National Refugee Resettlement Forum
Each year, the National Refugee Resettlement Forum provides refugee resettlement stakeholders with the opportunity to actively engage on strategic refugee resettlement issues.
Government agencies, non-government organisations, service providers, former refugee communities and international organisations come together to participate in the Forum. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment facilitates the forum.
The agenda was co-developed by a planning team consisting of former refugees with lived experience, including members of the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel, the New Zealand National Refugee Youth Council, and staff from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) Refugee and Migrant Support.
This year, INZ trialled a smaller working group format to help transform previous discussions at the 2024 Forum into tangible actions. The focus on refugee participation, youth engagement, and local innovation was enriched by the insights, lived experiences, and commitment of the attendees.
The topics discussed in 2025 included:
- meaningful refugee participation
- refugee youth engagement, and
- local innovations.
Figure 1: Updates and Key Developments – NRRF 2025
This illustration captures the key themes and discussions from the 2025 Forum, including progress updates, local solutions and innovations, meaningful refugee participation, and youth engagement. It reflects the collaborative spirit and practical ideas shared during the working group sessions.