The Federation of Aotearoa Migrants has recently come into action and grabbing more eyeballs for the unity and collaboration of migrants in New Zealand. The federation comprises of Migrant Rights Network, Migrant Workers Association, ANKA – Association of New Kiwis Aotearoa and the Migrants New Zealand Facebook group operated by migrants residing in the country.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With more than thirty-four thousand members in the Migrants NZ Facebook page, the struggles and hardship faced by migrants relating to immigration are seen posted within minutes if not seconds.
With protests and voices heard loud in gatherings or in interviews its crystal clear that the government has not been paying much attention to the migrant crises in the country. The reality of the broken immigration system is clearly seen when you hear the heart wrenching stories narrated by migrants, and these are not just stories but the reality!
Anna Burghardt, admin of the Migrants New Zealand Facebook group says, “We have decided to take our fb group one step further and become more “official” – we’re creating an association which is a member run and led organisation. Anyone can be a part of our association as a member which gives you the right to vote.
We’re hoping that this step will give us a stronger voice to represent the migrant community. We aim to stand with all migrants in their fight for rights and justice.
But this is not all… the next step will be to join with other migrant associations to form a federation to give us an even stronger voice.
Our first official event together is a protest in Wellington on the 13th of May between 12.30pm and 3pm and afterwards we’ll attend the one-hour discussion about the immigration related petitions that were submitted in the last year.”
May 12th will see a series of candlelit vigils; this is for the ones who can’t get to Wellington on the 13th May for the protest outside parliament from 12:30 pm to 3 pm.
Vigils are taking place across Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton and Queenstown and the efforts put in by all these groups are appreciated not only by the migrants but also for opposition party leaders.
The Green Party is calling on the Government to create a broad amnesty programme for people who overstay their visa, and for temporary visa holders to be granted residency in an open letter to the Minister for Immigration.
“All migrants deserve to have their dignity, rights, and humanity honoured by Immigration NZ and our Government. But in Aotearoa New Zealand, we have an immigration system that discriminates and separates, treating migrant workers as cheap labour and second-class citizens.
“Migrant communities are an important part of the tapestry of Aotearoa. Migrant workers played a key role in our response to COVID-19, and we have an opportunity to ensure they have the ability to fully participate in society by granting them residency,” says Ricardo Menéndez March, Green Party spokesperson for Immigration.
Green party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono says, “Migrants on temporary visa holders have no clear pathways to residency, are left dependent on dodgy employers, and are separated from their families and loved ones through rules that discriminate on wealth, nationality, and relationships.”
The open letter launched on 29th of April has already received more than 15 thousand signatures and this could be a huge moment if the government does not address to the immigration crises.
-TIN Bureau
