Abann Kamyay Ajak Yor - Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Identities

OUR STORIES,
OUR VOICES,
OUR IDENTITIES

THE NEW ZEALAND RESETTLEMENT STORYBOOK

ABANN KAMYAY AJAK YOR

Copyright 2022 by Abann Kamyay Ajak Yor.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The stories contained in this storybook are all personal accounts of new residents
from forced migrant backgrounds. They shared their forced displacement,
re/settlement journeys and lived experience highlighted opportunities and
challenges in their life.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and
such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/02/2022

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Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition (ARCC)

Abann Kamyay Ajak Yor

Publish September 2021

Book impression, preparation, and project management

By Abann Kamyay Ajak Yor,

Individual stories authors assistants

By Gatluak Pal Chuol

Proofreading and Editing

By Dr Bruce Hunker, John Stewart, James Ibell-Roberts, and Stewart Devitt

Figure 1: World map of each storytellers country of origin to Aotearoa New Zealand ( personal illustration 2021 )

The sixteen storytellers in this publication originate from twelve different countries across the world but have all made Aotearoa New Zealand home. Their countries of origin are Burundi, Colombia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kurdistan (Iraq), Myanmar (formerly Burma), Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Tanzania.

Figure 2: Hongi Abann K.A Yor & Rama Ormsby (2016)

Indigenous South Sudanese welcomed by indigenous Mori of Aotearoa New Zealand

When Mori greet one another by pressing noses, the tradition of sharing the breath of life is considered to have come directly from the gods. Through the exchange of this physical greeting, one is no longer considered manuhiri (a visitor) but rather tangata whenua (one of the people of the land).

Source: https://www.nzmanukagroup.com/find-out-more/news/archive/hongi-maori-gree ting

CONTENTS

Telling stories is human nature. It is how we connect and understand one another, and what has happened in our journey up until this point, but every story is different. Every story is unique in its own way. I would like to sincerely thank the whole support team, especially our funders for the resources that have enabled us to complete our second story collection Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Identities: The New Zealand Resettlement Storybook. I thank Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition (ARCC) staff and volunteers for their time and hard work in collecting the stories and giving feedback. This story collection would not have been possible without your support throughout its development.

The most important thanks go to our storytellers, the brave, courageous and dignified individuals whose stories make the book. Your understanding that our hardships and numerous challenges as new residents and citizens of Aotearoa, New Zealand deserve to be heard, in the form of beautiful stories, is the critical piece of the puzzle that has led to this inspirational collection. You all deserve special thanks and appreciation. I believe that your stories will have a significant and positive impact on the settlement and integration process in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As well as those whose stories have been shared, its a great privilege and honour to extend my acknowledgement and appreciation to those whose statements have made a key contribution to this publication: Adeline Guerra, Asif Ahmed, Dr Bruce Hucker, Celia Brandon, John Stewart, Tayyaba Khan, Tim Maurice and Trevor Gray. Thank you to all of you. A special thank you also to the ARCC Board and staff for your support of this work, and to the organisations critical friends for their unwavering support.

This book is dedicated to the individual storytellers and their families, and all of our coalitions families. This book is also dedicated to the victims of the ongoing conflicts in the world the innocent men, women, and children and to the displaced populations around the globe who are seeking protection, safety, and healing.

The author is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition (ARCC) and is a community advocate and educator. He works with diverse ethnic communities and individuals in the Aotearoa New Zealand resettlement sector at the local, regional and national level. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his outstanding commitment to community development and social practice, including the New Zealander of the Year Local Hero Award in 2016. He is a fellow of the New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, has received the New Zealand Red Cross Resettlement Sector Award and has twice represented the forced migrant background communities of Aotearoa New Zealand at the Geneva Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR).

Community-driven and easy to approach, he helps many individuals and communities from ethnically diverse background. He supports many university students, from undergraduates and postgraduates to PhD candidates, with their research projects, and has received certificates of appreciation for his ongoing contribution to educational fieldwork and the enhancement of student learning. He is a visionary with clear objectives and well-developed strategic thinking. He has strong advocacy, leadership and management capabilities and takes a human rights-based approach to community issues.

The author has established and maintained strong networks with the diverse resettled communities of Aotearoa New Zealand. He has completed a number of formal qualifications, including a Graduate Diploma in Not-for-Profit Management, a Postgraduate Certificate in Social Practice, a Postgraduate Diploma in Bicultural Professional Supervision and a Masters Degree in Indigenous Studies. As part of his work in the Aotearoa New Zealand resettlement sector he is a published author, with books and research papers to his name. Since the organisations foundation in 2006, he has been an integral part of ARCC. From his lived experience and understanding, he believes we are all obliged to offer a helping hand to support those in need and dear to our heart.

Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Identities: The New Zealand Resettlement Storybook is an introductory narrative on the resettlement experience, which can encourage relationship building between resettled people and wider Aotearoa New Zealand society. The stories in this book recall the lived experiences of individuals from a forced migrant background. Those who were forced without any choice, because of civil war or persecution, to leave their country of origin. These narratives are human stories of hope and resilience that give the space to share life stories, and the opportunity to gain greater understanding. This is the sequel to the publication Beyond Refuge: Stories of Resettlement in Auckland, originally published in 2016 and reprinted in 2021. The stories here were collected and written in 2017 and 2018 after these initial publications successful launch.