Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has today announced three new refugee settlement location providers for Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, and a contract renewal for Ashburton and Timaru providers to provide settlement services to refugees from 1 July 2022.

Those providers are:

• Kāhui Tū Kaha (Auckland)
• Hamilton Multicultural Services Trust (Hamilton)
• Purapura Whetu Trust (Christchurch)
• Safer Mid Canterbury (Ashburton)
• Presbyterian Support South Canterbury (Timaru)

General Manager for Refugee and Migrant Services Fiona Whiteridge says an open tender process was completed to identify providers for each location.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the competitive tender process for our refugee settlement service locations and I’m confident these new providers will successfully support new refugees to be active members of communities around Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Fiona Whiteridge.

“These contracts were awarded based on the providers meeting the service requirements and demonstrating the expertise and experience needed for particular locations”.

As part of the new service provider contracts, the timeframe that settlement services are available to arriving families will increase from 12 months to up to 24 months of their settlement in the community.

“Support will also be available for families and their sponsors who have been approved to come to New Zealand under the Refugee Family Support Category visa. This support will include accommodation and settlement planning guidance for sponsors once their applicant family has been selected under the category, as well as support for both groups in the early phase of settlement into Aotearoa.

“These additions to the refugee settlement contracts allow for INZ to provide more consistency and continuity of support for refugees arriving in New Zealand and gives our service providers more of an opportunity to provide robust wrap around support to refugees,” says Fiona Whiteridge.

INZ contracts a total of 13 community-based providers to deliver settlement support services to quota refugees following their arrival in settlement locations around the country.

Contract negotiations for settlement services in the remaining settlement locations of Palmerston North, Levin, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, Dunedin, and Invercargill are ongoing and will be announced once they are finalised.

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