Matua Kahurangi: Asylum or backdoor immigration?

New Zealand is renowned for its welcoming nature, but has our generosity gone too far? A quick glance at the Immigration New Zealand website reveals just how streamlined and accommodating our asylum process has become. It may be so lenient that it invites misuse.

A page titled "Claiming asylum in New Zealand - How to make a claim for refugee or protection status if you are in New Zealand” reads like a how-to guide. It openly instructs individuals, even those on temporary tourist visas, on how to lodge an asylum claim once they have already arrived. For anyone looking to exploit a loophole, the instructions couldn’t be clearer.