From Afghanistan to Aotearoa

Abdul Samad Haidari is passionate about his role as the Refugee Background Student Adviser at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University in Wellington. He knows what it’s like for people to have their lives destroyed and to start again in a place far from home.  

A life-changing day

Abdul’s life changed in an instant when he was 11 years old. What started as a normal day at school turned into a struggle for survival when his small village of Dahmardah, in Jaghuri Provence, Afghanistan, was attacked by Taliban militia.  

In the panic and confusion, his family was separated. Abdul hid with his mother, grandmother and his elder brother. He remembers the sound of gun shots, the shriek of rockets and shouting on the other side of the wall where they were hiding. His six-year-old sister was killed in the crossfire.  

Family torn by persecution

Abdul belongs to the Hazara ethnic community. Hazara people have long been subjected to persecution in Afghanistan.  

Abdul and his family escaped their village hidden in a truck laden with raisins and almonds. They survived an arduous journey to Pakistan. While his mother and grandmother stayed in Pakistan, Abdul made another dangerous journey with his elder brother and father.

They were smuggled into Iran, only to be held hostage by human traffickers because they couldn’t afford the fee. His father negotiated for Abdul to be set free, but on their release, they were stopped by police.  

“I was put in a small dark room for two days,” Abdul says. “We were then shipped off to a crowded camp and I will never forget how scary that was.”  

A child refugee’s ordeal 

A month later Abdul was deported back to Afghanistan alone. He managed to find work in a restaurant to pay for his passage back to Pakistan, where he was reunited with his mother and grandmother.  

“I remember lying on my grandmother’s lap and I think I just slept for a whole day. I didn’t want to let go of her shawl in case she disappeared again.”   

Short-lived peace

By 2007 the Taliban had been out of power for close to six years and the family felt it was safe enough to come home.  

“There was a lot of optimism back then,” says Abdul. “We really felt we had a chance to rebuild Afghanistan into something better.”

The few short years that followed were some of the happiest of Abdul’s life. He became a journalist, reporting for The Daily Outlook Afghanistan, and later helped establish The Daily Afghanistan Express. But trouble was never far behind. While the Taliban were not in power, they were still active.  

His work investigating corruption made him a target. Danger came directly to his door again. Family members were assaulted. “It was all to get to me, and I decided I had to leave Afghanistan again,” he says.

Returning to Pakistan was not an option due to reporting he had done on the persecution of Hazara people there. He arranged passage to Indonesia, where he lived for a decade. 

“It was tough. As a refugee in Indonesia, you are not entitled to work or study. I couldn’t see my family. I didn’t feel like a real person.”

A new life in Aotearoa New Zealand 

One day, Abdul decided to go into the UNHCR office in Jakarta and register as a refugee. He was looking for help to find somewhere he could put down roots and live a normal life. That decision ultimately led him to New Zealand.

“When I first got to Aotearoa, I felt like 40 kilos of chains had been released,” Abdul recalls. “I felt like I had worth and dignity, and that there were opportunities and freedoms for me here that I had never really felt before.”  

As a signatory to the United Nations’ Refugee Convention, New Zealand provides refugees with the right to work, medical treatment and education. 

Working towards a brighter future

Abdul enjoys the peace, beauty and security of living in New Zealand and loves his work with refugees – a community he cares deeply about. He has found New Zealanders to be friendly and open, and he’d love to make a permanent life for himself here. 

“What surprised me most was the amount of confidence I had lost during those years as a refugee,” Abdul says. “But the welcoming environment, new opportunities, and the support I received – especially through my first workplace at Aotearoa Refugee and Migrant Support Services – helped me begin to rebuild what I had lost.” 

However, Abdul’s great sadness is that after two years in New Zealand, he does not have a clear pathway towards family reunification. He is constantly worried about the safety of his family in Pakistan. They are now facing the threat of forced deportation to Afghanistan at any moment from Pakistan – a risk that has accelerated in recent weeks.

These are feelings he shares with the students he now supports at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University. Abdul helps students with a refugee background to overcome hurdles to their study. This can be practical advice on how to engage fully with the University or how to find social support. He feels a great sense of satisfaction when he has helped students overcome challenges.

“Many of my students struggle to accept trauma from their past,” says Abdul. “But despite these struggles, or because of them, many refugees do amazing things and make great contributions to Aotearoa life. They come with stories of hardship, yes, but also with strength, visions, expertise, and knowledge The amount of support services the university provides is also admirable.”

Abdul is an accomplished poet – he has already published two books of verse, both available online: The Unsent Condolences and The Red Ribbon. He is currently writing his third book, this time about his life experiences.  

Abdul desperately wants his story to have a happy ending, where he can find true healing once his loved ones are safe by his side.