Supporting refugees
Each year we help hundreds of former refugees settle into their new lives in Aotearoa New Zealand. Find out about refugee resettlement and our role.
Our country now welcomes refugees from more than 20 different countries. In the last two decades, New Zealand Red Cross has helped more than 7,500 people to rebuild their lives.
Our Pathways to Settlement (P2S) and Convention Refugee Navigator services support former refugees and convention refugees as they settle into their new lives.
We support people facing life in a completely new country where they may know little of the language, the culture and the way we live and work. Our Pathways to Settlement and Pathways to Employment and other programmes help people navigate life in their new community.
Refugees add diversity and contribute new skills, cultures and perspectives to our communities and we recognise and celebrate this in our work.
Who are refugees?
Refugees are ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. They may have experienced war, persecution, discrimination, racism and oppression. Many have been forced to flee their homeland because of their ethnicity, religion or beliefs.
Unlike other migrants, refugees have no choice in leaving their homes and little control over where they end up living.
In 2021, there were 21.3 million refugees globally. Fewer than one percent of refugees are resettled each year.
Our work supporting refugees
Most refugees come to New Zealand through either the United Nations Refugee Quota programme, as family members of other settled refugees or as Convention refugees who have sought asylum here. We offer a range of support to convention and former refugees.
We are one of six organisations providing community settlement support to former refugees who have arrived under the quota or through the Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC).
We're contracted by the government to provide settlement services in these locations:
- South Island – Blenheim, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson.
- North Island – Levin, Masterton, Palmerston North, Wellington.
We provide employment support services in:
- South Island – Ashburton, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson, Timaru.
- North Island – Auckland, Hamilton, Levin, Masterton, Palmerston North, Wellington.
Settlement support
Our Pathways to Settlement programme supports new Kiwis after they arrive in Aotearoa New Zealand. We help people set up their homes, connect with their community and navigate life in their new country.
With the help of 130 trained staff and 1,000 refugee support volunteers, we support people for at least 12 months after their arrival. The services we offer include:
- Settlement support – day-to-day practical support with settling into life in the community.
- Future planning – long-term planning including for education, housing, and finances.
- Orientation information sessions – providing tools to navigate life in a new community.
- Community integration – linking former refugee families and individuals to their wider communities.
Check out our refugee support and youth settlement volunteer roles
Convention refugee support
We also support Convention refugees – people who have arrived in Aotearoa seeking asylum who have been recognised as refugees under the UN 1951 Refugee Convention.
Convention refugees have limited access to government support while their applications for residency are processed.
Our Pathways to Settlement service provides a specialist Convention Navigator who supports and advises convention refugees. We also work closely with other agencies to assist vulnerable migrants get the information and support they need.
For help or questions, email: navigator@redcross.org.nz
Resources for Convention refugees
Employment support
Our Pathways to Employment service is available to all people from refugee backgrounds regardless of their entry to Aotearoa New Zealand (refugees arriving under the quota, asylum seekers, convention refugees, or RFSC) and who are receiving a Work and Income benefit, in all 13 settlement locations in Aotearoa.
We help people prepare for and find meaningful employment, working closely with them to understand their career aspirations and then connecting them to appropriate training, study, and work opportunities.
Finding employment is an important part of the settlement process. It gives former refugees financial independence and offers them the opportunity to use their skills and contribute to their community.
We work with both former refugees looking for work and with business owners looking to hire former refugees.
Employment support for Ukranians
Our Pathways to Employment – Ukraine programme supports Ukrainians affected by the crisis who have recently arrived in Aotearoa to find work.
If you're looking for work, Ukrainian and arrived in Aotearoa since 1 January 2022, or a sponsor family, you can contact our Pathways to Employment – Ukraine, Employer Liaison. You can email Andrew in English, Ukrainian, or Russian: andrew.sknar@redcross.org.nz.
We also offer free workshops on a range of employment-related topics and access to English language support.
The Pathways to Employment – Ukraine team is based in Auckland but can provide online support for other locations.
Specialist refugee mental health services
Our specialised Red Cross mental health service is available in the Wellington region. We provide culturally safe support to people from refugee backgrounds.
We support people impacted by the life challenges from past experiences of war, displacement, violence, and human rights violations, with the aim of improving wellbeing, and enhancing the ability of refugees to resettle successfully in Aotearoa.
Specialist refugee mental health services
Our approach
We have been supporting refugees for eight decades.
We’ve been helping with refugee settlement since the 1940s, when we supported Polish child refugees who arrived here during the Second World War.
In 2012, we became the national refugee settlement provider. Since then we have supported over 7,500 people to make new lives here.
We’re part of the international Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, which works to provide protection and assistance to vulnerable migrants regardless of their legal status and throughout the migration journey.
To ensure we’re providing the best support to former refugees in Aotearoa, we work closely with migrant and refugee background communities through our Migration Advisory Group. This group represents a diverse range people from refugee backgrounds who provide insight into issues affecting refugee communities nationwide. They also make recommendations and report on support we provide.
We’re committed to sharing our knowledge and collaborating with other agencies working to support refugee communities. In 2021, we produced a report for regional and local councils, which provides examples of good practice, and recommendations to guide councils working to help settle refugees in their communities.