Two New Zealanders of Indian origin have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for 2021, which was announced on Monday.
The list, which is announced every year by some of the Commonwealth countries, includes prominent people from different walks of life who have made a difference via their services.
The Indian-Kiwis on the list are Sameer Handa, for services to business and New Zealand-India relations, and Sergeant Gurpreet Arora of the New Zealand Police.
Handa, who is the chairman of the India New Zealand Business Council and a board member of Bank of India (New Zealand), was recognised for promoting bilateral trade between the two countries for over 15 years.
Arora was recognised for his service to the police department and his community.
Arora, of Counties Manukau, was recognised as a Member of the New Order of Merit (MNZM) and “has worked extensively with South Asian communities, developing or helping implement projects such as Operation Dukan, in which the police worked with small business proprietors to improve their safety at a time of high offending against them, and in family harm initiatives,” according to a release by the New Zealand Police.
On receiving the honour, Arora said, “I’m proud to work for an amazing organisation which is respected and achieves a lot with help from the community.
This honour is for all those working to reduce family harm, including community agencies and counsellors working with victims, children and perpetrators to turn lives around.”