Newly resettled former refugees who've just begun to find their feet in their new communities across New Zealand are getting by in lockdown with the help of volunteers from Red Cross. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

David Jebanayagam met Naing Minh Aung in February this year for the start of Naing's community orientation activities, but for now their only interaction is a few phone calls each day.

"As a volunteer, I'm learning how to effectively support a community member, a former refugee, from my home" says David Jebanayagam, a refugee support volunteer with New Zealand Red Cross.

Each year, the New Zealand Red Cross helps settle hundreds of former refugees in new homes across the country.

During this lockdown the Red Cross is actively supporting 358 families - about 1300 people all together through their long-running volunteer programme.

New Zealand Red Cross is a primary provider of resettlement support for refugees in New Zealand - from assisting with language, creating employment pathways, providing trauma recovery support, and assisting with restoring family links and member identification in cases of separation.

After spending six weeks in the care of Immigration NZ at Auckland's Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre, refugees are all then resettled in new communities across Palmerston North, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson, Hamilton and Christchurch.

The coronavirus lockdown has brought things to a halt for many refugees who were expecting to move to their new homes in our eight resettlement cities.

Rachel O'Connor, GM, Migration, NZ Red Cross, says there are approximately 150 families in Mangere who couldn't be settled before lockdown and are being cared for and supported by NZ Immigration. She says once lockdown level changes they may then leave there and be settled in communities. That's when Red Cross begins to work with them through the volunteer programme.

With them each step of the way are volunteers helping with language, orientation, activities like grocery shopping, understanding ATMs, accessing WINZ support, registering at their local GP - things that are all very significant for every new arrival into the community.

Most volunteers are placed with families and individuals for a six month period. They usually meet with their newly resettled family almost every other day in the first few weeks. The first two to four weeks of a placement are generally the busiest as they go about helping with settling in tasks. After the first six weeks, volunteers typically spend time with their family or individual on a weekly basis…

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How do you mark and reflect upon a life-changing event while in lockdown? April 6th 1994 - the day when brewing ethnic hatred came to a head in Rwanda and opened the floodgates for a massacre lasting 100 dark days. 4 people whose lives had been impacted by that day, reflect on their experiences while under the Coronavirus lockdown here in New Zealand. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar

"On Wednesday when we went under lockdown and the emergency alert came through on our phones, suddenly my mind was taken back. The emergency alert sounded like the whistle the killers were blowing when they came hunting for the people.

"It was a heavy night and I couldn't sleep. I started closing the doors and windows. Sometimes you think these things are gone, but little things can trigger that time, that period of the genocide," recalls Judith Mukakayange.

Judith, 46, has lived in Auckland for a little over two decades yet memories of when her country was ravaged by genocide remain fresh in her mind.

April 7 marks 26 years to the day when the Rwanda genocide began, a massacre in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by Hutu extremists. Many moderate Hutus lost their lives too, the exact number has not been to established till today.

On the night of April 6 1994 a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, and his Burundian counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira was was shot down above Kigali. All on board were killed. Hutu extremists blamed the surface-to-air missile attack on Tutsi rebels who denied it and in turn blamed the Hutus.

The incident opened the floodgates to 100 days of slaughter during which an estimated 70% of the Tutsi population was killed.

Ethnic tension and power struggles between the two tribes had simmered over many decades prior to the shooting of the plane. Historically Hutus were the majority, Tutsis formed a smaller portion and made up a ruling monarchy previously while the Twa were an even smaller minority.

Animosity between Tutsi and Hutu was exacerbated by colonial Belgians who arrived in 1916. Their divisive policies fostered discrimination and favouritism, laying the foundations for ethnic divide.

By the 1950s, when anti-colonialism and pan-Africanism spread and the independence process was underway, the ethnic divide between Hutu and Tutsi had already had taken deep hold in Rwanda. By 1961, Hutu and Tutsi were well and truly pitted against each other with each grappling for power in the newly-declared republic.

Juvenal Habyarimana was Rwanda's second president, his government actively backed by France.

His assassination opened the doors to a hundred-day massacre across the hilly and densely populated country…

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How is the Covid-19 lockdown affecting some vital cultural and social spaces within the communities? For an Auckland woman whose entire life revolves around community - running, organizing and managing such vital spaces, the lockdown is a challenging and uncertain time. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

For a woman whose entire life revolves around serving the community, the Covid-19 lockdown is a challenging time compelling her to make hard calls that affect several people in the community - often the ones in most need.

Ranjna Patel is a 3rd generation Kiwi Indian Aucklander and a Queens Service Medal recipient. She's a true community woman with her finger consistently on the pulse, loved by and inspirational to many in the community. She's been responsible for the genesis and running of three community institutions around in South Auckland. The Swaminarayan temple in Papatoetoe, East Tamaki Health clinics, and Gandhi Nivas, the family harm prevention center.

The lockdown imposed by the government affects each of these spaces in a unique way, somehow highlighting their need in society even further.

"These are all people-based, delivering to people in need..so it's a very hard time for us in our heads" says Ranjna.

