Visitors fail by claiming they’re here for the roos

Numbers sent back home continue to climb

Tourists arriving with too many credit cards or with plans to see boomerangs and kangaroos are among the increasing number of arrivals turned back at the border.

While some who weren’t allowed in over the past few years were refused entry for slightly comical reasons, others trying to get in had a more criminal flavour to their plans.

In 2015/16, an apparent tour group of Taiwanese people was referred to Immigration NZ after searches found mobile devices, IT cables, remote controls, SIM card adaptors, and bolt cutters in their luggage.

All 19 in the group, including the alleged guide, refused to be interviewed and would not explain the reason for their travel.

Instead, they asked to go home and were on a plane back to Taiwan within 13 hours of arrival.

Further information gathered about them indicated they had hoped to set up an outbound call centre, selling bogus investments by phone.

The group was a small fraction of the 1371 people refused entry that year. The figure has been steadily rising since 2011/12, when 790 people were denied entry. From then until 2015/16, 5309 missed the cut.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment figures show the number being booted out for having a non-genuine reason for travelling to Aotearoa also rose, from 396 in 2011/12, to 708 five years on.

“The vast majority of travellers are seeking to enter New Zealand temporarily, typically for a visit, to work, or to study,” ministry compliance, risk and intelligent services general