John MacDonald: Welcome to the People's Republic of Pushovers

It is ridiculous a woman who falsified documents to obtain a visa has been allowed to stay, writes John MacDonald. Photo / 123RF

Opinion

OPINION:

Imagine this: you're really keen to move to another country. Not just visit - you want to go and live there. In fact, you're so keen - you'll do anything to make it happen.

So you think to yourself, "mmm, what would pretty much guarantee me getting in and being allowed to stay?"

So you ask around and you go online and you find out that if you're married to someone who comes from the country you want to move to, then you're sorted.

The only sticking point is that you're not married to someone from that country. So, do you give up there?

Of course you don't because, remember, you're so keen to move to that country you'll do whatever it takes.

So you decide to try pretending that you're married to someone who lives in that country. And the first thing you do, is you get someone who knows what they're doing to make you some false documents. A false marriage certificate and whatever other papers you're going to need to get into that country.

Then you send them off and hope it'll trick the Customs people and you'll get a visa and be away laughing.

Again, imagine going to the letterbox one day and finding out you've managed to pull it off and there's a visa sitting there that will let you get into and stay in that country.

So you book a flight and nervously touch down and make your way through Customs. Heart pounding - because you know you're trying to get in on false pretenses. The fake marriage certificate and other documentation.

You work your way up the line and it feels like the Customs people are staring at you a bit more than everyone else - but eventually they wave you through. Time to breathe again.

Then you go into the arrivals hall at the airport and there to meet you is your fake husband, who you've actually never met before in your life. You pretend to look delighted to see each other but once you leave the airport you go your separate ways and never see each other again.

You're a complete phoney and you're entering that country illegally. You've got a visa, yes, but you've got it under totally false pretences. A fake marriage certificate and other fake papers. You're a fraud.

If it was France, Germany, Russia, the United States, Australia - in fact pretty much any country you might want to name - that you'd got into using false documents, what do you think they would do if they found out?

You'd be on the first plane out of there wouldn't you? No niceties, no compassion, you've broken the rules and you're out on your ear.

But what if someone else did exactly the same sort of thing to get into New Zealand? Would the same thing happen to them?

You'd like to think so. But someone who did exactly what I've just described to get in to New Zealand isn't being asked to leave, they've been given refugee status and is going to be allowed to stay here. Even though they got in on false pretences.

Met her pretend husband at the airport when she arrived here - and hasn't seen him since walking out of the airport. A complete phoney.

I once described New Zealand as the People's Republic of Pushovers. That was sometime last year and it looks like we still are.

Because, this woman who came here from China two-and-a-half years ago using fake papers, has now been given refugee status by the Immigration and Protection Tribunal.

She is a divorced mother-of-one and is a follower of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which has been declared an illegal cult in China.

And she has told the Immigration and Protection Tribunal that if she goes back to China - where her former husband and son still live - she could face serious harm because of her involvement with Falun Gong.

So a year after she arrived here with a visa obtained using fake papers, she applied for refugee status. Last year, she was told her application had been declined, so she tried again and, this time, she's been successful - and so she'll be staying here for good as a refugee.

This is absolute nonsense. This person lied to get into New Zealand - in fact, she didn't just lie, she went as far as getting false documents made which she knew would get her into the country illegally.

She met her pretend husband at the airport and then wandered off into the sunset - probably laughing at how gullible New Zealand is.

And somehow she thinks she is deserving to be protected by New Zealand.

What's more galling, is the fact that the Immigration Tribunal agrees with her. And has decided that despite doing what she did, she deserves to live here in New Zealand permanently. It is ridiculous.