National Refugee Resettlement Forum 2023

After months of planning, over 180 representatives from across the Aotearoa refugee sector participated in the NRRF 2023 hosted by MBIE. The event took place at Te Papa in Te Whanganui a Tara on 6-7 July.

The theme of the 2023 National Refugee Resettlement Forum was Meaningful Partnerships and Participation, and it was explored through a series of workshops, panel discussions and presentations. The agenda was co-developed by a planning team consisting of former refugees with lived experience, including members of the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel, local Councils, service providers, NGOs, and staff from Immigration New Zealand’s Refugee and Migrant Support.

The NZRAP contributions to the overall NRRF planning (which commenced in March) culminated in the NZRAP hosting a three-hour session on day one of the NRRF programme.

This included three specific sessions:

1. An opening session to set the theme and scene for the NRRF. This included an introduction to the initial formation of the NZRAP by Mustafa Derbashi and included Mustafa Alio (R-SEAT), who joined the event from Canada via ZOOM and Fiona WhiteRidge (MBIE).
2. Panel discussion on MRP and partnership. This panel was made up of a diverse group of speakers all with lived refugee experience. Importantly this included representation of people seeking asylum, LGBTIQ+, youth and refugee-led organisations and initiatives. NZRAP Madiha Ali participated as a panel speaker.
3. Roundtable discussion co-facilitated by the NZRAP in collaboration with representatives from refugee communities, RLOs, government and service providers.

The round table that the NZRAP facilitated included a number of these themes including:

1. Strengthening meaningful refugee participation and partnerships
2. Community based approach to refugee resettlement
3. Equitable treatment for all refugees

You can read more about this theme and the key recommendations that came out of the roundtable discussions in the National Refugee Resettlement Forum 2023 update.