Afghan refugees arrive at Auckland, 2004

Afghan refugees arrive at Auckland, 2004

About 130 refugees from Afghanistan who were rescued mid-ocean by the Norwegian freighter Tampa were accepted by New Zealand in 2001 after Australia had made them unwelcome. They included teenage boys who had escaped without family members. Under New Zealand’s family reunification policy they and their parents and siblings were eventually reunited. The group seen arriving at Auckland International Airport in March 2004 are mainly relatives of the so-called ‘Tampa Boys’.