Among the hundreds of Afghan evacuees that came to New Zealand in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, 1News can reveal up to 20 children arrived without their parents. Most arrived with extended family, but five came without any adult relatives. Three had no immediate family members here.
But as officials have had to weigh up their welfare against the risks of incentivising trafficking, some are now facing a future without their parents by their side.
In the case of Arezo Nazari, who arrived here alone as a 15-year-old, Immigration New Zealand says despite "concerns" it has "never concluded that Arezo was trafficked or used as a child anchor". A child anchor is when a minor is sent to another country, in the hope it could see their parents follow.
Documents obtained by 1News have painted a complex picture of how authorities have tried to achieve a balance between the child's welfare and border considerations at a time when there was no policy in place that would see Afghan minors reunited with their parents.
"There is a risk that any decision made for an individual may create a precedent for other unaccompanied/separated minors. At present there is an increased risk of wrongful movement of children across Afghanistan's borders by people smugglers and traffickers," officials wrote in February 2022 briefing obtained by 1News.
In the months after they arrived, DNA testing and the verification of identity papers saw seven of the children reunited with parents who in the chaos of the evacuation had ended up on different planes. Around a dozen remain under Family Court Wardship, while in the care of extended family, another was in the care of a foster parent.
With the current refugee quota also "oversubscribed" officials said the sole option is for the Associate Minister of Immigration to intervene - but so far that hasn't happened. Phil Twyford received two requests while he was in the role, one was declined, the other not accepted for consideration.
Officials have also raised concerns around the number of additional refugees that could come if they agreed to bring all the parents over.
"Based on Arezo's example and a very simple calculation, if all 14 families were to be brought over to reunite with the minors it would result in visas being issued for between 56 and 112 additional people.
"This calculation also does not take into account any further unaccompanied or separated minors who may have left New Zealand."
Because the Afghan evacuees are not technically recognised as refugees, till very recently none of them were able to apply for a visa under the Refugee Family Support Category. Last month, on August 11, the Government made the call to expand this but there are still restrictions that exclude a number of the minors and their families.
For them, ministerial intervention remains the sole pathway.
With their parents still overseas, around a dozen children remain under Family Court Wardship, while in the care of extended family. Oranga Tamariki has stepped in as agents of the court to help manage the children's well-being.
In her 30 years at the child protection agency Paula Attrill says it's the first time officials have had to deal with a humanitarian response of this nature. In lieu of any changes around immigration policy the agency is working to reconnect parents with children as best as they can.
"We have done everything possible to reconnect, to make sure those connections remain strong," she says. "Children have a right to be with their family members, that's set out in the children's convention. At the same time what is needed is taking into account the circumstances of each child."
Until Arezo Nazari turned 18 this month, she was one of 13 placed under court guardianship - and was the sole child that required foster care.
“I have this hard time, not being with my family, but thinking about those young ones, those younger than me, I feel so sad for them.”
She is one of two who have made an unsuccessful bid for intervention by the minister. But immigration officials raised questions about the credibility of her story. Their concerns centre around how a young girl could make it on her own to the airport and how she's ended up alone in New Zealand, despite boarding the NZDF flight from Kabul with a couple she says were her aunt and uncle.
Even as she holds out hope for leniency, Arezo Nazari is focused on her future, with dreams of becoming an international human-rights lawyer, so she can help children like herself.
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