Bariz Shah arrived in New Zealand from Pakistan in 2001 after his family were forced to leave war-torn Afghanistan in the 1980s. He went on to complete an engineering degree from the University of Canterbury and became the president of the UC Muslim Students Association. After the March 2019 attacks in Christchurch, Bariz and his wife, Saba, fundraised $20,000 and travelled to Afghanistan to support fifty-one microbusinesses in Kabul and Jalalabad as a tribute to those who were matryred. He was awarded the Christchurch Civic Award for his efforts. Bariz is a qualified engineer and father to Zawrez and Aalam. He is an active Muslim community advocate and is passionate about second chances and servant leadership.