• November 8, 2008: NRI businessman Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi will be the first Sikh member of the New Zealand parliament out of six Asian members in the election

Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi

NRI Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi was born in Delhi, India and migrated to New Zealand in 2001 for more opportunities. He has been married to Irvinder Kaur for 19 years and they have two sons. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi and has 23 years of business experience. He has been active in a number of business ventures covering property, wholesaling and the fashion industry. He is also an active member of GOPIO.

• He was a founder member of Sikh Naujawan Sabha, an organisation which focuses on assisting teenage children to meet their full potential.
• He is actively involved in the New Zealand NRI community.
• For the past seven years, he is involved with the National Party.
• He is secretary of the Auckland Sikh Society
• He is deputy chairman of the India Trade Group, an executive member of the Auckland Indian Association.

Bakshi has an empathy with residents who were born overseas. Over 40% of the Manukau East population fits into this category with over 50% of them having been in New Zealand for less than 10 years.

Bakshi’s 2008 election challenge will be to make sure that voters are made aware of the values and pragmatic policies of the National Party. He will work to spread the message that all New Zealanders should aspire to achieve their best.