The New Zealand Refugee Status Appeals Authority or RSAA, was an independent authority that heard the appeals of people who had been declined refugee status by the Refugee Status Branch of the New Zealand Immigration Service. It was established in 1991, and was replaced by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal in 2010. New Zealand established the RSAA as part of its responsibility to uphold the right of asylum as a result of being a signatory of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.[1] The decisions of the RSAA are not binding, but have had a significant impact on refugee jurisprudence.[2]
The RSAA was composed of a chairperson and 24 Members (part-time and full-time), all of whom were either legal practitioners or retired judges. The most high-profile case adjudged by the RSAA was that of Ahmed Zaoui, whose appeal was eventually successful.