A petition has been presented to MPs today calling for a new sub-category in the Refugee Quota solely for refugees from the rainbow community.
A former refugee from Myanmar, Hafsar Tameesuddin is the co-secretary general of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and presented the petition to outgoing Labour MP Tāmati Coffey. Today is World Refugee Day.
Tameesuddin said inclusion and equity among refugee communities are very important, and making these changes was urgent.
"The inclusion, diversity and equity among refugee communities is very important. Often time, the rainbow refugee issue is overlooked in the refugee camp in the host country [and] in the resettlement programme itself," she told 1News.
"It is very important we ensure that no one is left behind, particularly the ones who are more vulnerable among refugees themselves. Rainbow refugees have additional barriers, exclusion and discrimination compared to other refugees."
Alongside her presenting the petition was Murdoch Stephens, who started the Double the Quota campaign for refugees on this day ten years ago.
He knows things move slowly in Parliament.
"We had been stuck at 750 refugees for two and a half decades, it hadn’t increased. Our population had grown, our wealth had grown, but we weren’t being more humanitarian."
Stephens, who is a senior research fellow at the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, said the ten-year anniversary of the campaign was significant.
"It’s great to see we are getting to the 1500 mark, and today it actually happened.”
This year marks the first where the Government has filled its refugee quota of 1500 people, blaming the global pandemic for not doing so earlier.
When asked if they planned to fill the quota retrospectively for the years they missed, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said no.
Wood said: "It would actually be practically and administratively difficult to do in terms of the facilities that we have to be able to support people here."
In terms of the rainbow sub-category, Stephens acknowledges the process will take time, but wanted to emphasise that the Government could take the lead on the issue.
Coffey remarked on the short period of time before the election and said he hopes a shortened select committee process can take place to hear the issue.
The retiring MP said: "A win would be just making it through the select committee process before parliament rises
"For the select committee to put forward some recommendations in this space so that the incoming government can consider this as a likely option."
He hoped to build awareness on the issue, saying it pulled on his heartstrings.
"I'm so proud of where we are as New Zealand today when it comes to rainbow rights. I want them to enjoy those same rights here."
The Greens agreed and called on the Government to act immediately.
"We support the petition but also call on Labour MPs to actually pressure their own minister to make these changes because they hold all the power in Parliament to guarantee rainbow people a safe pathway to Aotearoa,” said immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March.
Refugee spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman added: "It's a Ministerial decision, they could do it tomorrow, they could save lives tomorrow."
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