Lean quota rise shames New Zealand
Archbishop Philip Richardson says this week's quota rise of 250 leaves New Zealand way short on the global refugee
ledger.
TAONGA NEWS | 13 JUN 2016
Archbishop Philip says today's announcement that adds 250 refugee places to our annual quota fails to show New Zealand
acting as a responsible global citizen.
He welcomes the news that 250 more people will be offered refuge in this country, and that 600 Syrian refugees have come
via the emergency intake, but says those increases are shameful on the world stage.
“In the past five years, there has been a 76 percent increase in people displaced due to war and persecution: from 34
million to 60 million people.” he said.
“Although the stories of terror play out far from our shores, we need to respond as global neighbours and step up to
offer as much as we can.”
“I believe we are a compassionate and caring country, but in the face of the current crisis, this increase almost says
the opposite."
New Zealand lags well behind comparably-sized countries like Ireland, says Archbishop Philip.
With less than a third of New Zealand’s land area, and a slightly higher GDP per capita, Ireland has taken in four times
our national refugee quota since 1976.
In a submission on the refugee quota presented to government earlier this year, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New
Zealand offered to raise its national commitment to supporting refugees and contribute more resources to enable larger
intakes.
ENDS