Settling In: Refugee and migrant social services
Settling In is a community-based initiative that helps migrants and refugees become a valued and connected part of their community.
On this Page:
About Settling In
Settling In was established in 2004 to help build relationships between refugee, migrant and host communities and to ensure that government policy affecting them is developed in a collaborative way.
Settling In is a community development initiative that works directly with refugee and migrant communities to help them find solutions to meet their own needs. The focus of this work is to identify and address social needs within the wider context of family and community social wellbeing.
Our vision:
A New Zealand that welcomes and celebrates diversity, where refugees and migrants settle well and are able to contribute to our nation in all aspects of life – social, economic, civic and cultural.
Our aims:
- To identify social service needs in refugee and migrant communities
- To purchase services where available
- To develop capacity, skills and knowledge within the refugee and migrant communities
- To work across government, non-government and community sectors.
How Settling In operates
The Settling In initiative is administered by Family and Community Services and currently operates in eleven locations across New Zealand. Settling In coordinators work collaboratively with local communities to:
- bring together local information about refugee and migrant families and communities
- identify any gaps in services and issues for these groups
- build an appreciation of diversity within the wider host community
- build confidence and capability within refugee and migrant communities
- find collaborative local solutions to improve the settlement experiences of migrants and refugees.
Where Settling In operates
Settling In operates in the following 11 regions:
- Northland
- Auckland
- Tauranga / Western Bay of Plenty
- Waikato
- Hawke's Bay
- Palmerston North / Feilding
- Wellington
- Nelson/Tasman
- Marlborough
- West Coast
- Canterbury
For more information about the activities and projects that Settling In supports, go to:
Settling In evaluation
The Settling In Evaluation Report is the initiative's first comprehensive research report since its inception in 2004. The report was carried out by the Ministry of Social Development's Centre for Social Research and Evaluation.
The three objectives of the report were to describe the initiative, identify the value derived from Settling In and identify critical success factors and potential improvements.
The Report found the values and principles of the Settling In programme and the way it is implemented to be consistent and effective.
Key findings of the report identify that Settling In has contributed to a number of positive outcomes for the refugee and migrant communities including:
- health and wellbeing
- social connectivity and decreased isolation
- increased knowledge of New Zealand systems
- raised awareness of the needs of migrant and refugee communities amongst government and local community agencies.
The Report also found that the Settling In Co-ordinators, and the way they work, are key to the success of the programme. This includes their commitment to their communities, networking capability, big picture approach in dealing with the social needs of communities and the flexibility they have to direct their efforts to the most pressing needs of their communities.
Contacting the Settling In team
| Settling In team | Region | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Ann Dysart - National Manager | Wellington | 04 916 3767 Email Ann Dysart |
| Jenny Janif | Auckland Waikato |
09 916 1836 or 029 200 3785 Email Jenny Janif |
| Susan Zhu | Auckland | 021 546 880 Email Susan Zhu |
| James Barrett | Northland | 021 636 269 Email James Barrett |
| Murali Kumar | Wellington Hawke's Bay |
04 978 4262 or 029 235 4322 Email Murali Kumar |
| George Clark | Canterbury | 027 248 8611 Email George Clark |
| Brigid Ryan | Tauranga / Western Bay of Plenty Palmerston North |
021 400 718 Email Brigid Ryan |
| Claire Nichols |
Nelson / Tasman |
03 539 0565 or 029 200 8513 |
| Heni Turner | National Administrator | 04 918 9558 Email Heni Turner |
