More than 150 years ago, Danes were fleeing persecution in Denmark, and New Zealand took them in. As the manager of the Refugee Quota Programme for Immigration New Zealand, Qemajl Murati helps advance a humanitarian commitment going back to 1870.

“This welcome for refugees continued after the global conflicts of the 20th Century, and our current approach is first seen with Polish children taken in after World War II, with international agreements in 1951 and 1967 helping shape the refugee conventions we are now part of,” Qemajl says.

“In the late 1950s New Zealand’s humanitarian approach strengthened as we took in a number of refugees who had become disabled as a result of war,” he says.

“The quota programme we see today started in the late 70s. Since then we have taken in around 35,000 people from more than 50 countries.

“We work closely with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in deciding who should come to New Zealand. We resettle the most vulnerable based upon recommendations from UNHCR,” Qemajl says.

“The aim is to provide people with the best option for them. When we ask people what they would like, the first thing you usually hear them saying is: ‘I want to go home’.”

“However, they may still be at risk and need resettlement elsewhere. In New Zealand we take the most vulnerable cases. For example, for New Zealand 10 percent of who we bring here are children and women who do not have male support,” Qemajl says.

New Zealand offers a quota for people with medical conditions and for people who have been refugees for a long time. Sometimes this can be 20 years or more and perhaps they were born in a refugee camp.

“We send selection missions to various locations around the world. We have recently had a team return from Jordan. We currently have a mission in Bangladesh, for example, ” Qemajl says.

“Selecting the refugees to come to New Zealand is complex. We meet with UNHCR to understand the priority populations. Our refugee quota selection team may be away for 2-3 weeks and we always need to ensure that wherever in the world they are, they are safe."

“While they are out on a selection mission, they collect a lot of information about the refugees to help inform what will be needed to give them the best opportunity for successful resettlement in New Zealand.”

Every 6 weeks about 220 people arrive in New Zealand from different parts of the world. They come to Te Āhuru Mōwai (Sheltering Haven) o Aotearoa, the refugee resettlement centre at Māngere.

They arrive with virtually nothing, and are introduced to the country and its culture. Qemajl says they are welcomed by traditional pōwhiri, and often have a strong curiosity about the Māori culture when they learn about Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“Our refugee quota programme is recognised by our UNCHR partners for its history, and services to the neediest refugees. It is seen as a leading international example,” Qemajl says.

“Other countries respond to people arriving and seeking asylum. We are proud of our approach, and the Mangere centre recently expanded so that the size of the quota programme could increase,” Qemajl says.

“Since the quota programme began in the late 70s, we estimate more than 200,000 people in New Zealand have families, children, siblings and individuals with an association with Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa.”

Immigration New Zealand works with other agencies and the wider community to help refugees find hope away from home as they resettle, heal, learn, work and thrive here in their new adopted home.