Afghan refugee thriving in NZ
TARANNUM SHAIKH
Escaping the clutches of the Taliban to becoming head boy at Pakuranga College, the story of 17-year-old Mortaza ‘‘Taza’’ Sahar is awe-inspiring.
Taza and his family belong to the Shia Muslim community known as Hazaras, a minority group in the mostly Sunni Muslim-occupied Afghanistan.
They have been targeted by the Taliban, infamously known for their extremist Muslim views and sharia (law), who regard Hazaras as ‘‘infidels’’.
‘‘Back when we were in Afghanistan, they used to capture Hazaras and decapitate them, kill them and all that stuff,’’ Taza said.
‘‘It wasn’t safe because of who we were. It still happens today, specifically to Shia Hazaras.’’
In 1998, during the rise of the Taliban, Taza and his extended family evacuated to Pakistan for the next two years.
They came to New Zealand in 2004, brought over by his uncle, who was one of 433 asylum seekers aboard a boat bound for Australia’s Christmas Island, which sank.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Sahar family, who were at the Mangere Refugee Centre for three months.
Resettling in a new, foreign country was difficult for Taza’s parents and uncle, especially with no English language skills and a big family to look after.
Taza and his siblings had their own struggles, too. He recalls finding it hard to fit in with his Kiwi peers in primary school.
’’I used to tell my mum not to pick me up from class because she was wearing a headscarf and I didn’t want my friends to see.
‘‘I was quite embarrassed at the time because we looked different and I didn’t want to be that different kid. I wanted to be like everyone else.’’
The head boy at Pakuranga College insists he wasn’t nearly as studious or accomplished as a pre-teen, as he is now.
‘‘I was a real trouble kid, I used to lash out. It was different to who I am now.’’
But a trip back to Afghanistan changed his outlook when he saw the impact of poverty and lack of opportunity there.
‘‘I thought ‘what’s stopping me with all the opportunities I have in New Zealand? Why can’t I use that to the best of my ability?’
‘‘Ever since that day, I tried to do things well. I try to be the better person. Go above and beyond in my school, try to give back.’’
And giving back is something Taza is starting within his own community.
Last year, he joined the Hazara Youth Association NZ to help promote a stronger bond for young people in his community.
The group brings everyone together by holding events and sports competitions, including women’s volleyball.
Taza also helped set up English language night classes for Afghani adults, through English Language Partners, after seeing adult immigrants struggle to settle in New Zealand.
Taza’s plans for the future include applying to Ivy League universities in the United States to pursue a career in neuroscience.
He will also attend the Future Experiences in Agriculture, Science and Technology (FEAST) programme at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, where he and other high school students will learn about science careers in the agriculture, animal, plant and food sectors.