News
New Zealand promises to end detention centres, but how?
By Linnea Vartun Since 2015, 86 asylum seekers have been detained in New Zealand in criminal detention facilities for months or, at times, years (Amnesty International, 2021). An asylum seeker can be detained on immigration grounds, up to the discretion of...
The Road to Seeking Asylum in Aotearoa – Salient Magazine
By Ineke RamsteijnFor most of us, seeking asylum is a pretty foreign concept, but for countless innocent people worldwide it is a constant and debilitating obstacle to safety. There are two different types of refugees recognised in Aotearoa: convention refugees and...
What’s wrong with the economic argument for refugees?
By Clair Caird A cursory google search on motivations for countries to take in refugees in 2020 indicates a depressing trend in our values. A 2018 study by d’Albis, Boubtane and Coulibaly concerning the economic impact of refugees and migrants on 15 Western European...
How far does our humanity extend?
By Rebecca FarquharClosing our borders saved lives. Yet for hundreds of refugees, it also put them in limbo. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has suspended its Refugee Quota Programme as part of its efforts to mitigate the threat of Covid-19....
Refugees and People Seeking Asylum under COVID-19
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You can find email addresses for relevant MPs at this link: https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/ Kia ora (Name of MP), My name is _______ and I am a resident of ______. I am writing to you express my concern about the current...
Seeking Asylum is a Human Right, not a Privilege
By Keelie Andrews-McAulay UNHCR figures show that at the end of 2018 there were around 3.5 million people worldwide waiting to hear if their asylum claim was successful. 3.5 million people waiting to hear if they can live in a safe and peaceful environment without the...
The Threat of Securitisation
By Akanksha Munshi-Kurian Aspirations for a close-knit international community and a globalised, multilateral order have been under siege for some time now. Britain formally exited the European Union in a breath-takingly impulsive display of protectionism in 2017; the...
The difference between a quota refugee, a person seeking asylum, and convention refugee
By Amy Christian Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”. Unfortunately, not everyone who seeks to exercise this right in New Zealand is treated equally. “Amir” and “Yara”...
Te Ao Māori Perspectives on Seeking Asylum
By Clair Caird Like other settler colonial societies, Aotearoa New Zealand has excluded indigenous perspectives on immigration. Despite being treaty partners, Māori have almost no opportunity to influence immigration decisions. One area which could benefit from...
A kōrero with Wellington Mayor Justin Lester
Thursday the 15th of August marked a special day for us at the Wellington Community Justice Project and Asylum Seekers Equality Project, as we had the pleasure of engaging in kōrero with Wellington Mayor Justin Lester on his ‘Welcome Home’ policy initiative. This...
What Can New Zealand Do To Help Climate Change Asylum Seekers?
Under New Zealand’s treaty obligations, we are legally able to take asylum seekers based on a “well founded fear” of persecution as defined in the 1951 Refugee Convention. Although this is a statement that is broad, it currently does not allow refugees who are fleeing...