Criminals 'should be sent home', says NZ First

By LOUISA CLEAVE

An arsonist and a cocaine importer were among 11 convicted criminals allowed to stay in New Zealand after appealing to the Deportation Review Tribunal in the last four years.

New Zealand First yesterday called for an urgent review of the tribunal and released figures that showed nine of the 11 successful applicants were classed as "violent criminals", found guilty of charges including rape and kidnapping, aggravated robbery and assault.

New Zealand First associate immigration spokesman Dail Jones said the deportation system should ensure that foreign criminals were sent out of the country and not given further chances to offend.

"How can the Deportation Review Tribunals allow foreign rapists and kidnappers to remain in New Zealand after they have been rightly ordered to be deported?

"It is ludicrous to allow people to have the option of appealing against deportation orders at the taxpayers' expense, let alone allowing them to stay here at further expense."

Courts Minister Rick Barker could not comment on the circumstances of individual cases, a spokesman said. The Ministry of Justice said the tribunal had considered 39 appeals since 2000 and overturned 11 findings.

The tribunal has been dogged by criticism in the past five years.

In 2000, it quashed the deportation order of Fiji Indian Janardan Gounder, who had been convicted on two charges of injuring with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The tribunal allowed Gounder to stay because of his "good work ethic and savings record" as well as his good relationship with his wife and daughter.

In 1999, members of the tribunal were dumped after a decision that upset then-immigration minister Tuariki Delamere.

He criticised the tribunal for letting convicted wife-beater Ben Kwong Makeran stay here so he could continue sending $25 a week home to his family in Kiribati.

The present tribunal is chaired by Auckland barrister Robyn von Keisenberg with members Raewyn Weller and Claire Duncan.

They considered five of the 39 appeals, with the rest decided by the former tribunal of Nigel McFadden (chairman), Peggy Burrows and Raewyn Weller.