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"Why did you choose New Zealand?” This was the question asked us decades ago when we migrated from Bombay in 1992. New Zealand is beautiful, rugged and remote. It is in a corner of the world. It is clean and green. We have golden sand and black sand beaches, huge dunes and dense native bush. We have the magnificent Southern Alps in the South Island.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern said, "We are lucky to call the most beautiful country in the world, home. I wouldn’t want to raise my child anywhere else.”
It is a young country. The Zoroastrian population here is growing. New Zealand is today home to about 1,600 Zoroastrians. The majority of the migrants are from Bombay, India. Some have come from the Middle East, Pakistan, Canada and the USA. A large number came in 2001. Now there are so many families that we see them in the shopping malls but do not know them.
The majority have settled in Auckland which is the largest city. Auckland has beautiful beaches, and the nearest one can be reached within about half an hour by car from home. Auckland is called the City of Sails. It is common to see large boats on the roads, being towed to the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those from India came here seeking a better life, away from overpopulation, pollution and corruption. Some experienced culture shock. They had a rosy picture in their minds and felt let down. Many of them left behind lucrative jobs and found it hard to re-qualify and start from the bottom. They had to compete with the locals here. They had to struggle. Some felt they were being discriminated against. They, at times, found it difficult to pick up the local accent, not having heard it before.
Job interviews were not easy. Just getting to places was difficult because Auckland is spread over a vast area, and public transport is inadequate. New immigrants had a tight budget. They had to buy the right car. There are thousands of cars to choose from. Both parents had to work, to pay rent or mortgage. It was a balancing act between income and expenditure.
But the new migrants were happy to eventually reside in houses with gardens having fruit trees groaning with the weight of lemons, mandarins, feijoas, figs, etc. The fruits fall on to the ground and rot. People do not pick and eat them!
The Zarathushtrian Association of New Zealand (ZANZ), a non-profit organization, was established in 1996 to preserve the cultural identity of Zoroastrians in the multicultural society of New Zealand. ZANZ has helped newly arrived Zoroastrians in many ways to settle into a new country. It has, over two decades, held many successful events, like regular jashans, Navroz  functions, sports competitions, plays, prayer classes for the young, children’s parties and holiday events. It organizes monthly coffee mornings for senior Zoroastrians and takes them for outings. The functions are held in the hall hired from the Auckland Council, and as per the stipulated rules, the venue is to be left in the same clean condition as found at the start of the program. This requires volunteers to stay back after each event, clean up and carry bags of garbage to their residence from where they are cleared when left on the kerb outside on the weekly garbage collection day.
The Zoroastrian Community Trust of New Zealand was set up in 2007 to raise funds to buy a property for a community hall and a permanent place of worship. It has held many fund-raising events, dinners, market stalls and even planted trees.
The Zoroastrian Youth of New Zealand organized the Sixth World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Auckland from December 28, 2015 to January 2, 2016. Youth from many countries attended and had a memorable religious and social experience for six days.
We have young mobeds now who perform jashans, navjotes, weddings, etc with great dedication and interest. They are the future of the community. They are the ones who will preserve the religion. The Zoroastrian religion and the community will thrive in the Land of the Long White Cloud, as New Zealand is called!