The National Refugee Resettlement Forum (NRRF) 2024 brought together representatives from government agencies, NGOs, Refugee-Led Organisations (RLOs), Youth Organisations, Refugee Leaders, and communities to shape the future of refugee resettlement in New Zealand.
The forum focused on Meaningful Refugee Participation (MRP), with NZRAP reporting on our work since the last forum and discussing progress made at the Global Refugee Forum 2023. We also explored how to better utilise MRP in the lead-up to future international meetings like the High-Level Officials Meeting in 2025 and the Global Refugee Forum in 2027.
In the second part of the session, we addressed MRP at national and local levels, discussing its definition, best practices, and challenges. Significant progress includes local group sponsorships, refugee-led steering groups, and meaningful engagement across organisations. However, challenges remain, such as the lack of interpreter access, the risk of tokenism, and the need to appropriately value refugee expertise. This dialogue was vital in bridging the gap between global commitments and local actions, ensuring refugee perspectives are integrated throughout the process.
NZRAP also led a collaborative goal-setting session on MRP, with participants from various sectors identifying goals to guide our collective efforts over the next year, which will be revisited at the 2025 forum.
Over the two days, we participated in key sessions, including updates on the National Refugee Resettlement Strategy and Empowering Refugee Youth 101, organised by the New Zealand Refugee Youth Council. We also engaged with government agencies and highlighted local innovations, where community partners presented ideas to solve local challenges.
A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to the forum’s success—special thanks to the New Zealand National Refugee Youth Council and Refugee and Migrant Services (RMS), Immigration New Zealand | Rōpū Manene.