'Con Air' to arrive tomorrow morning

MP Michael Woodhouse. Photo / Supplied

A chartered flight dubbed "Con Air" by opposition and with about 20 criminals onboard will land at Auckland Airport tomorrow morning, Police Minister Michael Woodhouse says.

Police have confirmed the number of returning offenders, most of whom have appealed Australia's decision to deport them for their crimes but decided to appeal from New Zealand.

"They will be processed at Auckland Airport and then the arrangements will be different according to their connections to the community and their family situation," Mr Woodhouse said.

In a joint statement, Police and Corrections confirmed the charter flight carrying the offenders will arrive at Auckland International Airport and be met by Police and Corrections staff for processing before being taken to accommodation. Those who required further supervision will be served with a notice of it.

Parliament passed legislation under urgency this week to ensure offenders deported back to New Zealand could be put under similar supervision conditions as parole for New Zealand prisoners.

Police assistant commissioner Malcolm Burgess said the priority was community safety. Although Australia had provided information about each offender under the information sharing agreement, at the airport they would be required to provide identity information and fingerprints, as well as a DNA sample. If that was not taken at the airport, they would be issued a compulsion notice to provide it at a later date. Police will also individually interview them to assess the best management regime.

Corrections was responsible for the supervision regime and would set out the offenders' obligations at the airport as well as arrange transport and accommodation if it was required alongside prisoner rehabilitation service PARS. Other government agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Social Development, would also be called on if required. Corrections was also responsible for ongoing monitoring of the offenders and responding if there were issues.

Jeanette Burns, Corrections Northern Regional Manager, said government agencies were working together to ensure a "smooth arrival." "While there has been some focus on the group arriving this week it is important that this is viewed in the context of up to around 12,000 releases from the New Zealand prison system each year."

Labour has slammed the Government for being much too slow to react to an Australian law change made a year ago, which saw non-Australians who were sentenced to a year or more in prison automatically lose the right to live in Australia.

The new law also gives the Australian Immigration Minister the right to deport someone deemed to have failed the "good character" test.

One of those being held, Ngati Kanohi Te Eke Haapu, also known as Ko, a former New Zealand soldier who guarded Prime Minister John Key in Afghanistan, has been ordered out of the country on "character" grounds even though he has committed no crime.