Immigration NZ spent $85,000 to deport sick overstayer

A Korean woman was deported in May last year at an estimated cost of $85,000 to New Zealand taxpayers. The cost was incurred after the woman and the Korean government refused to pay for the repatriation. The Korean government agreed to provide an emergency travel document but would not cover costs because the woman is unregistered in Korea due to her long absence.

The woman had been overstaying in New Zealand since 2012. Authorities became aware of her situation in 2024 when police attempted to identify a woman in hospital who had suffered two strokes. Officials informed Immigration Minister Erica Stanford that the client had undergone two brain operations and required significant rehabilitative care.

The $85,000 expense was for medical repatriation using the New Zealand Air Ambulance Service, which required two medical escorts. This deportation plan required sign-off from a deputy chief executive.

Recent immigration data shows 1,400 deportations occurred in the year leading to July, with one third being enforced and funded by Immigration New Zealand. While these figures are increasing, they remain less than half the volume seen before the pandemic. Approximately 19,000 overstayers are currently in the country.

Compiled from reports by 1News and Otago Daily Times.