We are proud to welcome six new members to the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel (NZRAP), who formally begin their 2025-2027 term on 1 July 2025.
The new members were selected through an open and competitive nationwide process held in May 2025, which attracted a wide range of applications from across the motu. Their appointments reflect the depth of leadership, lived experience, and expertise within Aotearoa New Zealand’s refugee-background communities.
The new members are:
- Nada Haroura (Ōtepoti, Dunedin)
- Abrar Saleh (Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland)
- Liaquat Ali Changezi (Kirikiriroa, Hamilton)
- Sara Ahmad (Kirikiriroa, Hamilton)
- Nimo Ahmed (Whangārei)
- Beth Ketema (Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland)
These six appointees join two continuing members, forming an eight-member Panel for the 2025–2026 period:
- Jane Smith (Ōtautahi, Christchurch), appointed March 2024 (term ends 2026)
- Jose Tombe (Pōneke, Wellington), appointed March 2024 (term ends 2026)
The NZRAP is a national advisory mechanism designed to ensure people with lived experience of forced displacement have a genuine and ongoing role in shaping government policy and practice. The panel provides direct advice to Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and works in partnership with the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies (CAPRS), which serves as the NZRAP Secretariat.
This marks the second term of the panel and builds on the foundations laid by the inaugural NZRAP, established in 2022. We extend our deep appreciation to the outgoing panel members for their leadership and dedication, and to the diverse selection committee who guided this year’s appointment process.
“Their appointments reflect the calibre, depth, and diversity of leadership within refugee-background communities across Aotearoa.”
— Rez Gardi, CAPRS Co-Director and Project Director for the NZRAP Secretariat
“We’re proud to support the NZRAP as part of our ongoing commitment to meaningful refugee participation and to New Zealand’s world-class refugee resettlement programme.”
— Sarah Ward, Acting National Manager of Refugee and Migrant Support Services, INZ.
“It has been an incredible honour to serve on the inaugural New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel since 2022. An opportunity I consider a defining highlight of my career. Alongside four fellow members, I step down knowing there is much work ahead. I am proud of what we have achieved. I was privileged to represent NZRAP on the selection committee for the appointment of 2025 cohort, this experience reaffirmed my belief in the power and potential of refugee leadership in New Zealand. The five newly appointed members bring remarkable talent, experiences, and insight into the space. We are excited to see them carry the work forward.”
— Rabia Talal Almbaid, New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel Member 2022-2025
“Serving on NZRAP is about ensuring refugee participation is not symbolic, but system-changing. Meaningful refugee participation is not a favour, it’s a fundamental right that strengthens policies and empowers communities.”
— Ayan Said, New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel Member 2022-2025
CAPRS warmly welcomes the new members to the NZRAP and looks forward to the mahi ahead.
Meet the NZRAP Members https://www.caprs.auckland.ac.nz/refugee-advisory-panel/nzrap-panel-members/