NZRAP Panel Members

Antoinette Umugwaneza arrived in Aotearoa from Rwanda in the late 90s with her husband, five children, mother-in-law, and niece. Antoinette and her family were resettled to Palmerston North, which became their second home.  

Antoinette has navigated resettlement challenges coupled with war trauma and separation from family, raising a young family and looking after an elderly family in a foreign land without much English. Despite these challenges, Antoinette and her family have flourished in Aotearoa. 

Antoinette worked for the National Bank of Rwanda. She holds a Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences, a Diploma in Counselling and a Certificate in Adult Teaching. Antoinette has worked in progressive capacities for over a decade, supporting newly resettled families in Manawatu. Antoinette has worked with the Ministry of Education, Manawatu Refugee Services, and the New Zealand Red Cross.

Antoinette is a former Manawatu Reuniting Refugee Families Trust trustee. Antoinette has worked with Palmerston North Methodist Social Services within their whanau-based Education Program. She started and coordinated the Rongopai Faith and Light Community, which supports people with intellectual disabilities and their families. 

Antoinette brings a unique perspective, given her varied experience in refugee matters and the disability, youth, and older people sectors. Antoinette loves gardening, crafts and sewing. 

Somali-born Ayan Said has lived in Auckland for over 20 years. Ayan is currently working as a Regional Refugee Health Promoter for Te Whatu Ora – starship community Te Toka Tumai Auckland.

Ayan is passionate about advancing the health and social well-being, inclusion, and representation of New Zealand's ethnic and former refugee communities. Ayan has been working in health promotion for the last eight years, working to make a positive difference in the lives of refugee and migrant people. Ayan has worked in mental health, nutrition and healthy lifestyle, disability, and sexual and reproductive health.

Ayan has a Bachelor of Health Science double major in psychology and health promotion and a Master's in Public Health. Ayan is currently undertaking a PhD at the Auckland University of Technology in public health literacy. Ayan has contributed to projects on these subjects, written relevant content, spoken at public events, and supported related research and community-led initiatives within Aotearoa's African and former refugee communities. 

Julia (Ismat) Sheikh is the Clinical Team Leader at Refugees as Survivors NZ (RASNZ) Community Mental Health team in the Auckland region.  She was born in Pakistan and arrived as an asylum seeker with her family at age ten. 

Julia leads programmes focused on developing refugee mental health intervention strategies to support the recovery and integration of families and young people.

Julia is a registered counsellor with trauma and culturally informed mental health care expertise. She has extensive experience working with people from refugee backgrounds in refugee resettlement, mental health, youth counselling, family violence, social service, employment, and corrections sectors. She is fully engaged and networked with diverse refugee communities and the refugee resettlement sector personally, voluntarily, and professionally.

Julia has a strong background in crisis intervention, providing clinical support to the Christchurch Mosque attack victims. Julia has worked with Shakti, the Fatima Foundation, the Salvation Army, and NZ Police ethnic liaison officers to ensure a place of safety for women and children from refugee backgrounds in at-risk situations-risk.

Julia is an experienced trainer, facilitator, and educator with bicultural and intercultural competencies skills. She is working with governmental and non-governmental organisations to build organisational cultural competency and capacity to respond to the refugee groups they serve.

Madiha Ali describes herself as a passionate advocate and believer.

Madiha is currently enrolled at the University of Waikato, studying Law and Political Science, with her sights set on becoming an international human rights lawyer.

In addition to full-time study, Madiha works part-time at Shama, Ethnic Women's Trust in Hamilton, working with youth from migrant and refugee backgrounds. She is also part of the Migration Advisory Group of the Red Cross and is a committee member of Seed Waikato. 

Originally from Pakistan, Madiha spent five years in Indonesia as a refugee and worked as a volunteer teacher in a community-based learning centre for refugees.

Mustafa Derbashi grew up in a UNHCR Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, where he lived for 29 years.

He is the General Manager of Asylum Seekers Support Trust, advocating for asylum seekers' and refugees' rights in Aotearoa. He has a demonstrated experience as a cultural advisor and community leader supporting Middle Eastern and Muslim migrants and refugees to integrate into Aotearoa life. 

Mustafa has organised children's events and programmes, interpreted for refugees engaging with various agencies, and worked with Syrian men in Dunedin through his 'Men Integration Project'. He has been an unpaid teacher aide in school ESOL programmes, a Scout leader, volunteer Kiwi Kids football coach and emceed the New Zealand Eid Day. He interpreted various events following the 2019 Christchurch Mosque attacks. 

Mustafa has sat on the Executive Committee of the Brockville Amenity and Community Improvement Society and the Brockville Primary School Board of Trustees. He is a Member of Kāpuia - The Ministerial Advisory Group on the Government's Response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch mosques.

