WELLINGTON: The rebuilt Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre – which will house refugees when they first arrive in New Zealand – was opened by the Prime Minister in South Auckland this morning. Mr Key and Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse formally opened the centre after its $24.7 million rebuild.
Mr Woodhouse said the original facilities at Mangere were built during World War II and were well past their economic life. “The new facilities are a vast improvement and will give refugees the best possible start to their new life in New Zealand.”
Politicians and community leaders, including Labour leader Andrew Little and Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy, were welcomed with a powhiri before the centre was opened. All refugees spend six weeks in Mangere, where they undergo a comprehensive programme that prepares them to live and work in New Zealand.
