Refugees in NZ
How many refugees does New Zealand accept each year?
Under the government's annual Refugee Quota Programme New Zealand currently accepts up to 750 refugees each year. It is set each year by Cabinet on the advice of the Minister of Immigration and relevant Government departments.
Does New Zealand have to take an annual quota of refugees?
No. New Zealand is one of a handful of countries that operate a regular refugee quota programme. This is part of New Zealand's contribution to finding durable solutions for some of the world's many millions of refugees. More information on the nationalities of former refugees
Settlement Statistics
2008-2009 (July to January)
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006
2004-2005
2003-2004
2002-2003
Who decides which refugees will be settled in New Zealand?
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is the international organisation responsible for protecting the world's refugees and seeking durable solutions for them. UNHCR decides which refugees are in the greatest need of resettlement and asks resettlement countries to consider accepting them. However, after interviewing them, it is the New Zealand government that makes the final decision about who will be accepted.
What rights and entitlements do Quota Refugees have on arrival in NZ?
All refugees accepted by NZ under the Refugee Quota Programme complete a six-week orientation programme at the Mangere Refugee Centre. All Quota refugees are permanent residents of NZ and are eligible for a range of benefits and supplementary allowances on arrival. They enjoy the same rights as any other NZ permanent resident in the areas of education, health, employment, and social welfare. After five years, they may apply for NZ citizenship.
Who decides where the refugees will be settled after they arrive in NZ?
Our agency makes the final decision but a lot of care and consultation goes into where refugees are placed. On completion of the six-week orientation programme at the Mangere Refugee Centre, refugees are usually resettled in major cities where we have offices. These include Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Hutt Valley, Porirua, Nelson and Christchurch. Wherever possible, refugees are placed with family or close to friends. Refugee Resettlement and its volunteers ensure that they have access to essential community services including work opportunities, unemployment benefits, English classes, schools, health services and appropriate spiritual and ethnic community support.
What are asylum seekers or spontaneous refugees?
These are people who travel to New Zealand by themselves and arrive at one of the country's ports of entry (usually an airport - but sometimes a sea port). On arrival (or soon after) they tell the government that they are refugees fleeing from persecution. They must then make an official application for Refugee Status. They are carefully interviewed by officers of the Refugee Status Branch (RSB) of the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) who will make an initial decision about whether their claim is considered genuine. If their application is declined, they have the right to appeal the decision to the Refugee Status Appeals Authority (RSAA), which will normally make the final decision. Occasionally a decision of the RSAA may be challenged in the High Court. However, such appeals are seldom successful.
If an asylum seeker's case is found to be genuine, then s/he is granted Refugee Status. These people are sometimes referred to as Convention Refugees but their status is then really just the same as other refugees who arrive in the official quota. They are normally granted permanent residence along with all its rights and entitlements. For further information contact the Refugee Council of New Zealand or New Zealand Refugee Law
Are asylum seekers detained in New Zealand?
Asylum seekers who arrive in New Zealand without proper documentation are often detained on arrival, to allow the government to confirm their identity and ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security or have criminal intentions. Once this has been established, such people may be "conditionally released" into the community. They must live in an agreed location and report periodically to the authorities while they are awaiting the outcome of their application for refugee status.
People on conditional release have limited access to basic social entitlements and cannot be granted temporary Work Permits.
People who enter New Zealand with legal documentation (and subsequently apply for refugee status) are normally granted a Temporary Work Permit and are also eligible for a greater range of social security benefits.