Cut in refugee intake would be backward step, says council

4.00pm

Refugees have huge resilience, and reducing New Zealand's yearly intake would be a move in the wrong direction, the Refugee Council of New Zealand said today.

The National party has called for the annual quota of 750 to be cut after an Immigration Service report on Tuesday noted that eight out of 10 refugees were still on a benefit after five years in New Zealand.

But council president Dr Nagalingam Rasalingam said such a step would be a backward one for a country recognised for its humanitarian values.

He also criticised discrimination against refugees.

"I hear comments that we must get qualified, talented refugees into New Zealand -- that's total discrimination," he said.

"Quite a number of refugees are talented, but they don't have any backing for that talent when they are in camps."

Dr Rasalingam cited the example of council secretary Heval Hylan, a Kurdish refugee who was now a qualified and practising lawyer.

"That shows that these people, when given a chance, become good citizens," he said.

"Refugees are heroes. They have a never-ending journey. After all the problems and trauma they go through, they still have a huge resilience."

He said refugees shouldn't be compared with migrants, because they had greater barriers to getting employment.

There were difficulties in having qualifications recognised and for many it was a case of starting from scratch on arrival.

The greater accent on employment in present resettlement policy would be a help, Dr Rasalingam said.

"I think the Government is moving in a good direction in trying to settle them easier."

National's immigration spokesman, Tony Ryall, said his party's policy was to have manageable numbers of refugees to ensure they found work and were properly managed.

The Government rejected a cut in intake, but Prime Minister Helen Clark also said numbers would not be increased until the Government had greater success in getting refugees settled.