From the crop to the cup: finished with finesse

As you reach out for your morning cuppa, the essential accompaniment to savour the real flavour of a blissful start is your favourite newspaper, Indian Weekender. As the publication completes seven years, we take a look at how the news magazine reaches you every week.

In an era when the print industry is fighting for its survival, newspapers face some of the greatest challenges in our history: to combat the fading interest of the y-generation to read long-form articles, cope with the fast-paced digital media to break a story, and endure the dwindling numbers in readership.

Yet newspapers remain the foundation of our society. They cover everything, from small football leagues in the neighbourhood and the impressive achievements of our communities to global issues. Print media is not heading for the cliff edge, at least not yet. The industry is letting go of the obsolete methods used in the past and modifying its approach to ensure it is firmly rooted. Despite dire predictions that print is dead, the future of community newspapers does not spell doom and gloom.

Newspapers grow under the shrewd vision of resilient owners. It requires innovation. That is what Indian Weekender aims at achieving with each issue that is rolled out every week.

Kiwi-Indian’s only weekly publication was born in 2009, then a fortnightly publication, out of the shared vision of its publishers Giri Gupta and Bhav Dhillon. They overcame huge odds and turned away sceptic looks doubting the survival of the community newspaper. But in its seven years of existence, the paper has progressed under the guidance of its publishers. More than 200 issues later, Indian Weekendercontinues to strive to make a difference through the impact of a good story narrated through the powerful blend of words and photos.

Let’s peep into the backstage process (ahem! chaos) that takes place every week in the publication’s office before the newspaper hits the stands.

Newsgathering

Each issue is crafted with utmost precision. With each new edition, we aspire to bring interesting content for our readers. Story ideas are bounced off, a content plan is set in place and reporters are set off to find news stories for the edition. Every section in the newspaper has a number of articles sourced and written throughout the week. The editorial team curates each story and contextualise the news.

Indian Weekender brings forth the positive aspects of the Indian community in New Zealand; the inspirational stories of Kiwi-Indians, their achievements and struggles as they settle in a home away from home, and how they are making a difference in the society through their work.

Our years of community associations with organisations such as Auckland Marathi Association, Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust and New Zealand Indian Central Association ensure that we get an extensive coverage of the local events taking place in the community. Through a special correspondent in Christchurch, we develop stories from the South Island. In our search to find relevant information, our strong network of supporters and sources in New Zealand keep us up to date with the current affairs in the country.

The coverage doesn’t stop at local news. We bring significant stories across different sections such as business, finance, politics, sports, and entertainment from India and the world and cover the accomplishments of the many Indians living outside India who make us proud.

In each issue, a round of regular columns are featured—movie reviews for the entertainment buff, Zodiology for those who want to know how the stars influence their week, Picture Perfect for the shutterbugs, Tech mate for the technology geeks, Maya’s Kitchen Adventures for the foodie and columns from parliamentarians for those who enjoy politics.

Stories are rounded up each week by the editorial team that includes a dedicated reporter on the field, another on the desk, and one who brings breaking news through our digital platforms. And handling them all is our editor who keeps us going.

Our association with different community organisations

Auckland Marathi Association

A go-to place for anyone in New Zealand who enjoys the cuisine, art, culture, literature, poetry, plays and performing arts traditions of Maharashtra

“Congratulations to Indian Weekender on the publication of its special mega issue. The newspaper has been a key partner for the Auckland Marathi Association in taking our events to the communities we serve. A big thank you to the team behind the publication for their support.”

—ShriyaBhagwat-Chitale, Executive Committee Member

Auckland Malayali Samajam

An organisation established of bringing together all the Malayalis od Auckland

“Auckland Malayali Samajam, as a community organisation, started its journey in 1999. The vision of AMS is bringing together people, promote, preserve and nurture the special culture and linguistic heritage of the Keralites. Besides fostering contacts and friendship among the Malayalis in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand it supports to enrich the diverse cultural fabric of New Zealand with the best Kerala traditions. Through meticulously organised cultural, social, educational and sporting activities AMS adds value to society and thereby achieving high level of social interaction and social awareness in the community. This year we aim to promote youth as well as the older parents with a variety of activities and programmes.

The Auckland Malayali Samajam wishes to congratulate Indian Weekender on its seventh anniversary. The samajam continues to have meaningful relationship with the publication since the last few years.

