No shortage of sponsors

Press, 14 July 1980, Page 27

No shortage of sponsors

Christchurch people are queueing up to sponsor IndoChinese refugees.

The Labour Department does not advertise for sponsors, but the department’s Christchurch district superintendent, Mr W. T. Holland, said that there were fewer refugees than offers of sponsorship. which came mainly from church groups. “The choice makes it easier to place refugees,” he said. The senior immigration officer, (Miss G. J. Collett), said that publicity given to the refugee problem prompted many people to come forward.

Refugees arrive each month from overseas camps. They attend a crash course in Auckland on basic English end New Zealand life, before going to centres throughout New Zealand. The latest arrivals, on Friday, brought the total of

Asian refugees in Christchurch to more than 325. mainly family groups. “Most tend to have relatives down here, which is a big help,” she said.

A refugee committee of representatives from government departments, local manufacturers, and church organisations matched refugees to suitable sponsors, Mr Holland said.

They gave sponsors guidelines on diet, customs and some of the refugees’ basic needs, but it was then up to the sponsors to find accommodation and employment. “We look to sponsors to arrange those things,” said Mr Holland.

Refugees seemed to have no trouble finding jobs, many working in factories. “We expect them to become self-supporting as soon as possible,” Mr Holland said.