Covid-19 failed to slow wave of deportations

More than 300 New Zealanders have been deported from Australia since international borders closed to stop the spread of Covid19.

Figures released to Stuff show that while the controversial removals slowed slightly during last year’s lockdown period, they returned apace in July and have now returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The deportees include a 15-year-old boy, sent back under the hard line policy in March.

A quarantine-free travel corridor between the two countries opened on Monday.

Australia’s enforcement of the populist immigration policy has dogged diplomatic relations since 2014. The topic is likely to be on the agenda when Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne arrives for talks with her counterpart Nanaia Mahuta today.

Since 2015, 2374 Kiwis have been sent back across the Tasman, with numbers reaching a peak in 2017 at 468 returnees.

Last year, as the world grappled with travel restrictions imposed to tackle the virus, 320 people were returned.

Between January and March this year, 61 were removed from Australia, many on a series of ‘‘Con Air’’ flights.

Information supplied by the police shows 211 of those deported are in prison or on remand. A further 88 are on the National Gang List, which records prospective and patched members.

The majority live in Auckland (915), with 233 in the Canterbury area and 202 in the Bay of Plenty. The address of 212 is unknown.

Since January 2015, more than half (1284) have reoffended, committing 10,513 offences.

This includes 2863 categorised as dishonesty crimes; 2065 violations and 2036 acts of violence.