New Zealand receives several thousand refugees and tens of thousands of migrants each year. Supporting newcomers to build safe, connected, and productive lives in Aotearoa is both a humanitarian obligation and an investment in community wellbeing. The organisations and services that support refugee and migrant settlement — from initial housing to long-term community integration — depend on a mix of government contracts and philanthropic grants.
Refugees and humanitarian migrants
New Zealand accepts approximately 1,500 quota refugees per year through the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) programme, plus additional family reunion and asylum seekers. Quota refugees arrive through government-managed processes and receive initial settlement support through Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre and regional settlement networks.
Migrant communities
New Zealand's migrant population is large and diverse — significant communities of Pacific peoples (from independent Pacific nations), Asian communities, Indian communities, African and Middle Eastern diaspora, and others. Economic migrants, international students, seasonal workers, and family reunion migrants all have different settlement needs and legal situations.
Settlement service providers
The settlement sector includes:
- Red Cross: Refugee settlement services, including initial housing and orientation
- English Language Partners: ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programmes
- Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS): Coordination and support for Auckland
- Regional settlement networks: Locally-based settlement support in major cities
- Ethnic community organisations: Community-run organisations serving specific migrant communities
- Refugee and migrant specialist NGOs: Legal aid, advocacy, mental health
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is the primary government funder of settlement services, through the Refugee Resettlement Strategy and the New Zealand Settlement Strategy. Key programmes:
Government funding covers core settlement services but often doesn't extend to longer-term integration, cultural community support, or services for migrants who arrived through non-refugee pathways.
Language learning beyond government contracts
Government-funded ESOL programmes are often oversubscribed. Philanthropic grants extend access — particularly for women (who may face additional barriers to attending English classes), rural migrants, and those not covered by funded programmes.
Mental health and trauma support
Many refugees and some migrants have experienced significant trauma — persecution, conflict, displacement, dangerous journeys. Access to culturally appropriate, trauma-informed mental health support is often inadequate. Grants supporting specialist trauma services, culturally appropriate counselling, and community mental health initiatives fill important gaps.
Employment support
Migrants with overseas qualifications often struggle to have credentials recognised and enter employment at appropriate levels. Employment support — recognition of prior learning, bridging programmes, mentoring, employer connections — helps migrants contribute economically at the level they're capable of.
Legal support and advocacy
Navigating the immigration and legal system is complex. Community legal aid for migrants and refugees — particularly those facing deportation, exploitation, or status uncertainty — requires philanthropic support where legal aid is not available.
Cultural community infrastructure
Ethnic community organisations — clubs, cultural groups, religious communities — provide the social connection and cultural continuity that help migrants maintain identity and wellbeing. These organisations are often volunteer-run and under-resourced. Grants supporting their basic operations and community programmes have significant social return.
Children and youth
Migrant and refugee children and young people face specific challenges — school adjustment, language acquisition, cultural identity, and the stress of family dislocation. School-based support, youth programmes, and community initiatives that serve migrant and refugee young people address these needs.
Migrant women
Migrant women face intersecting vulnerabilities — language barriers, limited social networks, dependency on sponsoring spouses, risk of exploitation and family violence. Dedicated programmes for migrant women — employment, language, community connection, safety — address these specific needs.
Intercultural understanding
Community programmes that build positive relationships between established New Zealanders and newcomer communities reduce prejudice and social isolation. Intercultural dialogue, shared events, and community connection initiatives create more welcoming communities.
Community leadership: The most effective services for refugee and migrant communities are those delivered by people from those communities. Funders should actively support community-led organisations and be cautious about funding mainstream providers who lack cultural connection.
Language and accessibility: Grant applications written in English disadvantage smaller, community-run organisations from non-English-speaking communities. Consider how to make your grant process accessible to community organisations that may not have professional grant writers.
Intersectionality: Refugee and migrant women, LGBTQI+ migrants, migrants with disabilities, and undocumented migrants face compounding vulnerabilities. Grants should attend to these intersecting needs.
Status complexity: Immigration status affects what services people can access. Be clear about whether funded services can serve people with temporary visas, irregular status, or asylum seekers waiting for decisions.
Trauma-informed approaches: Services for refugees should be designed with awareness of trauma — avoiding re-traumatisation, building safety and trust, understanding how trauma affects behaviour and engagement.
Not lumping all migrants together: The needs of a newly arrived quota refugee are very different from those of an established migrant community or a recently arrived economic migrant. Funder programmes that treat "migrants" as a homogeneous group tend to be less effective.
Tahua's grants management platform supports funders investing in settlement and migrant community services — with the grant tracking, reporting, and impact measurement tools that help funders understand whether their investment is building welcoming and connected communities.