Afghan New Zealanders

Afghan New Zealanders are New Zealanders whose ancestors came from Afghanistan or who were born in Afghanistan.

Afghan New Zealanders
Total population
Afghan New Zealanders
5,250 Afghan-born (2018)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Wellington, Palmerston North
Languages
Pashto, Hazaragi, Dari, New Zealand English,
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Afghan diaspora

History of immigration

Afghan migration to New Zealand started in the late 1980s.[2] By mid-1990 a new wave of Afghans had fled Afghanistan to escape the civil war that followed the withdrawal of the Soviets and the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992. Many of these Afghans had close ties to high ranking Afghan officials in the previous 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 2001.[3]

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in late August 2021, the New Zealand Government offered 1,253 visas to Afghans.[4] The New Zealand Defence Force participated in international efforts to evacuate Afghans who had worked for Western military forces.[5][6] 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.[4]

Notable People

See also

References
  1. "Afghani ethnic group". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  2. "RefNZ Statistics". www.refugee.org.nz. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  3. Phillips, Jock (1 August 2021). "History of immigration - Multi-cultural New Zealand: 1991 onwards". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  4. "New Zealand Afghanistan special representative to support evacuations". Radio New Zealand. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  5. "370 evacuees from Afghanistan headed for New Zealand, Foreign Affairs says". Radio New Zealand. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  6. Manch, Thomas (27 August 2021). "Possibly hundreds left behind as New Zealand Afghanistan evacuation mission ends after Kabul terror attack". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.


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