Shaneel is a young Fijian immigrant living in New Zealand since 2014. He was born in Nausori and grew up in a Hindu family with Muslim family members, while attending a Christian school, Nausori primary school. He attended Otahuhu college, where he developed a passion for social justice.

As a young queer immigrant of colour, Shaneel believes that it is absolutely vital to ensure voices of people from his community are heard at the highest level possible. He has been a member of the Ministry of Educations youth advisory group for 2 years, was the youth MP for Manukau East, a global youth leader for open government partnership and the youth delegate for Fiji and New Zealand on the Amnesty International youth taskforce. Shaneel has been an advocate for rainbow rights in New Zealand as his recent work has been trying to achieve a ban on conversion therapy in New Zealand. He is the co-founder of the Conversion Therapy Action Group.

Shaneel has a passion for decolonisation and creating a New Zealand that values indigenous people and indigenous rights. At the root of his work is an aim to make a New Zealand in which everyone is thriving, not just surviving.

It was pleasure to have you on my podcast Shaneel Uro Levu Lal! You are wonderful.

Alofa atu

Tima xx