The list of New Year Honours for 2020 has been released, with three Kiwi-Indians recognised for their services in New Zealand.

Harjit Singh: for services to the Indian community and seniors

Citation: Mr Harjit Singh has contributed to the Sikh and wider communities in Auckland since 2007. Mr Singh has volunteered with a range of community organisations. He became involved with Age Concern Counties Manakau in 2008 as a member of the accredited visiting services team and was appointed to the Board in 2013. He is currently Deputy Chair of the Manakau East Council of Social Services under Age Concern Counties Manukau. He is an English home tutor with English Language Partners South Auckland, through which he teaches migrants with limited English language skills on a voluntary basis. He has been involved with New Zealand Guru Ravidas Sabha for the past 11 years. He is also involved with the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), the Auckland Sikh Society, the Punjabi Cultural Society, the Manakau Indian Association, and the New Zealand Indian Central Association. He has been an ethnic consultant with the Howick local board. He is the Chair of the Indian Kiwi Positive Ageing Group. He is also a White Ribbon Ambassador and fundraises for the Cancer Society and the Heart Foundation. Mr Singh has been a Community Panel Member of the Care and Protection Resource Panel for Oranga Tamariki since 2012.

Queen Service Medal (Q S M) is a great honour bestowed on me. I feel proud to be one of the people who have been recognized for voluntary service to the community. I thank my family for encouraging me to work for the community and the Indian community for giving me opportunities to serve them.  Other ethnicities people also inspired me. I am thankful to all those organizations and individuals who recommended me for this award.

I have been involved with a number of organizations including Age Concern and am on its executive committee since 2013, Deputy Chair MECOSS, Chair Indian Kiwi Positive Ageing Group, White Ribbon Ambassador, Ambassador for Peace. I participate in fund raising campaigns for heart Foundation and Cancer Society and on executive committees of Auckland Sikh Society and Punjabi Cultural Society and volunteer English Home tutor with English language partners

I am the recipient GOPIO Oceania Community service award 2017 and Kiwi Bank Local Hero of the year 2016 – Harjit Singh

Jennifer Khan-Janif: for services to refugee and migrant communities

Citation: Mrs Jennifer Khan-Janif co-founded the Umma Trust in 2003, which initially undertook development work in Iraq, and which diversified in 2008 to provide social services and support for refugee and migrant communities, particularly economically and socially disadvantaged Muslim women, children and families in the Auckland region. Mrs Khan-Janif has served on the Boards of Umma Trust, Shakti Community Council, Fiji Womens Group, and is currently on the Advisory Group for the University of Auckland’s Centre for Research for Asian and Ethnic Minorities. She was elected to the Board of the Africa New Zealand Business Council, to help promote African business opportunities with New Zealand companies and vice versa. She has presented academic papers on community development, family violence and youth development at conferences in New Zealand and internationally and has had poetry and stories published in the New Kiwi Women’s Stories funded by Auckland Council. She works as a Senior Advisor for the Ministry of Social Development’s E Tu Whanau programme, where she holds responsibilities in the Asian, Migrant and Refugee Communities portfolio, focusing on projects addressing the elimination of all forms of violence. Mrs Khan-Janif was previously project manager for the Settling In programme, overseeing the establishment of the Auckland Resettled Community Coalition.

Associate Professor Humaira (Azra) Moeed: for services to science education and the community

Citation: Associate Professor Azra Moeed has been an educator for 43 years and has contributed to the development of science education in her community. Dr Moeed worked as a high school teacher prior to becoming an academic involved in science teacher education at Victoria University of Wellington from 2001. She has researched and published internationally, and most recently co¬authored two books, ‘Learning through School Science Investigation: Teachers putting research into practice’ and ‘Learning Through School Science Investigation in an Indigenous School’. She has contributed to the Australasian Science Education Research Association, The American Education Research Association, and the Royal Society of New Zealand. She has helped Te Kura Māori o Porirua to develop their science education programme since 2014 and established a large butterfly house, which continues to attract schoolchildren to take an interest in science. She has collected books for school children and helped them to develop their reading ability. She has worked with her local Indian and Muslim communities, supporting them to integrate into New Zealand society. Dr Moeed has contributed to Capital City Science Educators, the Biology Teachers Network, the Wellington Zoo, Science Fairs, and the Allan Wilson Centre of Molecular Evolution.

-TIN Bureau