—Joseph Devasia JP, President

Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust

A not-for-profit organisation based in Auckland, dedicated to serving the South Asian community since 1995

“Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust would like to congratulate Indian Weekender on turning seven.We are sure that their success story would continue to snowball over the coming years considering the vision and dedication with which they have been working. We highly appreciate the association and support that the Indian Weekender has been extending to us, not forgetting the immense cooperation from the team who have been more than willing to go the extra mile. We, at BhartiyaSamaj, would like to wish them all the best for their future endeavours and reiterate that we cherish our association with them.”

—Jeet Suchdev QSM JP, Chairperson

Gandhi Nivas

An accommodation project in Otahuhu for men involved in family violence

“On behalf of Gandhi Nivas, we would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Indian Weekenderon its seventh anniversary.

Indian Weekender has been a valuable advocate for raising issues affecting our communities and providing avenues for addressing them. Over the years, the newspaper has grown from strength to strength. The support of Indian Weekender and its readers have assisted us in our successful early intervention family violence work. This demonstrates your wider community commitment. Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ We look forward to our continued service together for the benefit of the most vulnerable in our community.”

—Ranjna Patel, on behalf of the Governance Board

New Zealand Indian Central Association

New Zealand Indian Central Association Inc. was established in 1926 to advance the cause of all Indians, be it educational, health, welfare or cultural identity

“The leadership of the New Zealand Indian Central Association Inc. and its member branches extend sincere greetings to Indian Weekender on its seventh anniversary with best wishes for continuing its work of disseminating objective information about the news and views with a special dedication to Indian history, culture, and heritage.

We extend our congratulations to Indian Weekender, its editor-in-chief, and the editorial staff, and wish you continued development, inspiration, and journalistic success. May you always have an appreciative readership. A fortnightly for more than five years and now it is weekly! That is a welcome step for the readers of Indian Weekender.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend greetings to the Indian diaspora, advertisers and readers of Indian Weekender.”

—Bhikhu Bhana, President

Manukau Indian Association

“On behalf of our executive team of Manukau Indian Association—the largest representative body of Kiwi-Indians (about 80,000 in South Auckland)—it is my pleasure congratulate Indian Weekender on the completion of yet another successful year of operation. We commend the paper for continuously making an effort to bring in multiculturalism in an otherwise stagnant practice of biculturalism in New Zealand.”

—Veer Khar, President 

Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan of New Zealand

Formed in 2002, the sansthan’s vision is to make people aware of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba, his life, and his teachings

“Congratulations to Indian Weekender on its seventh anniversary.

Congratulations to the editor, staff, and vision of the people behind the project who made this a tool to promote Indian culture, highlight challenges faced by the Indian community, and support the organisations that are striving to promote Indian customs and culture, such as the Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan of NZ Inc.

Like a rainbow with seven colours, in the last seven years, Indian Weekender had given silver lining to several events of the sansthan and several other organisations

On behalf of the executive committee and members, I convey best wishes to the Indian Weekenderteam in its endeavour to excel in the field of journalism.”

—Bhaskara Reddy Duvvuru, President

Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust

Shanti Niwas Charitable Trust Inc. provides social support services to senior citizens of Indian and South Asian origin

“Indian Weekender, from its inception, has always been community oriented. The paper has always been supportive to Shanti Niwas. Due to its vast readership, we are able to reach out to the community and inform them of our services. As an organisation, we have always believed in optimising our strengths to serve the community better and Indian Weekender has played an important part in realising our objectives.

We congratulate Indian Weekender on its seventh anniversary and look forward to the continued association.”

—Nilima Venkat, M.N.Z.M, J.P., B.S.W, Project Manager

The South Trust

A not-for-profit charitable trust formed in 2009 to provide support to migrants and free cultural programmes for the wider community

“The South Trust would like to thank Indian Weekender for all of their support over the years in getting our message out to the community. There is no better way to let our local community know what is happening in their area. Indian Weekender has supported us and promoted our free community events for everyone to enjoy such as Diwali and Holi, so would like to say a big thank you to the entire team.”

—Kal Kular, Chairperson

Vaishnav Parivar

A charitable entity operating in Auckland that organises religious and cultural activities

“Congratulations to Indian Weekender on its seventh anniversary. Its presence has greatly enhanced the quality of news reporting and has become of interest to various communities living in New Zealand. It is always a moment of pride and pleasure to read of the progress and achievements made by migrants and of their contribution to New Zealand. We are grateful to Indian Weekender for their support over the years in promoting our Indian Kite Festival. We wish them continued growth and success in the future.”

