Hard but 'we have security here'

Although Dunedin is seen as the "gold standard" of refugee resettlement, the newcomers can still struggle to learn English and find work.

Mohammad (26) and Khlud (26) Saadaldeen are finding it easier now, 11 months after moving to Dunedin, but it was not always that way.

Through a translator, Mrs Saadaldeen said not speaking English made it very difficult to find jobs in the city.

"We received a lot of help from volunteers - they were always visiting us.''

The family lives in a state house in Wakari and Mr Saadaldeen now has a job making and selling curtains and furniture, like he did back in Daara, Syria.

His English is limited and hers even more so.

With a 2-month-old baby Mrs Saadaldeen does not have time to go to English classes, and Mr Saadaldeen says he is too busy working.

"I am learning in my workplace though, which is helpful.''

They say they are both learning, but it is a slow process.

Overall, however, Mr Saadaldeen says they are very happy in their new life.

"We have security here - we feel like we are safe. We receive respect here; people are very kind and are making things very easy for us.''

Now they are mostly confident they can organise themselves in everyday life.

Mrs Saadaldeen says they still miss home very much and are worried about their wider family, who are now living in Lebanon.

"I hope New Zealand can bring in more families from Lebanon because what is going on over there is really bad. Some of the families have been disconnected. For us, we were all able to come as a family. Others had to leave their children behind.''

Their families had applied to leave Lebanon, but were not certain which country they would end up in.

The Saadaldeens are among 250 refugees, mostly from Syria but also Palestine, to have been resettled in Dunedin since April last year.

Red Cross migration programmes manager Rachel O'Connor says the city is seen by the organisation as the "gold standard'' of resettlement experiences.

"The amazing thing about Dunedin is, since it was announced, we had an overwhelming response from the community.''

Initially, the organisation had more volunteers than it could take.

They are not so lucky now, but still manage to train enough volunteers for the roughly 150 needed yearly, Mrs O'Connor says.

"But of course we are always looking for more volunteers.''

The organisation's role is initial settlement, for a minimum of one year.

For the long term, more than one agency needs to be involved in refugee resettlement, Mrs O'Connor says.

The new Labour Government has pledged to double the refugee quota from 750 to 1500 in stages, but has not indicated which cities will take them.

Mrs O'Connor says she imagines the focus for Dunedin will be making sure the city has a strong foundation for resettlement before raising its refugee intake.

"It's a relatively new settlement location and Dunedin as a community should feel really proud about the welcome that they've given new arrivals.''

Back in Syria Mustafa Allo (35) was a tailor, but he is finding it difficult to find such work in Dunedin.

Again, English is one of the main barriers.

"The most important thing is the language - that's the first problem if we want to start establishing ourselves,'' he says through a translator.

He, his wife and eight children have been in the city for six months and live in an apartment in Northeast Valley.

The community there is great at helping the family integrate, Mr Allo says.

"There are some very good people. They are very generous and they like to connect with other people. It's amazing.''

One reason he desperately wants a job is so he can afford Dunedin life, which is more expensive than what he is used to.

"A table which costs $50 in Syria can cost $300 here. Rent, I think, it is problem for me and other Syrian refugees here.''

The Kurdish family originally lived near the city of Aleppo in Syria, but fled to Lebanon five years ago as the war was beginning.

Mr Allo says he misses home and his family there, but is unsure whether he will have the chance to visit in the future.

"It is very dangerous. Because the war didn't stop and it's still going.''

In Dunedin there was safety.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says whether more refugees come to the city "will depend on the willingness of our community to keep welcoming them, but I don't see that waning.''

The council is beginning work assessing the city's future housing needs as supply may become an issue in the future, he says.

"We're aware that with our population rising, we have to know what our needs are.''

Overall, refugees are a net benefit to cities, he says.

"You don't look at the latest group to have come, you look at earlier ones. In the 1860s and '70s Chinese and Lebanese and then Polish. They have made an enormous contribution. That's what builds vibrant communities.''