REPORT ON DISCUSSION WITH ADELE KING, RESETTLEMENT OFFICER FOR INTER-CHURCH COMMISSION ON IMMIGRATION AND RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES (ICCI) 30.8.80
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Mrs Adele King did a survey on the employment of refugees in NZ last May and found that the unemployment figure was no greater than for the outside community She personally thought that employers tended to go out of their way employ refugees. She was surprised to hear about Mr Cross's strong anti-North Vietnamese feeling. She was quite unaware of any problems peculiar to this group workwise or in the matter of accommodation. She thinks Mr Cross slept overnight in Sham Shui Po but not sure.
She pointed out that refugees work all day in NZ and Te given English tutoring at night in their own homes in NZ. She has done a survey on the learning of English amongst refugees in NZ. They find that people over about 55 years do not learn English and rely on family members to go out to work and also expect to be given cash by them for family problems.
She privately felt that the Cantonese speaking Vietnamese were the easiest to resettle of all the refugee groups but not to be quoted.
The ICCI has been offered a 2nd receiving centre in Auckland so they could bring in more refugees but there has been
no response from government. The offer was made by the Marist Brothers, who would run it.
She tries to keep 3-4 families together who speak the same language.
She showed me a number of booklets, books and tapes which have been written by different people in NZ for the teaching of English to incoming Chinese (Cantonese) speaking, Vietnamese speaking groups. She offered to send samples HK Christian Service, possibly using the goodwill of Air
At the end of this year she will have to return to all the churches to ask for more sponsors. She did not seem to expect that there would be great difficulty in getting them. I left fact sheet, booklets with her, showed her slides of camps and arrival of refugees, housing in UK.
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Gave her the address of GIS HK to request the HK government questionnaire. Also the address of HK Christian Service to request a copy of their financial report and report on
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