He was recognised as a Tamaki Makaurau Kiwibank Local Hero Medallist 2022 and is a member of New Zealand's Order of Merit for services to migrant and refugee communities in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2021.

Oo Meh is Karenni, an ethnic minority from Myanmar. She was born in Thailand in a Karenni refugee camp along the Thai – Myanmar border. She describes life in the refugee camp as simple but challenging for her family, who lived with no electricity or way to earn a livelihood. Her family were not allowed to leave the camp other than for urgent medical care. 

Oo Meh's family arrived in Aotearoa in April 2006 and moved to Porirua. Oo Meh Nga is now a 24-year-old Nurse and still lives in Porirua with her son. Oo Meh also completed a Bachelor of Nursing at Whitireia in 2020.

Growing up in Aotearoa, Oo Meh understands the challenges many refugees face when accessing education and health care and adapting to the Kiwi lifestyle. Oo Meh is grateful to be in Aotearoa as she accomplished her dream of becoming a nurse. She is passionate about helping those in need and giving back to society.

By combining her personal experience with her professional occupation, Oo Meh hopes to give a voice to refugees and former refugees and to navigate the barriers refugees experience. She is excited to be part of the NZ RAP and looks forward to what can be achieved.

Paula Santacruz is an enrolled barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and a community advocate.

Paula is from a refugee background, originally from Colombia, arriving in Aotearoa at age 15 in 2014. Paula has been engaged in Aotearoa's refugee sector since 2016. She has worked with the Ministry of Education as a bicultural tutor, NZ Red Cross as a cross-cultural worker and interpreter, Aotearoa Latin American Community Inc. as a researcher and community worker, Challenge 2000 as a project co-leading facilitator and coordinator, and NZ National Refugee Association as an office manager.

Paula volunteers at the Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Law. Paula graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Law and completed her Professional Legal Studies Course in 2021.

As an NZ RAP member, Paula is determined to serve as a communication channel, ensuring that the development of refugee policies and programmes considers the perspective of former refugees from Colombia and other Latin American and Spanish-speaking backgrounds.

Paula believes there needs to be a focus on holding entities' service delivery and cultural competence into account. As well as educating communities on their rights and obligations to improve the [re]settlement and integration journeys of under-represented communities in Aotearoa based on professional and lived experiences.

Rabia Talal Almbaid is a former refugee from Syria who has called Aotearoa home since 2017. Rabia is an Otago Polytechnic alumni with a background in Applied Management and Leadership studies. His qualifications include expansive professional development, post-training, and dynamic experiences. He also brings insights into working with NGOs and public sector knowledge.

With his personal experience, passion, vital purpose, and determination to promote equality and fair collaborative contributions, Rabia aims to help shape better policy outcomes for former refugee communities. Rabia is an individual full of culture and character. He wishes to utilise his lived experience of forced displacement, his journey of successful resettlement in New Zealand, and his leadership skills to guide his mahi as a panellist on the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel. Currently, Rabia is working with New Zealand Police as Senior Partnerships Advisor – Ethnic, based at Police National Headquarters in Wellington. Consulting Ethnic Liaison Officers and police districts to support their mahi in Aotearoa.

Rabia's definition of success goes back to what is best for the communities and people. In his free time, Rabia enjoys his fitness journey, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Sahra is going to adjourn from her NZRAP member role until the end of
October 2023 while she undertakes her Green Party candidacy in the 2023
election.  

Sahra Ahmad is Somalian-born and the oldest of 9 children. Arriving in Aotearoa as an asylum seeker in the 1990s, Sahra moved to Christchurch, and she considers herself a "one-eyed Cantabrian". 

Sahra completed her Nursing studies in 1996. Her international experience includes working in Turkey with the German Red Cross in 1999. In 2015 she was selected as an NZ Red Cross delegate as part of the international response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. As a team leader, Sahra was responsible for the reintegration of survivors and dignified burials.

In Aotearoa, Sahra has worked with the Public Health South as a communicable disease control Nurse, taking up practice in Christchurch in 2004. Sahra continues to work in refugee primary health care as a clinical lead in Canterbury. Sahra was one of the first responders to the Linwood Mosque attack and has been heavily involved in the recovery process.  Sahra is a member of the Muslim reference group assisting the Royal Commission and is the Chair of the Canterbury Somali Association. 

Sahra has seen the successes and shortcomings of Aotearoa's refugee resettlement strategies. As an NZ RAP member, Sahra hopes to contribute in a meaningful and tangible way by influencing policy and advocating to ensure the voice of former refugee communities, from the well-established to the newly arrived, are heard and actioned.