Alfredo Lopez: Colombian refugees in New Zealand and their resettlement stories [PDF]

Master’s Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Sociology – Politics, Majorities, Minorities, , course: Master of International Communication, language: English, abstract: This research focuses on Colombian refugees and their resettlement and integration stories in New Zealand. According to New Zealand Immigration, Colombian refugees have been arriving in the country since 2007. By the end of July 2016, New Zealand had 809 Colombian refugees resettled from Ecuador where they were recognised as urban refugees by the Ecuadorian government. An urban refugee is a refugee who lives in an urban area rather than in a refugee camp.

It is important to note that in Ecuador there are no refugee camps. Therefore, all refugees in Ecuador are considered as urban refugees. Thousands of Colombians have fled from Colombia to Ecuador because of the armed conflict that the country has faced for almost six decades. Once recognised as refugees in Ecuador, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees makes the recommendation or referral of some refugees to the New Zealand government, for them to be resettled in New Zealand.

This research collected the experiences of 13 Colombian refugees in their process of resettlement and integration in New Zealand. The study used a qualitative methodological approach of an oral history methodology (ethnographic- a collection of oral stories). As data collection methods, I have used oral history interviews, a focus group and participants’ personal diaries.