Araiteuru Marae in Ōtepoti | Dunedin hosts a weekly event, Pātaka Ora. For the past few years, it has been a place for anyone to meet people from different cultures.

Olga and her daughter Kseniia arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand eight months ago carrying just their backpacks. They were the last of her immediate family to leave Crimea - a Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.

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.

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