New Zealand and Australia reach deal over refugee resettlement offer
Australia has taken up New Zealand's offer to resettle up to 150 refugees per year nearly a decade after the offer was first made.
The deal, first offered in 2013, would mean asylum seekers, some who have been held indefinitely in limbo in such centres on Manus Island and Nauru, could soon come to New Zealand.
The initial three-year arrangement would see up to 450 people resettle in New Zealand through the existing refugee quota programme, and initially cover those who met certain criteria.
The Green Party has welcomed the deal to resettle those "held unlawfully in Australia's prison islands" but says the number should be over and above the current quota of 1500 a year - a commitment New Zealand has not met for three years.
In announcing the deal, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said the long-standing offer reflected New Zealand and Australia's close relationship.
"New Zealand is very pleased that Australia has taken up the offer to resettle up to 150 refugees annually for three years," Faafoi said.
"New Zealand has a long and proud history of refugee resettlement and this arrangement is another example of how we are fulfilling our humanitarian international commitment.
"We are pleased to be able to provide resettlement outcomes for refugees who would otherwise have continued to face uncertain futures."
Green Party human rights and refugee spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman said they welcomed the "long overdue deal" to resettle those held "unlawfully in Australia's prison islands".
"We welcome wholeheartedly the refugees preparing to travel to Aotearoa from Manus and Nauru.
"But I think Australia deserves some very harsh criticism on the delay. We know Australia is the kind of country where successive governments have been torturing refugees on prison islands."
Ghahraman said the deal should come on top of the existing quota, which New Zealand had not met for three years due to the pandemic. This would also allow New Zealand to better support the crisis in Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Since July 2019, just over 1500 quota refugees have arrived here, out of 4500 spaces.
Last year just 263 arrived. Additionally spaces for 300 family members a year have not been filled, with just 164 arriving over the past nearly three years from 900 spaces.
Ghahraman said New Zealand needed to do more to pressure Australia to shut its offshore detention centres permanently.
"We have our closest ally, right next door, holding people in conditions that have been described by the likes of Amnesty International and the United Nations... as being akin to torture.
"Australia is torturing people right next door in our Pacific neighbourhood. New Zealand needs to be a very loud voice of criticism and work constructively to shut down the centres."
The deal was struck by former prime ministers John Key and Julia Gillard in 2013 when New Zealand offered to assist with the thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the country, many by boat.
Key had said at the time it was an acknowledgement that New Zealand should share the burden. Per capita, Australia takes in about twice as many refugees per year as New Zealand.
The Australian Government had been concerned the agreement could see refugees who came to New Zealand try to travel back to Australia after they gained residency and/or citizenship, and settle permanently there.
Faafoi has said any refugees arriving here would eventually get the full rights and responsibilities of New Zealand citizens, and any decision on them being able to travel to Australia was for Australia.
Australia's Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said despite the deal their "strong border protection policies had not changed and no one who attempted to travel to Australia illegally by boat would ever settle here".
"This arrangement does not apply to anyone who attempts an illegal maritime journey to Australia in the future.
"Australia remains firm – illegal maritime arrivals will not settle here permanently.
"Anyone who attempts to breach our borders will be turned back or sent to Nauru."
Under the deal, all applications to resettle in New Zealand would undergo the same quota processes – including credibility, security, risk and biometric checks and health assessment – that New Zealand applies to all refugees through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees process.
Refugees under the deal could include those who are in Nauru or are temporarily in Australia under regional processing arrangements, along with those who meet general quota requirements and/or are referred to New Zealand by the UNHCR.
It would include those who are not engaged in other third-country resettlement pathways, such as the United States resettlement arrangement.
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/www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-zealand-and-australia-reach-deal-over-refugee-resettlement-offer
Charities turning away high numbers of volunteer applications
Charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amidst a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment.
It comes as some businesses receive thousands of applications for paid roles and people look for experience anywhere they can.
The advocacy organisation Volunteering NZ has been tracking the trend. Spokesperson Margaret McLachlan said there has been a considerable rise in applications for volunteer roles across a range of charities.
Many application forms asks people to divulge if they are job hunters.
