I'm not sure what's underlying Key's decision. Maybe it's the case that none of the refugees from there can get to any airport or seaport that could convey them to New Zealand anyway. Maybe NZ has no capacity to sort refugees from ISIS fighters who might wish to come visit."We want from the New Zealand government to accept refugees from Syria and Iraq, especially who have relatives here," says Assyrian community spokesman Khaled Tomas.But Prime Minister John Key won't budge on New Zealand's annual refugee quota of 750, even though reports in Australia say the Abbott government is considering taking 4000 Syrian and Iraqi Christians."I think we took a group of 150 Syrian refugees as part of our UNHCR quota, and we're always looking to see on a humanitarian basis what we could do," says Mr Key.It's little comfort for Kiwi Assyrians desperately trying to protect their loved ones and one of the oldest Christian communities in the world."We had churches in Mosul for 1800 years, and they're all destroyed," says Iraqi priest Father Kanon Toma.Now the terrified Christians and Yazidis are prepared to leave their ancient cultures behind and start again.The community in New Zealand has only one wish – for them to have a better life.
But if it's just worries about the potential cost of accepting refugees, well, there is perhaps a solution to that. Get a number on the marginal cost to the government of providing assistance to a refugee for the refugee's first couple of years. Set up a PledgeMe drive so those who'd be happy to help support bringing people over can do so. If the cost of an additional refugee is x, and the drive raises 50x, let in 50 more refugees.
