The closest settlement locations are Palmerston North and Masterton, and the newest locations to welcome refugee families include Blenheim, Timaru, Ashburton, Levin and Masterton.
“Quota refugees are settled in locations throughout New Zealand based on community links and access to services to help support their settlement and employment opportunities,” an Immigration NZ spokeswoman said.
“We work with refugees to ensure that their allocated settlement region is one that meets their needs and has the capacity to support them.
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“New Zealand has a long and proud history of helping people whose lives are at risk and are forced to flee their country.”
Multicultural Association Hawke’s Bay president Rizwaana Latiff said multiple Afghan and Iraqi refugees now live in the region, particularly around Napier, and refugees were free to move here once they had been settled in other locations like Palmerston North.
She said while it would be great to see refugees sent to Hawke’s Bay directly to live, the reality was support, funding and volunteers had to be in place first.
“At the moment, I would love us to be a resettlement spot, but we can’t just say we want to when we don’t have the resources to be able to welcome them.”
She said refugees need assistance with housing, language learning, finding jobs, transport, navigating where and how to access services, and on top of that they “have an added layer in that they have been traumatised”.
“If I had a magic wand, that is what I would love to do, welcome them,” she said.
“These refugees have lived for years in shacks.
“To even have a one-bedroom house would be ideal for them if they had power and running water and food.
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“But we also need to look at the flipside of the reality of what is happening in Hawke’s Bay.”
She said Hawke’s Bay has a big housing shortage and things like jobs all needed to be taken into account.
She said one thing people can do to help prepare the region to potentially become a settlement location in future was volunteer, and support the migrant population.
She said there was a shortage of volunteers in Hawke’s Bay for things like teaching English or helping migrants learn to drive.
“A lot of people don’t realise the value that migrants bring, not just economically but culturally as well,” Latiff, who is running for Hastings District Council, said.
“It brings the world to us. It helps our children grow up with open minds.”
New Zealand’s quota of 1500 people will be reviewed again in 2028.
If you would like to volunteer email president@mcahb.org.nz.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.