If you live in Auckland, check out this fantastic photography exhibition by photographer Nando Azevedo at Ponsonby Central from May 31 to June 12.

The exhibition entitled New Zealanders Now: From Refugees to Kiwis is about the many people from refugee backgrounds who have made New Zealand their home. Their past may be in another country, but their present and future is here.

They have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of adversity, emerging with determination.

New Zealand benefits enormously from resettling refugees. Former refugees make our country a richer and more diverse place to live and significantly contribute to New Zealand’s prosperity.

Yet when people think of refugees it’s often in negative terms – poor, helpless, weak and often as a threat. They see them as a term ‘refugee’, and forget about the people behind the word. Who are they? What are their hopes and dreams? And what do they think about this country they now call home?

The exhibition is a collaboration between photographer Nando Azevedo and the Auckland Refugee Community Coalition, with support from Amnesty International.

New Zealanders Now: From Refugees to Kiwis is a chance to take these beautiful portraits and present them to the Auckland community.

Featuring 20 black and white framed portraits the exhibition is part of the Auckland Festival of Photography and will run for two weeks at Ponsonby Central, corner of Ponsonby and Richmond Roads.

Find out more about Auckland Photography Festival here.