—Manhar Patel, President, Auckland branch

Our supporters

Auckland Regional Migrant Services Charitable Trust

Auckland’s specialist settlement support agency providing targeted programmes for skilled migrants, international students, former refugees and their families

“Congratulations to Indian Weekender on another successful year. The publication continues to be strong supporters of ARMS and for that, we are truly grateful. It is wonderful to see thriving ethnic media, dedicated to supporting and empowering communities and sharing positive news. Keep up the good work!”

—Chinwe Akomah, Regional Communications Manager

CAB

A voluntary organisation providing free and confidential advice to immigrants

“Congratulations to the excellent team at Indian Weekender for being so supportive to Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand for the past seven years.

CAB provides free, confidential and independent information and advice to anyone. It doesn’t matter what your question is, we’ll help, and if we can’t help you directly, we’ll find someone who can.

We can help with a wide range of issues including consumer law, tenancy, employment issues, disputes, separation, custody, budgeting, immigration and finding a justice of the peace.

All around New Zealand, 30 CAB branches hold information sessions for migrants on settlement topics.

Drop into your local CAB, call 0800 367 222 or go online to www.cab.org.nz”

—Durga Ray, Service Development Advisor

NZ Police

The national police force of New Zealand

“NZ Police has an objective of Be Safe, Feel Safe, which is stated in its Prevention First Strategy.
NZ Police is an organisation, which is open to all communities in terms of recruitment, liaison, service and enforcement. As migration grew in New Zealand, NZ Police established Maori Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES) units across all districts to provide services in accordance with the needs of the Ethnic Communities.

NZ Police values diversity and over the years, a number of officers with Indian ethnicity have been recruited and currently hold various ranks with NZ Police.

Services provided by NZ Police take into consideration the cultural and religious values of the communities. NZ Police also works hand in hand with community leaders, associations, societies and individuals to promote a culture of Safer Communities Together.

We wish to thank Indian Weekender for its ongoing support of police activities.”

—Sergeant Gurpreet Arora, District Ethnic Services Coordinator, Counties Manukau

Booking ad spaces

Advertisers play a crucial part in the development of each issue. While the editorial team is busy sourcing news and feature articles, the marketing team is cracking deals, forging new relations, and selling ad spaces for the weekly.

Their week starts with finalising advertisements for the issue and continues as they co-ordinate with clients to get the creative on time. They head in and out of the office every day to meet prospect clients. More often than not, the buzzing phone in the office has an advertiser on the other side enquiring about ways to promote the business with the weekly. The team’s sales pitch can often be heard across the room as they strive to get new clients on board.

The advertising team is the oil that runs the weekly news magazine. They identify potential leads to generate revenue by marketing Indian Weekender to Kiwis and Kiwi-Indians. In seven years, the team has further developed the revenue model of the publication and established a strong base of clientele that regularly advertise in the weekly.

Compliments from the business community

AB International

“AB International congratulates Indian Weekender on their seventh anniversary and their fourth year of Hall of Fame.”

—Shairene Mani, Sales and Marketing

AEQ Furniture

“AEQ Furniture is one of the biggest furniture importers in NZ for 13 years.

We are committed to providing a full range of affordable, elegant and quality furniture products to numerous migrants, especially Asian community

We own two big stores in Auckland, one at Manukau SupaCenta and another in Penrose. Here, we would like to thank the Indian community for the love and support. We will continue to improve the products and services to satisfy all our customers.

We are very happy that Indian Weekender has completed seven years. We congratulate you on this remarkable achievement. We are glad to hear that your magazine has reached to today’s position achieved by your hard work and talent. We have witnessed your growth and helping on successful marketing to Indian community for our business.

We hope your magazine performs even well in future. Congratulations!”

—Alex Zhang, Deputy General Manager

Eclipse Insurance

“On behalf of team Eclipse, would like to congratulate Giri and his team for the outstanding work they have done with the management of this Hall of Fame. All the best and keep it up. Proud to be associated with Indian Weekender and thanks for your support.”

—Rohit Patel, Senior Associate

Global Financial Services

“New Zealand’s largest mortgage adviser Ajay Kumar Managing Director, Global Financial Services Ltd (GFS), congratulates Indian Weekender on its seventh anniversary, and wishes many more success to come!

Since its inception, GFS has supported Indian Weekender. It has been great to work with their supportive team. Indian Weekender has played a key role as a lending a voice to the Indian community in New Zealand, exchanging ideas, community news and promoting the culture.

Through its vast readership, GFS has been able to educate the community on the how to save interest on their mortgages or protect their family and homes through insurance. Indian Weekender has helped us in connecting with the community. It has helped us to win 29 awards in the last seven years. They include New Zealand’s top adviser awards from ANZ Bank (2012–15), ASB Bank (2014, 15) and AIA Insurance (2008–15) and The New Zealand Mortgage Mag (rankings for 2014, 2015).

