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Key applauds Indian business community

Prime Minister John Key has paid tributes to the Indian business community in New Zealand, saying that Indian businesses have been strong and strategic partners in the progress of the country.
“Businesses should grow with New Zealand and we need good investors. Our country offers the right environment and incentives for foreign investors,” he said, speaking at the official opening ceremony of Sudima Auckland Airport Hotel on August 9, 2012.
Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples, a number of National MPs including Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Labour MP Dr Rajen Prasad and more than 350 other guests were present at the ceremony.
Modern airport
Stating that foreign direct investment is critical to New Zealand, Mr Key said that the investments in businesses such as Sudima near the Auckland airport are vital for economic growth.
“Properties like Sudima Hotel will help boost tourism, which is one of the most important industries in our economy. As well as natural beauty and clean environment, New Zealand offers a unique diversity of cultures and cuisines, which people enjoy. I am sure that this new Hotel will also benefit from the increasing number of tourists to New Zealand,” he said.
Mr Key said that the Auckland Airport is not only the largest in New Zealand but also one of the finest in the world with its modern facilities and services.
“We welcome more properties like Sudima Hotel in and around the Auckland Airport. I am sure that businesspersons, visitors and tourists will take advantage of such good properties,” he said.
Earlier, Sudesh Jhunjhnuwala and Niwas Jhunjhnuwala presented a cheque for $11,000 to Mr Key as their company’s contribution to the Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund.
Rebuilding Christchurch
Mr Key said that the Christchurch rebuild programme was one of the greatest challenges that the Government faced, in terms of both value and time.
“The Christchurch earthquake (which occurred in September 2010 and February 2011, with hundreds of aftershocks) was the fourth largest tremor in the world, after the disasters that hit the US (California) and Japan. It would take at least $30 billion to rebuild Christchurch and we are fully committed to the task,” he said and added that the Earthquake Relief Fund has thus far received more than $100 million through institutional and individual contributions.
Illustrious family
The Jhunjhnuwala family belongs to Bhiwani in the state of Haryana (near Delhi) in India. Sudesh Jhunjhnuwala was born in Burma; his family later moved to Nepal and then to Hong Kong, where his father Niwas established the Hind Group of Companies.
The family bought and sold a number of properties, including Central Park Real Estate (Ellerslie) and Meadowlands Shopping Centre in Auckland.
Mr Sudesh said that his father (Niwas) pioneered his family’s investment in New Zealand in the 1990s, encouraged by the booming real estate sector.
“We decided to invest in the hotel industry and Sudima Auckland is the third in our chain of hotels in New Zealand (after Sudima Lake Rotorua and Sudima Christchurch Airport). We are confident that Sudima Auckland Airport, with its well-appointed rooms, swimming pool, conference and other facilities, will boost tourism. We are also committed to rebuilding Christchurch,” he said.
Mr Niwas is the Chairman of Sudima International Private Limited, which is involved in diverse fields such as manufacturing, processing and export, trade, trade finance and services, spanning many countries.
As reported in our August 1, 2012 issue, the $30 million, 153 rooms (including 26 in the ‘Executive’ category) hotel has been in business since May 2011 but its owners apparently waited for the ideal opportunity to declare its official opening in the presence of the country’s leadership.
Guests (including overseas visitors, tourists, travellers and even Auckland residents), who have used its services over the past 15 months, say that Sudima Auckland Airport hotel has filled a gap that existed in this hospitality sector.
Among the highlights of the opening ceremony were a traditional Maori welcome, a special birthday cake for Mr Key and the ‘Best Employee of the Year’ award to Aiden Muggleton, Housekeeping Manager of Sudima Lake Rotorua.

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