Afghan New Zealanders are New Zealanders whose ancestors came from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
or who were born in Afghanistan.
History of immigration
Afghan Migration to New Zealand started in the early 1980s, by mid-1990 a new wave of Afghans had fled Afghanistan to escape the civil war that was ensuing after the rapid withdrawal of the Soviets and the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992, many of these Afghans had close ties to many high ranking Afghan officials in the government and many also were high-ranking officials in the army themselves, starting their lives from scratch and calling New Zealand home.
131 Afghans came to New Zealand as refugees on the
MV ''Tampa'' during the
Tampa affair
In late August 2001, the Howard Government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV ''Tampa'', carrying 433 rescued refugees (predominantly Hazaras of Afghanistan from a distressed fishing vessel in international water ...
in 2001.
Following the
Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in late August 2021, the New Zealand Government offered 1,253 visas to Afghans.
The
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...
participated in international efforts to evacuate Afghans who had worked for Western military forces.
By early October 2021, only 428 had arrived in New Zealand. In response, the New Zealand Government dispatched a special envoy to the Middle East to help 825 stranded Afghan visa holders to leave Afghanistan.
Examples
*
Omar Slaimankhel
Omar Slaimankhel (born 4 March 1992) is a New Zealand former professional rugby footballer who last played rugby league for Western Suburbs in the Ron Massey Cup. Slaimankhel previously played in the National Rugby League for the New Zealand W ...
See also
*
Afghan Australians
Afghan Australians ( prs, استرالیایی های افغانتبار ''Ostorâliyâi-hāye Afghān tabar'', ps, د اسټرالیا افغانان ''Da Asṭrālyā Afghanan'') are Australians tied to Afghanistan either by birth or by ...
*
Afghan Canadians
Afghan Canadians are Canadians with ancestry from Afghanistan. They form the second largest Afghan community in North America after Afghan Americans. Their ethnic origin may come from any of the ethnic groups of Afghanistan, which include Pa ...
*
Afghan Americans
Afghan Americans ( prs, آمریکاییهای افغانتبار ''Amrikāyi-hāye Afghān tabar'', ps, د امريکا افغانان ''Da Amrīka Afghanan'') are Americans of Afghan descent or Americans who originated from Afghanistan. ...
*
Afghans in Sweden
References
Asian New Zealander
New Zealander
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
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