"Over the last year or so, they are seeing more people coming in who are saying they are in that category. They are looking for work but doing volunteering while that process is taking place."
"As unemployment increases and the cost of living, times are tougher for everybody."
At the same time, she said community organisations supporting social services were busier and needed more helpers.
McLachlan said depending on the organisation, they might want to do a police check, a reference check and an interview.
"In some cases it can be a process to go through and not always, and that can take some time.
"It's actually the same barriers that a person might find in finding a job, can also apply to volunteering. It's not always a easy option."
SPCA had 120 op shops and animal rescue centres across the country in which volunteers worked.
General manager of retail Cathy Crichton said they received about 1300 extra applications for volunteer roles, a 32 percent increase, from June to November 2025, compared to 2024.
"There's definitely a nudge forward which is very exciting and we're very grateful."
But it meant they were not accepting any more volunteers in some areas.
"Because the applications are up it's a unique scenario. But at this point in time, in smaller locations, we've actually got a hold in 19 locations in New Zealand where we are at capacity - and that's very rare and it's a very new trend."
Crichton said anyone seeking volunteer work should think creatively about what skills they can offer - it could be in administration or marketing.
"We'd love to welcome as many people as we could because the more hands on deck the more we can do and the more we can contribute to the community."
She said people were self-motivated to apply for volunteer work.
The unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in the September quarter, meaning 160,000 people were jobless. The next quarterly figures are out in February.
"There's a willingness to give back and contribute to the community. Unemployment being high really does encourage people to engage with the workforce and get experience," Crichton said.
"It really is about staying connected with the community and meeting others."
She said they had also seen an increase in young people seeking volunteer work experience.
"It's a great opportunity to get work experience and a reference and there's an appeal there as an employer...I really do think it adds value to a CV."
Stats NZ data showed over half of New Zealanders, 53 percent, volunteered during March 2025 and of those, 27.6 percent volunteered through an organisation and 40.8 percent volunteered directly for another person.
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The best board games to play (and gift) this summer
Over the holiday period, the right game can make all the difference. So which board games should you try out – and which ones should you gift?
1. Sushi Go Party
This colourful, fast-paced game has great art, and a "menu" that can be changed depending on the number of players (up to eight) and their familiarity with the game.
Players win the game by creating the best combination of cards, depending on what's available, by rotating the cards from player to player like a sushi train. It's easy to learn and relatively cheap.
2. Wavelength
In this party game, teams have to try and guess the location of a hidden target on a spectrum, using a clue from one "psychic" team member. The ends of the spectrum reflect two binaries, such as hot–cold or optional–mandatory, and the target falls somewhere in between.
The closer the team gets to where the psychic thinks the target should go, the more points they score. Wavelength is one of those games where no matter if your team gets it right or wrong, you can expect people to give their two cents.
3. Mysterium and Mysterium Park
In these team games, players play mediums seeking the counsel of another player – a ghost – who gives them clues to important information about murders in the house, including the ghost’s own murder.
The ghost offers the other players tarot cards with abstract artwork with which they must attempt to discern the murder weapon, location and culprit.
4. The Quacks of Quedlinburg
This game sees players take the role of potion makers at the local fair, who must push their luck by drawing ingredients out of a bag to make the best potions without them blowing up in their face. It’s simple to teach and hilarious when someone else blows up their cauldron (although arguably less when it’s you).
5. Modern Art
This is one of the most celebrated games from board game designer luminary Reiner Knizia. Players are art dealers auctioning off beautiful paintings done by five professional artists. Players might even forget to play as they get caught up in simply admiring the pieces they are auctioning off.
Modern Art remains a fiendishly clever game that is easy to learn but hard to master.
6. Heat: Pedal to the Metal
This strategic racing game is based on 1960s Formula 1 racing. The base game boasts four tracks on two gorgeous boards, and lovely little cars that pass each other and risk spinning out around corners.
7. Nemesis
By far the most expensive (and complicated) game on this list, Nemesis can best be described as Alien: the board game.
Players have to move through a spaceship, discovering rooms and items as they go, taking care not to alert the horrific extraterrestrials that have managed to get onto the ship – represented by amazingly designed pieces. It’s a truly tense and fun experience for a full afternoon.
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Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲
I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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