{"id":600981,"date":"2026-09-15T10:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/600981\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T10:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:14:25","slug":"south-asian-diaspora-raises-over-200000-for-new-zealanders-missing-in-nepal-flood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/600981\/","title":{"rendered":"South Asian diaspora raises over $200,000 for New Zealanders missing in Nepal flood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says police are supporting the families of five New Zealanders who remain missing after August&#8217;s catastrophic flash flood at the Nepal-China border.<\/p>\n<p>A massive flash flood, believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse, tore through a Himalayan valley on 26 August, burying villages.<\/p>\n<p>The disaster killed more than 1,300 people, with at least 5,000 others unaccounted for, according to latest reports on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?num=10&amp;client=safari&amp;hs=BVtV&amp;sca_esv=70e3d5c639063899&amp;rls=en&amp;sxsrf=APpeQnsEocX_RLr1vVAkKtmjDW1TplKezQ:1788383089763&amp;q=mirzapur.+movie+tickets&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMwe8QYyC3w8sc9YSmPSWtOXmN04uLzzS_LTA3OyC8vycxNLRYy4GIFiwgJSvFz8eqn6xsaVhZXGhVUmpgYiUAFsgoK49NKkgoF_nybysiziFU8N7OoKrGgtEhPIRekV6EkMzk7taQYAL5bVXVwAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiZnqaW5tCWAxVQe2wGHeluOOwQyNoBKAB6BAgwEAA&amp;ictx=1&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=795&amp;dpr=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:100%;\" onclick=\"&#010;         if(typeof cwr === &#039;function&#039;) { cwr(&#039;recordEvent&#039;, { type: &#039;ad_click&#039;, data: { campaignId: &#039;0c186c4e-25db-46b9-9c49-cc605ea92eb3&#039; } }); }&#010;         var api = window.__AWAAZ_API__ || &#039;&#039;;&#010;         if(api) {&#010;           fetch(api + &#039;\/campaigns\/trackEvent&#039;, {&#010;             method: &#039;POST&#039;,&#010;             headers: { &#039;Content-Type&#039;: &#039;application\/json&#039; },&#010;             body: JSON.stringify({&#010;               campaignId: &#039;0c186c4e-25db-46b9-9c49-cc605ea92eb3&#039;,&#010;               jobId: &#039;1e1233cd-944f-494b-8b98-13bea0b39a21&#039;,&#010;               eventType: &#039;click&#039;,&#010;               placement: &#039;spotlight&#039;,&#010;               pageUrl: window.location.href,&#010;               referrer: document.referrer&#010;             })&#010;           }).catch(function(e) { console.warn(&#039;Failed to track ad click&#039;, e); });&#010;         }&#010;       \"><br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789467262_614_mobile.jpeg\" alt=\"Mirzapur Movie\" loading=\"eager\" draggable=\"false\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;display:block;\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?num=10&amp;client=safari&amp;hs=BVtV&amp;sca_esv=70e3d5c639063899&amp;rls=en&amp;sxsrf=APpeQnsEocX_RLr1vVAkKtmjDW1TplKezQ:1788383089763&amp;q=mirzapur.+movie+tickets&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMwe8QYyC3w8sc9YSmPSWtOXmN04uLzzS_LTA3OyC8vycxNLRYy4GIFiwgJSvFz8eqn6xsaVhZXGhVUmpgYiUAFsgoK49NKkgoF_nybysiziFU8N7OoKrGgtEhPIRekV6EkMzk7taQYAL5bVXVwAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiZnqaW5tCWAxVQe2wGHeluOOwQyNoBKAB6BAgwEAA&amp;ictx=1&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=795&amp;dpr=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:100%;\" onclick=\"&#010;         if(typeof cwr === &#039;function&#039;) { cwr(&#039;recordEvent&#039;, { type: &#039;ad_click&#039;, data: { campaignId: &#039;0c186c4e-25db-46b9-9c49-cc605ea92eb3&#039; } }); }&#010;         var api = window.__AWAAZ_API__ || &#039;&#039;;&#010;         if(api) {&#010;           fetch(api + &#039;\/campaigns\/trackEvent&#039;, {&#010;             method: &#039;POST&#039;,&#010;             headers: { &#039;Content-Type&#039;: &#039;application\/json&#039; },&#010;             body: JSON.stringify({&#010;               campaignId: &#039;0c186c4e-25db-46b9-9c49-cc605ea92eb3&#039;,&#010;               jobId: &#039;1e1233cd-944f-494b-8b98-13bea0b39a21&#039;,&#010;               eventType: &#039;click&#039;,&#010;               placement: &#039;spotlight&#039;,&#010;               pageUrl: window.location.href,&#010;               referrer: document.referrer&#010;             })&#010;           }).catch(function(e) { console.warn(&#039;Failed to track ad click&#039;, e); });&#010;         }&#010;       \"><br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789467264_615_mobile.jpeg\" alt=\"Mirzapur Movie\" loading=\"lazy\" draggable=\"false\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;display:block;\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>In New Zealand, community groups have raised more than $200,000 for the flood victims, according to former honorary consul for Nepal Dinesh Khadka.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m so proud of the Indian community here who &#8230; supported us, saying it is not a Nepal problem but our problem,&#8221; Khadka said.<\/p>\n<p>He said about 80 per cent of the donations had come from New Zealand&#8217;s Indian community.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the Nepali community raised $100,000 through a fundraising dinner at the Freemans Bay Community Centre in Auckland.<\/p>\n<p>The Central Sikh Association donated $50,000 to Nepal that same night.