AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, March 5, 2020 (News Bharati): New Zealand Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa acknowledged that the Hindu community in NZ was the second-largest and fastest-growing community. “Your faith and your community will be a big part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future,” the Minister said while inaugurating the 4th New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference. The inaugural event was also attended by the New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon and National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi who all addressed the young delegation, a press release issued by the Hindu Youth New Zealand said. “There are now about 123,500 Hindus in Aotearoa New Zealand, and you are the second largest, but the fastest-growing community. Your faith and your community will be a big part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future,” said Salesa speaking at the occasion.
The Hindu Youth Conference was organized at a time when intensive, divisive comments were being made by some people with vested interests and defaming the communities within New Zealand. Auckland witnessed a significant event where young people gathered on a common platform to discuss the manner by which they could contribute to New Zealand’s nation-building efforts. The one-day conference was hosted by Hindu Youth New Zealand (HYNZ) and New Zealand Hindu Students’ Forum (NZHSF) on Saturday, 29th February at KPMG, Auckland. The conference had more than 120 delegates from around the world, including Fiji, Australia, Malaysia and Bharat (India). The conference welcomed young people of all ethnicities, backgrounds, and affiliations providing the opportunity for important discussions and networking opportunities with various young leaders.
Full report at “source”.