Man who lived under alias for 38 years fails deportation appeal

Lafaele Laoa, 60, has lost an appeal against deportation after living in New Zealand for 38 years under a false identity. Although a three-month deadline for him to return to Samoa expired last week, he remains in the country. Laoa arrived in 1988 using a forged passport and the assumed name of Olive Mao.

Immigration New Zealand only located Laoa in 2024 after receiving information from the police. He was held in custody because authorities could not confirm his identity and he lacked a passport. The Immigration and Protection Tribunal noted that Laoa made no attempt to regularise his status during his long stay, except to request ministerial intervention once deportation became imminent.

The tribunal found that while his long stay was an exceptional humanitarian circumstance, his use of a false identity meant deportation was not unjust or unduly harsh. The decision noted that Laoa had little connection to his children, three of whom live outside New Zealand. The tribunal also stated it was difficult to "reconcile the appellant's concern for his own future with the violent treatment he meted out to another person".

Laoa's history includes convictions between 1992 and 2013 and ten alleged family harm incidents between 2009 and 2020. He claimed he used an alias to avoid being separated from his family and noted a land dispute left him with no home in Samoa.

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald and Otago Daily Times.