About Us

In 1989 a group of concerned people began meeting to discuss ways of improving government services to asylum seekers. This was a response to the plight of a number of refugees seeking political asylum in New Zealand who found that services to them, as opposed to those arriving on New Zealand's annual quota, were virtually non-existent. The Auckland Refugee Council (Inc) was thus born out of the need to establish a well-organized lobby group who would advise government of the needs of these political refugees.

The first committee was made up of human rights protagonists whose backgrounds ranged from members of Amnesty International (Mr. William Smith and Kevin Rawlinson), AUT Refugee Education Programme, (Sue Elliott and Charmiane Treadwell) and a number of refugee community members, The Tamil Society (Dr. Rasalingam and S.K. Thuraisundaram) Casa Latina, the Afghan Community and a number of others. A Constitution was drawn up. recognising the right of refugees to self determination by instituting a committee consisting of over 50% refugees with the President, where possible, being a refugee or former refugee.

This fledgling organisation set up a shared office with Amnesty International. With funding from the Lottery Grants Board an office was later established in the Town Hall, Queen Street in Auckland City.

In 1992 Dr. Rasalingam founded the ARCI Health Centre based in the Red Cross Building in Wakefield Street, with a volunteer nurse and psychologist. Many of Dr. Rasalingam's patients were traumatised from their horrific past experiences requiring specialised counselling.

In 1994 the ARCI set up an Advocacy Service under the management of William Smith giving asylum seekers the opportunity to receive help in submitting their application for refugee status to the Immigration Service. At this time no legal aid was available for the first stage hearing and lawyers' fees were prohibitive for the majority of refugee applicants.

Towards the end of 1995 the Refugee and Migrant Service hostel for asylum seekers closed due to lack of funds. The ARCI saw a clear need which it felt should be addressed immediately. With funding from CYPS, COGS and Community Housing assistance, suitable premises were found in Grove Road, Sandringham and the first asylum seekers were made welcome there in March 1997.

The ARCI had always existed on a shoestring budget, its funding derived from a variety of local bodies, charities and government agencies. With a much larger budget to administer this situation was quite untenable and in fact in 1999 the hostel was on the point of closure through lack of funds. However, the year 2001 saw the Grove Road Hostel move to vastly improved premises in West Auckland where Dr. Rasalingam was also able to re-establish an on-site Medical Centre. The move was financed by the new Government's pilot project administered through the New Zealand Immigration Service. The pilot project directed funds to established non-government organisations and groups already assisting asylum seekers.

The establishment by NZIS of an accommodation facility for asylum seekers in Takanini lead to the difficult decision to close the Glendene hostel at the end of June 2005 as the financial support from the Department of Labour was no longer available.

The Auckland Refugee Council is aware of the need for support of Convention Refugees in their resettlement. The length of time in gaining residence is an obstacle to being able to quickly integrate into society. Tertiary education, state housing, accommodation allowance, among other things, are not available as non-residents and the ARCI saw the need to meet this gap in service provision. Accordingly, a new site has been found within Auckland City to provide limited temporary accommodation as well as being a venue for the proposed support programmes.

ARCI continues to evolve as the needs of asylum seekers and convention refugees become evident. The basic ethos remains the same as it always has; that is, to improve services to refugees and asylum seekers and to be instrumental in their resettlement in New Zealand.

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