AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, May 2, 2009: The first New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference, “Living in Modern New Zealand with Traditional Values,” was held May 2, 2009 in Mangere, Auckland. The conference was organized by the Hindu Youth Foundation, a division of the Hindu Council of New Zealand Inc, with enthusiastic support from the Hindu Elders Foundation.
Over 130 delegates, including six parliamentarians, participated in the conference. All were welcomed in the traditional Hindu way by placing a tilak on their forehead, and the conference started with lighting of the lamps by special guests. Maori elder Haare Williams blessed the conference with a Maori karakia (prayer and blessing) and Swami Vigyananand blessed the occasion with a Vedic prayer.
Speeches given by youth leaders Meena Lakshmanan, Nikita Sharma and Deepal Singh drew enthusiastic applause. Meena Lakshmanan pointed out that in terms of youth power “Hindu civilization is the youngest!” because 700 million Hindus are below the age of 35, 560 million are under 25, 350 million are under 19, and 250 million are under 14.
Workshops and youth meetings were held. In addition, the dynamic participants launched the New Zealand Hindu Students Forum, for university students.