Skyplane to fly over All Blacks game tonight

Sunday, 12 June 2016, 7:16 pm
Press Release: ActionStation

Skyplane to fly over All Blacks game tonight with 'Double the refugee quota' banner

In anticipation of World Refugee Day (June 20th), community organisation ActionStation have crowdfunded a skyplane to fly over the All Blacks game at Eden Park this evening with a banner that says, ‘It’s time to double the refugee quota’.

New Zealand's refugee resettlement quota was set at 800 places in 1987 and it has not increased in 28 years. Today it is even lower at 750 places. This number is currently under review by the Government and an announcement is expected in the next couple weeks.

Approximately 4.5 million refugees have fled Syria into neighbouring countries in the past four years, almost the equivalent of the entire population of New Zealand being displaced by war.

“Our community has been campaigning on this issue for well over a year now. We’ve made submissions, signed petitions, met with MPs and rallied outside Parliament. Our message is that it is time - long past time - for New Zealand to do our small part to respond to what many have dubbed the ‘worst humanitarian crisis of our time’ by doubling New Zealand’s refugee quota.” says Laura O’Connell Rapira, Campaign Director at ActionStation.

The community group are also offsetting the carbon emitted from the flight by supporting Rarakau Rainforest Conservation Project in Southland.

ENDS

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ActionStation

Our mission is to tautoko (support) and whakamana (uplift) everyday New Zealanders to act together in powerful and coordinated ways to create what we cannot achieve on our own: a society, economy and democracy that serves all of us - everyday people and Papatūānuku, the planet we love.

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