Events

NATIONAL REFUGEE HEALTH CONFERENCE

From the Grassroots Up - Toward a Coordinated, Countrywide Blueprint for Refugee Health in New Zealand

• Date: Wednesday 30 May 2007
• Times: Arrivals for registration from 8:00am;
  8.30 am Powhiri;
  9.30 am Opening address
• Place: Orakei Marae, Kitemoana Street, Orakei, Auckland, New Zealand

The Minister of Health, Hon Pete Hodgson will open the conference at 9.30 am. Representatives from WHO (Geneva) and from UNHCR (Canberra) will also present addresses in the morning programme which is dedicated to raising the issues.

The Mayor of Auckland, His Worship Dick Hubbard will close the conference following the afternoon programme which is dedicated to proposing solutions and commissioning a blueprint taskforce on refugee health in New Zealand.

Conference Aim

To develop a process and commitment towards a national blueprint for refugee health, along the lines of those developed for Maori health and Pacific Island health.

Participants

The Conference is open to 170 participants, approximately half of whom are expected to be representatives of refugee communities and approximately half are expected to be representatives of NGOs and government agencies such as:

• District Health Boards from existing resettlement centres of: Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch
• Ministry of Health
• Department of Labour
  
• Some champions of refugee health
• Non-government organisations
• Primary Health Organisations
  

Programme

Morning Programme - Chaired by Dr Rasalingam

• Raising, defining and mapping out the issues clearly and concisely
• Opening speech by the Minister of Health followed by questions and answers
  (For questions, refer to the final section below)
• Address by Dr Rasalingam
• Keynote speech by Dr Eigil Sorensen
• Keynote speech by Mr Richard Towle
  

Afternoon Programme

Session 1: Workshops and Plenary – Chaired by Sue Elliott

A: Workshops

Workshop titles are:

• Health and mental health – access and barriers
• Detention and legal issues
• Benefits
• Youth and education
• Interpreting and workforce development

In each workshop the following three questions will be addressed for purposes of reporting back:

1. What is presently working, where are the strengths?
2. What is not working? Where are the gaps and the problems?
3. What are your specific recommendations to the Ministers of Health and Immigration?

B: Plenary

• Each workshop group reports back (Mayor of Auckland in attendance)
• Recommendations on how the issues can be carried forward
• Nominations for Taskforce members: Taskforce to be made up of representatives from refugee communities, refugee-based organisations, NGOs and government agencies

Session 2: Conclusions and Close – Chaired by Heval Hylan

• Summing up
• Acknowledgements
• Post-conference process
• Introduce Mayor of Auckland – Closing Speech
  

Post-Conference

• Taskforce to carry forward the recommendations of the conference to a national blueprint for refugee health
• Taskforce to report back six months post-conference to all conference attendees and the Ministers of Health and Immigration
  

Conference Fees

• For Government Departments, NGOs, District Health Boards, Organisations: NZ$50 per person
• For Refugee Community Delegates: NZ$10 per person

Registration

Please note: A place at conference is confirmed only by paid registration. An unpaid registration equates to an expression of interest and does not secure a place at the conference.

NEWSFLASH: Please note that all places at conference are now filled and that registrations are closed

Click here to display and print the registration form (PDF file 38kb)

Invoices

• For organisations seeking an invoice, on IRD advice please regard this notice of conference as our invoice to you.
• We do not issue any other form of invoice.
• Please note that our organisation is not GST-registered.

Receipts

• We will issue receipts on request.
• Please note that our receipts are not GST receipts.
  

Or you may fill in the registration form below if paying by credit card:

Profiles of Conference Speakers

• Hon Pete Hodgson - Minister of Health

2005 – Present
In the 3rd term of the Labour-led Government from October 2005 Mr Hodgson is Minister of Health, having relinquished all other responsibilities.

2002-2005
Going into the 2nd term of the Labour-led Government elected in 2002, Mr Hodgson retained his Energy, Fisheries, Research Science and Technology, Crown Research Institutes, Economic, Industry and Regional Development, and Climate Change responsibilities. In February 2004 Mr Hodgson became Minister of Transport and relinquished the Fisheries and science portfolios. In December 2004 Mr Hodgson was appointed Minister of Commerce, Minister for Land Information, and Minister of Statistics, as well as Associate Minister of Health.

1999-2002
In 1999 as part of the new Labour led government he was appointed Minister of Energy, Fisheries, Forestry, Research Science and Technology, and Minister for Crown Research Institutes. He was also Associate Minister of Economic, Industry and Regional Development, and of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He had responsibility for Timberlands West Coast Ltd; for the government's Oceans Policy project. He became Convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change.

