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About Refugee Settlement Services

Home About Refugee Settlement Services

Refugee Settlement Services is a PSSC service.  The services provided are to assist newly arrived quota refugees to settle and integrate into our community.  There are 13 settlement support locations in New Zealand.  PSSC provides settlement support to former refugees, linking them with community support and services, so that after 12-24  months of support services former refugees will have the necessary knowledge and confidence to independently access and use mainstream services.

For more information on Refugees keep scrolling down this page.

Contact Refugee Settlement Services

Who is a Refugee?

A refugee is someone who has fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country.  Refugees have been denied basic human rights in their country of origin and are unable to safely return home.  Refugees often flee with little more than the clothes on their back, leaving behind homes, possessions, jobs and loved ones.  Refugees are defined and protected in international law.  The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as:  “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”

Where are the Refugees from?

We are pleased to welcome up to 110 Syrian refugees per year to South Canterbury over the next two and a half years.  Welcoming refugees from different countries into our community gives us the opportunity to celebrate the diversity and cultural contributions that they offer us.

Where will they live?

Families are housed in either public or private housing, depending on availability.  Refugees are assessed for public housing while they are at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre and families will not move into the district until a suitable house has been sourced.  The Refugee Settlement Services team will assist the family to connect to internet, phone and power.

How can You Help?

If you meet a former refugee be friendly and welcoming.  Imagine how you might feel if you moved somewhere new.  Perhaps they need some assistance that you could help with.  Some of them may still be at the beginner stage of  learning English, so please be patient.  We can all take part in welcoming new neighbours into this fabulous part of New Zealand that we are proud to call home.  Learn more about becoming a Refugee Support Volunteer 

Refugee Resettlement in New Zealand

The New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy, as approved by the New Zealand Government in 2012, is a whole-of-government approach to delivering improved refugee resettlement outcomes so that refugees more quickly achieve self-sufficiency, social integration and independence.  The overarching vision for the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy Integration outcomes is:

Refugees are participating fully and integrated socially and economically as soon as possible so that they are living independently, undertaking the same responsibilities and exercising the same rights as other New Zealanders and have a strong sense of belonging to their own community and to New Zealand.

The overarching outcome is underpinned by five integration outcomes:

  1. Self-sufficiency:  all working-age refugees are in paid work or supported by a family member in paid work.
  2. Housing:  refugees live in safe, secure, healthy and affordable homes without needing government housing help.
  3. Education:  refugees have English language skills that help them participate in education and daily life.
  4. Health and wellbeing:  refugees and their families enjoy healthy, safe and independent lives.
  5. Participation:  refugees actively participate in New Zealand life and have a strong sense of belonging here.

Learn more about New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy.

Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre

On arrival in New Zealand quota refugees spend their first 6 weeks at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre in Auckland.  The refugee reception programme at Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre addresses the priority areas of:

  • Health assessment
  • Initial treatment and health promotion
  • Settlement planning and orientation to NZ life
  • English language
  • Preparing work-age adults for employment
  • Preparing children for school

During the reception programme a Settlement Plan is developed with each quota refugee family that outlines the types of services they will be connected with to support their successful settlement in Timaru.

How are Refugee Families Selected?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the international organisation responsible for protecting refugees and seeking durable solutions for them.  UNHCR decides which refugees are in the greatest need of resettlement and asks settlement countries to consider accepting them.  Immigration New Zealand then makes the final decision about who will be included in the quota.

How are Refugee Locations Selected?

Refugee settlement areas are decided by Immigration New Zealand as well as where each refugee is settled. Their decisions are based on the capacity and available resources to receive refugees such as available housing, ethnic communities already present and local NGOs/services available.

What is the difference between a Refugee and a Migrant?

Migrants make the decision to move based on choice. They choose to move to better their circumstances, and are able to decide where they will migrate to.  Refugees on the other hand, have no choice. They are forced to leave their homes due to fears of violence and persecution. Once they have left, they have little control over where they end up. This is instead determined by the UNHCR and refugee-accepting states.

Contact Refugee Settlement Services
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