| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Afghan New Zealanders 5,250 Afghan-born (2018) [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Wellington, Palmerston North | |
| Languages | |
| Pashto, Persian (Dari and Hazaragi dialect), New Zealand English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Islam (Sunni majority and Shia minority) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Afghan diaspora, Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazara |
Afghan New Zealanders are New Zealanders whose ancestors came from Afghanistan or who were born in Afghanistan. The New Zealand government categorises Afghanistan as Central Asian. [2]
Afghan migration to New Zealand started in the late 1980s. [3] By mid-1990 a new wave of Afghans had fled Afghanistan to escape the civil war that followed the withdrawal of the Soviets and the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992. Many of these Afghans had close ties to high ranking Afghan officials in the previous government and many also were high-ranking officials in the army themselves, starting their lives from scratch and calling New Zealand home.[ citation needed ]
131 Afghans came to New Zealand as refugees on the MV Tampa during the Tampa affair in 2001. [4]
Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in late August 2021, the New Zealand Government offered 1,253 visas to Afghans. [5] The New Zealand Defence Force participated in international efforts to evacuate Afghans who had worked for Western military forces. [6] [7] By early October 2021, only 428 had arrived in New Zealand. In response, the New Zealand Government dispatched a special envoy to the Middle East to help 825 stranded Afghan visa holders to leave Afghanistan. [5]
Philip Bruce Goff is a New Zealand politician and diplomat. He currently serves as High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom since 2023. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 November 2008 and 13 December 2011.
In late August 2001, the Howard government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying 433 rescued refugees and 5 crew, to enter Australian waters. This triggered an Australian political controversy in the lead-up to the 2001 federal election, and a diplomatic dispute between Australia and Norway.
The military history of New Zealand is an aspect of the history of New Zealand that spans several hundred years. When first settled by Māori almost a millennium ago, there was much land and resources, but war began to break out as the country's carrying capacity was approached. Initially being fought with close-range weapons of wood and stone, this continued on and off until Europeans arrived, bringing with them new weapons such as muskets. Colonisation by Britain led to the New Zealand Wars in the 19th century in which settler and imperial troops and their Māori allies fought against other Māori and a handful of Pākehā. In the first half of the 20th century, New Zealanders of all races fought alongside Britain in the Boer War and both World Wars. In the second half of the century and into this century the New Zealand Defence Force has provided token assistance to the United States in several conflicts. New Zealand has also contributed troops extensively to multilateral peacekeeping operations.
Immigration New Zealand, formerly the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS), is the agency within the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) that is responsible for border control, issuing travel visas and managing immigration to New Zealand.
Refugees in New Zealand have two main pathways for gaining protection in the country. Asylum seekers may seek protection after arrival in New Zealand. Refugees may also be resettled from offshore through New Zealand's Refugee Quota Programme. In 2017/18 a community sponsorship pathway was trialled, extended from 2021.
Migration to New Zealand began only very recently in human history, with Polynesian settlement in New Zealand, previously uninhabited, about 1250 CE to 1280 CE. European migration provided a major influx, especially following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Subsequent immigrants have come chiefly from the British Isles, but also from continental Europe, the Pacific, the Americas and Asia.
New Zealand passports are issued to New Zealand citizens for the purpose of international travel by the Department of Internal Affairs. New Zealand has a passport possession rate of around 70% of the population and there are around 2.9 million New Zealand passports in circulation.
New Zealand–Russia relations are the bilateral foreign relations between New Zealand and the Russian Federation. New Zealand has an embassy in Moscow and an honorary consulate in Vladivostok. Russia has an embassy in Wellington. Both countries are members of APEC. Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, relations became very tense after New Zealand imposed sanctions against Russia. Russia placed New Zealand on a list of "unfriendly countries", along with South Korea, the United States, European Union members, NATO members, Australia,Singapore, Japan,Switzerland, Micronesia, Taiwan and Ukraine.
Entry requirements for citizens of Saint Lucia vary globally, with many countries permitting visa-free entry while others impose restrictions. As of 23 August 2024, Saint Lucian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 148 countries and territories, ranking the Saint Lucian passport 30th in travel freedom, tied with Ukrainian passport according to the Henley Passport Index.
Visa requirements for Afghan citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Afghanistan.
Visa requirements for Bangladeshi citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Bangladesh by the authorities of other countries.
Non–New Zealand citizens wishing to enter the Realm of New Zealand must obtain a visa unless they are
Visa requirements for Fijian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Fiji. As of 23 July 2024, Fijian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 90 countries and territories, ranking the Fijian passport 54th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Visa requirements for Kiribati citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Kiribati. As of 2 July 2019, Kiribati citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 121 countries and territories, ranking the Kiribati passport 48th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Erica Louise Stanford is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party. She currently serves as the 49th Minister of Education and the 60th Minister of Immigration in the Sixth National Government of New Zealand.
The Sixth Labour Government governed New Zealand from 26 October 2017 to 27 November 2023. It was headed first by Jacinda Ardern and later by Chris Hipkins, as Labour Party leader and prime minister.
On 15 August 2021, the city of Kabul, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, was captured by Taliban forces during the 2021 Taliban offensive, concluding the War in Afghanistan that began in 2001. The fall of Kabul provoked a range of reactions across the globe, including debates on whether to recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, on the humanitarian situation in the country, on the outcome of the War, and the role of military interventionism in world affairs.
Large-scale evacuations of foreign citizens and some vulnerable Afghan citizens took place amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces at the end of the 2001–2021 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of Kabul and declared victory on 15 August 2021, and the NATO-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan collapsed. With the Taliban controlling the whole city except Hamid Karzai International Airport, hostilities ceased and the Taliban assisted in the evacuation effort by providing security and screening evacuees.
New Zealand–Palestine relations refer to foreign relations between New Zealand and the State of Palestine. New Zealand does not recognise Palestine as a country.
The second term of the Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand lasted between 2020 and 2023. It was formed following the Labour Party's landslide victory in the 2020 New Zealand general election. In mid January 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern resigned and was succeeded by Chris Hipkins. During the 2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Labour lost its majority to the opposition National Party. The Government remained in a caretaker capacity until the new National–led coalition government was sworn in on 27 November 2023.
| Asia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Europe | ||
| Americas | ||
| Oceania | ||
| See also | ||
 | This article about ethnicity is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
