KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's Acting High Commissioner to Fiji has returned to Auckland after being ordered out by the interim military Government in Suva, saying she is extremely disappointed at her expulsion.
Caroline McDonald arrived at Auckland Airport about 2.30pm yesterday, five days after the military Government headed by Commodore Frank Bainimarama told her she was not welcome in Fiji.
Ms McDonald's expulsion came after she was accused of acting inappropriately and not engaging with the Fiji Administration.
But it also followed the New Zealand Government's decision not to grant a student visa to the son of a senior Fiji official.
Ms McDonald, who hopes to meet Foreign Minister Murray McCully in the next few days, said on her return home that her expulsion was an "arbitrary and unwarranted action by the Fiji interim Government".
"As Mr McCully has explained, there's really no basis and no justification for my expulsion and the interim Government has really not been able to substantiate why they've taken this action," she said.
"I think that it is really simply retaliation for the New Zealand Government's long-standing and consistent approach of denying visas to supporters of the Fiji interim regime and their close family members in the absence, of course, of any concrete moves back to democracy."
Ms McDonald said her expulsion was particularly disappointing given what she described as "a determined effort on the part of successive New Zealand Governments to reach out to the regime".
"This includes an offer of substantial help and assistance if the Fiji interim Government takes credible steps towards a return to democracy, and you'll recall, of course, that this is what Commodore Bainimarama promised ... back in 2007."
Ms McDonald said she appreciated the warmth of the people of Fiji and the support of other governments, international organisations and local bodies in Fiji who spoke out against her expulsion.
"I think we all share a common aim, which is that we wish to see Fiji quickly return to its rightful place as a leader among the family of Pacific nations."
Along with Ms McDonald, the New Zealand High Commission has lost her husband, Simon Mark, who is the trade commissioner, as well as police and defence attaches.
That leaves just a handful of staff in the commission in Suva under the Acting Deputy High Commissioner, Todd Cleaver.
Mr McCully said Fiji was obliged to indicate some offence to expel a foreign representative, "and in this case they have simply made wild generalisations. There has been no specific misconduct alleged because there is none."
- NZPA
