This study is part of a wider Department of Labour research programme entitled Quota Refugees Ten Years On: Perspectives on Integration, Community and Identity. This multi-year research programme, which commenced in 2008, has been developed to provide information about the long-term settlement experiences and outcomes of people who arrived in New Zealand through the Refugee Quota Programme 10 or more years ago.
The Quota Refugees Ten Years On research programme has multiple components, including a review of the international literature on the long-term settlement of refugees (McMillan and Gray, 2009), an exploratory study on former refugees perspectives on long-term settlement (Department of Labour, 2009b), and a nationwide survey of over 500 former refugees who arrived in New Zealand between 1993 and 1999, which will provide information on former refugees’ experiences of long-term settlement in New Zealand over a wide range of domains. Further elements of the research programme include in-depth interviews and focus groups to further explore some of the findings from the largely quantitative survey, as well as the current study, which provides the background and context for changes in the refugee sector over the last two decades. Together these multiple components of the Quota Refugees Ten Years On research programme will provide a comprehensive platform of knowledge and understanding about the long-term settlement outcomes and experiences of former refugees in New Zealand.