Mayssaa and her husband Mahmud laughing during an interview at their home in Kirikiriroa
Photo: Saraid de Silva and Julie Zhu
The Arif whānau settled in Kirikiriroa in the 1990s. Dad Mahmud is originally from Iraq with Turkish heritage, and his wife Mayssaa is Syrian and Egyptian.
Their daughter Shayma’a, is one of six children, and joins them on the last episode of the series. Shayma’a lives and works in Te Whanganui-a-Tara as a human rights lawyer. Mahmud recently retired and Mayssaa volunteers in many capacities, working with the refugee community and supporting the local Arab community in Waikato.