WHAKAREWAREWA, ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND, May 23, 2006: Maori King Tuheitia inaugurates Hindu Conference His Highness Te Arikinui King Tuheitia, the Maori King, inaugurated the 2nd New Zealand Hindu Conference on 16 May 2008 at the Hindu Heritage Centre, Auckland by lighting the lamp in the traditional Hindu way for the auspicious beginning of the conference. This is an important event for the Hindu community in New Zealand, and also for race relations. King Tuheitia received a traditional Hindu welcome when a young girl, Deepika Magesan, garlanded the distinguished dignitaries. Mr. Haare Williams, the Kaumatua (Maori elder), blessed the occasion with a Maori traditional prayer. This was followed by a Hindu prayer from Swami Vigyananand.
Mr. Rahui Papa, who spoke on behalf of King Tuheitia and his entourage, mentioned the similarities between Maori and Hindu communities. He said, “We are the same family but speak two different languages.” He also spoke about common words such as ‘mana’ which have the same meaning in Maori and Sanskrit. He said this is a good beginning and we need to take it forward, and assured the delegates that all cooperation will be extended to foster inter-community cultural relations. He appreciated the work of the Hindu Council of New Zealand and also congratulated the organization for celebrating Matariki (Maori New Year). He was impressed by the welcome by the Hindu community and told the audience that he felt at home.
The theme of the Conference was “Sustaining New Zealand communities through health benefits of Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda.” Mr. Vinod Kumar, the President of the Hindu Council of New Zealand, welcomed all the delegates and enlightened the audience on the work carried out by the organization – strengthening the bond between New Zealand communities; developing the creativity of the youth; and understanding and experiencing the Maori culture. He also briefed delegates about the outcomes of the 1st NZ Hindu conference: Hindu Social Services Foundation, Hindu Elders Foundation and Hindu Youth Foundation. He also explained the purpose of Hindu Heritage Centre and the future plans of the organization. For more information, e-mail hindu.nz@gmail.com.