First Afghanistan evacuees to land in New Zealand

Henare said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) had been in contact with more than 200 New Zealanders in Afghanistan, and this first group was able to be evacuated with help from partners including Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He said MFAT had also been working with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to secure visas for those Afghans determined by the government as having worked alongside the defence force, police and aid missions, or helped with the Operation Burnham inquiry.

"Our ability to assist individuals on the ground and at the airport in Kabul is limited but has been helped by the presence of our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel working alongside our partners. Access into Kabul airport is extremely difficult and travel into Kabul from the provinces is almost impossible," Henare said.

"The New Zealand Government would also like to thank the US for helping to secure an entry for New Zealanders at Kabul airport, and Air New Zealand for its support in assisting to bring New Zealanders home from Australia."

In a media conference today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government will not be providing further information about the number of evacuees.

She says they were flown from Afghanistan to the UAE, where arrangements were made for their travel to New Zealand with the help of Australia's defence force. The group will go through managed isolation.

"The window to evacuate people out of Afghanistan is unfortunately very limited and despite our ongoing efforts we cannot guarantee we can assist all those who are seeking to evacuate."

Australia evacuated 300 people on four flights out of Kabul on Saturday, including some New Zealanders, and a New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules with about 80 military personnel aboard headed to Afghanistan on Thursday to help with evacuations.

The government a week ago announced plans to evacuate New Zealanders and those who had helped New Zealand efforts in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul, and declared the war over.

The group's securing of the country took place much faster than international observers expected after the United States pulled its troops out, and led to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country.

The Taliban has promised safety and security, and vowed to preserve women's rights, but there have been reports of a door-to-door manhunt for those who helped New Zealand and women's groups are sceptical of the Taliban's promises.

There have been violent scenes as thousands hoping to flee the country try to pass through barricades being manned by Taliban members.

There are reports the Taliban has even blocked those with the necessary documents to travel.

New Zealand has also provided $3 million in funding for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Refugee Agency in Afghanistan.