Refugees arriving in New Zealand — quota refugees and convention refugees — face significant barriers to employment including language, credential recognition, cultural differences, and employer bias. Employment is critical for refugee integration, wellbeing, and economic contribution. This guide covers the key funding sources.
MSD funds refugee employment through:
- Refugee Resettlement Strategy: Integrated resettlement including employment
- Flexi-wage: Wage subsidy for employers hiring refugees
- Pathways to Employment: Employment support for refugees
- Settlement support: Employment navigation in first years
TEC funds English and skills for refugees:
- Intensive English Language Programme (IELP): Funded for quota refugees
- Literacy and numeracy: Foundation skills
- Vocational pathways: Training pathways for refugee employment
INZ coordinates refugee resettlement:
- New Zealand Refugee Quota Programme: Annual 1,500 quota refugees
- Managed resettlement: First 6 weeks at Māngere Resettlement Centre
- Employment orientation: Pre-employment support on arrival
Gaming trusts fund refugee employment support:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community refugee services including employment
- Grassroots Trust: Community social services
- Pub Charity: Community social services
- Lion Foundation: Community services
Gaming trust refugee employment applications:
- Employment pathway navigation
- Skills assessment and recognition
- Interpreter support for interviews
- Work clothing and tools for new employment
- Transport to work in first months
Overseas credential recognition:
- NZQA: Overseas qualification assessment
- Medical Council, Engineering NZ, etc.: Professional body recognition
- Refugee credential recognition: Simplified pathways for refugees
English for employment:
- IELP: MSD-funded intensive English
- English Language Partners NZ: Community English tuition
- Workplace English: English in employment context
Employer support:
- Welcoming Workplaces: Employer guidance
- Red Cross refugee employment: Employer connections
- Diversity Works NZ: Diversity employer engagement
Employment through social enterprise:
- Refugee employment social enterprises: Social enterprises creating jobs for refugees
- Ākina Foundation: Social enterprise employment pathways
- Community business: Community-owned enterprise for refugee employment
Community-specific employment:
- Burmese/Myanmar: Community employment networks
- Afghan refugees: Recent large cohort — employment support needs
- African refugees: Employment navigation for diverse African communities
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Employment outcomes: Refugees in paid work — numbers, wages, hours
- Credential recognition: Overseas qualifications assessed and recognised
- Language: English language proficiency enabling workplace communication
- Employer partnerships: Employer commitments to hire refugees
- Retention: Refugees sustaining employment beyond initial placement
- Career pathway: Beyond entry-level employment toward career development
- Community: Peer networks and community support alongside employment
- Equity: Gender equity — refugee women's employment pathways
Tahua's grants management platform helps refugee employment organisations manage grant applications across MSD, TEC, gaming trusts, and community foundations, tracking employment outcomes, credential recognition, and language development for refugees.