Plane to fly over All Blacks Test in refugee protest

  • 11/06/2016
(Photosport)
(Photosport)

The Government will be sent a clear message about its rigid refugee policy on Saturday night, with a plane unfurling a pro-refugee banner as it soars above the All Blacks Test at Eden Park.

Activist group ActionStation has successfully crowdfunded enough money to hire a plane that will fly over the game with a banner that reads "It's time to double refugee quota" trailing behind it.

The idea came about in the lead-up to World Refugee Day on June 20 -- a particularly poignant celebration given the 4.5 million refugees who have fled from war in Syria in the past four years.

New Zealand has had a very small impact on reducing the crisis, with the number of new refugees every year set at just 750 -- a quota that has not been increased in 28 years.

ActionStation campaign director Laura O'Connell-Rapira says they have been trying to instigate change on the refugee quota for more than a year to no avail -- hence why they hired the plane.

"We've made submissions, signed petitions, met with MPs and rallied outside Parliament," she says.

"Our message is that it is time -- long past time -- for New Zealand to do our small part to respond to what many have dubbed the 'worst humanitarian crisis of our time' by doubling New Zealand's refugee quota."

ActionStation says it will compensate for the carbon emissions created by the plane's flight by supporting a rainforest conservation effort in Southland.

Newshub.