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DevNet NZ Research: Details
The contribution of Non-Government Organisations to the settlement of migrants and refugees in Aotearoa New Zealand
Author: Gillian Skyrme Year: 2008
Email: g.r.skyrme@massey.ac.nz
Citation: Skyrme, G. (2008). The contribution of non-government organisations to the settlement of migrants and refugees in Aotearoa New Zealand. Wellington: National Association of ESOL Home Tutors. Retrieved from http://www.esolht.org.nz/news/research/nr1213607229.pdf
The settlement field in Aotearoa New Zealand in the first decade of the twenty-first century has seen a new climate of cross-sectoral collaboration led by government agencies intent on overcoming the “lack of national co-ordination and information sharing among those working in the settlement area” (Department of Labour, 2004, p. 1) which characterised the previous decade. With an increasing focus on this field from some very large players such as the Department of Labour and the Ministry of Social Development, it seemed timely to examine the contribution of one sector comprising very much smaller agencies, some of which, however, have a long-standing involvement in the field, with the aim of contributing to this process by rendering its work more visible. The settlement framework used has drawn on the goals of the New Zealand Settlement Strategy, launched in 2004 as the result of a process of national consultation, and revised in 2007, and on other investigations, both empirical (Ho, Cheung, Bedford, & Leung, 2000) and theoretical (Spoonley, Peace, Butcher, & O’Neill, 2005),of the New Zealand situation. Using document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key personnel of nine non-government organisations whose work is wholly or partly concerned with improving settlement outcomes for former refugees and/or migrants in New Zealand, it examines the alignment of their service provision with this framework at local, regional and national levels. The participants, while small in number, represent a range of features significant in the sector, and their work overall provides some indication of the variety and depth within the field. The report concludes that there is a strong alignment between the work of these organisations and the nationally established goals of the Settlement Strategy, and that the NGO sector has particular qualities to offer. These qualities include programmes based on human connectedness enhancing the process of emotional integration by enabling links between members of host and ethnic communities, a close responsiveness to stakeholders allowing for small scale responses to intense but narrowly scoped challenges, the encouragement of new roles for migrants and former refugees facilitating their movement from newcomer to host in at least some respects of their experience, and a strong commitment to maintaining quality in all aspects of the service.
Download: http://www.esolht.org.nz/news/research/nr1213607229.pdf
Research Status: Completed
Pages Updated On: 18-Nov-2008 - 15:20:30