Source: World Vision
World Vision New Zealand welcomes today’s announcement to make the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship programme permanent.
The Associate Minister for Immigration, Hon. Casey Costello, today announced that the programme which enables community groups to sponsor and support the resettlement of refugees, will be reinstated from July 1, 2026.
The programme will enable the resettlement of 200 refugees and this number will be included as part of New Zealand’s overall Refugee Quota Programme of 1,500 places.
World Vision New Zealand’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, says embedding community-led settlement support for refugees is a positive step, but should be over-and-above New Zealand’s refugee quota.
“Community sponsorship recognises the important role communities can play in refugee protection and resettlement. It can help families rebuild their lives within a strong local framework, and it gives New Zealanders a meaningful way to stand alongside children and families seeking safety.
“However, it’s very disappointing that the programme will not add to New Zealand’s overall refugee intake. Community sponsorship should be additional to the Refugee Quota. At a time when global refugee protection needs are at a record high and humanitarian funding is under increasing pressure, New Zealand should be looking for ways to expand protection, rather than simply redistributing existing places,” Armstrong says.
World Vision says New Zealand along with other countries should be looking to provide additional protection mechanisms for children and families who have been displaced, including where those needs align with grounds under the Refugee Convention.
The organisation, together with the University of Auckland’s Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, recently called for the establishment of an Emergency Protection Framework to ensure New Zealand better supports and protects people displaced due to disaster, conflict, and humanitarian emergencies.
Armstrong says an Emergency Protection Framework could be adopted as part of an amendment to the current Immigration Act 2009 and should include: pre-determined criteria for an emergency protection response, defined visa pathways, community sponsorship, and coordinated settlement systems.
She says this should be over-and-above New Zealand’s refugee quota and the community sponsorship programme.
“Protection needs are changing and increasing as more and more children and families are displaced around the world and New Zealand’s policy settings need to keep pace.
“We need a more ambitious, practical and future-focused approach that keeps the refugee quota strong, makes community sponsorship additional, and creates new emergency protection pathways for people who have experienced serious harm and need safety.”