The numbers agree: we fail on refugees

Misrepresentations have been utilised to defend political positions regarding the global refugee crisis and New Zealand’s proportionately low reception quota.

There is a perception held by some politicians that in a per capita sense New Zealand pulls above its weight internationally. This is not the case.

According to UNHCR figures for 2014 the number of New Zealanders per refugee was just below 2300, which places us at about number 85 of around 200 countries or territories in a per capita sense.

There are more refugees in Jordan alone than in New Zealand, Australia, Britain and the United States combined.

If we use total economic size, which translates roughly into proportional ability to assist, we also see a discrepancy – in 2014 we were ranked at 69th in GNP compared to our 97th position in terms of total refugee population.

Such figures and rankings are never perfect, definitions and measurements must be questioned, and we can and do help in other ways.

However, these figures paint a clear general picture; we are not doing as much as just under half of the countries of the world to help solve this growing emergency. WARWICK MURRAY

Karori suburb, and electric fleets for Crown and councils that supply our second-hand market. LIZ SPRINGFORD

Berhampore