian descent in 2010 before going on to become the first non-pakeha mayor of Kapiti. Krishnaswamy has also been a voice for multicultural communities and Māori issues in the region.
Recognized for his advocacy work, Indian Weekender inducted him into the 2023 Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame.
Mission HQ co-founder Diana Sharma receives the Supreme Business of the Year Award at Indian Newslink’s awards ceremony in South Auckland. Photo: Facebook / Mission HQ
At Indian Newslink's awards ceremony in Papatoetoe on 27 November, Auckland-based Mission Ready HQ Limited was declared the Supreme Business of the Year.
The company also clinched the Best Medium-Sized Business Award and the Business Excellence with Social Responsibility Award. Diana Sharma, co-founder and mission director of Mission HQ, received the Best Businesswoman of the Year Award.
Other notable winners in South Auckland on the night included the New Zealand Airline Academy for Best Large Business, Glowbal Group for Best Small Business, Whitecliffe College for Business Excellence in Innovation and Raise Awareness of Dementia (Glendowie College) for Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year.