Ella Kumar can be ubiquitous. Some days, you will find her bubbling with excitement as she prepares to shake a leg at a community event. On others, you might catch her channeling the energy of a teenage volunteer at a social cause. Her day job, though, can tend to be more formal.
As the current head of Auckland’s Puketapapa Local Board, Ella is the first woman of Indian descent elected chair of a local board in New Zealand. It’s not the first time she broke the glass ceiling. In 2010, she became the first Kiwi-Indian woman to be elected to a local board in the country.
Ella has been awarded with the top honour–the Hall of Fame Award–at the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame Awards 2024 for her remarkable journey that inspires many Indian New Zealanders, especially women, to chase their dreams.
With over 36 years of experience in health and fitness, she’s not just a qualified aerobics instructor—she’s also a personal trainer, pilates instructor, and the queen of Bolly dance classes.
Ella’s embrace of her Indian heritage is remarkable for a third-generation Kiwi-Indian, born and brought up fully in New Zealand. Her grandfather moved to Aotearoa in the 1920s, followed by her father who arrived in the 1950s.
"My parents arrived here by boat," Ella recalls. "There were many challenges trying to keep our culture alive. My hardest time was from primary school to high school. Mum didn’t speak English, and both my parents were always working, so I had to succeed on my own."
Racism also left its mark. "The color of my skin made a difference—it was hard to be accepted," she says. Name-calling and a sense of isolation became a part of her reality. Moreover, her father discouraged academic pursuits for girls. "It was tough to understand why I wasn't supposed to study."
Yet, cultural roots offered a sense of belonging. She attended the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, learning to read and write in Gujarati—a meaningful step toward staying connected to her heritage.
"There were very few Indians around back then," she says, "but I was proud to be Indian." She embraced her culture, donning a salwar kameez and a tikka on weekends.
Her professional journey began with teaching, but she also dreamed of becoming a police officer. "I couldn’t get in because of height requirements and not knowing how to swim," she recalls. A job at the bank came instead, followed by gym and aerobics sessions that gave her a taste of freedom.
Ella has been a volunteer for the Auckland Diwali Festival since 2002, contributing to the event’s success for over two decades.
Her passion for fitness isn’t just a career; it’s her way of giving back. Every week, Ella volunteers at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, offering fitness classes for free, encouraging the community to lead healthier, more active lives. It’s not about making money, she points out. “It’s about making a difference.”
As a dedicated member of the Puketāpapa Local Board, she’s proven herself to be a trailblazer. Ella’s influence on the board has been transformative, as she’s worked tirelessly to bring the community together through events like the Roskill Fun Run and Mt Roskill Diwali festival, which she helped grow into a much-anticipated annual celebration.