INTHEBLACK December 2021 - Magazine - Page 74
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// G I V I N G B A C K
STORY KATIE LANGMORE
SHOWTIME
FOR A CAUSE
PRIYA SHANKAR ASA ENJOYS DEVOTING HER TIME AND
ENERGY TO BOLLYWOOD-THEMED EVENTS THAT GIVE HER
COMMUNITY A TASTE OF HOME WHILE CONTRIBUTING TO
THE CAUSE OF PAEDIATRIC HEALTHCARE.
“B
ollywood” is not a word you would
necessarily associate with Auckland,
but Priya Shankar ASA explains there
is a very large Indian population in the city.
Add to this the fact that Shankar grew up in
a musical family, with a father in a Bollywood
band, and that she now performs as a Bollywood
singer herself – and you have the perfect recipe
for an Auckland Bollywood fundraiser.
“I put together our first Bollywood for
Starship event in 2013,” recalls Shankar. “It
was quite small – there were probably only
200 people attending in a little community
hall. My husband and I put together the whole
thing ourselves.”
Today, the event is a colourful evening
of food, music, performance and dancing,
drawing out hundreds of Aucklanders to
party the night away.
“Many of the people who come are from
Barfoot & Thompson,” says Shankar of
the large real estate agency she has been
employed at for 15 years, now as CFO. With
more than 2000 contractors and staff, Shankar
says there is little need to advertise ticket sales.
“We also have sponsors on board who pay
NZ$2300 each (A$2222) and get a table as
part of their sponsorship – mostly regular
suppliers for Barfoot & Thompson,” she adds.
Shankar chose Starship Hospital – a public
children’s hospital – as the recipient of her
fundraising efforts, as Barfoot & Thompson
is a long-standing supporter of the Starship
Foundation. Fundraising events run by staff,
including quiz nights, sausage sizzles and battle
of the band events, are frequent and welcomed.
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Right:
Priya Shankar ASA
The Starship Foundation is the leading provider of paediatric
healthcare in New Zealand and the South Pacific, delivering
family centred care to infants, children, young people and their
whānau (extended family) in hospital and in the community.
starship.org.nz
“Every year, Starship Hospital tells us what
they are raising money for – it could be buying
ventilators, doing up the mother’s room in the
hospital…This year, it’s refurbishing their NICU
[neonatal intensive care unit] ward, so this
brings added meaning to the events.”
It also means everyone is happy to chip
in their time and resources for free or at a
nominal cost.
The bands, dancers, MCs and DJs – many
of whom Shankar knows through family and
music contacts – volunteer their time and
talent. Catering and venue costs are subsidised.
This makes it seem almost simple to pull
off, but, talking to Shankar, it becomes clear
there are many moving parts to oversee and,
increasingly, legal hoops to jump through.
Thankfully, “being an accountant helps, as your
costing, budgeting and negotiation skills come
to play”, says Shankar.
CPA Australia’s
resources for
voluntary or pro
bono accounting
services
“Many staff from Barfoot, and Starship,
now come to help out. For the last event, in
2019 – which was our biggest yet – I even had
the support of a health and safety manager,
as applying for things like a liquor licence
nowadays takes a lot of time.”
When Shankar isn’t managing the financial
operations of more than 75 branches, pulling
together fundraising events, performing or
home-schooling her 13-year-old son during
lockdown, she can be found online, studying
for her CPA Australia qualification.
“I started my CPA last year. I was missing
study, and I always want to keep learning and
stay up to date with accounting practices,”
she says.
Hopefully information on those Bollywood
nights will reach further afield. “Absolutely,”
she agrees. “I think people are itching to get
out and do something good for the soul.”