Refugee Family Support Category settlement providers

Community-based providers can help Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC) visa holders settle comfortably into their new lives in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Sponsoring family members if you are a refugee

Help available for sponsors

A provider can help a sponsor:

  • complete an accommodation plan to make sure their family has a place to call home, as RFSC visa holders will not stay at Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa Refugee Resettlement Centre.
  • get ready to help their family settle in, for example, by making a budget.
  • understand what they need to do when their family arrives, such as picking them up from the airport.
  • connect to services their family will need in their day-to-day lives.

Help available for RFSC visa holders

A provider can give an RFSC visa holder:

  • 2 check-ins, one within their first 2 weeks in New Zealand, and a second after approximately 2 months to see if they need more advice.
  • advice on starting their life in New Zealand, like how to open a bank account, get an IRD number, or enrol in a school.
  • connections to helpful government and community services.
  • access to a local Community Orientation Programme to help them settle into their region.

Refugee settlement support providers

The following providers are available to support to both sponsors and RFSC visa holders.

Auckland

Provider: Kāhui Tū Kaha

Website: www.kahuitukaha.co.nz

Email address: refugeeservice@kahuitukaha.co.nz

Hamilton

Provider: Multicultural Services Trust

Website: www.hmstrust.org.nz

Email address: NKSSinfo@hmstrust.org.nz

Christchurch

Provider: Purapura Whetu Trust

Website: pw.maori.nz

Email address: powhiri@pw.maori.nz

Ashburton

Provider: Safer Mid Canterbury

Website: www.safermidcanterbury.org.nz

Email address: refugee.service@safer.org.nz

Timaru

Provider: Presbyterian Support South Canterbury

Website: pssc.org.nz

Email address: RefugeeSettlement@pssc.co.nz

Palmerston North, Levin, Masterton, Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, Dunedin and Invercargill

Provider: New Zealand Red Cross 

Website: redcross.org.nz

Email address: RFSCsupport@redcross.org.nz (Tell them your specific settlement location – for example, Masterton.)

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