• Dr Eigil Sörensen - World Health Organisation WHO

Dr Eigil Sörensen is from Norway and completed his medical training at the University of Oslo. In his home country he completed further qualifications in Tropical Medicine, Paediatric Medicine and Internal Medicine before working as a Medical Officer in Malaysia and Indonesia with the International Organisation for Migration. From 1991 to 1996, he completed two masters degrees in public health and epidemiology from the Maihidol University in Bangkok. From the mid 1980’s he served as Medical Officer for the Swiss Red Cross in Sudan, and was Paediatric Consultant with Otsfold Hospital in Norway. In Sri Lanka, he served as Health Advisor for ETC Development. In 1999 he joined the World Health Organisation and since that time has served as Emergency Health Action (EHA) Coordinator, Regional Advisor and from 2001 to 2006 as WHO Representative for Emergency Health Action in the Democratic Peoples Republic of (North) Korea. In 2005 he served as WHO Special Envoy to Indonesia during the tsunami disaster and crisis period. Since 2006 he is WHO Representative to Papua New Guinea.

• Mr Richard Towle - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR

In March, 2007 Mr Towle was appointed the Regional Representative for UNHCR, based in Canberra and covering the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Samoa. His previous assignment was as Special Advisor for the Office of the Director, Department of International Protection at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva. His previous appointments included Chief of Mission for UNHCR in Belgrade, Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2001,Senior Liaison Officer, for Promotion of Refugee Law, Department of International Protection at Geneva. From 1994-96, he was UNHCR Refugee Law Training Officer based in the United Kingdom. From 1992-94 he was Coordinator, UNHCR, Chief of Mission in Hong Kong. Mr Towle was a member of the New Zealand Refugee Status Appeals Authority during 2005-06.

• Dr N Rasalingham, MBBS, FRNZGP - President, Refugee Council of New Zealand

Dr Rasalingham has been a General Medical Practitioner in Glen Innes, Auckland since 1974. Medical graduate from Sri Lanka before entering general practice in New Zealand. He worked as Paediatric, Neonatal and Medical Registrar in Wellington, Hutt and Tauranga Hospitals. Past Positions: President of Auckland Refugee Council since its inauguration. President of NZ Federation of Ethnic Councils for 3 years. Present Positions: President of Refugee Council of NZ, President of Ethnic Voice NZ. Board Chairman of Refugees as Survivors New Zealand (RASNZ)

Dr Rasalingham was awarded the QSM (Queen Services Medal) and MNZM (Member of New Zealand Order of Merit) for Community work. His was the 2005 recipient of the Auckland Mayor's "Living Legend Award" in recognition of contributions to community services. He is a member of Lottery Community National Committee and Outdoor Safety Committee for distribution Internal Affairs funds. He has been a leading advocate and has internationally presented papers in Canada, Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, India and New Zealand on Refugee and Immigration Health issues.

• Hon A G Malcolm - Former Minister of Health and Minister of Immigration

Hon A. G. (Aussie) Malcolm was Minister of Immigration and Minister of Health in the National government in the 1970’s and 1980’s. At that time he was responsible for the implementation of the Indo-Chinese refugee programme which formed the basis from which the present reception and resettlement programme has emerged. In 1984 he founded Malcolm Pacific Ltd, a private sector international immigration consultancy that became and remains a market leader in its field. He also owns business interests in tourism and transport. His public and private sector practical experience of dealing with refugee and migrant policy and settlement, both as a professional and a volunteer, now spans over 32 years. Aussie has seen policies and political debates come and go, but continues to argue that the basics of what makes refugee policy work is the attention paid to the support mechanisms in the settlement process. Former refugees are well motivated to be strong contributing New Zealanders, but given their prior experiences, need access to community resources in order to fulfil their potential.

Questions to be asked of the Minister of Health following his opening speech

1. There is a strong and consistent perception among leaders of refugee communities and resettlement agencies at the coalface that there are barriers to accessing the primary and mental health services available to most New Zealanders. To what extent does Government acknowledge the special health needs of refugees and what will be done to address the gaps and improve the situation?

2. What is known about what happens to refugees in the NZ health care system? Have there been any longer term follow-up studies, and are any planned?

3. What views are held by the Ministry and Government towards successful overseas refugee health models such as the Canadian Bridge Programme in Vancouver and what are the Ministry’s and Government’s views towards adapting such models to our New Zealand context?

4. New Zealand has been a leader in developing multi-cultural health services for minority groups such as Maori and Pacific Island peoples. There are blueprints, benchmarks, and targets for the Pacific Island health service delivery, for example, which are sound and workable. As Minister, do you consider that some of the models for Pacific Health which have proved successful may be adapted to the benefit of refugees from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds?

5. What is planned for addressing what is widely perceived as a lack of workforce capacity in relation to refugees in the mainstream health services?

We thank all visitors to our website for their interest in the Refugee Council of New Zealand and we thank all conference registrants for their forthcoming attendance and participation at this important conference.