Here are the Facts, Prime Minister
By Tracey Barnett
The following misinformation was said by the Prime Minister in his interview with Paul Henry this morning, cites Tracey
Barnett, founder of the refugee awareness initiative WagePeaceNZ:
1. Prime Minister Key said New Zealand gets “thousands” of refugees. He mentioned “3,000-4,000” annually, when family
reunification numbers are included.
Fact: If the Prime Minister’s perception is that this number is “just about right” at 3,000-4,000 thousand, then
the Prime Minister would be endorsing over tripling our current in-take. In reality, New Zealand gets
approximately 1170 refugees annually, all categories included. This figure includes 750 from the UNHCR quota, about
300 for family reunification, and approximately 120 asylum seekers. In recent years, even those numbers have not
been filled.
2. The Prime Minister referred to the refugee centre in Mangere as a “detention centre.”
Fact: Many in the refugee sector would be incredibly uncomfortable to hear this mistake said by the Prime Minister.
It’s not just semantics at stake here. The facility is a resettlement centre. That fact is reflected in the
centre’s title of, ‘Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre’. New UNHCR arrivals are welcomed and free to come and
go as they please. This is particularly important to note because New Zealand has had a proud history for not
detaining refugees as a general rule, with the rare exceptions of those few asylum seekers (a different category
than UN arrivals) whose identity is pending. This respectful welcoming has been a key source of New Zealand’s
excellent reputation internationally. However, this may change in future. For the first time, mandatory detention
will apply to any future boat arrivals containing over 30 people, as passed in 2013 legislation, should New
Zealand ever receive one.
3. When referring to refugees, our Prime Minister stated that, “Our humanitarian position is, I think, top of the
class.”
Fact: When it comes to refugee in-take, New Zealand is far closer to the bottom of the class. New UNHCR figures
show we are 90th in the world in the total number of refugees we host per capita. Worse, if you figure by our
relative wealth, then we rank 116th. Our world standing has actually dropped by three places since last year. These
figures were released last week.
4. Prime Minister Key’s response to recent reports cited by the UNHCR that Australia was paying off human traffickers
was, “I don’t know that they are.” He further stated, “It’s a matter for them. I don’t critique that, no more than I
would critique Australia’s tax policy.”
Commentary by Tracey Barnett: The great irony is that a great nation like Australia has become the human traffickers they so abhor. If New
Zealand’s Prime Minister chooses to ignore Australia’s entry into human trafficking, what does that say about us
on the world stage?
New Zealand’s deliberate silence has already been noticed internationally. This will become particularly
noticed when New Zealand takes the presidency of the UN Security Council next month, especially if the Prime
Minister chooses not to lead by example, or by word on refugee issues. Desperate civilians fleeing from war in
unprecedented numbers is not tax policy, Prime Minister. That is a moral equivalency few Kiwis can be proud
of.
ENDS