New pilot to bring more refugees to Aotearoa
Te Whanganui-a-Tara - Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced a deal with Host Aotearoa New Zealand to bring 150 extra refugees to Aotearoa in an extended pilot scheme.
These refugees will be sponsored to resettle in communities throughout New Zealand over the next three years.
Community sponsorship offers a different pathway, where refugees are supported by community organisations throughout the country.
Local communities will be able to support shape the experiences and settlement of refugees as they begin their new lives in New Zealand.
Host Aotearoa New Zealand will be a key partner for the refugee sponsorship programme, working with Immigration New Zealand to implement refugee sponsorship until 2024.
They will help them navigate the processes and ensuring the right supports are in place for sponsored refugees and approved sponsors.
Community refugee sponsorship allows approved New Zealand-based community organisations to apply to sponsor refugees and support their settlement in the community.
After a successful pilot in 2018 which saw four approved community sponsors resettle 24 sponsored refugees in New Zealand, the government agreed to extend the programme for a further three years.
During the first two years of a refugee’s life in New Zealand the scheme will provide connections and practical advice to those adjusting to their new environment.
They will be offered secure appropriate rental housing, enrol in education and health services, access employment opportunities and connect with their new community.
Host Aotearoa New Zealand was established in 2018 to support the effective integration of refugees and migrants into New Zealand by promoting Manaakitanga towards newcomers.
New Zealand’s receives 1500 refugees annually but the numbers will be lower in 2021-21 because of the global impact of covid.
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.