GFS has also won excellence in customer service awards including Westpac Auckland Business Awards (Auckland South, 2015 by Auckland Chambers of Commerce and ATEED) and Indian Business Awards 2014. GFS was also the proud recipient of Best Financial Adviser Award (Mortgage and Insurance) from BNZ INIBA awards 2015.

The support of Indian Weekender and its readers has helped us in these achievements.

Once again, we wish you the very best for years to come to Indian Weekender!

—Ajay Kumar, Managing Director, Global Financial Services Ltd

Relianz Travel

“Relianz Travel invites you to experience our highly personalised air ticketing and travel services. We put you and your convenience at the very centre of our business, getting you the best possible prices on offer. We are the people behind Relianz Forex, who with your patronage and goodwill, grew to eight branches in just seven years across Auckland and in Wellington. Thanks to tour support, Relianz is a recognised and well-regarded name in Auckland’s communities. At Relianz Travel, expect the same friendly and dependable service ethic that makes Relianz Forex your first choice to rely. Relianz Travel—Let our journey together begin.”

—V Giri, Director

Page layout, proofreading, and printing

With the content in place and ads locked in, the graphic designers take over the newspaper to design the content on the pages. They work in sync with the editorial team to arrange the elements on the page and to decide what article goes on which page.

The team analyses each article, carefully selects the typography and support the content with infographics and visually appealing images. They ensure the smooth transition that can be seen as the neutral setting of news pieces and opinions give way to the vivid colours of feature articles. With each issue, our designer duo presents an easy-to-read and easy-to-scan package. They often endure our last-minute additions of breaking news and work till they tastefully polish the pages until each page is flawless.

Each designed page is then handed over to our proofreader who sits with a pencil and a facsimile of the finished product to cross out all the errors, correct the typos, check for facts, and ensure that the newspaper does not land in hot waters because of a minor slip-up. Aesthetic issues are looked at, photo captions are checked and inconsistencies in style are rectified before the page is ready to be printed.

Every week, the 32-pages of Indian Weekender are printed by Horton Media. Their team efficiently checks each page before printing, bind the edition together and stack the bundles for the distribution team. They maintain the quality set by the newspaper that gives the publication an edge over its competitors.

Hot off the press and on the shelves

The hard work of the different teams involved at each stage culminates with the final step of distribution. The issue is circulated each week through our trusted team of distributors across Auckland and six other cities in New Zealand. Friday mornings start with our distributing team loading their vans with bundles of newspaper and driving around the city to ensure that your favourite Kiwi-Indian publication is available to you. Below is a list of places where you can get a copy of Indian Weekender’s latest edition every Friday:

Compliments from our readers

“Salaam to all.

I have been in New Zealand for more than a decade; however, it was not until last year that I discoveredIndian Weekender when I was invited for an interview tackling racism in educational settings. I did a bit of background research after my interview and was blown away by the wide coverage and outreach in the community. What amazed me the most was the inclusiveness I felt as a Pakistani when I saw the amount of articles relating to the Pakistanis and their work in the New Zealand community. Indian Weekender is a platform of hope, showcasing positive work done by our communities. I congratulate the paper on their seventh anniversary and hope they continue to give exposure to our communities for generations to come.”

—Sehar Moughal

“Congratulations to the whole team of Indian Weekender and to everyone on your seventh anniversary of publication. At IWK, we admire your triumphs in award-winning journalism and your commitment to excellence for community work. With gratitude and appreciation, we look forward to another next decade of in-depth coverage of the events and issues.

We see so much of the negative side of life in the media that it is refreshing to have a positive, upbeat report on the good things that are happening through Indian Weekender.

Please accept our thanks and congratulations on the success of your yet another milestone!”

—Parmeet Sahni

“Indian Weekender connects the community with us and lets us keep the spirit of our Indian-ness alive and well. It provides the perfect forum to keep our wide community engaged. It gives the opportunity to young professionals and seasoned masters alike, to connect and share knowledge. It is well respected and acknowledged by the whole Indian community as it respects and acknowledges them. It keeps its quality and integrity, while being informative and entertaining!

A hearty congratulations to Indian Weekender on their seventh anniversary; keep doing what you do, and hope your place as a pillar of the Kiwi-Indian community, grows and strengthens, with every year and with every stride. Thanks, Indian Weekender!

—Sananda Chatterjee