Refugee quota to rise to 1500

WELLINGTON: The Government will lift the annual refugee quota to 1500 and establish more settlement centres around the country.

But it will not happen until 2020. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Immigration Minister Iain LeesGalloway made the announcement following a Cabinet committee decision yesterday.

The sixweek reception programme at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre in Auckland will also be shortened to five under the changes to take effect from July 2020.

‘‘I’m proud that the coalition Government has today agreed to make such a significant and historic increase to the annual quota of refugees,’’ Ms Ardern said.

‘‘This is the right thing to do. It fulfils New Zealand’s obligation to do our bit and provide a small number of people, displaced by war and disaster each year, a place to call home.’’

An extra six settlement locations would be needed nationwide on top of the eight already in operation around the country, Mr LeesGalloway said.

The Government will also fund the expansion of public housing for about 150 extra refugee families at an estimated cost of $32.5 million over three years.

Budget 2018 provided $6.2 million of new operating funding over the next four years, plus $7.7 million of new capital, for refurbishment and expansion of the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

Mr Peters said he had no reservations about the decision.

‘‘This is about people, not about politics and controversy.’’

‘‘This was always on the cards, that it would be done when we had all the work done on the refugee centres, also the housing preparation and a host of other things.’’

The refugee quota became an issue of contention recently after Mr Peters appeared to pour cold water on raising it, telling reporters while in Nauru for the Pacific Islands Forum that New Zealand First had never made a commitment to double the refugee quota.

National leader Simon Bridges called it an agreement ‘‘cobbled together’’ before Ms Ardern’s coming visit to the United Nations.

He would not say whether National would wind back the quota if it won the next election, saying it would have to look at it.

His immigration spokesman, Michael Woodhouse, said the current quota of 1000 refugees was ‘‘about right’’. — NZME

❛ This is the right thing

to do