The little girl who captured the hearts of New Zealand
Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family of the toddler Aisling Symes, whose disappearance shocked families around New Zealand, including many from within our ethnic communities.
The grief being felt by her parents, her sister and the rest of her family, friends and loved ones is being shared in the heart of every New Zealander - particularly those who joined in the search for the little girl.
No parent should ever have to lose their child under such tragic circumstances.
Aisling, a bright and bubbly two-year-old - with a love of ducklings - captured the heart of New Zealanders as volunteers from far and wide flocked to the police search area to assist in trying to find the little girl.
To help break through the language barrier between police and some local residents, I went out alongside Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Melissa Lee and a team of Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi and Korean speaking volunteers to join the search.
We knocked on doors in the eight street search area and talked with New Zealanders in the language they were most comfortable speaking. I ended up as an interpreter for the Police while visiting a couple of the households.
We also translated the police poster and description of an Asian woman the police hoped could assist them into Chinese, Korean and Punjabi languages for bi-lingual posters, which we distributed to businesses in the area and hung up on the windows of shops.
Thank you to all the volunteers and business owners who worked so hard to assist in trying to find Aisling.
As Minister for Ethnic Affairs, it was touching to watch as every member of the West Auckland community came together to join the search for Aisling and my heart goes out to every one of you, who were waiting to hear news about the beautiful little girl.
The disappearance of young Aisling sent shockwaves through New Zealand, with parents of every ethnicity hugging their children a little bit tighter and feeling the angst and turmoil of the little girl's family.
The tragic circumstances of this case have brought sadness to many New Zealanders, who share the grief that Aisling's parents are going through.
Meanwhile, police in Avondale are still searching for Srikanth Rayadurgam, an AUT student from Hyderabad, India, who was last seen on CCTV footage withdrawing money from a cash flow machine on October 1.
Police have discovered his belongings in and around the Westhaven Marina in St Mary's Bay, but are yet to find Srikanth.
My thoughts are with Srikanth's family as they wait for news about this promising young student.
I have been in touch with the Avondale Police, who are investigating the case, and they are asking for people to contact them on 09 820 5700 with any sightings of Srikanth.
