Patrick – Sector colleague

Patrick is one of the co-directors of education provider PEETO the Multicultural Learning Centre. Formed in 1991, the school provides English language education to international students, migrants and refugees. PEETO has been heavily involved with CRS throughout the years.

Alongside what was then known as Refugee Resettlement Service (RRS) and Refugee and Migrant Service (RMS), CRS led the way in helping to resettle refugees and migrants in Christchurch in the nineties. Patrick explains that the three organisations worked together closely before relocating to a building on the corner of Madras and Peterborough Street, making it even easier to work alongside one another.

Patrick has nothing but praise for CRS and the work that they do, crediting its success to the professionalism of the current General Manager.

“She’s been the catalyst for really raising the profile of the agency in a very professional manner. CRS has become the lead agency in Christchurch for refugee resettlement and also migrants, but also nationally, CRS is highly regarded and there’s no equivalent of CRS in New Zealand.”

Patrick wishes CRS a Happy Anniversary. “Thank you very much for providing and facilitating and enhancing the dignity of all the different human beings that we’ve had here as refugees and migrants who have settled here in Christchurch and New Zealand. It’s more than just having reached 30 years, it’s having reached 30 years with real quality, it’s not just ticking off three decades, it’s much more than a statistical matter. Happy Anniversary to all of CRS and all the communities that belong to that family.”