The man illegally obtained a new Malaysian passport under a different name and entered Singapore to avoid suspicion. He boarded a flight from Singapore to Auckland. Despite the name change, he was refused entry and sent back to Singapore.
He tried to enter New Zealand once more on the same passport, flying from Sydney to Queenstown, but again, immigration officials refused to let him board.
This month he obtained another Malaysian passport with a different name and date of birth. He caught a flight from Melbourne to Christchurch but was stopped at Christchurch airport, and returned to Melbourne.
"He says he's in love with her," said Karen Urwin, Immigration NZ's border operations manager. "I don't like to stand in the way of Cupid's bow, but he needs to accept that the relationship is over and he's not legally entitled to be in New Zealand."
International airlines are responsible for the cost of flying home passengers entering New Zealand without correct documentation, and Immigration NZ was able to lay charges against airlines who break the rules.
Since the start of last year Singapore Airlines and Jetstar have been charged and convicted for allowing passengers to board against Immigration NZ direction. Each airline was fined $6500.
Five more airlines are awaiting prosecution, but from this month a law change allows the agency to take immediate action against the airline.
Urwin said passengers boarded flights inappropriately for different reasons.
"In some countries it's error, in some countries it's corruption," she said. "If you're a people-smuggler, you pay a check-in agent to get you on the airplane."
