A quota is a limited number. Our refugee quota is 750 refugees each year. We have had the same quota since 1987.
Peter Dunne, the United Future leader, is holding a public hearing at Parliament to discuss our refugee quota. He believes we should increase our quota. We are 90th in the world for the number of refugees we take, based on our population. For example, Australia takes one refugee for every 1,700 people while NZ takes one for every 6,000. Peter Dunne says we are a country with space and resources. Many community and church groups spoke at this hearing about their willingness to support more refugees. Amnesty International believes we could easily double our quota.
Many refugees spoke about how their lives were in danger before they fled from their country. NZ uses UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) to choose refugees from camps. They are interviewed and their documents are checked thoroughly to make sure they really are refugees. NZ takes refugees from camps in countries like Thailand and Lebanon.
Auckland now has a new Migrant Centre in Mangere where refugees stay for six weeks before they move to a home in a city in NZ.
To hear more about refugees in NZ, listen to January 11th 2016 and September 8th 2015.
Vocabulary
• willingness (n from adj willing) – happy to help
• Amnesty International – an organization which is concerned about human rights throughout the world
• fled – past tense of flee – run away from danger
• documents – papers, passports etc.