#DoubleTheQuota: Activists call on New Zealand to take in more refugees
Amnesty International campaign sparks international criticism of New Zealand’s refugee quota.
As the refugee crisis continues to escalate in Europe and the Middle East, international aid organisations and activists across the globe are calling on the New Zealand government to increase its quota for refugees. Currently, New Zealand takes in 750 refugees a year, a number that has not changed since 1987.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key says the government will not adjust its quota until a review of the country’s refugee services is completed next year. International aid organisations have slammed the government’s policy, claiming New Zealand already has the capacity to both house and educate more refugees.
Amnesty International claims that while New Zealand has a successful programme for supporting refugees at arrival, the country is just not taking in enough people in comparison to other countries. The organisation started the campaign #DoubletheQuota, in an attempt to pressure the government take on a greater role in housing asylum seekers.