Wellington Indians celebrate century milestone

Kiwi Indians are marking a century of settlement in the capital, with the association playing a key role in fostering community ties over the years.

"There were a little over 200 people in the beginning," said Manisha Morar, president of the Wellington Indian Association.

"We've seen this community grow. Some families have been here for nearly four or five generations now."

She became president in 2023, continuing her family's legacy of migration and resilience.

Morar's family arrived in New Zealand in 1974.

"It's a familiar migration story," she said. "[The family] didn't have much money when they arrived, but they came to New Zealand with determination and built a business."

Her father, a pharmacist by profession, was unable to practice in New Zealand and instead ran a dairy for nearly 35 years.

She said she took pride in her identity, which has driven her commitment to serving the community.

Early years and challenges

"The Wellington Indian community had strong connections with Auckland, and we have evidence of a group in the capital as early as 1920," said historian and author Jacquiline Leckie, who wrote Invisible: New Zealand's History of Excluding Kiwi Indians.

She said Indians began arriving in Wellington in the 19th century, primarily as Muslim and Sikh traders.

"But by the early 20th century, almost the entire population was from southern Gujarat," Leckie said.

"Due to the restrictive immigration policies at the time, particularly after 1920, it became difficult for people from other parts of India to immigrate unless they had existing family ties in New Zealand.

"That's why there was an overwhelming presence of the Gujarati community here."

The Wellington Indian Association was formally established in 1925 by Ravjbhai Hira.

Leckie documented Hira's journey to New Zealand in the early 20th century.

"Hira left his family's farm in Kardipore, Gujarat, in 1914 to seek work in Australia," Leckie wrote.

"He arrived in Sydney, where he faced an immigration test and was informed that a £100 bond was required before he could disembark. Instead, he remained on the ship until it reached Auckland."

Hira passed the immigration requirements in Auckland and later moved to Wellington after World War I.

He eventually purchased a fruit shop, expanded into a dairy business and later brought his family to New Zealand.

"It was a small but very tight-knit community," Leckie said.

In 1935, Wellington's Indian community established the Wellington Indian Sports Club.

Leckie noted that early settlers engaged in hawking vegetables and bottle collecting before transitioning into business ownership in the 1940s.

However, these pioneers faced significant challenges.

"There was a lot of anti-Asian and anti-foreigner sentiment. Indians were seen as a threat to white-owned businesses," Leckie said.

"At one point, Wellington City Council proposed requiring Indian bottle collectors to wear armbands - a rule that did not apply to others," she said.

"There was also opposition to Indians driving taxis or buses. Discrimination was a major issue."

Morar said such discrimination affected many early families.

"I don't think we really talk about our history enough because it brings up generational hurt and shame," she said.

However, she noted that adversity also united the community.

"The Indian community really banded together, and they fought back," Morar said. "They really had to push back against the council, and they won that case. ... The council decided to change the armband to a pin."

Pioneering families

Harsad Bhana's family migrated from Surat, Gujarat, in 1949.

"After the second world war, my father wanted to move us here for a better future," Bhana said.

He was 4 years old when he arrived in Wellington and recalled the early morning sounds of the capital.

"When we first arrived, milk was delivered by horse carts, and we'd wake up to the sound of horses galloping at 4:30 in the morning," he said.

"Then the trams would start, clickety-clack, along Adelaide Road and other main streets."

Bhana's father, Kesha, was a bottle collector, and he helped clean the bottles as a child.

"Times were tough," he said.

However, the Indian community in the capital was strong.

"We all got on as a family because we knew we had no one else but each other," Bhana said.

"There was a lot of love and affection between us. There was no hierarchy. We were all struggling to survive."

Devi Manu Ranchod's father, Rakha Soma Nagar, was another early Indian migrant to Wellington.

Nagar arrived in 1918 but briefly returned to India after his father passed away. He came back to New Zealand in 1922.

"Life was very different in New Zealand, and it was cold," Ranchod said. "My mother had to do everything."

She recalled the hardships of early Indian settlers.

"My father learned how to fix cars, and he made sure to learn five new English words a day so he could read and write," she said. "It was hard, but he had some good Kiwi friends."

Bhana echoed similar sentiments.

"There was always some prejudice, but we learned to get along and became well integrated," he said.

He said intermarriage between Indians and New Zealanders eventually became more common over time.

Bhana's and Ranchod's families were closely involved with the association from its inception.

"My father was involved from day one," Ranchod said. "When the community built its first hall in Wellington, my older brother and others helped dig the foundations."

Bhana, a lifetime member of the Wellington Indian Association, recalled how the group contributed to the city.

"As an association, we regularly donate," he said.

"We've supported the free ambulance service, Mary Potter Hospice and the Cancer Society," he said.

"We also volunteered for the Council of Organisations for Relief Service Overseas. We like to give back to the country that gave us so much."

Both Bhana and Ranchod expressed their pride in the association's centennial.

"I'm very proud of them," Bhana said.

"I think we've done pretty well," Ranchod added.

Centennial celebrations

Morar said the association has grown to more than 1500 members over the past century.

"Today, the association focuses on cultural preservation, while advocacy has shifted to the New Zealand Indian Central Association," she said.

The New Zealand Indian Central Association was formed to represent the Indian community in New Zealand when the Auckland Indian Association, the country's first, joined forces with the Wellington Indian Association and the Country Section New Zealand Indian Association.

"We teach children Indian languages and dances, commemorate important days such as Indian Independence Day and Gandhi's anniversary, and support community needs."

She said the community now included people from all parts of India, unlike in the early days.

Morar looks forward to the centennial celebrations on Saturday.

"We're really excited about the centennial," she said.

"It's about history, but also about celebrating the people who have been part of the association."

A heritage wall, depicting the story of Indian migration, is expected to be unveiled on Saturday morning.

"We hope it helps people understand our community and where we come from," she said.

A formal event on Saturday afternoon is set to bring the community together to mark the milestone.

"We'll have a big cake with lots of candles and celebrate with dances and songs," Morar said. "It's going to be a beautiful day, and I'm proud that we got the opportunity to be here."