Safety and a place to call home
For Dunedin’s refugees, their arrival in the city was the start of a new, safe life. Daisy Hudson looked at how the city’s designation as a refugee resettlement centre five years ago has affected its new residents.
FIVE years ago, a group of people stepped off a plane at Dunedin Airport and stepped into a new life.
Their arrival marked a major milestone in Dunedin’s history, and a pivotal moment in their own.
It has been five years since Dunedin’s first intake of refugees in April 2016. The city was announced as New Zealand’s sixth refugee resettlement centre in late 2015, after months of lobbying by the community and city leaders.
The wheels immediately spun into motion. Hundreds of volunteers were recruited, accommodation was secured, and services to help with health, education, employment, and language were deployed.
At the heart of it was Red Cross national migration manager Sue Price, who was involved in setting up the new programme in Dunedin.
A big part of her role was working with agencies to ensure every ounce of support refugees needed was available in the city.
‘‘Key to that is having volunteers trained and ready to support a family,’’ she says.
‘‘We came up with a bit of a formula for how that would work, and we’ve adjusted that and used it for the subsequent locations that we’ve set up.’’
Then there was informing the public about their new fellow residents.
‘‘People just responded in such a fantastic way, I just can’t thank the Dunedin community enough for all of the support they gave this whole concept.’’
Since then, 713 refugees have made Dunedin their home.
It has not always been a smooth ride. Some families have battled to find adequate housing, while others are still struggling to assimilate into their new country.
The intake dropped to just 30 refugees in 2020, yet another example of Covid19’s farreaching consequences.
Despite the challenges, most families report feeling safe and happy in the city.
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins says the Dunedin community has a really strong volunteer work ethic, and that that has contributed to the success of the programme.
‘‘There’s always a benefit to the community in being able to share in and understand other cultures and other perspectives,’’ he says.
‘‘Two years ago we’ve seen an extreme example of what happens when you don’t have a strong understanding of other cultures and other perspectives, and that’s something that we always need to be mindful of.’’
One of the most ardent supporters of Dunedin’s refugees is Afifi Harris.
Originally from Lebanon, Mrs Harris knew all too well how difficult it could be to integrate into a new country and culture.
Having grown up with Syria as a neighbouring country, she knew the language and the people. Many Syrian refugees fleeing the country’s bloody and brutal civil war fled to Lebanon.
‘‘I wanted to be there for them, so they can feel relaxed,’’ she says.
One of the initiatives she undertook was raising money so female refugees could take driving lessons and get their licences. It gave them their independence.
She would love to see a centre established where refugees can get together and engage with other people from their culture.
‘‘They know if they need anything, I’m there for them.’’
Dunedin city councillor Steve Walker volunteered to support a family from the first intake.
He got involved for a couple of reasons — firstly, he was treated ‘‘wonderfully’’ when he backpacked through Syria in the 1990s.
‘‘I was also keen for Dunedin to not let itself down as a refugee resettlement centre and I wanted to be part of making sure we, as a city, gave our new residents the best possible welcome we could, especially after the trauma that many families have gone through prior to reaching our shores.’’
The role was a varied one, including everything from driving the family from the airport and arranging for power and phone connections, to introducing them to neighbours and helping children get set up at school
He describes it as one of the most rewarding things he has done.
‘‘I now have some new best friends; in fact, I have a second family.
‘‘My wife and I have no children but I take immense pleasure in watching my four Syrian children grow into smart, happy, kind and accomplished SyrianKiwis.
‘‘Watching them grow and become more confident and assimilated often brings tears of joy to my eyes, I love my family so much and what they have achieved; I have been a small part of that, but largely they have achieved everything through their own determination.’’