Government must give Kiwis stranded in India a definite time-frame for return; working in education is my passion: Bala Beeram, National’s Kiwi-Indian candidate for Kelston
The past President of the New Zealand Telugu Association, long-time National Party’s member and two-time candidate from Kelston, was responding to the demand raised by over 450 Kiwis stuck in India of hiring a private charter to come home, with all other options – Air NZ repatriation flights and Vande Bharat Mission flights – no longer available.
Till today, the New Zealand Government has rejected their request. Gaurav Sharma, Associate Editor of The Indian News, sat with him this week to know what drives him in politics.
If a single word could describe Bala Beeram’s – once again National’s candidate from Kelston – passion for joining politics, it would be education. Which actually is no surprise given, both he and his wife, were teachers in India before immigrating to New Zealand, some 21 years back. He comes from Andhra Pradesh and is a proud father of a 19-year-old daughter who is training to become a neuroscientist.
“See, education drives everything. It is the single most important factor responsible for social mobility. That’s why I have worked extensively with Nikki Kaye, our spokesperson for education, for years [Kaye announced her retirement from politics, after this interview]. The Education (Strengthening Second Language Learning in Primary and Intermediate Schools) Amendment Bill, and National’s promise to cut teacher registration fees if we come to power, are some of the issues very close to my heart,” says Beeram, who joined the party in 2007.
But politics always ran in the family. “My father-in-law Madhav Reddy was a popular socialist leader in Andhra Pradesh. So family influence was there. After we moved here, and taking few years in settling down, when I started to take interest in New Zealand politics, I was immediately attracted towards National Party’s philosophy of encouraging people to work hard and get rewards. Of supporting welfarism but with means tested. Unlike what Labour believes in.”
Before officially joining politics, Beeram was involved in the multicultural communities of Auckland, as an active member of the Telugu community. He even became the President of the New Zealand Telugu Association (NZTA) for a term. This gave him a chance to interact with the Indian sub-continental communities of Auckland as well, including New Zealanders of Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Nepalese origin, he informs.
“I am still involved in both NZTA and the Telangana New Zealand Association as a very active member. For National, my major involvement started with Christopher Penk’s 2014 election campaign. Then when I became the candidate in 2017, we did extensive campaigning for over five months. Door knocked almost 20 thousands homes. And I promised my voters whether win or loose, I won’t go anywhere. And I didn’t. Even though I lost the election, I did manage to increase the party vote.”
While he came short of Labour’s Minister Carmel Sepuloni, with 9,520 votes against her 16,789 votes, Beeram was number 57 on National’s party list and just missed out getting into Parliament.
On his chances this time, he seems confident.
“In the last three years, I have worked extensively with the people of my electorate. The community, businesses, everyone. And if any issue was brought to my notice, I have tried to bring it to the attention of the concerned authorities with the help of my friend and National List MP based in Te Atatu, Alferd Ngaro. So I am confident of my win this time,” he adds.
Meanwhile, like any migrant, Beeram also started his New Zealand journey humbly.
“My first job in New Zealand after we moved here in 1999, was as a promotional assistant working for a car park. Then I became a dealer in SkyCity Casino, and after almost six years of settling down in Avondale, I got a chance in my field of study when I was hired by AssureQuality. And it has been 15 years now, and I have not left them,” he says.
Beeram is now employed as a supervisor for them.
On how will his campaign look like this time, Beeram says, “Once again I will refer to education. I want every child in my electorate to get at least NCEA Level 2 Qualification. That’s why we need to invest in schools and teachers. With growing population, transport has also become a major issue, with the need for multi-storey car parks, especially near train stations.”
Creditably, even though his candidature was announced just few weeks back, Beeram’s team has already distributed flyers to over 80 percent of the Kelston electorate. “Going forward, we will be again door knocking as much as possible, hold public meetings, and carry out human hoarding [sign waving] in the streets of my electorate,” he says, adding that former National Deputy Leader Paula Bennett is expected to attend some of these meetings as well, given her popularity in West Auckland.
On what he plans to do with the “growing crime stats” of his electorate, he objects to the idea. “Avondale is crime-prone is just a perception. It’s not true at all. While it might have been the case few years back, not any more. With real estate still affordable as compared to other parts of Auckland, and a growing business district, it is one of the best places to settle in our biggest city.”
“Believe you me, I have lived here for two decades,” Beeram concludes.
Bala Beeram in Kelston is of Indian descent (his profile as put out by the National Party)
Bala Beeram is currently working as a Supervisor for a Food and Pharmaceutical testing company. He has been living in Avondale for the last 21 years, he lives with his wife of 25 years and his 19-year-old daughter. He comes from a background in agricultural farming and his parents are still working as farmers today. He graduated from Bhopal University, in India, with a Masters in Chemistry and worked as a chemistry teacher for a secondary school in India.
Bala moved to New Zealand in 1999. He is an active member of the Telugu community in New Zealand and was President of the New Zealand Telugu Association for a term. He is still involved with the New Zealand Telugu Association and Telangana New Zealand Association, helping to organise events and meetings. Bala contributes significantly to his local community. He has organised a tree plantation program, blood donation events, fundraisers for cultural activities, and a major badminton tournament to name a few.
-Gaurav Sharma