2 Oct 2023

Displaced Afghans' difficult start in NZ

From Nine To Noon, 9:30 am on 2 October 2023
Ppeople forming a line to board the Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

Ppeople forming a line to board the Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Photo: SGT Glen McCarthy / Australian Defence Force / AFP

After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan two years ago, 16 hundred displaced people found refuge in New Zealand.

But their experiences of resettling here were less than ideal, according to a new report by World Vision, Amnesty International, and ActionStation.

The report finds many of the Afghan nationals spent months in hotel rooms, and struggled to access mental health support, employment and education.

The agencies want the government to introduce a standard level of support for displaced people seeking refuge in Aotearoa New Zealand whether they arrive here as refugees, asylum seekers, or on special humanitarian visas.

Rebekah Armstrong is World Vision's Head of Advocacy and Justice explains.