Frequently Asked Questions

Why was a Refugee Advisory Panel established?

The Refugee Advisory Panel was established to provide New Zealand’s refugee community the ability to have a strong voice on matters that directly affect them. The Panel is a forum for refugees to have meaningful participation in the development of policies and strategies.

While there are many organisations that support refugees to achieve resettlement outcomes, there is no clear and effective forum for refugees to share their experiences, perspectives and collective voice with those in government agencies responsible for developing and delivering refugee policy. To address this, in 2022, R-SEAT and an interim advisory group worked in partnership with CAPRS and INZ to establish a Panel to empower New Zealand’s refugee community to influence government decision-makers and policy developers to deliver better outcomes for refugees.

What makes the Panel different to other national refugee organisations?

• The Panel will be a sustainable engagement model that is inclusive and ensures community perspectives are reflected in the decision-making stage of policy development.
• The Panel will complement and will collaborate with other national refugee bodies to ensure transparency and communication of refugee interests are voiced at the national level.
• The Panel will support the inclusion of former refugees in relevant New Zealand Government delegations in refugee-related multilateral settings. These settings may include the UNHCR Executive Committee Meetings, Global Refugee Forum (GRF), High Level Official Meetings, and the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR). The Panel would support New Zealand's engagement in the Asia Pacific region and align with the Global Compact on Refugee (GCR) pledges.
• Partnership with CAPRS as an academic institution will ensure the Panel is well resourced in terms of national and international research and policy. As a key Panel partner, CAPRS will collaborate with Panel members to provide the resourcing and policy knowledge transfer as required. Additionally, CAPRS will provide training, mentorship and facilitate professional development for the Panel.
  
  

Why is it important for refugees to have a say in government policy?

• Ensuring meaningful refugee participation practices at the national level means refugees and former refugees are well positioned to contribute to and shape effective and legitimate processes to the policies that affect their lives. Design and delivery of programming will be enhanced by drawing on the expertise of their lived experience.
• It is common practice to utilise subject matter experts when developing policy and strategies, and in this context our refugee and migrant communities hold a level of knowledge and experience that should be considered.
   

How will panel memebrs be selected?

Panel applicants need to have:

• held refugee status, sought asylum, or experienced displacement and resettled in New Zealand
• demonstrated leadership experience in a refugee-led or refugee-serving organisation in New Zealand or elsewhere
• demonstrated engagement in global refugee policy discussions and refugee networks
• expertise in issues of gender, education, economic inclusion, protection, or resettlement.
• experience of demographic, regional, age, and gender diversity
• demonstrated ability to work in English
• willingness to commit a minimum of 5 hours a month over a 24-month period

How long will Panel members serve?

• Panel members will serve for two years.
• To improve continuity, a staggered approach to future appointments is being considered.

How much will Panel members be paid?

• Panel members will be paid an Honorarium in line with the Fees Framework for compensation of individuals on government advisory groups, as outlined by Cabinet.

How will Panel members be appointed?

• Applicants will need to show how their experience and skills meet the selection criteria. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview.

Who is involved in setting up the Panel?

What is R-SEAT's role?

• R-SEAT is an international initiative working to enhance the effectiveness of global refugee responses, by co-designing mechanisms to amplify refugee leadership ecosystems and increase the participation of refugees at state levels in a meaningful, sustainable, and transformative way.
• R-SEAT worked closely with refugee communities in New Zealand to help develop the structure and function of the Refugee Advisory Panel.
• R-SEAT helped design the nomination process, promote the application process, and will support CAPRS to deliver training and capability building.
• In the long-term, R-SEAT will continue to provide support but be less hands-on as responsibilities are handed to the newly formed Panel.
  

What is the interim advisory group’s role?

• An interim advisory group of former refugees was formed by R-SEAT to help advise preparatory work and the design of the Panel. The interim advisory group was an informal group of 7-10 people and consisted of former refugees from community organisations, refugee-led grassroots initiatives, NGO and advocacy sectors.
• The work of the interim advisory group has been instrumental in ensuring a refugee voice in the design of the panel, and the group will step aside now that the formal nomination process for the panel is underway.

What is CAPRS role?

• CAPRS aims to respond to contemporary challenges of conflict and climate induced displacement and is driven by a transformative agenda that places social justice and human rights as core aspects of their work to empower refugee voices and build local capacities.
• Working with the team at CAPRS will enable the bringing together of people from academia, refugee communities, government, refugee community organisations, and the private sector to work collaboratively.
• CAPRS will be providing capability building, leadership development and research that empowers representatives to step forward and have a genuine ‘seat at the table’. This will help ensure that Panel members have the tools they need to participate meaningfully and succeed.
• Being supported by an academic institution like CAPRS for research, coordination and secretariat services, the Panel will strengthen the effectiveness of its function.

What is Immigration New Zealand’s role?

• Initially the role of INZ is to support R-SEAT and CAPRS to establish the Panel by providing funding, capacity-building and mentorship opportunities for members to engage in policy dialogue and build sustainable pathways of influence.
• INZ will also support the membership resourcing, monitoring and evaluation of the Panel. Other government agencies working alongside may include: Ministry of Social Development; Ministry for Ethnic Communities; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.