Gandhi Nivas was founded in 2015 by Ranjana and works with trained counsellors to offer an emergency space and counselling for men who commit family harm or are about to, instead of the women and children leaving home. They are referred to the centre by the police within 24 hours of the incident. By using holistic early intervention methods, counselling and culturally nuanced approaches, Gandhi Nivas has seen huge success rates since they've opened their doors.

The lockdown period could see surge in family harm incidences, with the police preparing to respond to such an increase. At such a time services like Gandhi Nivas seem even more important. It was a huge dilemma Ranjna was in, just a day prior to lockdown. Ranjna had to take the call to shut the doors to keep her staff, the providers of the centre's service, safe and healthy. She's had to resign to the reality of the lockdown.

While this community institution of hers is shut during the lockdown, East Tamaki Health founded by Ranjna and her husband Dr Kantilal Patel, has been working on overdrive. What started in 1977 with one solo GP clinic, Ranjna and her husband today help provide vital medical services to the community in South Auckland. One of the things Ranjana identified early in her career was the need for a diverse cultural workforce that understands the community…

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Sister Irenaeus just recently turned a grand 100 years old. Reflecting on what it means to have seen an entire century's worth of events unfold, she shares the secret of her long innings.

Sister Irenaeus Murphy says that turning one-hundred is "just another birthday".

As she talks, she has a twinkle in her eye and a kind smile. She is very humble and doesn't like fuss, especially if it's over her. "I've always been quiet" she says in her very present Irish accent.

The youngest of nine, Sister Irenaeus was born Ellen Murphy, on 25 February, 1920, in the small village of Taghmon, southern Ireland. When commenting on how she has kept her accent considering she's lived in New Zealand for eighty years, she instantly replied "why wouldn't I?" in a fantastic lilt followed by an infectious laugh.

Growing up on a small farm, convent life wasn't even a consideration until her sister Finbarr left for New Zealand in 1938 to become a Mercy Sister. "I think it was a whisper from above that I decided to follow her. And I think the main thing then was I missed her so much... we were very close, just a year between us."

18 months later in the thick of World War II, the young 19-year-old said farewell to Ireland and boarded a ship bound for Aotearoa. "It took nearly two months to come. I think because of the war they had to take extra precautions."

One of the 'extra precautions' meant limited time above board, and no lights at night to avoid submarine sightings. This would not have helped with the sea sickness experienced by Ellen and the two young nuns who joined her.

She arrived in New Zealand on January 31 1940 and entered St Mary's Convent in Ponsonby, Auckland.

Back then the main occupations on offer for nuns was being either a teacher or a nurse. Irenaeus was told she was to be a primary school teacher and with the luck of the Irish it suited her perfectly. "Little ones always gave you a laugh... someone had compared them to electrified fleas, children were always on the move and jumping."

She taught in the Far North at Pawarenga and Kaitaia for over 23 years. A source said she is something of a legend up that way. She also taught in Ponsonby, Otahuhu, Avondale, Manurewa, Henderson and Northcote until her retirement in 2005.

Over the past century, the Church and the convent have undergone many changes mainly due to the Second Vatican Council which Pope John XXIII created in 1962 in an effort to modernise the church."There were certainly big changes in the convent. The biggest one was changing our dress after so many years. Everyone knew when we were in a habit, who we were... it was very strange."…

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What happens when three women - a Jew, Christian and Muslim, meet on a bus? A deep exchange on feminism and faith ensues to foster understanding of each other's cultures - fueled by copious amounts of laughter, snacks and scarf-wearing tips. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar

A year ago it was at an 'iftar', the Muslim evening communal meal, that Petra Zaleski a Vicar, met Naomi Johnson of the Progressive Jewish denomination. The church service and iftar was organized by Petra's church as a gesture of solidarity with Auckland's Muslim community in the wake of the attacks on March 15 2019 in Christchurch.

Exactly a year later Petra, Naomi and Jenny Janif from the Muslim community decided to come together again, but this time it was on a bus.

The interfaith event, Multiple Blessings, took place on a sunny Sunday in Auckland and was organized by these women of the three Abrahamic faiths to mark International Women's Day and the anniversary of the Christchurch shooting.

"I was floored by the response in our church last year...just to see Muslim whanau and our church members come together to mourn the tragedy that had occurred in Christchurch. When Naomi called me few months ago about the interfaith event I was very quick to say yes, it was an opportunity I couldn't resist" Petra says.

Before the bus sets off Naomi encourages the women to sit next to someone they don't know. "Otherwise the point of today is defeated" she says.

The peals of laughter and chatter that shortly follows, revolves a lot around scarves, food, politics and cultural customs. It's a pleasant cacophony that rings through the bus. But for this group of women the bus trip isn't just a joy ride. It's about coming together as change-makers and advocates for peace and understanding - an understanding that is arrived at through breaking stereotypes and increasing awareness.

A Japanese lady sits next to a new convert to Judaism. I see the Tongan Christian lady sitting next to the South African Muslim of Malay origin. The Uighur former refugee sits next to a Christian lady from Auckland; the latter says she's more Buddhist in her practice than anything else. Meanwhile I find a seat next to Petra.

