Close sites icon close
Search form

Search for the country site.

Country profile

Country website

New Zealand

New Zealand hosts some 1,800 refugees and 700 asylum seekers predominantly from Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and South America.

New Zealand is a resettlement country with an annual programme of 1,500 places referred by UNHCR. It is piloting a community sponsorship programme and has a family reunification programme for refugee families. In 2022, New Zealand agreed with Australia to resettle 150 refugees per year for a three-year period for those subject to Australia's offshore transfer arrangements. These numbers are counted from the annual 1,500 quota.

UNHCR supports New Zealand in developing national refugee legislation, increasing capacity in refugee status determination, and introducing protection safeguards in immigration procedures, including detention.

Additional information

For information about our work in New Zealand:

Help

Are you a refugee or asylum-seeker in New Zealand? Find information about your rights and available services on our HELP site.

Pale blue
Text color
White
Legislation and guidance

For legislation, case law and UNHCR policy relating to claims for international protection, visit Refworld.

Dark
Text color
White

Office contact details

New Zealand is covered by the following UNHCR office:

Street and postal address

14 Kendall Lane, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

Please note that an appointment must be set to visit the office.

Email

Phone

  • Protection inquiries (3 pm to 5 pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday): +61 262 819 100
  • Media and Public Information Inquiries: + 61 424 545 569
  • Donation Inquiries in Australia (Australia for UNHCR): 1300 361 288
  • Donation Inquiries in New Zealand (Aotearoa New Zealand for UNHCR): +64 941 47 883

Timezone

+10 GMT

Working hours

  • Monday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Tuesday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Wednesday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Thursday: 8:45 - 17:00
  • Friday: 8:45 - 17:00