How you can help

How you can help

The aim of this advocacy is to encourage the Rt Hon John Key to introduce a Private Members Bill that doubles the refugee quota and accordingly doubles funding to the groups that support refugees in New Zealand.

Doubling the quota (and meeting the quota, a job we found quite tough until some exceptional work by the newly amalgamated Red Cross and Refugee Services) will still mean Australia takes more than twice as many refugees per capita than New Zealand. But it is a start.
It is important to have a private members bill because doubling the quota is not a simple act of parliamentary politics. While political parties, from left to right, will use refugees for point-scoring, this should be a conscience vote. If people look at the simple statistics they will see that New Zealand needs to up its game.
You can:
(1) share the images to your right on social media.
(2) print off and sign the letter below and send to:
John Key - Freepost Parliament
Private Bag 18 888, Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6160
or email:
j.key@ministers.govt.nz

---

Dear Prime Minister,
I write to you to offer my support for a doubling of New Zealand’s refugee quota and a doubling of funding for Refugee Services. I do this because our paltry intake of refugees is a national shame. Earlier this year, the NZ Herald reported that Australia takes five times the number of refugees, per capita, than New Zealand. Five times!
Bringing more refugees to New Zealand will not solve the world’s problem but it will ensure that we are doing our bit. As a second generation refugee, your success in business and politics should be an inspiration to New Zealand’s refugee population.
I ask that you create a Private Members Bill supporting this doubling of the quota and funding. The aim of the Private Members Bill is to eschew the usual party politics line. If drawn from the ballot, I would encourage you to make this a conscience vote.
If you look into your conscience you will see that doubling the number of refugees will not bring us into parity with other first world countries, we will still be far behind, but it is a start.
Yours sincerely,
(your name)