Ram BARAN

The son of the late Ram Khelāwan, and beloved father, husband, grandfather and great-grandfather, died peacefully on 16 November 2025. A former tradie, he was born and raised in Tavakubu, Lautoka, Fiji. Ram lived temporarily in Tāmaki Makaurau with his wife in 1974 and worked at the iconic Kiwi Bacon factory. He migrated to Pōneke permanently in 1995 to reside with his daughter, son, and their families. He was an upstanding member of the Fijian Indian community in Lautoka and Wellington, known for his work rebuilding cyclone-damaged homes at home and serving his community and family in Aotearoa. Ram was the first generation in his family of Fijian Indians descended from Girmit indentured labourers. He was one of eight children, with his surviving sisters residing in Fiji. Ram was husband of Kalawati Baran and the father of three children, Arvind Baran, Anjali Prasad, and Samuel Baran. He was the grandfather of seven grandchildren, and great-grandfather of eight great-grandchildren, who now reside in Wellington, Auckland, Nelson and Sydney. A service to remember his life and contribution to his community will be held at the Lychgate Funeral Home, Johnsonville, Wellington, on Thursday 20 November at 11.00am.

Ram will be dearly missed by all who knew him, and has inspired a legacy of resilience and integrity.