Refugees arriving in New Zealand bring with them complex health needs — physical health conditions, trauma and mental health, infectious disease screening, and social determinants of health. New Zealand accepts around 1,500 quota refugees annually plus asylum seekers. This guide covers the key funding sources for refugee and asylum seeker health.
Health system refugee health funding:
- Refugee health screening: Mandatory health screening on arrival
- Convention Refugees: Same health entitlements as NZ citizens
- Asylum seekers: Limited access to public health while claim processed
- Mental health: Refugee-specific mental health services
- Primary health: PHO enrolment and GP access
MSD funds refugee resettlement including health:
- Refugee Resettlement Strategy: Integrated resettlement support
- Settlement support: Community settlement services
- Employment: Employment support for refugees
Immigration NZ's resettlement centre:
- Initial health screening on arrival
- Health orientation and navigation
- Acute health needs in first 6 weeks
Specialist refugee health providers:
- Red Cross NZ: Refugee health and wellbeing
- Auckland Refugee Trauma Recovery: Specialist trauma care
- Refugee Council of New Zealand: Advocacy and service navigation
Gaming trusts fund refugee health and support services:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community health and migrant/refugee services
- Grassroots Trust: Community health including refugee organisations
- Pub Charity: Community health
- Lion Foundation: Community services
Refugee mental health — a priority:
- Trauma-informed care: Specialist trauma therapy for refugees
- PTSD treatment: Evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress
- Cultural concepts of distress: Culturally appropriate mental health
- Interpreter-supported therapy: Mental health via interpreters
Refugee mental health is significantly underfunded in NZ.
Health communication for refugees:
- Medical interpreters: DHB-funded interpreting services
- Health literacy: Plain language and visual health information
- Community health workers: Bilingual health navigation
Refugee-specific health providers:
- African health organisations: African community health services
- Middle Eastern communities: Community health outreach
- Pacific refugee communities: Pacific-specific refugee health
Employment as health determinant:
- MSD: Employment support for refugees
- Refugee Health Screener: Mental health and employment connection
- Social enterprise: Employment pathways for refugees
Refugee child health:
- Developmental screening: Catchup immunisation and development assessment
- Schools: Special education and ESOL support
- Mental health: Child trauma and refugee experience
- Dental: Oral health for refugee children
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Population served: Refugees and asylum seekers by country, age, and health need
- Cultural competency: Culturally appropriate service delivery with community input
- Mental health: Trauma-informed care for refugee mental health
- Language access: Interpreter-supported services
- Resettlement integration: Health as part of integrated settlement support
- Equity: Addressing health disparities for refugee populations
- Community partnership: Refugee community leadership in programme design
- Outcomes: Health indicators tracking improvement over time
Tahua's grants management platform helps refugee health organisations manage grant applications across Te Whatu Ora, MSD, gaming trusts, and community funders, tracking health, mental health, and resettlement outcomes for refugee communities.