30 Afghan interpreters and their families arrived in Auckland yesterday to start a new life in New Zealand, 94 people in total. The youngest is 3 months. These interpreters worked with New Zealand soldiers and police. Over the last 10 years, New Zealand soldiers helped to rebuild Bamiyan province. New Zealand police also sent 16 groups in the last few years to help train Afghan police.
Interpreters who worked with New Zealand could be in danger from the Taliban now that New Zealand has left Afghanistan. The New Zealand government offered all those who worked with the soldiers or police in the last two years a chance to live in New Zealand or to move to another place in Afghanistan with 3 years salary.
These 94 people are not part of our UNHCR quota of 750 refugees a year. They are a special case. However, they will stay at the Mangere Refugee Centre in Auckland for 8 weeks to learn more about New Zealand before moving to Hamilton or Palmerston North.
Vocabulary
• UNHCR – United Nations High Commission for Refugees
• quota – the number of refugees we take each year.