"I never had an ethnic background until I moved here, you see: that is just a matter of reference"
That's one of the quotes from former refugees who have made their home in Auckland - for a new photography exhibition, called New Zealanders Now: From Refugees to Kiwis, which opens tonight at Ponsonby Central.
Photographer, Nando Azevedo took portraits of people who originally came here as refugees, and has accompanied his images with quotes from his subjects which give some insight into their lives and attitudes.
Adorate Mizero, who came to New Zealand from Burundi in East Africa as a three-year-old with her parents and brother, was featured in the exhibition.
Initially, she says she agreed to be part of the exhibition because she wanted to see more people like her in the media.
"It was just me talking about it, like saying ‘why aren’t there people like me on TV, or [in] films?'
"[And] instead of just complaining about it I should probably do something about it."
She talks to Jesse Mulligan about being part of the exhibition and her family's story.
