The New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel (NZRAP) participated in the Stronger Together – Refugee Alliance Hui 2025 held in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland. The hui brought together former refugee leaders, refugee-led organisations, community partners, and Members of Parliament to discuss national priorities and emerging issues within Aotearoa’s refugee resettlement and protection system.
Representing the Panel, Nimo Ahmed delivered the keynote address, outlining NZRAP’s mandate as an independent advisory mechanism and presenting an overview of recent system developments, ongoing gaps, and opportunities to strengthen Meaningful Refugee Participation across policy, programme design, and implementation. Nimo underscored the importance of structured, ongoing engagement between government agencies and former refugee communities, noting that:
“Meaningful participation requires more than consultation. It is a sustained process that centres refugee leadership, shifts power, and ensures lived expertise informs decisions at every level.”
The hui also featured the launch of the National Refugee Voice Feasibility Report, lived-experience perspectives, and a presentation of the Refugee Alliance’s 2025 Policy Asks. MPs from across several parties engaged with sector leaders on key areas of progress and concern.