City reinstated as refugee destination
Refugees seeking a new life free from persecution and war will again find a home in Christchurch years after the earthquakes put a halt to resettlement in the city.
Immigration Minister Iain LeesGalloway, joined by Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, will make an announcement reinstating Christchurch as a settlement location for quota refugees today.
The development has been heralded as a milestone for the recovery of the city, and an important step for the Government commitment to lift the annual refugee quota to 1500.
‘‘It’s great news for refugees, New Zealand and Christchurch itself to be re-established as a refugee settlement location,’’ LeesGalloway said. ‘‘It shows the city is once again able to welcome some of the world’s most vulnerable people and let them be part of a fantastic place to live.’’
Christchurch lost its status as a settlement location after the September 2010 earthquake which, coupled with the deadly February
2011 quake, devastated the supply of housing and placed strain on essential services.
A limited number of refugees have since been settled in the city under a family reunification process and through a new community sponsorship model, but the announcement marks the return of regular cohorts of quota refugees.
Before the earthquakes, about
120 refugees a year settled in Christchurch. About 60 are expected in the 2018/19 financial year with the first group, of about
20 Afghan and Eritrean refugees, expected in March 2019.
Former refugee Bishnu Pokhrel and his family fled their native Nepal in 2005 due to civil unrest. He arrived in Christchurch in late 2006, and the family has since made a life for themselves in the city.
Pokhrel welcomed the return of quota refugees. He said there was strong support networks already in place, and refugees would bring with them skills and culture that would enrich Christchurch.
‘‘People rescued from war-torn zones, they settle in new countries and receive all this love and support,’’ he said. ‘‘After time they think ‘I need to do something for the community and the country’, as it’s their new home country.’’
There are currently seven other settlement locations around New Zealand. A cross-agency group assesses new locations, including factors such as housing and access to healthcare. Dalziel said refugees often needed a lot of support, and after the trauma of the earthquakes ‘‘we really needed to focus on our own needs as a priority’’.
‘‘Easing our way back into the resettlement programme with such a small number of refugees will ensure that the local resettlement organisations will be able to offer the appropriate level of support.’’
War, collapsed states, and persecution meant there were more refugees today – in excess of 60 million, according to the United Nations – than at any time since World War II.
Lees-Galloway said New Zealand had a ‘‘moral obligation’’ to make a proportionate contribution, and he remained committed to increasing the quota from 1000 to 1500 within this term of Government.
Reinstating Christchurch as a settlement area was an ‘‘important step’’ and Lees-Galloway said he would be taking proposals for other capacity-boosting measures to cabinet within months.
Today’s announcement will be held at the Phillipstown Community Hub at 10am.