Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse has welcomed the opening of the rebuilt Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre in Auckland.
The government had announced the rebuild of the Centre in its 2013 and 2014 Budgets and has since then invested $24.7 million in the project.
Mr Woodhouse said that the original facilities at Mangere were built during the Second World War and were well past their economic life.
“The new facilities are a vast improvement and will give refugees the best possible start to their new life in New Zealand,” he said.
Reception Programme
All refugees spend their first six weeks at Mangere where they undertake a comprehensive reception programme that prepares them to live and work in New Zealand. All refugees will undergo the programme at the new Centre from next month onwards.
Mr Woodhouse said that his government is committed to fulfilling its international humanitarian commitments to provide protection to refugees.
“The rebuild of the Centre was announced as part of the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy which has an overarching goal to improve the outcomes for refugees,” he said.
The opening of the new Centre came days after the government announced an increase in the annual Refugee Quota to 1000 from 2018-2019.
The new Centre can accommodate between 210 and 220 people for each of the six quota intakes every year.
