Refugees As Survivors New Zealand (RASNZ) is the country’s leading mental health and wellbeing service provider for people from refugee backgrounds. For 26 years we have been building trusting, collaborative relationships with resettled communities in Auckland. RASNZ’s ultimate vision is that people entering New Zealand from refugee backgrounds should have access to quality, culturally responsive mental health and wellbeing support to assist positive resettlement in New Zealand. We take a holistic approach to wellness by combining clinical services with a range of community-based wrap-around programmes all of which rely on philanthropic support for their survival.

On arrival in New Zealand, and after two weeks in an MIQ facility, refugees stay at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre (MRRC) for five weeks before transitioning into community resettlement. These are challenging times for the recently arrived refugees. They, amongst many things, are coming to terms with life in an unknown country after the most horrendous of circumstances forced them to flee their homeland.

RASNZ community services include a specifically tailored Triple P Parenting, an extensive Youth programme, a Welcoming Schools for Students from a Refugee Background training programme and Community Pillars (largely aimed to destigmatise mental health issues within refugee background communities). Empowerment underpins all RASNZ community programmes.