Leader of the Opposition

MEDIA STATEMENT

March 31 2016

Labour joins Double the Quota campaign

Labour will double New Zealand’s refugee quota when in Government because it’s the right thing to do, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little says.

“Today Labour is joining the Double the Quota movement and calling on John Key’s Government to commit to welcoming 1500 refugees a year in its upcoming quota review.

“Kiwis have been horrified at the images of refugees fleeing Syria and other nations in what is the greatest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. As an open and big-hearted nation we must do our bit to help some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

“New Zealand has not lifted its refugee quota in 29 years. Australians take three times the number of refugees per capita that we do. That’s not who we are and it’s not the kind of moral leadership we have been known for.

“I know we have issues in New Zealand such as housing, child poverty and health underfunding that must also be tackled. But for every refugee New Zealand opens its doors to, we are repaid in multiple by the contribution they will make to our country.

“In Government, Labour would increase the quota over three years to double its current number. A petition from 20,000 New Zealanders being presented at Parliament today is calling on the Government to do the same.

“We must do it because it’s right, and it represents who we are as a people. Let’s double the quota and welcome those who need us most,” Andrew Little says.

ends

© Scoop Media