Fourteen individuals flown back to New Zealand by Australian authorities

Fourteen people have been returned to New Zealand by Australian authorities today who were met and assessed by police at Auckland International Airport.

The group of 12 men and two women arrived on a chartered aircraft this morning under an Australian escort.

On arrival, the group was assessed by police and partner agencies including the Department of Corrections.

"The priority for police is to ensure community safety and assist agencies responsible for facilitating their reintegration into the community," a spokesperson said.

"The Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Act enables information to be required from eligible individuals under the Act, and the supervision of those individuals by Corrections probation officers."

Supervised individuals are subject to standard release conditions which include reporting to a probation officer and restrictions on where the individual can live.

Some of the individuals are also subject to special conditions, such as being required to participate in a rehabilitation or reintegration programme.

The spokesperson said when an individual is not eligible under the Act, police still assess the risk of the individual and puts in place any necessary preventative measures required within the current law.

Police would not discuss the identities of returning individuals or discuss their backgrounds.

New Zealand authorities were first made aware of their arrival through established information sharing arrangements.

Earlier this year former Wallabies lock and journalist Peter Fitzsimons sparked controversy around deportation from Australia on ABC.

His investigation was aired on a programme featuring deported New Zealander Ko Haapu who was a motorcycle gang member over the ditch.

Fitzsimons' report was slammed by Australian politicians who believed the journalist did not talk to serious criminals who were deported.

Between the start of 2015 and August 3, 2018, a total of 1394 New Zealanders had been removed from Australian soil since the amendment of Australian legislation in December 2014.