Husband-wife duo becomes first Indian-origin members of the New Zealand Order of Merit

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In a first for the Indian community in New Zealand, an Indian-origin husband-wife duo, Sunit Prakash and Lalita Kasanji have been appointed members of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the King's Birthday 2025 Honours List.

The couple has become the first Indian-origin recipients to be honoured by New Zealand for their services in the field of Information Technology. They have become a part of a close-knit group of just 15 people who have been recognised in this field since 1995.

Both Sunit and Lalita have been long-time digital and community advocates and lived in Seaforth, NSW, from 1997 to 2007. In that time, Prakash served as the Director of Support Operations Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) for a Nasdaq-listed tech company.

Once they returned to Wellington, both Sunit and Lalita co-founded the New Zealand Centre for Digital Connections with India in 2023. The project aims to accelerate collaboration between the two countries in the field of digital and tech innovation.

The research that the couple undertook showed that Indian IT employees contribute over NZ$350 million per year to the economy of the country, a report said. The research also pinpointed the predictors of success and redefined stimulants to showcase the visibility and success among the diaspora.

They took their own migration and settlement experience as a baseline to draw conclusions that the Indian professionals in New Zealand have unique insights and experience in the field but often go unappreciated for the same.

New Zealand has acknowledged the work of the couple widely and they have been recognised for taking Indian tech professionals to a greater recognition and also for initiating conversations around digital reform in the country.

"As new arrivals to New Zealand, Indians take the tall poppy syndrome very seriously,” Kasanji said.