Local vigil marks plight of refugees

LIGHTING THE WAY: Merilyn Payne (left), Peter Watson, Jonathon Hartfield and Marion Sanson were among the people standing up for refugees this week. PHOTO/ANNA WALLIS 11092015WCSUPREFUGEES

A Wanganui group held a vigil on Thursday night to show the city's compassion for refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East.

The group said they wanted refugees to know they would be welcome here and held the silent candlelit vigil in unison with events in Auckland, Thames, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Timaru and Dunedin.

"We want to add our support to what is happening around the country" one of the organisers, Peter Watson, said.

About 14 people were at the Majestic Square vigil which started at 6pm.

Mr Watson said thousands of refugees were escaping conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq and arriving in Europe, where they hoped to find a safe place to live.

"We want to remember those refugees who have died in the process of seeking safety. And we are calling on our government to double the refugee quota so New Zealand can accept some of these people."

Mr Watson said he was part of an "informal coalition of concerned Wanganui citizens" that organised the half-hour vigil.

He said there were "smiles and toots" from passersby and the group thinks they got their message across.

"It's important to make a public stand [on issues] sometimes and not just talk about it within a household.

"New Zealand is 90th (per capita) when it comes to giving homes to refugees, that's not good enough.

"Australia does four times as much as we do per capita. There has been a lot of talk from Prime Minister John Key to catch up with Australia economically - perhaps we can catch up with them on refugees as well."

He said the refugee record was not good in comparison with the millions spent on the flag selection and the "$400 million upgrade on electronics for the frigates - is that going to bring peace?"