Petra seems an unlikely Vicar with her large retro glasses, winged eyeliner and tattoos across her forearms and chest. As a teen she was raised Catholic by Polish and English parents. Looking at things critically seems to come naturally to her, thanks to her mother's journalistic background…

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After the mosque attacks in Christchurch on March 15 - a year ago this week - two former refugees from across two generations had their paths intersect. How have their lives changed a year on? Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

Naima Ali was at Polyfest in Auckland when she first heard a lone gunman had attacked two mosques in Christchurch, on March 15 last year. She went to her car and locked the doors. But within 24 hours she had joined a group of volunteers on their way south to help families of the victims. What she saw and heard over the next fortnight has further spurred her work with high school students.

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28 year-old Naima Ali struggles to talk about her experiences in Christchurch. But what she went through has had a profound impact on her job as a refugee student coordinator at Mt Roskill Grammar, she works with children from refugee and ethnic minority backgrounds supporting, counselling and mentoring several of them.

On the night of March 15 last year, she was part of a gathering of community members, leaders and non-governmental representatives who decided to go to Christchurch to help support the victims' families. Supported by the Ministry of Social Development, the group was deployed the very next day and ended up working across homes, hospitals and community meeting places providing cultural and emotional support to families.

Ann Dysart, Manager Community Relationships at the Ministry of Social Development's Community Investment Services, helped coordinate the volunteers.

"What I saw happening was community would come to them.They spoke the languages and you know in times of trauma English can desert you. They would talk to them, understand the issue, help them connect with other agencies, act as interpreters where they needed to... they were very much is demand."

In Christchurch in the days that followed the mosque attacks Naima worked closely with 59 year-old Ahmed Tani, another former refugee from Somalia. Ahmed runs the Canterbury Refugee Resettlement Resource Centre and is Chair of the New Zealand National Refugee Association. He's seen first-hand the violence of civil war in his home country and has since 1999 been involved in helping settle and support refugees in Canterbury.

Naima came from Somalia to New Zealand as an eight year-old and while their individual experiences as refugees are different, their paths intersected as volunteers in Christchurch. And he was impressed with what he saw…

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In this episode of Voices; the hosts of the podcast series Conversations with my Immigrant Parents turn their mics on their own mums. Produced by Saraid De Silva Cameron and Julie Zhu.

Produced for RNZ by Saraid de Silva and Julie Zhu | Made possible by the RNZ/NZ On Air Innovation Fund

In this episode Voices, hosts Saraid de Silva and Julie Zhu of the podcast series Conversations With My Immigrant Parents, turn the mics on themselves and talk with their own immigrant mums.

Co-hosts and producers Saraid de Silva and Julie Zhu travelled Aotearoa met families from 11 different countries in this series.

Note: The second half of this episode has an English dub of Jenny's dialogue, translated by Julie Zhu and read by Jing su-Cornall.

Subscribe to Voices for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public and iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

To hear the full length episode and other episodes, check out Conversations with My Immigrant Parents . This is a series where immigrant whānau have conversations they normally wouldn't, crossing barriers of language, generation, and expectation.

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What use is a language no-one else in New Zealand can speak? Ena Manuireva has the answer and is on a Mangareva mission that looks close to impossible: He wants to save his native tongue from extinction. He speaks with Kate Orgias.

Being the only Mangarevan speaker in Aotearoa, doesn't seem to bother Ena Manuireva.

This may be because he's a man with a mission - to keep his language, and culture, from going extinct.

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Mangareva is the central and largest island of the Gambier islands in Ma'ohi Nui/French Polynesia. It's just over 1600km southeast of Tahiti, and is best known for its black pearls.

The more romantic translation of its name is, floating island/mountain, but it can also be translated to island of Reva - which is the name of a poisonous fruit.

With a fluctuating population of 1000, only a fifth - around 200 people - speak fluent Mangarevan. The eldest speaker being 86 years old and the youngest 46 years.

Younger generations have few opportunities to learn it, or be inspired to learn it. It was removed from the local school curriculum in 2014, funding is lacking, and it's not being spoken in many homes.

Ena says the position Mangarevan finds itself in, is due to the influence of a more "dominant culture".

"It's a total immersion of French. Especially for the kids. I was there to do my MPHIL , and I was asking the kids 'how do you identify yourself? Mangarevan, French or Other?' because there are seven different regional languages in French Polynesia, with all the dialects, they all said to me 'we are French'."

While sparking interest in the 'kids' is a must, Ena says the older generations have a part to play.

"When people retire , they don't do anything. They water the garden. They would have better lives, if they were able to teach. They should be telling the stories, teaching the kids in Mangarevan. You know, you can't water your garden for 12 hours, every day."

Mangareva is not alone when it comes to needing urgent help, if their failing culture and endangered language is to survive.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), more than a third of the world's 7000 languages are currently classified as endangered, and over half could be extinct by 2100. With only 200-odd speakers, Mangarevan is considered "severely endangered". …

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