As Jaafar Imran recalls this chilling warning, it is hard to imagine the struggles the family went through to begin a new life in New Zealand. Along with his wife, Ghusoon Khasmir, and four children – Sajjad, Mustafa, Murtadha and Fatimah – Jaafar recently celebrated his one year Kiwi anniversary, settling into their new lives in Dunedin.

Southland community has welcomed former refugees with warmth and kind hearts as they rebuild their lives in Aotearoa New Zealand. Samuel, Nelson, and Leudy are just three of the 353 former refugees who have come to Southland since New Zealand Red Cross began providing settlement services in Invercargill in 2018. They all had to leave their original homelands – countries such as Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and they bring with them a wide range of skills and diverse cultures.

Araiteuru marae in Ōtepoti Dunedin recently welcomed manuhiri | visitors including former refugees who are building their lives in Aotearoa, with a special pōwhiri.

Sign up to Red Cross Journey this September to follow one of four incredible migration journeys taken by thousands of refugees.

Around the country, our staff, volunteers, members and whānau marked World Refugee Day and the contributions former refugees make to their communities. This is a snippet of some of these events.