National Work

The NZRAP participated in the Research Impact Seminar Series at the University of Auckland (October Tāmaki Makaurau). The seminar highlighted the NZRAP as an innovative model bridging academia, government, and refugee advocacy. Panel members Jane Smith, Jose Tombe, and Madiha Ali Changezi shared insights on how the NZRAP facilitates collaboration across sectors, amplifies the voices of forcibly displaced people, and works towards a more inclusive New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy. The event underscored the importance of research-practice partnerships in advancing refugee rights and driving policy change.

NZRAP connected with diverse stakeholders in Wellington, Timaru, Christchurch, Palmerston North, and Dunedin as part of MBIE-hosted stakeholder and community meetings, which were held across all 13 settlement locations. These gatherings provided an invaluable platform to discuss key topics, including the Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC), the Language Assistance Programme, and the global context impacting refugee logistics. The meetings also reviewed quota compositions for 2024/25, including new ethnic group integrations, and shared updates on CORS timeframes and NZRAP’s developments.

For the NZRAP, engaging directly with communities reinforced their commitment to meaningful refugee participation, emphasising the importance of strengthening these connections to support effective settlement across Aotearoa.

NZRAP proudly hosted the workshop Refugee Experts on Meaningful Refugee Participation at the Global Migrations Conference 2024 in Dunedin. The session began with an exploration of meaningful refugee participation from its historical roots to the present, highlighting its recognition in the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees and the work of refugee advisory mechanisms such as NZRAP. These efforts demonstrate the potential for shifting power dynamics and ensuring lived experiences inform policy.

The presentation and discussion, led by Ayan Said and Rabia Talal Albaid, with a short video report from Paula Santacruz, also addressed the role of academia in partnerships with refugees and co-produced research. This included a breakout session for participants which focused on the following key questions: What are the challenges to co-producing research? How can academia better support refugee background scholars? How can research be translated into actionable policies benefiting refugees and local communities? This session reinforced NZRAP’s commitment to advocacy that centres lived experiences and drives impactful change.

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.

The Refugee Health Community of Practice, established in 2022, held its first in-person Forum at the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre on 20-21 June 2024. The event brought together 75 representatives from healthcare providers, settlement services, NGOs, and government agencies to focus on ‘Achieving equity and health outcomes for former refugees.’

Key sessions covered health and housing, maternity health, mental health, interpreting, and health promotion. The Forum provided a valuable platform for the refugee health sector to connect and collaborate, aiming to improve the consistency of healthcare services for former refugees across New Zealand.

NZRAP was proud to contribute to this important event, leading presentations and interactive workshops on meaningful refugee participation, highlighting the critical role of refugees in shaping their own health outcomes.

Read the full Refugee Health Forum Summary Report.

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.

In November 2023, NZRAP participated in the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Symposium – ‘Refugee Journeys: Celebrating diversity, participation and future thinking’ This event was held at AUT’s city campus in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, New Zealand.

The symposium highlighted the intersections of social equity, human rights and well-being through recent research while focusing on communities with refugee backgrounds in Aotearoa New Zealand. The one-day event commenced with a keynote address from Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister. It brought together diverse participants from varied disciplinary and community backgrounds to meet and network. The NZRAP joined fellow researchers, postgraduate students, civil society and government representatives to discuss recent refugee policy developments and present their research.