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The Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand (Māori) believe that, when any visitor or guest arrives in their land, that they should be invited and welcomed. This helps to establish a relationship between those of the land and those who have chosen to live in this land. New Zealand's population is increasingly multi-ethnic and inclusive of a broad range of transnational social workers and yet there are very few programmes or frameworks that assist them to navigate these borders. Instead, transnational social workers are left to struggle when they arrive and struggle further when they find themselves working with the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. Social work practice in Aotearoa New Zealand is informed by understandings of indigeneity and moral obligations to Te Tiriti ō Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand society. For ‘responsible hosts’ fostering positive relationships, a process of cultural encounter is needed for transnational social workers whereby they can be better integrated into their new country, their communities and into their work as social workers.

In this chapter on resettlement social work with women refugees, they are portrayed as resilient yet reluctant users of social work services. While the field of social work with refugees has already been widely introduced and discussed, less attention has been paid to resettlement work with women refugees. In order to contextualise this discussion, key terms are briefly defined, and relevant legislation together with demographic features are covered. The chapter includes a case study, presented by one of the authors, herself an expert by experience. We present open source as well as current research published in academic journals relating to this field of practice. Research methods and ethical issues including practice dilemmas associated with the concept of empowerment are discussed. Practical applications and cultural concerns derived from the research suggest how practitioners and refugee women may work together using participatory methods to draw on the strengths and experience of the refugee women to achieve goals which are consistent with those set out by the United Nations High Commission.

This chapter approaches the topic of resettlement social work with women refugees portrayed as resilient yet reluctant users of social work services. While the field of social work with refugees has already been widely introduced and discussed, less attention has been paid to resettlement work with women refugees. In order to contextualise this discussion, key terms are briefly defined, and relevant legislation together with demographic features are covered. The chapter includes a case study presented by one of the authors, an expert by experience. Research relating to this field of practice is presented and ethical issues discussed. Practical applications and cultural concerns derived from the research suggest how practitioners and refugee women may work together, drawing on the strengths and experience of the refugee women to achieve goals that are consistent with those set out by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).