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Gurdwara Shri Dashmesh Darbaar Sahib in Papatoetoe pledged $15,000, which was matched by the New Zealand Indian Central Association.<\/p>\n<p>Shiv Mandir in Manurewa donated $4000, while Manurewa Local Board member Marshal Ahluwalia and National Party Manurewa candidate Ghouse Majeed donated $7500.<\/p>\n<p>Khadka said the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand had pledged $5000, which would be directly deposited into Nepal&#8217;s Prime Minister&#8217;s Disaster Relief Fund.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4cda1eb9-9a44-458f-9cfd-cabc8e5caa08-edited-1789462164769.jpg\" alt=\"Dinesh Khadka. (Supplied photo)\" style=\"display:block; width:100%; height:auto; object-fit:contain;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>Dinesh Khadka. (Supplied photo)<\/p>\n<p>Other fundraising events included a dosa event in M\u0101ngere organised by Thiru Subramaniyar Aalayam on 5 September, and a fundraising dinner organised by the Nepal-New Zealand Friendship Society of Canterbury in Rolleston on 12 September.<\/p>\n<p>A similar dinner was organised by the Waikato Indian Association and Nepal-New Zealand Waikato Friendship Society in Hamilton on 9 September, while the Taranaki Nepalese Community is planning a fundraising dinner in New Plymouth on 26 September.<\/p>\n<p>He said the fundraising was a temporary effort to support people who had lost everything in the floods.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nepal will take decades to rebuild and whatever we raise now will go to the people who are in most need right now,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Khadka said more fundraising events were being planned across New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>Next week, Wellington Mutamizh Sangam&#8217;s youth wing will hold a youth festival to raise funds for Nepal, while the Indian Film Festival in October has also pledged to support fundraising efforts for the country, with a Nepali film included in its programme.<\/p>\n<p>Khadka said the response had shown him how much New Zealanders cared about Nepal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Wherever we go, I see New Zealanders approaching me and asking how they can support Nepal,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That makes me proud of New Zealand and how lucky we are to be called New Zealanders.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Khadka also warned that some organisations were using the disaster to make money.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is very sad to see that there are organisations who are raising money but it doesn&#8217;t reach the Prime Minister&#8217;s Disaster Relief Fund, so my request to people who are donating their hard-earned money is to make sure that you donate through the right channels,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Khadka said he was receiving regular updates from Nepal Police, who were doing their best to recover bodies and search for survivors.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;More than 1400 bodies [have] already [been] found but they&#8217;re looking through the rubble and buildings to find more than 5000 bodies or even survivors,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Khadka said he did not have an update on the missing New Zealanders.<\/p>\n<p>Five New Zealanders remain missing following the deadly flash floods: Dejan Kuzmic, Shweta Mhatre, Mihir Patel, Kinnari Patel and Suhasini Reddy.<\/p>\n<p>More than 300 foreign nationals have been rescued, according to an update from Nepal&#8217;s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.<\/p>\n<p>No New Zealanders have been included in that number.<\/p>\n<p>RNZ understands Mhatre and Kuzmic were part of the Isha Foundation&#8217;s pilgrimage, and Sadhguru had previously said two New Zealanders were missing from his trekking group.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Reddy&#8217;s family has called on rescuers not to stop searching for the 44-year-old after conflicting reports about her status emerged online.<\/p>\n<p>Reddy&#8217;s brother Rajeev and his wife Lauren urged people to keep searching for survivors in a Facebook post several weeks ago.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said New Zealand&#8217;s consular response team in Kathmandu was engaged with local authorities and the Nepalese Government.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;However, challenges on the ground mean that new, verified information will continue to take time to emerge.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said New Zealand had extended an offer of technical expertise to aid Nepal&#8217;s response effort in addition to humanitarian assistance worth $3.5 million to support the humanitarian response.<\/p>\n<p>(This story was first published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/indonz\/1390864\/police-supporting-families-of-new-zealanders-missing-in-nepal-floods\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rnz.co.nz<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says police are supporting the families of five New Zealanders who&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":600982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-600981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}