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Starting life afresh in New Zealand as an Afghan refugee wasn't easy for Naeem Hashemi but within a month of arriving, he was dealt an added challenge - the amputation of his arm. Listen to his remarkable story of grit in this week's Here Now episode.
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This month on Here Now, we are marking World Refugee Day with some special stories on remarkable journeys refugees undertake, and their stories of overcoming difficulties and rebuilding lives in New Zealand.
Refugees like Naeem Hashemi rely heavily on the support they receive from volunteers and community members in resettling in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Red Cross is one of six organisations that provide community settlement support to former refugees who have arrived in Aotearoa under the government quota system, which works jointly with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Different providers in New Zealand include Kāhui Tū Kaha, HMS Trust and the Safer Mid Canterbury Charitable Trust.
Refugees have no choice where they get resettled once they've left their homes.
New Zealand Red Cross Community Engagement Lead Aklilu Habteghiorghis said whatever the option is, they will accept it. “And once they come to New Zealand, most people love it here.”
As former refugees like Naeem Hashemi begin a new life in New Zealand, the Red Cross will work with them for up to two years. Habteghiorghis said in the last decade, New Zealand has been settling people from more than 25 countries and of more than 50 different ethnicities.
“Each ethnicity, each nationality has a different need.”
Cross-cultural workers help provide language support while they learn English, supporting their right to inclusion.
“Culture is another shock, barrier and struggle,” Habteghiorghis said. “Imagine moving from city to city and how you can struggle. These people are moving from country to country; it’s a whole new challenge.”
Habteghiorghis pointed out some former refugees were living in large urban cities before moving to New Zealand and have to adjust to small towns here. Others have lived in refugee camps for years.
“It’s a life totally different in big cities or towns. Some people who come from refugee camps can’t turn on the heat pump as they have never used one before.”
Overcoming challenges
The Red Cross has several engrained programmes for assisting with building a new life in New Zealand. This includes the pathway to settlement and pathway to employment.
In the last year, the New Zealand Red Cross helped settle around 880 former refugees in different locations.
Most people who work with former refugees during these programs are volunteers.
“As part of the working team, we hire staff who have refugee backgrounds so they know and can manage their own community and help guide our other staff.”
“They see someone who looks like them, or may have had the same journey as them, who might even be from their own community, and it helps them feel comfortable,” he said.
“For me, living in Egypt and in Sudan as a refugee, it helped me understand the need and situations of former refugees when they arrive in New Zealand.”
Originally from Eritrea, Habteghiorghis came to New Zealand in 2013 under the Refugee Family Support visa category. His mother and sibling settled in New Zealand as former refugees in 2008.
“It was so nice to come and have family already here as many former refugees do not have that.”
As soon as the former refugees step foot on new home soil, they are welcomed at the airport by Red Cross workers, volunteers and local iwi.
Habteghiorghis had a background working in psychosocial work but found it was a challenge to get a job in this industry once arriving in New Zealand.
“This is a struggle many former refugees face.”
He began to volunteer with the Red Cross, having previously volunteered with the Sudanese Red Crescent. “The journey started a long time ago.”
Six years later, he became the Settlement Lead in Christchurch.
New Zealand provides Pathways to Employment programs across all 13 places where former refugees are settled, working with different institutes to provide training. “We sometimes work with employers providing an induction to different cultures as often former refugees come from different working environments such as not having contracts.”
Connecting people
Settlement is all about connecting people, says Habteghiorghis. “It’s very hard if you don’t have anyone already in New Zealand. You’ve flown for 17-20 hours, probably the longest flight of your life, to the ends of the earth.”
“When my mum flew to New Zealand, she told me she thought it would be like a desert, with no one there because it was so far away.” But she was welcomed by a small Eritrean community.
“She was relieved, she thought, “Oh at least there are people who can speak my own language.” Habteghiorghis said.
The goal of settlement is inclusion. If people feel included, said Habteghiorghis, they will be able to positively participate in the day-to-day life of the community.
“So be a good neighbour. Whenever you see people in your neighbourhood that look different, that are from a refugee background, just go and welcome them. Give your time, volunteer and you will become family.”
“It’s not “us and them,” it is “we.” We are all living together in one country, this country we call home. We want people to feel not like they are guests, but like they are home.”
- Samantha Mythen
