Our History

Bryan Johnson, an accountant and member of the NZ and HK Societies of Accountants who practised in New Zealand, Singapore and Indonesia, began supporting asylum seekers in 1989. His first asylum seeker was a young Chinese woman from Chengdu who had participated in the Tiananmen Square uprising. Facing a long prison sentence, she obtained a visa to come to New Zealand and lived with Bryan and his wife Cheryl in their Hamilton home. Her story set Bryan on a path of research into how to help asylum seekers.

Over the following decades, Bryan assisted 158 asylum seekers with the help of lawyers and immigration law students — 124 of whom successfully remained in New Zealand. Tragically, Bryan followed the stories of six who were deported and suffered terrible torture; one took their own life in a hotel.

A Legal Battle

In 2009, the New Zealand government enacted legislation licensing immigration advisors with stiff penalties for unlicensed advice. In 2018, the Licensed Immigration Authority took action against Bryan, with charges that could have resulted in a $100,000 fine or seven years in prison. Represented by Grant Illingworth K.C., he was acquitted.

Founding Asylum Safe House: 2019

In 2019, Bryan asked five friends to form the Safe Haven Housing Trust. The following year, the trust purchased its first house in Favona, Auckland. In the second year it became Safe Haven Housing Trust Board (CC57293) — a structural change required by a major funding organisation seeking greater accountability.

Our Impact Today

In the trust’s first seven years, more than 100 clients have received practical assistance, with a 93% success rate on claims. A successful claim establishes that a client has a well-founded fear of death, torture, long-term imprisonment, or serious deprivation of human rights.

“Asylum Safe House is an official initiative operated by the Safe Haven Housing Trust Board.”

Mission Statement:

Asylum Safe House exists to provide secure, quality, affordable housing and dedicated settlement support for asylum seekers in New Zealand. As an official initiative of the Safe Haven Housing Trust Board (CC57293), we protect vulnerable individuals from the threat of deportation, torture, and human rights violations by giving them a safe foundation to rebuild their lives in dignity.