The scamp of New Zealand publishing is laid to rest, for now. In 2005 I wrote and released a book called On the conditions and possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as her Young Lover. I gave myself the name Richard Meros. My real name is Murdoch. Some people think that sounds like a pseudonym, … Read more
Artist Lema Shamamba highlights the threads that connect cellphone use to violence and exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo in her first solo exhibition at Auckland’s Objectspace. Embroidered into a purple and yellow dress, a woman has one baby slung on her front and another on her back. Looking at her bright colours, you … Read more
A long-derided refugee policy has been reversed, the government announced today. What’s happening? The government has announced changes to its three-year refugee policy, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region and removing restrictions for some refugees. In announcing the changes, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said, “we knew changes needed to be made and today’s announcements reflect … Read more
For those attempting to seek asylum in New Zealand, the path is rarely straightforward. Tim Maurice of Asylum Seekers Support Trust gives us a glimpse of life as an asylum seeker. The room is alive with conversation. Before us, a meal is set out on the brown Formica table: a traditional Pakistani dish made from … Read more
PM Jacinda Ardern will soon have the chance to reverse policy that prioritises Asia-Pacific immigrants over refugees from Africa and the Middle East. But how did that policy get made in the first place? After the attacks on Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, attention has returned to restrictions on African and Middle Eastern refugees … Read more
Amnesty International today hands over 10,276 signatures to Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway in the form of the I Welcome Pledge, which urges the government to make community sponsorship for refugees permanent. This scheme, explains Meg de Ronde of Amnesty International NZ, complements the refugee quota programme, with the difference being that community groups take the lead, providing … Read more
Our new series produced by the New Zealand Red Cross profiles people from refugee backgrounds who now call New Zealand home. Our third Kiwi Legend: Mitchell Pham, who escaped alone from Vietnam as a 12-year-old, and went on to create a hugely successful NZ software company. Mitchel Pham has fond memories of his early childhood … Read more
Our new series produced by the New Zealand Red Cross profiles people from refugee backgrounds who now call New Zealand home. Our second Kiwi Legend: Niborom Young, who found herself locked out of Cambodia and stranded here in 1975. In March 1975 Niborom Young was in New Zealand on a student exchange. She had just … Read more
Our new series produced by the New Zealand Red Cross profiles people from refugee backgrounds who now call New Zealand home. Our first Kiwi Legend: Jorge Sandoval, who fled Pinochet’s Chile for a new life in the Hutt Valley. It’s November 1988 and competitors in the Vuelta Ciclista de Chile (Chilean cycling race) are jostling … Read more
Last month the government committed to increase New Zealand’s refugee quota to 1500. Now New Zealand must accept more refugees from Africa and the Middle East, writes South Sudanese-Kiwi and former refugee Clench Enoka. I was born in a refugee camp in Kenya. I had no country to call home. My parents were born in South … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Banking in spotlight as Australian saga rumbles on, refugee quota rise confirmed, and more tricky questions over Thompson and Clark. Across two major issues right now, banks are under pressure to prove that they’re capable and committed to decency and ethical business practices. Part of the reason … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Spy agencies want ways around encrypted devices, rift opens in government over refugee quota, and Bridges rules out supporting compulsory te reo. Internet NZ has issued a warning against a Five Eyes push to force vendors and service providers to give law enforcement more access to … Read more
Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. Murdoch Stevens details how to use and get around the Zuckerberg Empire in his attempts to spread public awareness about increasing the quota of refugees into New Zealand. I was curious about what it would actually take to get the refugee quota increased. I knew I could draw on friends across the … Read more
As a toddler, Nida Fiazi escaped Afghanistan with her mother in a quest for survival. Instead they ended up in a detention camp in Nauru. Thalia Kehoe Rowden tells their story. Content note: This is a distressing story of seeking asylum and detention, and includes discussion of psychiatric illness, self-harm and suicide. When Waikato University … Read more
Sandra Ivanov and her family left Serbia in the 1990s to escape the wars that tore the region apart. She ended up in New Zealand, and this year went back to Serbia to volunteer to help the continuing wave of refugees passing through her birthplace. Here is her account of the continuing crisis. Thousands of … Read more
Shaymaa Arif from Hamilton has spent part of this year volunteering as an Arabic interpreter at a medical clinic in Moria Camp, one of the camps in the Greek Islands where refugees are struggling to survive. She says New Zealand must not turn its back on the crisis. It is so easy for us in New … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Environmentalists stack submissions up on Zero Carbon bill, courier driver conditions laid bare, and refugee quota increase on hold. Here’s an important update on the Zero Carbon bill – methane is almost certain to be included, reports the NBR. Climate change minister James Shaw says that’s the clear … Read more