Manal

July 2026 I was born in Jordan, with roots in Palestine. In 2014, I moved to New Zealand with my husband, hoping to build a new life together. Everything changed after a tragic shooting in which I lost my husband. My life stopped in that moment. I went through a very difficult period of trauma, […]

Donald

June 2026 We moved into our present house just two weeks before the September earthquake 2011. Our previous house was near the river in Avondale. We were downsizing, as our children were grown up and had moved out. It’s part of the Red Zone now. This camera (Rolleiflex 2.8F) came out in 1965. My friend’s […]

Jenny – Part 2/2

June 2026 Family is really important, and I don’t think we would be here if we didn’t have family here. We have our four daughters in Christchurch, and we have six of our seven grandchildren in Christchurch. We’re very family minded. Trevor and I were on the committee to arrange the first international family reunion. […]

Jenny – Part 1/2

June 2026 When I was a child, I just knew that we were in this community. Because of the Chinese habit of giving honorifics to all the adults, I thought everyone who was Chinese was a family member, and that was a very comfortable feeling. When I went to school at the age of five […]

Karen

May 2026 I was going through chemo. I went under that tree when I was feeling ill, it was just so peaceful. It was a silver birch, and they tendril all the way to the ground. I sat under there – it was like a treehouse on the ground. It was therapeutic. It was quiet, […]

Ali

May 2026 When I first came to Christchurch here in 1989, all around here was an absolute hubbub. Right where we’re standing used to be a fruit shop with a dance studio upstairs, and where those cars are there used to be a driveway. And the Bargain Me, that was actually called Super Value. I […]

Evelyn & Jordan

May 2026 Originally, we came from Colombia, but we moved to Ecuador for about three years, and then we came from Ecuador to New Zealand in 2018. We moved to Nelson first. I used to work with a big immigration organization. They offered a job here and an opportunity for my daughters and my son. […]

Kate

March 2026 I like sports, swimming, running, but it’s climbing that’s shaped my life. Climbing is, I reckon, one of the ultimate forms of play. I didn’t start climbing until I was 16 and did a course at the YMCA, but my mum said I was always climbing trees. When I was younger, it was […]

Wadi

March 2026 I’m from Malaysia, I’ve been here since July 2024. I’m currently studying. for a Bachelor of Commerce, accounting, it’s an undergraduate program. I’m under a scholarship from the Government of Malaysia. It’s like a fast track for my studies here, I’m really enjoying it so far. I like living in the moment. Maybe […]

Kirsty

March 2026 I came to New Zealand in 2014 to help with the earthquake rebuild, not knowing anybody. In 2015 one of my colleagues suggested I join NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction), because you get to meet other women in construction, and because there weren’t many female Quantity Surveyors at the time. Four […]