New Beginnings
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New Beginnings Refugee Stories - Nelson A Snapshot of Success NEW BEGINNINGS Refugee Stories - Nelson First Published 2012 Nelson Multicultural Council 4 Bridge Street, Nelson PO Box 264, Nelson 7040 ISBN: 978-0-473-21735-8 Copy writing by Alison Gibbs Copy edited by Claire Nichols, Bob Irvine Designed and typeset by Revell Design - www.revelldesign.co.nz Printed by Speedyprint - www.speedyprint.co.nz Contents INTRODUCTION ...................................................................1 Van Ro Hlawnceu Mal Sawm Cinzah REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN NEW ZEALAND ..........2 Van Hlei Sung Lian ............................................................ 11 REFUGEE COMMUNITIES IN NELSON ..........................3 THE ETHNIC COMMUNITIES IN NELSON ................. 12 REFUGEE PROFILES ............................................................4 Burma .................................................................................... 12 Beda and Chandra Dahal .................................................4 Burmese ................................................................................ 12 Trang Lam ...............................................................................5 Chin ........................................................................................ 12 Theresa Zam Deih Cin .........................................................5 Zomi Innkuan ...................................................................... 13 Govinda (Tika) Regmi..........................................................6 Kayan ..................................................................................... 13 Ly Linh ......................................................................................6 Bhutan .................................................................................. 14 The Sukita Project ................................................................7 Bhutanese/Nepali ............................................................. 14 Thi Kim Tran ............................................................................8 Vietnam/Cambodia ......................................................... 14 Paing Mu ..................................................................................8 Khmer Krom ........................................................................ 14 Sua Thi Lam & China Tran ..................................................9 MESSAGES OF SUPPORT ............................................... 15 Dhanman Pradhan ...............................................................9 ORGANISATIONS SUPPORTING Van Van Za Thang .............................................................. 10 REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT ............................................. 17 Monica Lun Sian Muang ................................................. 10 A TEAM EFFORT ................................................................ 18 CONTENTS "While every refugee's story is different and their anguish personal, they all share a common thread of uncommon courage: the courage not only to survive, but to persevere and rebuild their lives." Antonio Guterres Introduction World Refugee Day is officially observed on That is not the focus of this publication, June 20th. The day honours the courage, however. Instead, we have chosen to celebrate strength and determination of women, men the personal achievements and contributions and children who are forced to flee their to our community that people from a refugee homeland under threat of persecution, background make. This publication profiles conflict and violence. It is appropriate that a small selection and some of their stories this publication is launched on that day. are truly inspirational. Many other refugees About 700 people from a refugee background also deserve to be recognised. We hope that now call Nelson home and it is right that they will go on to achieve even greater success we should remember the hardships they in the coming years and will be included in endured before coming here. We should also future publications. acknowledge that for many their problems When I began this project I was promised that did not disappear once they had fled their I would meet some wonderful people. That homeland. Most were in refugee camps, some has been true. Interviewing representatives of for up to 18 years. In some camps people different cultural groups and the individual could continue to lead the semblance of a “success stories” has been a pleasure. normal life; in others they had to scramble to Knowing something of their past I have been survive. impressed by the quiet dignity, strength and Once they were resettled, they had to confront positive attitude of those I interviewed. All are all the problems that any new migrant faces making great contributions to our community in a new country with a different language and are exactly the type of people we need in and different customs - compounded in many New Zealand. cases by ongoing trauma and worry about Alison Gibbs family members left behind. Research & Editor NEW BEGINNINGS - Refugee stories from Nelson 1 Refugee Resettlement in New Zealand In 1951 the United Nations Convention Smaller groups, such as Ugandan Asians, on Refugees was accepted by member Chileans, Soviet Jews and some from Eastern states. The Convention defined refugees as Europe were also accepted. 1980 saw the people who have left their place of habitual start of Iraqi Assyrian resettlement. Since residence “owing to well-founded fear of 1994 refugees from the Middle East and the being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, Horn of Africa have dominated the quota. nationality, membership of a particular social Quota refugees arrive six times each year in group or political opinion”. groups of about 150 and spend six weeks at the New Zealand had begun accepting refugees Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre, where several years before signing the Convention. they receive health screening, healthcare, About 1,100 Jewish refugees came here during English lessons and basic orientation to the the 1930s, but refugee resettlement really Kiwi way of life, before restarting their own began in 1944 with the acceptance of nearly lives in towns and cities throughout the 900 Polish children and their guardians. country. There are six resettlement centres Another 4,500 refugees from post war Europe in New Zealand. Nelson is the smallest of came to New Zealand during the period the designated settlement communities, after 1949–52. Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington (including Soon after New Zealand signed the UN Hutt Valley and Porirua), Christchurch, and Convention, the Inter-Church Commission Palmerston North. on Immigration and Refugee Resettlement (later to become the Refugee and Migrant Commission) was convened at the request of the Government. The Commission’s role was to promote and support refugee resettlement among churches and community groups and to provide advocacy and policy advice on refugee issues. Over the next 20 years the Commission’s work expanded as New Zealand accepted specific refugee groups in response to requests from the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other non-government organisations (NGO). Since 1957 a quota has been set annually by Cabinet, currently 750 per annum. A proportion of the quota placement is reserved for the most needy cases as identified by UNHCR. These include women at risk, medically disabled and protection cases. Apart from the quota, refugees also arrive under other categories. From the 1970s until the early 1990s Indochinese families were the main groups. 2 NEW BEGINNINGS - Refugee stories from Nelson The Refugee Communities in Nelson The first refugees to be resettled in Nelson particularly within their own cultural group. were from Vietnam and Cambodia. From Some meet semi regularly at social activities the 1990s to the present time others came organised by the Nelson Newcomers Network. from Burma (Burmese, Chin, Karen, Kayan Each group also holds its own festivals, to and Zomi) and a variety of other countries, which they invite other cultural groups, including most recently the Bhutanese-Nepali, their support people and representatives of also called Lhotshampa people. other official organisations. Communication Nelson welcomes about 60 to 80 refugees a between the ethnic groups is sometimes year, which is 8–12% of the New Zealand difficult as in many cases the only language quota. Few were given any choice about the they have in common is limited English. A six country in which they would be resettled weekly Refugee Forum has been established - a small number who had relatives in New with the support of Settling In to make this Zealand were able to choose to come here communication between the different refugee also. groups easier. Volunteer support workers, trained by Many of the adults are already concerned Refugee Services, assist new arrivals with about maintaining their own cultural identity practical resettlement tasks such as setting as the children start to become little Kiwis. up their homes, enrolling the family with a Some groups have started language and GP, registering with Work and Income and culture classes. In other cases there is a rule enrolling children in schools and adults in that no English will be spoken in the home. the appropriate English classes. Friendship The refugees immerse themselves in the and mentoring are crucial elements of the wider community through work, education, volunteer role. Throughout the first year, contact with support people, participation