Our commitment
The Refugee Education Centre is committed to providing a welcoming, supportive and nurturing, world-class learning environment for refugees arriving in New Zealand; acknowledging the refugee experience and affirming individual and group cultural identity, while facilitating a successful transition into all aspects of New Zealand society.
All refugees who enter New Zealand under the Refugee Quota Programme spend their first 5 weeks at the Refugee Education Centre, where they are provided with an education programme before they move out to start new lives in the community.
Who is a refugee?
A refugee is a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or not having a nationality and being outside his country is unable or unwilling to return to it” (UNHCR Convention 1951).
Our values
Six core values underpin the work we do, and are fundamental to who we are and everything we do:
- Manaakitanga / Hospitality - We are welcoming, helpful and kind.
- Matua / Knowledge - We use our knowledge to empower the people we work with.
- Marie / Peaceful - We ensure a peaceful environment, so that all the people we work with are able to feel secure.
- Tika / Integrity - We aim to be genuine, accountable, trustworthy and do good work.
- Pono / Respect - We emphasise collaboration, inclusivity, openness and an acknowledgment of different viewpoints.
- Aroha / Compassion and love - This is reflected in how we respond to and work with each other.
Our aims and purpose
- To respect and honour the voices of the people and whānau we work with
- To foster a culture of care and kindness, acknowledging the trauma and hardship experienced by students
- To facilitate positive change in the lives of students during their time at the AUT Refugee Education Centre
- To affirm and restore dignity, empowerment and hope
- To provide a refugee learner-centred education programme, which meets the needs of all students
- To ensure a positive, nurturing and motivating learning environment
- To mentor students and support them to develop learning strategies to overcome the gaps in their education
- To promote improvement of English language competence and encourage confidence
- To ensure that students receive the best possible preparation for living, studying and working in New Zealand
- To facilitate the development of students’ self-efficacy, self-sufficiency and agency
Those words of welcome
Welcoming us all, summoning us to the hall.
So many years we spent in the cold
So many years we were not told.
Not told where we belonged.
This powhiri has welcomed us all,
And welcomed us home!
Now I know where I belong,
Now I know New Zealand is our home!
Stories were shared by all,
Stories of the journey while on life’s boat
We’ve all walked through the same rough road!!
We sang the songs of praise.
Songs honouring our countries left behind!
Songs of welcome they sang and they sang a song of thanks!
A beautiful message from the tangata whenua was warmly passed on to us,
We’re taken in as one of them. Now, we’re taken in as one of them!
A hongi will tell that the warmest welcome we felt!
That guided us to the grand feast!!
This pōwhiri had a message,
A message of Respect, of Love
And of Peace!!!
A poem by Parbati from Bhutan, who spent 23 years as a refugee in Nepal