Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi says Australia rekindled New Zealand's offer to take some refugees being housed in detention camps in 2020 and Cabinet signed off on the plan a month ago.
Kris Faafoi Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
In 2013 Australia introduced a policy preventing anyone arriving by boat ever settling in Australia, instead the asylum seekers were imprisoned in controversial off shore detention centres in Nauru and Manus Island.
The centres were widely criticised as inhumane and a breach of international law, with allegations of mistreatment and abuse.
Australia has now accepted New Zealand's long-standing offer to take 150 refugees a year for three years from detention centres in the Pacific.
The original offer was made by then-prime minister John Key in 2013 and has continued to be extended by his successors Bill English and Jacinda Ardern.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi told Checkpoint Cabinet signed off on this a little over a month ago.
"There was still some issues that Australia had to broker with UNHCR," he said.
"The Cabinet decision was that the offer of 150 that was made some time ago was still open but the bottom line was it had to come through the UNHCR process and Australia had to go through some discussions with the UNHCR to see who might be eligible because of that."
Australia previously rejected the offer, citing concerns refugees could claim New Zealand citizenship and then return.
Faafoi said New Zealand has expressed that all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents have the same rights but any border decisions about entering Australia will be up to Australia.
Meg De Ronde of Amnesty International told Checkpoint she's incredibly proud New Zealand is stepping up to support people but says Australia can't be allowed to get away with how it has treated them.
International pressure has to continue and Nauru has to be closed, she said.
"It's been a huge relief to get this deal done, 450 is better than zero and it's been a long fight for many many people."
Amnesty International found what Australia is doing amounted to torture under international human rights law and standards, she said. "Their offshore processing is abhorrent and their operation standard board is abhorrent..."
"Locked up, forgotten and denied your rights, it's been abysmal and these were people who were fleeing war in other countries."
The arrivals will be included as part of New Zealand's existing refugee quota, and will initially include refugees who:
- Are in Nauru or temporarily in Australia under regional processing arrangements
- Who meet New Zealand's Refugee Quota Programme requirements
- Who are referred to New Zealand by the UNHCR
- Who are not being resettled to other countries, such as the United States
They will get all of the support any refugee settling in New Zealand is provided with, Faafoi said.
"We're taking responsibility for these individuals, they will become permanent residents of New Zealand and over time citizens and we'll take responsibility, as we do for all refugees, to make sure they're settled here well."