World Vision New Zealand welcomes today’s announcement
to make the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship
programme permanent.
The Associate Minister for
Immigration, Hon. Casey Costello, today announced that the
programme which, enables community groups to sponsor and
support the resettlement of refugees, will be reinstated
from July 1, 2026.
The programme will enable the
resettlement of 200 refugees and this number will be
included as part of New Zealand’s overall Refugee Quota
Programme of 1,500 places.
World Vision New
Zealand’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong,
says embedding community-led settlement support for refugees
is a positive step, but should be over-and-above New
Zealand’s refugee quota.
“Community sponsorship
recognises the important role communities can play in
refugee protection and resettlement. It can help families
rebuild their lives within a strong local framework, and it
gives New Zealanders a meaningful way to stand alongside
children and families seeking safety.
“However, it’s
very disappointing that the programme will not add to New
Zealand’s overall refugee intake. Community sponsorship
should be additional to the Refugee Quota. At a time when
global refugee protection needs are at a record high and
humanitarian funding is under increasing pressure, New
Zealand should be looking for ways to expand protection,
rather than simply redistributing existing places,”
Armstrong says.
World Vision says New Zealand along
with other countries should be looking to provide additional
protection mechanisms for children and families who have
been displaced, including where those needs align with
grounds under the Refugee Convention.
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The
organisation, together with the University of Auckland’s
Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, recently called for
the establishment of an Emergency
Protection Framework to ensure New Zealand better
supports and protects people displaced due to disaster,
conflict, and humanitarian emergencies.
Armstrong says
an Emergency Protection Framework could be adopted as part
of an amendment to the current Immigration Act 2009 and
should include: pre-determined criteria for an emergency
protection response, defined visa pathways, community
sponsorship, and coordinated settlement systems.
She
says this should be over-and-above New Zealand’s refugee
quota and the community sponsorship
programme.
“Protection needs are changing and
increasing as more and more children and families are
displaced around the world and New Zealand’s policy
settings need to keep pace.
“We need a more ambitious,
practical and future-focused approach that keeps the refugee
quota strong, makes community sponsorship additional, and
creates new emergency protection pathways for people who
have experienced serious harm and need
safety.”
