Abstract:
© 2016 The Editors, New Zealand Sociology.This article presents findings from a qualitative study of factors affecting the well-being of young people from refugee backgrounds in Aotearoa New Zealand. Reporting upon interviews with refugeesector experts, we employ Portes and Rumbaut’s ‘segmented assimilation’ thesis and Ungar’s ‘resilience’ conceptualisation, aiming to better understand the resettlement education journeys of young people and how the Refugee Resettlement Strategy shapes those experiences. Our structural analysis explores how current policy overlooks complex nuances of resettlement needs and how educational institutions engage with young people. We suggest educational policy development emphasising reciprocity and mutual adjustment between refugee-background people and host societies to enhance holistic resettlement success.