3 June 2026
Meghanniva
[FYI request #34629 email]
DOIA-REQ-0032675
Tēnā koe Meghanniva
Thank you for your email of 7 May 2026 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:
Please provide the following data for the 2018/19, 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25
financial years:
1. The total amount of government funding managed by MBIE or INZ and provided to
Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) in each of the above financial years.
2. The number of unique individuals who were placed into accommodation provided by
ASST itself.
Here, “accommodation provided by ASST itself” means accommodation owned,
leased, operated, managed, or directly provided by ASST.
3. The number of unique individuals who were assisted by ASST to find external
accommodation.
Here, external accommodation means housing that is not owned, leased, operated,
managed, or directly provided by ASST.
Please provide item 3 separately according to the following external accommodation
categories:
3.1 studio
3.2 flat accommodation
3.3 other
4. The funding actually spent on accommodation-related services to assist asylum
seekers in each of the above financial years:
4.1 accommodation-related total expenditure
4.2 the amount spent on accommodation provided by ASST itself
4.3 the amount spent on assistance in finding external accommodation
Please do not count contacts, appointments, advocacy services, activities, or service
interactions as individuals in the above people statistics. The people statistics requested
above are for the number of unique individuals.
If exact data is not held, please provide the closest available data, estimated data, or
partial data, and explain the relevant data scope and calculation basis.
Our Response
Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) publishes information relating to financial and annual reports on
their website -
Asylum Seekers Support Trust – Refugee Resettlement Support.
Question 1
MBIE provides funding to ASST through a funding agreement, the first funding agreement was in effect
from September 2023 to March 2025. Therefore, your request for information on funding provided to
ASST for finical years 2018/2019 and 2022/2023 is being refused under s18(g) of the Act as this
information does not exist.
Please see the below breakdown of funding instalments from MBIE to ASST for financial years
2023/2024 and 2024/2025.
Financial Year
Instalment Month
Amount (NZD)
2023/2024
September
$250,000
March
$250,000
2024/2025
September
$250,000
March
$250,000
Total
$1,000,000
Questions 2-3
We are refusing questions 2-3 under section 18(g) of the Act as the information requested is not held
by MBIE, and we have no grounds for believing the information is held by another department of more
closely connected to the functions of another department.
To obtain this information you would need to contact the Asylum Seekers Support Trust directly.
Question 4
MBIE funding contributions relating to accommodation is through emergency accommodation
services delivered by ASST. Funding contributions are to be used towards the hostel’s basic
operational costs to ensure the hostel can be maintained – including power, internet, building
maintenance, pest control, furniture provision, linen, and clothing and hygiene items for asylum
seekers.
Information is not held by MBIE on further breakdown of hostel related costs, for example, the
following funding contribution breakdown excludes hostel staffing costs and other hostel related
overheads not listed above. Please note, ASST financial reporting is not held by financial year. The
following information has instead been broken down by six monthly expenditure reporting received
by MBIE from ASST.
Period - Hostel Costs
Amount (NZD)
1 September 2023 to 1 March 2024
$28,286
1 March 2024 to 31 August 2024
$17,159
01 September 2024 to 28 February 2025
$19,388
1 March to 30 September 2025
$25,213
Total
$90,046.00
We are refusing questions 4.2 and 4.3 under section 18(g) of the Act, for the reasons mentioned above.
To obtain this information you would need to contact the Asylum Seekers Support Trust directly.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800
802 602.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact
[email address]. Nāku noa, nā
Fiona Whiteridge
General Manager Refugee and Migrant Services
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
