About

About us

The Migrant Action Trust (MAT) helps migrants and refugees settle in New Zealand. We offer support from the moment migrants arrive and continue to help them become fully integrated into New Zealand society. Our facilities and services are run by migrants for migrants as we understand how difficult immigration can be because we have lived it.

Migrants aspire to a better life and especially want to raise their families in a secure and safe environment, just like all New Zealanders do. The influx of migrants poses a lot of challenges for New Zealand because the experience of immigration differs from one standing the settlement process from both sides- the host country and the migrants - is a promoted, encouraged and advocated.

Migrant Action Trust honours the Treaty of Waitangi and acknowledges the Maori people as the tangata whenua (guardians) of New Zealand. It also acknowledges that one of its responsibilities is to ensure that migrants do the same.

Migrant Action Trust provides three programmes: Migrants Supporting Migrants, Assimilation to Integration and Supporting Groups. Holistic in nature, Migrant Action Trust operates from a common sense, humanistic, relationship building and community level approach.

Our Vision

To see an enriched New Zealand through migrants supporting migrants achieve their aspirations of a better life.

Our Mission

- To support migrants from their arrival to meaningful employment and healthy integration.
- To promote migrants and refugees as valuable stakeholders in New Zealand society.
- To inform migrants of their role and responsibilities as residents.

Our Values

- Appreciate New Zealand and what it stands for.
- Have a genuine interest in migrant and refugee issues.
- Deliver services of a high standard in relationship building and information dissemination.
- Are goal directed.
- Act when it’s needed.
- Are migrants and refugees who can relate to others of similar situations
Believe in the transfer of skills and empowerment.
- Respect all cultures and believe in equal opportunities for all.

history

In March 2002, initial discussions centred on organising an immigrant social event where migrants from North Asia, South East Asia and South Asia would be invited. The event was intended to be the catalyst to forming an interest group which would serve as the voice of migrants in New Zealand. Although this event never eventuated due to lack of funding, the meeting itself did lay the groundwork for the eventual creation of MAT.

In June 2002, a meeting was held, facilitated by Alice Lacaba who suggested starting a migrant-initiated non-profit organisation primarily addressing migrants’ settlement issues and challenges. Alice’s idea provided direction for the meetings that were held in the rest of 2002. Most of these meetings were held in the premises of Tearfund.

Migrant Action Trust (MAT) was then incorporated under Charitable Trust Act of 1957 (registration number AK/1268650). The original board members were Harry Singh (Chairperson), Richard Barter (Secretary), Agnes Granada (Treasurer), Noli Lacaba (Trustee) and Natalia Maz (Trustee).

From 2006-2009, MAT advocated and petitioned on behalf of migrants who were affected by the government’s unfair work-to-residence policy. Migrants with work-to-residence visas only had 6 months to find jobs related to their professional fields despite the Labour government of the time advising on its own website that it may actually take more than 6 months. This was changed to 9 months in 2007. A petition was also filed with the government in 2007 to give holders of temporary work visas holders who had lost their jobs more time to find work.

MAT originally functioned with only one staff member for a number of years, supported by 40 plus on-call volunteers. Today, MAT employs four staff and has access to many volunteers who are willing to share their skills and talents to make a difference in the migrant community.